Originally posted by lionfish28
Are they agressive?(will they bite me when they see my fingers?)
some babies can be tempermental. even if it does bite (when its a baby) it doesn't hurt at all. their teeth are so small and so sharp that you don't even feel it. i was bitten by my 6 foot redtail boa a few weeks ago and hardly felt it.
handling your snake a lot is a must. (but not too much) a half an hour a day of handling will keep him used to you and he won't see you as a threat, and therefore won't bite you.
Do they live long?
the oldest ball python ever recorded was 48 years old. most of them tend to live between 20 and 30 years if kept properly.
What kind of cage/aquarium do they need?
i'll take this from a care sheet, because i don't feel like typing it out:
"Housing-a sweater box with holes for ventilation should be okay as temporary housing for newly hatched snakes. Juveniles will be okay with 10-gallon aquariums. And as for the adults, a 29-gallon or larger enclosure should suffice. Make sure that there is a tight lid on top, since all snakes are escape artists. If at all possible, provide two hide boxes, one on the warm side of the enclosure and the other on the cool side. Also provide a fresh bowl of water from which the snake can drink and soak. Make sure the bowl is large enough so the snake can put its entire body in it. Also make sure not to fill the bowl all the way since the water will be displaced once the snake gets in the bowl. The displaced water can and may create a wet environment in which bacteria and fungi can grow. All ball pythons regardless of the fact that it is captive bred or imported will need shelters, a little place to hide from it all. It is recommended that a shelter be placed on both the warm and cold side of the enclosure so that the snake may pick and choose.
Substrate-can be newspapers, paper towels, astro turf and such. The best thing to remember is to pick something that will be easily cleaned. If the choice for the substrate is something that cannot be easily cleaned, then chances are that the enclosure won't be cleaned on a regular basis.
Heating and Lighting- 77-88F / 25-32C during the day, and 68-73F/ 20-23C at night. Basking area should be between 90-95F/32.2-35C. Remember it is not good for your snake to be in a constant temperature. This is one of the mistakes beginners make. Some books say that ball pythons are nocturnal while others say that they are crepuscular. From my own experience, I can say that they are primarily nocturnal. But no matter what is printed out there, they are still affected by photoperiods. This means that their cages should be properly lit during the day and dark at night. Lighting should be around 13-14 hours during summer and 9-11 hours during the winter. Also always screen off the lights to keep your snake safe. Snakes do not have the same sense of touch as we do. Chances are that they will be burned before realizing they need to move. There are several manufacturers who produce full spectrum or broad-spectrum light. This is not absolutely necessary, but studies have show that ball pythons fare better and breed better under these light conditions."
I have a 55gal fish tank can the snake live in a 55gal fish tank?
yep! definitely.
hope that helps. any more questions?
--it's like a lap dog, only it's a snake