Monty's StorySpecies: Ball Python (sometimes known as Royal Python)
Acquired: 11/20/2000
Aquired from a private individual, Monty is a very easy going snake. He is comfortable around people and easy to handle, unlike many others of his species. Ball pythons curl up in a tight ball when they are frightened, tense or uneasy--a trait which gave the species its name. Monty rarely, if ever, does this.
Monty is a good eater, consuming 4-6 mice per week!
Like all tropical snakes, Monty needs his environment kept between 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit, and needs to be misted regularly to maintain the humidity in his enclosure. Ball pythons are egg layers.
To adopt Monty, simply click our donation button, make a donation of $50, and specify in your payment notes: Adopt-a-bird: MONTY PYTHON. Also include your name, phone number, and mailing address so that we can send you your adoption materials!
Every donation helps to feed, house, and provide medical care for the snake of your choice! Adopt-A-Bird (and snake) Parents Receive:
- *A personal visit with the bird you adopt!!!!! Call 636-861-3225 to set up a time for
- your personal visit.
- * Certificate of Adoption
- * Color photo of the snake you've adopted
- * Sponsorship Card
- * One year's subscription to Mews News (our quarterly newsletter)
- * Life History and Natural History of the snake
- * 10% Discount off WBS merchandise
- * Invitation to Sponsors-only events like Camera Day
- * Discounts on WBS Special Events
- * WBS Decal
Natural History
ball python (royal python)
Python regius
Description non-venomous python species; smallest of the African pythons; color pattern typically black with light brown-green side and dorsal blotches; belly is white or cream that may or may not have scattered black markings; stocky build; head relatively small; scales are smooth;
Sex: both sexes have anal spurs on either side of the vent; males have larger spurs; sexual maturity reached at 12-18 months for male, 24-36 months for female; second factor for sexual maturity is weight (32 oz. for males) (53 oz. for females)
Age: 20-40 years; oldest captive specimen was 48 years; wild caught specimens have great difficulty adapting to captivity and often refuse to feed and are subject to parasitic infections
Length: generally 3-4 feet; rarely 5-6 foot individuals
Weight:
Habitat: grasslands, savannahs and sparsely wooded areas; prefers mammal burrows and other underground hiding places where it aestivates during dry seasons
Status:
Range: Africa
Behavior: curls into a ball when stressed or frightened, with head and neck tucked into the middle so tightly that it can be literally rolled around; reproduction is oviparous with anywhere from 3-11 large eggs being laid (more commonly 4-6); incubated by the female underground; hatch after 90 days; young grow about a foot a year for the first three years
Diet: small mammals and rodents; occasionally birds
√ The name Royal Python is based in part on the story that Cleopatra supposedly wore the snake around her wrist
√ Revered by the Igbo people of southern Nigeria. If a Ball Python is accidentally killed they will guild a coffin for the snake’s remains and give it a short funeral
Adopt A Bird spotlights are written and photographed by Gay Schroer.
ball python (royal python)
Python regius
Description non-venomous python species; smallest of the African pythons; color pattern typically black with light brown-green side and dorsal blotches; belly is white or cream that may or may not have scattered black markings; stocky build; head relatively small; scales are smooth;
Sex: both sexes have anal spurs on either side of the vent; males have larger spurs; sexual maturity reached at 12-18 months for male, 24-36 months for female; second factor for sexual maturity is weight (32 oz. for males) (53 oz. for females)
Age: 20-40 years; oldest captive specimen was 48 years; wild caught specimens have great difficulty adapting to captivity and often refuse to feed and are subject to parasitic infections
Length: generally 3-4 feet; rarely 5-6 foot individuals
Weight:
Habitat: grasslands, savannahs and sparsely wooded areas; prefers mammal burrows and other underground hiding places where it aestivates during dry seasons
Status:
Range: Africa
Behavior: curls into a ball when stressed or frightened, with head and neck tucked into the middle so tightly that it can be literally rolled around; reproduction is oviparous with anywhere from 3-11 large eggs being laid (more commonly 4-6); incubated by the female underground; hatch after 90 days; young grow about a foot a year for the first three years
Diet: small mammals and rodents; occasionally birds
√ The name Royal Python is based in part on the story that Cleopatra supposedly wore the snake around her wrist
√ Revered by the Igbo people of southern Nigeria. If a Ball Python is accidentally killed they will guild a coffin for the snake’s remains and give it a short funeral
Adopt A Bird spotlights are written and photographed by Gay Schroer.
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