White Ball Python

White Ball Python is an individual with white coloration caused by the loss of melanin in Ball Pythons, resulting in yellow-white coloration. The price of White Ball Python is much higher than that of regular Ball Pythons, and the price of juvenile White Ball Pythons is usually around 3000 to 4000 yuan. The maximum length that an individual Ball Python can reach is about 1.8 meters (in artificial environments, but this is very rare). In the Ball Python series, there are variations such as Spider, Pastel, Ivory, Mojave, and others, of which Spider is the cheapest and most common white variation.

The Ball Python lives in Central Africa and West Africa, from Senegal to Uganda, from grasslands to forests. They feel equally comfortable in trees and on the ground. They prefer environments with low light, and become more active at dawn and dusk. In Europe, they are called "Royal Python," while in the United States they are called "Ball Python." This is because when they feel threatened, they curl themselves into a tight ball and tuck their head securely in the center. Like many other pythons, the Ball Python is a gentle snake.

Snake enthusiasts are suitable for keeping

One, Acute Pneumonia

One of the common diseases in snakes. Its manifestation is that snakes have difficulty breathing, their mouths are open, they are unwilling to prey, they stay outside the nest for a long time, and the onset is relatively rapid, which can cause a large number of deaths when severe. It often occurs during the period when female snakes lay eggs or give birth, so they are weak at this time, do not eat water, and the temperature is humid and hot, making them prone to illness. The preventive measure is to supplement enough clean water to female snakes during the egg-laying (giving birth) period, have good ventilation, and reduce the surrounding temperature.

Two, Mold Spot Disease

Common in snakes in captivity, especially venomous snakes, boigas, and other snake species. This disease often occurs in poor living environments, small activity ranges, and humid environments. The main preventive measure is to keep the snake's habitat dry and allow the snake to have a certain range of activities. Lime can also be used to sweep moisture or wrap lime in paper and place it on one side of the snake's nest, and replace it regularly.

Treatment: Apply 2% iodine to the snake patient's body twice a day. Or soak it in potassium permanganate solution, and it can be cured after 1 week. Mold spot disease should be detected and treated early, and the treatment effect is poor in the late stage.

Three, Parasites

There are many types of parasites in snakes, including flagellates, nematodes, cestodes, ascarids, etc., and snake skin is infested with ticks and mites.

Treatment method: Oral administration of Dichlorvos solution for animal use, administer according to the snake's body weight, continuous administration for 5 days, which can kill or expel various internal parasites. In addition, Albendazole, Levamisole, Dichlorophenol, etc. can also be used. Ticks and mites on the skin can be placed in a nylon bag, soaked in Dichlorvos solution for animal use for 10 minutes, and then washed with water after ticks and mites are dead and fall off the skin.

Four, Snake Stomatitis

It is almost the most common disease in snakes. Stomatitis is more likely to occur in venomous snakes because taking venom can easily cause oral injury. Improper repeated venom collection methods and careless operations can easily cause stomatitis. During hibernation, some bacteria are prone to invade the cheek, which can also cause stomatitis. During the feeding season, the prey animals are larger, and fights or swallowing can also cause oral injuries and induce stomatitis. If it is artificial feeding, the incidence of stomatitis is even higher. The main manifestations are swelling of the upper and lower jaw, inability to open or close the mouth, affecting feeding, sometimes redness of the oral gums and frontal area (normally clear and white), and in severe cases, some tooth sockets have pus overflowing. Eventually, due to the spread of inflammation, they cannot eat water, become weak, and die.

In captivity, Ball Pythons can grow an average of one foot per year in the first three years and reach adulthood between three and five years. There have been records of Ball Pythons living up to 48 years. Female Ball Pythons lay 4 to 10 eggs at a time and coil around them until they hatch. During the three-month incubation period, she stays with the eggs and does not eat or leave.

Ball Pythons are considered smaller in size compared to other Pythonidae, with adults typically measuring over 1 meter and the largest reaching around 2.2 meters. Their bodies become cylindrical with proper feeding. Like all pythons and boas, they also have remnants of hind limbs. These remnants appear on both sides of the anal vent, with male Ball Pythons having longer remnants and smaller heads compared to females.

Ball Pythons have higher temperature requirements and prefer warmth over cold. The optimal temperature range for them is 25-30 degrees Celsius. Within this range, they eat and grow normally. When the temperature drops below 24 degrees Celsius, their appetite decreases and activity decreases. Below 15 degrees Celsius, they stop eating and are more prone to illness. There is a possibility of death when the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius.

Ball Pythons have adaptations for hunting at night, with their eyes being well-adapted to low light environments. Another organ that helps them hunt at night is the "heat-sensing pit" located on the edge of their mouth. These organs help them detect heat sources in the dark for hunting. After quickly grabbing prey with their fast movements and inverted teeth, they coil around the prey until it dies from suffocation. They then swallow the entire prey.