The Ball Python

The perfect beginner's guide to owning a ball python! Learn about:

• Selecting your first Ball Python
• Quarantine and acclimation
• Housing and maintenance
• Feeding and handling
• Ball Python morphs and variations
• Captive reproduction
• Diseases and disorders

Written by a team of internationally respected herpetologists led by Philippe de Vosjoli, The Ball Python Manual is an authoritative introduction to this popular snake.

The ball python is admired around the world for its distinctly African appearance and its relative medium size and tameability. It is one of the most appealing to enthusiasts and first-time snake buyers alike for its incredibly diverse colors and patterns. But there is more to caring for these beautiful reptiles than just a cage, bedding, and food!

This colorful reference offers up-to-date and reliable information on selection, acclimating, handling, housing, and maintaining ball pythons, all of which will be extremely valuable to newcomers to this remarkable python.

Dr. Roger Klingenberg's chapter on health care is indispensable for all snake keepers with excellent advice for troubleshooting health issues for each of the snake's anatomical regions. The breeding chapter by David and Tracy Barker discusses sexing, sexual maturity, and all aspects of captive reproduction and hatching. Discover information on the husbandry and propagation of this often misunderstood species, including tips on how to overcome problems with feeding and diseases. You'll also find handy resources and a complete index.

Learn how to correctly set up your pet ball python's habitat, including the size of the enclosure or terrarium, substrates or bedding, thermostat-controlled heating, lighting, shelters or caves, and more. Discover how to help a snake who refuses to eat, how much handling is too much, and how to troubleshoot health issues from the eyes, nostrils, and mouth to the skin, body, and gastrointestinal system. Explore morphs and variations like ghost, piebald, clown, Mojave, albino, fire, and more, with the beautiful photos of unusual ball pythons and an explanation of the genetics that lead to such variations.

The beautiful ball python doesn't get too big, readily becomes tame, and is easy to handle, but caring for a ball python can still be quite challenging. Learn how to properly care for this fascinating snake, with The Ball Python Manual!

Philippe de Vosjoli is an expert on reptile husbandry who revolutionized herpetoculture with the Advanced Vivarium Systems series of books. He has written more than twenty books and one hundred articles on the care and breeding of reptiles and amphibians.