Royal Python Information
Common name(s): Royal Python, Ball Python
Latin name: Python regius.
Native to: West Africa. Virtually all Royal Pythons are exported from the countries of Togo and Ghana.
Adult size: Royal Pythons are a small to medium size python with adults ranging from 3 to 5 feet, females are generally larger and heavier bodied than males. A monster female may approach six feet and is a very impressive animal.
Life Span: Captive Life Span of 20 - 30 years (record - 48 years).
Eggs: Clutch 2-10 eggs. Average 6 eggs/clutch.
Average incubation time: 56 days
Average incubation temp: 88F-90F degrees
Average hatchling size: 14"-17"
Appearance: They are brightly-coloured, stocky snakes and there are now albino and many different color and pattern morph's available. Males have longer spurs but smaller heads than the females.
What does it eat?: Feed them pre-killed small rats or mice on a weekly basis. Babies begin feeding on hopper mice. Wild caught ball pythons can be imprinted on native prey species and can be very difficult to acclimate. Consequently, newly imported animals do not recognize the mice we offer them as being something edible and initially, will often refuse to feed for lengthy periods.
Ease of care: Beginners upwards.
Temperament: They are docile and can be shy and very reluctant to bite. They achieved the name ball python because of their habit of curling into a ball if threatened. They are crepuscular.
Personal Comments: Royal Pythons are hands down without a doubt our favorite snake. They are a pleasure to work with, they come in a mind boggling variety of colors and patterns and with just a minimal amount of care seem to thrive in captivity. Their only drawback being any unusual color and pattern morphs are incredibly expensive. On the other hand, normal ball pythons are undervalued because of the tens of thousands of wild caught imports brought into North America every year, relegating them to almost disposable pet status. This virtually unregulated exploration will one day come to an end, and prices will then undoubtedly rise to reflect the true value of captive bred ball pythons. Much has been written on wild caught versus captive bred and in no other species, that we can think of, are the differences as dramatically apparent as in royal pythons. Wild caught imports do very poorly in captivity, I am sure many thousands of these animals have suffered slow deaths over the years at the hands of inexperienced keepers. Captive bred baby royals on the other hand make almost the ideal pet snake, they feed like crazy, are calm and friendly , seem very resistant to disease or illness and will thrive for you.
Beliefs and folklore
This species is particularly revered in the traditional religion of the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria. It is considered symbolic of the earth, being an animal that travels so close to the ground. Even among many Christian Igbos, these pythons are treated with great care whenever they happen to wander into a village or onto someone's property; they are allowed to roam freely or are very gently picked up and placed out in a forest or field away from any homes. If one is accidentally killed, many communities in Igboland will still build a coffin for the snake's remains and give it a short funeral.
Latin name: Python regius.
Native to: West Africa. Virtually all Royal Pythons are exported from the countries of Togo and Ghana.
Adult size: Royal Pythons are a small to medium size python with adults ranging from 3 to 5 feet, females are generally larger and heavier bodied than males. A monster female may approach six feet and is a very impressive animal.
Life Span: Captive Life Span of 20 - 30 years (record - 48 years).
Eggs: Clutch 2-10 eggs. Average 6 eggs/clutch.
Average incubation time: 56 days
Average incubation temp: 88F-90F degrees
Average hatchling size: 14"-17"
Appearance: They are brightly-coloured, stocky snakes and there are now albino and many different color and pattern morph's available. Males have longer spurs but smaller heads than the females.
What does it eat?: Feed them pre-killed small rats or mice on a weekly basis. Babies begin feeding on hopper mice. Wild caught ball pythons can be imprinted on native prey species and can be very difficult to acclimate. Consequently, newly imported animals do not recognize the mice we offer them as being something edible and initially, will often refuse to feed for lengthy periods.
Ease of care: Beginners upwards.
Temperament: They are docile and can be shy and very reluctant to bite. They achieved the name ball python because of their habit of curling into a ball if threatened. They are crepuscular.
Personal Comments: Royal Pythons are hands down without a doubt our favorite snake. They are a pleasure to work with, they come in a mind boggling variety of colors and patterns and with just a minimal amount of care seem to thrive in captivity. Their only drawback being any unusual color and pattern morphs are incredibly expensive. On the other hand, normal ball pythons are undervalued because of the tens of thousands of wild caught imports brought into North America every year, relegating them to almost disposable pet status. This virtually unregulated exploration will one day come to an end, and prices will then undoubtedly rise to reflect the true value of captive bred ball pythons. Much has been written on wild caught versus captive bred and in no other species, that we can think of, are the differences as dramatically apparent as in royal pythons. Wild caught imports do very poorly in captivity, I am sure many thousands of these animals have suffered slow deaths over the years at the hands of inexperienced keepers. Captive bred baby royals on the other hand make almost the ideal pet snake, they feed like crazy, are calm and friendly , seem very resistant to disease or illness and will thrive for you.
Beliefs and folklore
This species is particularly revered in the traditional religion of the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria. It is considered symbolic of the earth, being an animal that travels so close to the ground. Even among many Christian Igbos, these pythons are treated with great care whenever they happen to wander into a village or onto someone's property; they are allowed to roam freely or are very gently picked up and placed out in a forest or field away from any homes. If one is accidentally killed, many communities in Igboland will still build a coffin for the snake's remains and give it a short funeral.
Please only take the information given in any of our caresheets as general advice. They may not provide an exact answer to your particular reptiles problem and are to act as a general guide and 'heads-up' to keeping reptiles.
We cannot be held responsible for any problems your reptile encounters following the reading of these pages.
We cannot be held responsible for any problems your reptile encounters following the reading of these pages.