Recommended Products for Ball Pythons AKA Royal Pythons
The Ball Python (Python regius) is mainly a terrestrial species of constricting snake native to the diverse regions of eastern, central, and western Africa however, several studies have confirmed that they are also semi-arboreal and will often use trees to climb and hunt. In the wild, they are most often found in semi-arid grasslands, forests, and near agricultural areas, sheltering in animal burrows, hollow logs, and occasionally termite mounds.
Due to the imported African farm-raised Ball Pythons as well as captive breeding, the Ball Python today enjoys immense popularity by pet keepers/enthusiasts and the hobbyists/breeders that selectively breed them for their many color and pattern variations commonly referred to as morphs. As each new morph emerges, collectors and breeders will often sell them for several thousands of dollars, and sometimes, tens of thousands of dollars and this has created a cottage industry of literally thousands of home based breeders that can make a living and in some rare cases, even make a lot of money by breeding and selling new color/pattern ball python morphs.
Breeder Racks and Tubs: While some of the more colorful morphs are quite popular in the pet trade, there is a downside too. Unfortunately, some ill advised ball python breeders have no understanding of the ball pythons natural history and having never kept them as pets, they lack the basic 101 pet store level care. The issue gets quiet problematic when some will promote their industrialized breeding level care as to what is best for keeping ball pythons when in reality, what they are really saying is that the commercial breeding systems are simply easier to provide the minimal possible care for large quantities of ball pythons, in the shortest possible time.
The difference between keeping pet reptiles, and commercially breeding reptiles for a profit, is quite a stark difference and should never be confused. Rack keeping is essentially a commercial business method and was not intended for the long term care of any reptiles. Racks and the small plastic tubs that slide inside them were originally based on how rodents are commercially farmed, and were specifically designed for the reptile breeding sector and shouldn't be confused with how to properly care for a pet Ball Python. The notion that this is somehow on par with pet keeping standards or is superior to pet level care is simply misinformation and is just factually wrong.
Fortunately, while in the United States and some other countries most Ball Pythons are bred in a rack and tub system, most pet reptile keepers, who represent over 99% of all reptile keepers, house their ball pythons in much larger setups. Ideally, your pet reptile’s enclosure should try to mirror their natural habitat with décor, plants and other enrichment as well as appropriate lighting and heating in order to try and provide the best care possible for your Ball Python.
Here we have compiled all our products that we recommend to help you best care for your pet Ball Python.
