No. Ball pythons don’t play dead. While they don’t play dead the same way that other snakes might, they do ball up in defense when they sense danger. That’s one of the big reasons that they’re referred to as ball pythons.
This behavior is relatively unique to their species, and it could be easily mistaken for playing dead. According to what I’ve been told by experienced pet owners, that’s probably not what they’re actually doing.
It seems like ball pythons in the wild curl up into a certain shape so that they can’t be captured by predators. Once they get into their ball shape, bird talons and other appendages aren’t really able to grab them.
This can help stop them from getting eaten, though there’s always the possibility that other predators can find some way to circumvent their defenses and have a snack. While it doesn’t always turn out this way, there have been some documented reports that seem at least relatively reliable.
Fortunately for pet owners, there’s an easy way to see if a ball python is acting like this or not.
How Can I Tell if My Ball Python is Playing Dead or Actually Dead?
In a majority of cases, ball pythons don’t genuinely play dead but their defensive posture could easily be mistaken as such. You may want to leave your snake alone for a bit to see if he or she moves, because there’s also a strong possibility that they’re asleep and you’ve mitaken them for being dead.
I’ve certainly done that a few times because ball pythons have a tendency to sleep very soundly! Since it’s rather rude to wake up a sleeping animal, you might find it best to let nature take its course while keeping a very close and concerned eye on the situation.
Throwing some food to your snake might help, especially if the mere smell of rodent meat has traditionally been enough to get your snake to snap back to attention in these cases. If all else fails, then pick your python up.
A deceased ball python will show no signs of breathing and will be completely limp. Living animals will have a little fight in them, even if they’re weak, because their muscles will still be functioning to at least some degree.
Even if your snake hasn’t expired, something could be seriously wrong so you don’t want to let your guard down. Laying on their back is always a bad sign when it comes to pythons, and even if your snake comes to they might be pretty sick.
Check the temperature in your snake’s enclosure. Those who use a heat lamp might want to turn it on to get their snakes moving again.
Ball pythons tend to start hibernating at even moderately cool temperatures, and a lack of motion might indicate that they’re not playing dead so much as they’re unable to move. Extended periods of low temperatures can be really bad for your animal’s health, so you’ll need to keep an eye on this.
Some pet owners I’ve seen actually use a little flexible thermometer on the outside of a glass tank to make sure that their pythons get to rest at the right temperature.
Do Ball Pythons Die Easily?
In the wild, ball pythons tend to be relatively hardy animals. They’ll generally die of old age after a period of time, though they can starve in lean times.
Nature can be a cruel place, but this is usually a rare scenario. Pet owners who make sure to take care of their animals can ensure that they live for quite some time.
Proper control of temperature has a lot to do with this, as does a proper feeding schedule. Since ball pythons are cold blooded, they can’t provide their own body heat.
That makes them far more susceptible to dying from cold-related circumstances than a human might. While we’d be in trouble if the temperature stayed cold for a long period of time, it’s far more serious for a snake.
There’s also the constant risk of a certain disorder caused by an infection that’s still poorly understood.
How Do Pythons Die Naturally?
Circulatory and respiratory failure are among the most common ways for pythons to die, especially as they get older. It seems that there’s some debate over what the exact lifespan of a ball python should be, but it’s obvious that they will eventually expire of old ages as most complex organisms do.
Limp snakes who die after a period of inactivity might have fallen prey to a virus that impacts ball pythons, but it can’t infect humans or other pets like dogs. This virus causes something called inclusion body disease, which causes a python’s muscles to slowly stop moving.
Veterinarians haven’t seemed to have found many effective treatments for the disease, but there is some research in the field. If it doesn’t seem that your snake’s muscles are moving well, then it could be time to seek the opinion of an expert.
In the wild, some ball pythons will die naturally as a part of predation since they’re not always at the top of the food chain in all the environments they live in.
Why is My Ball Python Not Moving?
There’s a good chance that your snake might be sleeping. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve mistaken a sleeping ball python for something more serious!
In most cases, feeding time is an occasion that makes snakes move, but if you haven’t properly fed your snake they might not be able to move very well for lack of energy. This is something you want to avoid!
Cooler temperatures are going to set your snake back, so once again try raising the temperature in the enclosure if this is an issue and see if he or she starts to move again. There’s a good chance that this can help to correct the problem.
Depending on whether or not anything has frightened your snake lately, there’s a possibility that he or she has balled themselves up. If that’s the case, then they’ll eventually return to their normal posture.
I’ve read cases where some sort of motion near an enclosure makes this happen over and over again. Consider moving the area that your snake lives in if this starts to become a problem.
Should all else fail, you’ll probably want to seek expert medical advice because body inclusion is a serious problem when it does infect snakes.
