Ketamine for Ball Python
Reptile · Python regius · typical adult weight 1.00–2.00 kg
Ketamine is used in ball python for Sedation, anesthesia. Routes documented in ball python: IM. A typical adult ball python weighs 1.00–2.00 kg. ExoticRx lists 1 cited dose rule for Ketamine in ball python, drawn from published veterinary references. Verify against current literature before clinical use.
Trade names: Ketaset, Vetalar
Dose ranges
| Route | Dose | Frequency | Duration | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IM | 20–60 mg/kg | once | Single dose | Sedation, anesthesia | Moderate | Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed |
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These ranges are per kg. Enter your ball python's weight to get the precise dose and draw-up volume — unit and concentration math done for you.
Mechanism of action
NMDA receptor antagonist producing dissociative anesthesia. Provides somatic analgesia, amnesia, and catalepsy while maintaining pharyngeal reflexes.
Side effects & warnings
Increases intracranial and intraocular pressure. Causes increased salivation (premedicate with anticholinergic). Eyes remain open under anesthesia — use lubricant. Do NOT use alone in dogs/cats (muscle rigidity) — combine with a sedative.
Species-specific contraindications and adverse-reaction reports for ball python may differ from canine / feline reference data — consult the primary citations listed with each rule.
Other Anesthetic drugs with ball python dosing
Ketamine dosing in other species
Why a species-specific page? Ketamine pharmacokinetics differ across species: dose ranges, intervals, and route preferences are not interchangeable. Cross-extrapolation from canine doses is unsafe in ball python — the rules above are the citations specific to this species, not generic recommendations.
Sourced from published veterinary references; awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer. See our editorial process. Reference only — not veterinary advice.