Enclosure: There are a few rules of thumb when it comes to housing ball pythons.  Whether you are using an aquarium, tub, or reptile cage you should be sure that:

1. It is large enough so that your snake can stretch out either from corner to corner or around the outside of the tub without overlapping.
2. Balls are terrestrial - floor space is more important than headroom.
3. Balls are notorious escape artists and unpredictably strong - make sure you can lock or clip your cage doors or screens tops, etc shut - and a stack of books on top of said cage will not hold a ball in! However, the more complicated the locking procedure the more likely that you will forget to do it every time and the more likely you'll end up with an escaped snake. Secure but simple.
4. Ball set ups can be simple or elaborate  but  the more stuff you put into the cage the more stuff you have to take out and clean! 
5. Baby or timid balls can be easily stressed if the enclosure is too large or over exposed
6. Your enclosure should not be kept in a high traffic area of your home - could be stressful to your snake
7. Large aquariums can be hard to maintain a proper thermal gradient
8. One ball per cage please!

Substrate: There are many types of acceptable substrates - DO NOT USE CEDAR, PINE OR SAND

	Cypress Mulch
	Aspen - shredded or chipped
	Reptibark
	Coconut husk substrate
	Newspaper
	Paper towels
	Astroturf
	Cage liners

These all work well for balls - there are pros and cons for each - some are cheaper - some more efficient - some better for humidity. Remember what works well for one person's situation might not work for another's - find what works for you and your animals.

Hides: Hides can be store bought or made out of many different things. Hides should be dark and tight fitting. If your ball does not appear to feel secure in  his hide it may be too large - try stuffing it with newspaper or substrate to make a tighter fit.  Those half log hides that you find sold at the local pet shop do not make for good ball hides.  Over turned cat boxes with holes cut out make an excellent hide for bigger balls, cardboard boxes are a good cheap hide (but you should throw them out if they get soiled) clay or plastic flower pots and saucers work very well and come in a variety of sizes.   Please be sure if you have a hide over or near an under tank heat source that you monitor the temperature inside the hide as the heat may not have anyway to escape - you don't want to cook your snake.

Some people like to put a humid hide inside their snakes cage when they are going to shed - a humid hide is essentially a Tupperware or tub with an access hole cut out of the lid and some wet moss inside. Personally, I have yet to have one of my snakes use one - but others swear by them.  Another example of what may work for one person may not work for another.

Temperature and Humidity:

1. Ambient or background cage temperature of about 80 degrees plus or minus 2 degrees - a little fluctuation is not a big deal
2. Hot spot of 88-90 degrees
3. Try not to let your cool end fall lower than the mid 70s
4. Humidity  is important to many of your snakes metabolic functions.  A humidity level of about 50-60% is good - bump up the humidity in the cage during the shed cycle to the 70's.  This can be done by spritzing the cage with water, adding wet moss, sponges or additional water sources - do not place a water dish over a heat pad or under a heat lamp!

It is important that you maintain proper temperature and humidity - do not skimp on your monitoring equipment - use digital thermometers/hygrometers and spot check regularly with a temperature gun - be sure probes and measurements are placed/taken at the snakes level. The stick on analog thermometers you buy at your pet store are garbage don't trust your snakes health to them.

Heat: There are several ways to go about heating the enclosure and depending on your set up you might need to play around with your heating until you get it "just right!"  And then you'll probably need to play around with it again when the seasons change. ALL heating elements should be hooked up to either a thermostat or rheostat!!!

1. Under cage heating or back heating can be provided by an Under Tank Heating pad (UTH), Heat tape or Heat Rope/Cable.
2. Additional heating can be provided using ceramic heat emitters or basking bulbs - however these are not recommended as they wreak havoc on the humidity levels especially when you use them with a screened top cage. And balls don't really bask anyway.
3. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, USE A HOT ROCK!!!!! 
4. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, PUT ANY TYPE OF HEATING BULB INSIDE THE CAGE WITHOUT A BULB COVER!!!! 

Light: Balls are nocturnal and naturally spend a great deal of time hidden - additional lighting is not necessary.  As they are more active at night, if  their cage is lit they will be hesitant to come out of their hide - if you'd like to be able to observe them at night a moonlight bulb is your best bet.

Maintenance:

1. Provide fresh water for your snake on a daily basis - or at least every couple of days - some snakes will not drink stagnant water and will become dehydrated. Make sure your water bowls remain clean.
2. Spot clean your snakes cage as required: feces, urates, wet or dirty substrate and shed skins should be removed as soon as possible as they invite harmful bacteria into the cage. If you feed live feeders in the cage be sure to clean up after them as they often leave special going away packages.
3. The entire cage should be cleaned and disinfected every 2-4 weeks depending on cage type, condition and the snakes "productivity".  There are many types of disinfectants available - we suggest either a 5% bleach solution or Nolvasan (chlorhexidine) both of which need to be applied and left on for several minutes before being rinsed. If you are using bleach please be sure to let it air out for several minutes before replacing fresh substrate and  clean accessories.