Royal Pythons
Heat and Humidity
As Royal Pythons originate from Africa their temperatures are higher compared to your average colubrid. They should have an ambient temperature of about 80f then a hotspot of around 90 - 95f to ensure this please use a heating instrument such as a heat bulb or pad into a thermostat such as a Habistat dimming thermostat this ensures the enclosure does not get too warm for your animal. They require a 60 - 70% humidity to be able to shed correctly. If the humidity is not correct then the snake will not be able to shed properly and have a 'stuck shed' [see below] and the proper heat is vital as otherwise the snake can be burnt or not be able to digest its food, leading to regurgitation which should not occur and can be fatal for your snake.
Housing
Royal Pythons feel secure in small spaces. Because of this Royal Pythons don't require alot of space, and can happily live as a baby in a 9 litre tub or a 10 gallon tank until big enough to transfer into a 3/4ft vivarium/tank or a 32-41 litre rub/tub. Royal pythons are not an aborial species (although may climb if given the chance too) therefore vivariums do not have to be tall. However, sticks and branches maybe used for a more natural look. Any housing type to big can lead to a few problems such as going off food, stressing or worse. Non-snake owners may advise to move into a larger cage (personal experience) as they see it as 'cruel' even though this is not true, be sure to ignore this advise as it may harm your animal.
Substrate
As Royal Pythons come from West-Africa they are used to a higher humidity, and need this to shed, therefore they need a substrate that can maintain moisture to aid in this. A few choices are, Coco husk, its keeps humidity well however it has to be soaked before use. Next is Orchid bark again it holds humidity well but can contain alot of dust and people say they contain mites along with Cypress Mulch which is another nice looking substrate. Things such as chip shop paper or newspaper may work well in racks as it is easily cleaned and is cheap. My personal preference though is Reptile Bark or Forest bark, as it doesn't come pre-wetted and has a nice natural smell, it also is easy to clean and doesn't make a mess.
Inside the enclosure
Within the enclosure there needs to be a basic minimum of supplies. Two hides are required to provide security on the warm side and on the cool side, this allows the snake to thermo-regulate its body temperature while feeling secure. Make sure the hides are 'snug' fits for the animal, this helps the snake feel comfortable. Hides can be made from old cardboard boxes, plant pots or you can get a natural looking one from most pet shops for around £4 - £15 depending on make and size. A water bowl should be provided! NOT a water bottle, like you would a rabbit or mouse. Snakes cannot drink from a bottle. The bowls water should be changed every 2-3 days and should be big enough for the animal to soak in. However if the bowl gets excrement in it within the changing period, please change it immidiately as this may cause illnesses. Decoration can be provided although it is not needed. Things like bark will help with shedding and fake plants help give the natural look. If you're keeping a Royal/Ball Python as a pet i would definately recommend getting some nice decoration. Thermometers and hygrometers are needed to read the temperature and humidity.
Feeding
Royal Pythons are carnivorous, this means that they only eat meat, in their case, mice and rats. (Going with the rat route) As hatchlings Ball Pythons will eat fuzzy Rats these are about 1 week old rats and are about the size of an avergage thumb. As the snake grows, the food item grows until it reaches adult size where they usual adult will eat large or jumbo Rats. They general rule is that a food item should be the same gurth as the snake. When it comes to feeding, you can feed live however be cautious and only do it when a neccasity as an animal suffers a painful death rather than a harmless one. You can also feed frozen thawed (f/t) rats which have been pre-killed and frozen as snake food. To do this take your mouse/rat and submurge it in warm water for around 15 minutes. After this time your food item should be thawed and just to check gently squeeze the animal to feel for frozen bits left un-thawed, in which case leave the rodent to defrost for longer. When the food item is thawed, you can feed two ways. With tweezers or by hand. Tweezers i would recommend as it eliminates the risk of a feeding bite (the worst kind of bite). However there is something special about feeding with your hand.
Illnesses and behaviour
Snakes like many other animals, can get illnesses and they can be tricky to treat if you dont know what you're doing. Some of the most common behaviours on a snake are 'stuck sheds' or 'regurgitation' these are easy to treat and are not usually fatal, sheds are never fatal but regurgitation can cause some problems. Stuck sheds occur when the snake is unable to shed its skin properly and therefore he skin comes off in little pieces. This is a result of incorrect humidity, as said earlier Royal Pythons need a humidity of 60-70% when shedding, anything below that will lead to stuck sheds. Regurgitation is something a snake does for a few reasons, and it is not good! However it can be easily fixed. When a snake regurgitates all of the stomach acids (the stuff that digests) comes out with it, and becuase of this it has none left. It will take about 10 - 14 days for them to re-build and although your snake may look hungry, dont feed it, it will only regurge and again and again and again until it dies. The first time you feed it after the 14 days make sure its a smaller meal, this will also help it digest the food easily.Actual illnesses such as URI, or Scale rot are a little harder to treat and may need treatment from a qualified reptile vet. However there are a few little tricks you can try. Firstly, URI or RTI stands for Upper respitory infection or Respitory tract infection. This usually involves bubbling of mucus at the nostrils, wheezing and snorting. Now the snake needs to be taken to the vet, no question! However in the meantime, say if you cant get to the vet for a few days. Try this... Warm up your enclosure up. if your enclosure is 28 degrees take it up to 30 degrees or from 30 degrees to 32, and so on and so forth, this should trigger the snake to start fighting the infection if it hasnt already. Also if your snake enclosure is in a busy place say the living room, move it to a more peaceful area, maybe a spare room etc. This will calm the snake down and make it less stressed.
Scale rot is not so rare, however can be fatal if left untreated so try useing triple anti-biotic ointment (WITHOUT painkiller) or/and a bath in a betadine solution (10% betadine). Plus just keep your snake clean, spot cleaning every day, constantly checking temperature and humidity.
As Royal Pythons originate from Africa their temperatures are higher compared to your average colubrid. They should have an ambient temperature of about 80f then a hotspot of around 90 - 95f to ensure this please use a heating instrument such as a heat bulb or pad into a thermostat such as a Habistat dimming thermostat this ensures the enclosure does not get too warm for your animal. They require a 60 - 70% humidity to be able to shed correctly. If the humidity is not correct then the snake will not be able to shed properly and have a 'stuck shed' [see below] and the proper heat is vital as otherwise the snake can be burnt or not be able to digest its food, leading to regurgitation which should not occur and can be fatal for your snake.
Housing
Royal Pythons feel secure in small spaces. Because of this Royal Pythons don't require alot of space, and can happily live as a baby in a 9 litre tub or a 10 gallon tank until big enough to transfer into a 3/4ft vivarium/tank or a 32-41 litre rub/tub. Royal pythons are not an aborial species (although may climb if given the chance too) therefore vivariums do not have to be tall. However, sticks and branches maybe used for a more natural look. Any housing type to big can lead to a few problems such as going off food, stressing or worse. Non-snake owners may advise to move into a larger cage (personal experience) as they see it as 'cruel' even though this is not true, be sure to ignore this advise as it may harm your animal.
Substrate
As Royal Pythons come from West-Africa they are used to a higher humidity, and need this to shed, therefore they need a substrate that can maintain moisture to aid in this. A few choices are, Coco husk, its keeps humidity well however it has to be soaked before use. Next is Orchid bark again it holds humidity well but can contain alot of dust and people say they contain mites along with Cypress Mulch which is another nice looking substrate. Things such as chip shop paper or newspaper may work well in racks as it is easily cleaned and is cheap. My personal preference though is Reptile Bark or Forest bark, as it doesn't come pre-wetted and has a nice natural smell, it also is easy to clean and doesn't make a mess.
Inside the enclosure
Within the enclosure there needs to be a basic minimum of supplies. Two hides are required to provide security on the warm side and on the cool side, this allows the snake to thermo-regulate its body temperature while feeling secure. Make sure the hides are 'snug' fits for the animal, this helps the snake feel comfortable. Hides can be made from old cardboard boxes, plant pots or you can get a natural looking one from most pet shops for around £4 - £15 depending on make and size. A water bowl should be provided! NOT a water bottle, like you would a rabbit or mouse. Snakes cannot drink from a bottle. The bowls water should be changed every 2-3 days and should be big enough for the animal to soak in. However if the bowl gets excrement in it within the changing period, please change it immidiately as this may cause illnesses. Decoration can be provided although it is not needed. Things like bark will help with shedding and fake plants help give the natural look. If you're keeping a Royal/Ball Python as a pet i would definately recommend getting some nice decoration. Thermometers and hygrometers are needed to read the temperature and humidity.
Feeding
Royal Pythons are carnivorous, this means that they only eat meat, in their case, mice and rats. (Going with the rat route) As hatchlings Ball Pythons will eat fuzzy Rats these are about 1 week old rats and are about the size of an avergage thumb. As the snake grows, the food item grows until it reaches adult size where they usual adult will eat large or jumbo Rats. They general rule is that a food item should be the same gurth as the snake. When it comes to feeding, you can feed live however be cautious and only do it when a neccasity as an animal suffers a painful death rather than a harmless one. You can also feed frozen thawed (f/t) rats which have been pre-killed and frozen as snake food. To do this take your mouse/rat and submurge it in warm water for around 15 minutes. After this time your food item should be thawed and just to check gently squeeze the animal to feel for frozen bits left un-thawed, in which case leave the rodent to defrost for longer. When the food item is thawed, you can feed two ways. With tweezers or by hand. Tweezers i would recommend as it eliminates the risk of a feeding bite (the worst kind of bite). However there is something special about feeding with your hand.
Illnesses and behaviour
Snakes like many other animals, can get illnesses and they can be tricky to treat if you dont know what you're doing. Some of the most common behaviours on a snake are 'stuck sheds' or 'regurgitation' these are easy to treat and are not usually fatal, sheds are never fatal but regurgitation can cause some problems. Stuck sheds occur when the snake is unable to shed its skin properly and therefore he skin comes off in little pieces. This is a result of incorrect humidity, as said earlier Royal Pythons need a humidity of 60-70% when shedding, anything below that will lead to stuck sheds. Regurgitation is something a snake does for a few reasons, and it is not good! However it can be easily fixed. When a snake regurgitates all of the stomach acids (the stuff that digests) comes out with it, and becuase of this it has none left. It will take about 10 - 14 days for them to re-build and although your snake may look hungry, dont feed it, it will only regurge and again and again and again until it dies. The first time you feed it after the 14 days make sure its a smaller meal, this will also help it digest the food easily.Actual illnesses such as URI, or Scale rot are a little harder to treat and may need treatment from a qualified reptile vet. However there are a few little tricks you can try. Firstly, URI or RTI stands for Upper respitory infection or Respitory tract infection. This usually involves bubbling of mucus at the nostrils, wheezing and snorting. Now the snake needs to be taken to the vet, no question! However in the meantime, say if you cant get to the vet for a few days. Try this... Warm up your enclosure up. if your enclosure is 28 degrees take it up to 30 degrees or from 30 degrees to 32, and so on and so forth, this should trigger the snake to start fighting the infection if it hasnt already. Also if your snake enclosure is in a busy place say the living room, move it to a more peaceful area, maybe a spare room etc. This will calm the snake down and make it less stressed.
Scale rot is not so rare, however can be fatal if left untreated so try useing triple anti-biotic ointment (WITHOUT painkiller) or/and a bath in a betadine solution (10% betadine). Plus just keep your snake clean, spot cleaning every day, constantly checking temperature and humidity.