Many people buy a reptile for a pet with little or no knowledge of which particular native animals range, habits, or vital statistics. Understanding a small portion of the natural reptile history can help explain some of their natural habits. Consider the size of the reptile, maximum length, longevity, and other factors which contribute to determine if the particular animal you are considering to buy will be a good choice for your situation for habitat.
Ball pythons are native to West and Central Africa. This vast area consists mainly of the coastal countries of Africa, with the range of python ball spreading in some countries such as Chad Inland, Sudan and the Central African Republic Mali. It is interesting to note that the geographic scope of the python ball does not extend below the equator in the southern hemisphere.
Ball python habitat is grasslands and savannas, although it is sometimes found in wooded areas. In grasslands, ball pythons may be present that live on termite mounds, although they are more likely to live in rodent burrows, where it is very likely that the previous owner of the pit became a meal for ball python. It is not uncommon to find more than one python in a den; however, once female start hatching eggs, males do not stay in den with them. From time to time, more than one female hatchlings can live a den, probably due to the lack of good nesting sites in a specific area.
Ball pythons do not appear to be disturbed by human activities and are common in agricultural areas. There is rarely a shortage of rodents on farmland, so it makes sense that with this abundance of food available, the ball python would be there to exploit it.
Since they go quite close to the equator, they experience very little variation in their light cycle on an annual basis; the closer to the equator, the more equal are the lengths of day and night throughout the year. The average temperature in the area where they live is also very warm, with some areas with an average annual temperature of so high as 29.4° C. The prairies and savannas where ball pythons live also experience two distinct seasons, wet and dry. The dry season usually lasts from November to April. It is important to note that python eggs begin to hatch at the beginning of the rainy season, when food is more abundant and the humidity is very high. The dry season sees very little rain, but the humidity can still be as high as 80%.