What Do Ball Pythons Eat? A Guide to Their Diet

Ball pythons (Python regius), also known as royal pythons, are non-venomous snakes native to West and Central Africa. They are also kept as pets worldwide. The ball python is the smallest of Africa’s pythons. It is a stocky, heavy-bodied snake, three to five feet long, and is known for its docile nature. They are easy to care for, making them an excellent choice for novice herpetoculturists. In the wild, ball pythons are carnivorous ambush predators that actively hunt their prey. In captivity, they rely on their guardians to provide food. Continue reading to discover what ball pythons, both wild and captive, eat.

What and How Often do Ball Pythons Eat?

Ball pythons are obligate carnivores, meaning that eating animal flesh is necessary for their survival. In the wild, their diet consists primarily of small mammals, including mice, rats, and shrews, as well as birds, amphibians, and other reptiles.

Wild ball pythons eat only once every two weeks or so. Digesting their food is a slow, laborious process that makes them sluggish and vulnerable. It is a metabolically intense activity that requires the snake to divert significant energy and blood flow to its digestive tract, often causing it to become dormant and less able to defend itself or move quickly.  

Captive ball pythons require more frequent feedings when they are young, but will adapt to a feeding schedule similar to their wild counterparts as they age.

Hatchlings up to four months old should be fed every five to seven days. Juvenile ball pythons, from four months to one year old, should be fed every seven to ten days. Adult ball pythons should be fed every 10 to 14 days, though larger adults can be fed less often (every two to four weeks) to avoid the weight issues that can affect captive snakes.

What Do Captive Ball Pythons Eat?

Captive ball pythons acquire food much more easily than they would in the wild. They are more likely to be fed by their guardians than to hunt for their food. Like their wild cousins, captive ball pythons are obligate carnivores. However, unlike snakes in the wild, captive ball pythons subsist primarily on frozen/thawed mice and rats.

Captive ball pythons are typically fed frozen/thawed rats and mice. Feeding other prey such as hamsters, gerbils, or chicks is uncommon and generally only considered for snakes that refuse standard prey.

The widest part of a ball python is its midsection, which is about an inch wide. Therefore, only prey smaller than this width should be offered to ball pythons. If a ball python eats prey larger than its midsection, it may regurgitate the food or have it become stuck in its mouth or throat.

Although some guardians feed their ball pythons live mice, this practice is not recommended because it can lead to injury or disease.

Ball pythons kept in captivity may not be as skilled at hunting as wild ball pythons and could have difficulty subduing live prey.

What Size of Prey Should Ball Pythons Eat?  

Ball pythons should only be fed prey that is no larger than the snake’s midsection. 

Newborn or young mice, referred to as pinkies, are a safe choice for ball pythons, as these mice are typically small enough for the snake to digest and are high in protein and low in fat. The same is true for any other animals fed to the snake.