Further Reading
Not Just a Pet Rock (Facebook) — The BEST ball python Facebook group ever (and believe me, I’ve done my time with Ball Python Enthusiasts). This is more than just bare-bones ball python husbandry. This group operates on the belief that ball pythons are more than the timid pet rocks that most people claim them to be. Husbandry advice is based on wild habitats and behaviors rather than what’s convenient for the humans.
Busting Royal Python Myths (PDF) — In this document the author Frances Cosquieri has collected the most common myths in ball python husbandry, and then uses scientific literature to explain in simple terms why these common beliefs are outright myths. Aside from being a great compilation of research data related to P. regius, it also contains several photo examples of excellent ball python enclosures. This one’s a must-read!
Where My Scales Slither — Tumblr account devoted to captive ball python care. Excellent, thorough information on many ball python care-related topics, complete with tutorials and images.
Scientific papers
- Patterns of blood flow during the postprandial response in ball pythons, Python regius by J. Matthias Starck and Christian Wimmer. Published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, pages 881-889. Published on March 1, 2005.
- Sex Differences in Body Size and Ectoparasite Load in the Ball Python, Python regius by Fabien Aubret et al. Published in the Journal of Herpetology, pages 315-320. Published in September 2009.
- Sexual size dimorphism and natural history traits are correlated with intersexual dietary divergence in royal pythons (python regius) from the rainforests of southeastern Nigeria by Luca Luiselli & Francesco Maria Angelici. Italian Journal of Zoology, pages 183-185. Published online on 28 Jan 2009.
Ball pythons in the wild
Hand picking ball pythons in Benin West africa by Nick Mole — Video evidence of a naturally-occurring ball python “morph” found in the wild.
Hunting For ball pythons in Benin With First Choice Reptiles by Nick Mole — Adult female ball python found in a grassland burrow. Great soil reference.
