Should i get male or a female?

[CARLiTO_]

Hi, i am a new member to this forum. I am 18 and live in Mississauga. I have decided to get a ball python, I prefer a female but do they require more work and care?

Also this is my list of things to get, do i need all of this stuff? or am i missing anything?

mulch
75watt day-glo
thermometer
humidity box
water bowl

a cage (typically an aquarium), a secure lid, at least one heat source (either a heat mat, or an aluminum type clip lamp), a thermometer, a water bowl, and at least one hide box. I would suggest you also get a lamp timer, an extra hide box or two, a hygrometer (humidity gauge), a second heat source, a snake hook, and a pair of hemostats.

what's a hemostat?

[Cruciform]

Do a search for hemostat on http://images.google.com and you'll get a good picture of them :)

I would guess that's to hold prey away from your hands when putting it into the cage. Someone correct me if I'm wrong :) (I know you will).

[Auskan]

I would guess that was the intended use too, but I don't do that. I just lay the prey in the feeding box and my BP eats it.

[Siretsap]

Well a female will eventually ovulate and could get complications, if you are not looking to reproduce them, start off with a male. As for the caging elements,

A heat element, a uth is necessary (under tank heater) and I would start by checking the temps with that. If they aren't high enough, you can put a heating spot. A hiding place is good and a big water bowl, flat soes the snake doesn't tip it over. As for substrat, I find newspaper is best, easy to clean, not harmful for the snake, and the snake will go hide under it a lot. It's not nice to look at, but it's what's best for your ball python.

[CARLiTO_]

so just use shredded news paper? or just newspaper on the bottom?

[sapphire_moon]

Use newspaper or paper towel until you can tell if it has mites or not.

A UTH with a lamp dimmer as a UTH gets way over 100 degrees.
Don't really NEED a lamp unless you just want one.

You can use mulch or (I use apsen) aspen shavings. DO NOT use cedar or pine.

You can actually use a pair of salad tongs from wal-mart, thats what I do, and they work fine.

a digi theremometer with a probe will work great, put the probe right over the UTH (which should be UNDER the cage, not in the cage, you do not have to use the sticky stuff)

If you can keep the humidity up you don't need a hide box.
but 2 hides you do need, atleast one on each side (warm and cool) and a water bowl large enough to soak in.

Since this is a BP we are talking about, you probably won't need a snake hook unless you get an unusually mean BP. they are usually fairly calm. and don't strike out unless provoked, sick, iritated, or a SFE from you (Stupid Feeding Error, as in feeding with your bare hands).

Do your research and get one from a good breeder and you will be great!

[Piers]

females don't ovulate just because they are sexually mature. if they do they will most likley reabsorb the eggs. as for care males tend to go off their food more than the females (not allways the case). Ball pythons can be frustrating when they stop feeding for months at a time but the are fairly easy to keep and if healthy they seem to weather the fasts just fine. I have two males that have only eaten a few times in the last year and they still look great.
Piers