Quarantine Basics Separate room from your existing snakes. Separate feeding tongs and items for the quarantine animals from the rest of your collection. It’s a good practice to wash up and change your clothes after handling new animals. If you have provent-a-mite you can spray the new enclosures down with it for precaution. (Let it thoroughly dry before adding animal) Sanitize everything they come in contact with. 30-60 day symptom free quarantine. If animal either gets sick or you find … Continue reading →

Let’s talk scientific studies! Many new keepers (and veterans) are unaware of the factual evidence available in the world of Ball Pythons. These studies below help us to understand wild behavior which, in turn, makes us better keepers of this regal species. Ever hear someone claim Ball Pythons are arboreal? What about folks who argue that it’s normal for Ball Pythons to go off feed in the winter? Who says lights shouldn’t be used? Why is a ‘hiding Ball a … Continue reading →

There are many styles of reptile enclosures, but only a couple that are common for ball pythons. First, and foremost we what our animals to be happy and healthy, and to them, the most important factors are places to hide, gradient temperatures, and humidity , but we each go about meeting their needs differently depending on budget, space, resources, and personal taste. Let’s look at the most common enclosures for ball pythons. The glass Tank The glass tank is very … Continue reading →

I get asked about nippy ball pythons regularly. Usually these are babies. Ball pythons often get nippy at this very young stage. They have recently learned to eat, and eating makes them feel good. They also see movement, and don’t know any better. There are only two reasons a ball python might be nippy. They are hungry, or they want to be left alone. With this in mind, you need to modify your own behavior. There two things you can … Continue reading →

I’ve found that in the cold months, the ASF rats eat their babies. After brainstorming with a friend, we believe that this may be caused by the lack of fats and/or proteins in their diet that is needed in the colder months to stay warm. Continue reading →

[This was originally posted because of a local scare. It seems talk spread much faster than any bacteria or virus.. We do not know for sure if it was ever real or not, but still we must remember to always practice safe husbandry, especially when getting new animals or visiting animals.] This is a public service announcement from Northwest Reptiles. There is a lot of information to read through, but the health of your pet may depend on it. Please … Continue reading →

There are a lot of simple errors people make with their ball pythons. I hope this can help ball python owners to prevent injury and sickness in their snakes. 1. Heating with a bulb. What’s so bad about this? First of all, these snakes should be getting belly heat FIRST. So, as long as your humidity is carefully monitored, you can use a ceramic infrared heater to supplement your primary heat source. Ball Pythons require 60% humidity, and up to … Continue reading →

[This is an older post.  Northwest Reptiles is no longer located in the Vancouver area, so we haven’t kept abreast of any possible recent changes] Clark County Washington categorizes Ball Pythons as a Wild Animal, requiring a special Wild Animal Permit. This permit is not required per animal, but can be obtained for $100 to cover multiple animals. When receiving my permit, I also had to agree to a yearly SURPRISE inspection by animal control, which was very brief, and … Continue reading →

What to do about stuck sheds? Ideally we want to see all shed come off in a single piece.  This is the healthiest of situations. However, from time to time, a snake’s shed will come off in pieces, and sometimes even stick and not come off all the way at all.