26 February 2009

G.C. Animal Spotlight: Ball Python


After a string of events that involved our Boa Constrictor and Scarlet Kingsnake escaping AND our Ball Python dying we were actually in desperate need of acquring a new educational snake. So after assessing our situation we decided that a new Ball Python would be needed. Meet our newest addition to the nature center in the photos above and below. This little guy will be used to teach our 4,000 school kids each year about the role of snakes in the ecosystem and the problem of exotics in Florida. It's been a slow adjustment but after a few months I think that the snake is getting use to being handled and it's tendency to ball up has decreased. Now if we could get another donated kingsnake I think we would be covered in the snake department for awhile.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ball pythons aren't arboreal. It won't need that pvc pipe much longer. Once it puts some size on it will actually be pretty clumsy and likely to fall off of things.

Eva Matthews said...

The PVC pipe is to provide a heat gradient in the tank. They climb up there to warm up and as a means to have something to help them shed.