Should i buy a ball python?

[JhaRhod]

Hello BP.net members

Thank you for taking the time to read my thread.

About 6 months ago me, my son and daughter were out getting some materials for her betta fish and decided to take a look in the reptile section for fun. we were very fortunate to see a few pie-bald pythons the store had on display and we were even allowed to hold them as long as we wished! My daughter whom is 4 years old loves snakes and showed absolutely no fear when asked if she wanted to hold snake, I myself have always loved snakes as i worked in a tattoo shop for years which had one as kind of a mascot, i watched my daughter holding this snake and noticed she gave this animal great respect and was very good at handling it. so what happened next? of course she wanted me to buy her the 2,000 dollar snake! i told her to ask me later when i had the money as a ploy to see if she actually wanted one or was just caught up in the moment. 6 months later im getting really sick of her bugging me all the time to buy her a snake.....but there are a few issues im having with my lifestyle and schedule i need to address before buying a snake for me and my children that im hoping you guys could give me some advice or just straight up put a stop to my plans before i buy a snake i cant give the attention it needs. let me explain my situation

i am a single father of two children with shared custody, my work schedule is 4 days on 4 days off in which i spend all 4 days with my kids. the first 2 days of work i leave the house at 4:30 am and do not arrive back at home until 10:00 pm that night in between the 2nd and 3rd day i have a 24 hour split, leaving for my night shifts at 4:30 pm arriving home at 10:00 am. i am home every night at 10pm or everyday at 10am. my four days off are spend taking my soon and next year son and daugther to school and lazing around the house working on my bike and doing work around the house as im abit of a loner and a home body. so my question is, with this lifestyle and work schedule would a ball python be right for me?

a few other things i have to mention is that i am an avid drummer and my children have been showing an interest in the drums as well, would this in any way stress out my snake? if im going to buy the family a snake i really want it to be the happiest snake in the world! im not afraid of them but i am worried even though i was the only one in the tattoo shop that would handle the python and feed it that i may be overlooking some very important things here, please....enlighten me with your opinions

[Nodnarb3do]

So, once you have your tank set up, your temperatures and humidity all where they need to be, here is the attention your snake requires:

1. Feed it.
2. Change it's water every 1-3 days.

List complete.

Snakes don't require actual attention. They have no emotional needs. Handling a snake is pretty much entirely for human benefit. If you got a BP, and never handled it once in its long life, the snake would be perfectly content. It's one of the reasons I looked at a snake. My job occasionally requires me to disappear from my home for 3-4 days, so most mammals were right out.

As to drums, I can't REALLY say, but I'd recommend just performing in a separate room from him?

[LivingwithBalls]

I noticed that you have a beta fish. If you have time for a beta you most certainly have time for a ball python. Like said above, the initial set up takes time as with any pet, but these guys are super easy! I think it would work pretty well with your lifestyle. Im also pretty busy myself, and my boy gets more than enough attention oh and don't worry-not all ball pythons are 2000$! For the noise of drums, I would just suggest drumming at least on the opposite side of the room from the snake. Snakes don't hear like we do, they feel vibrations. So as long as you aren't drumming right beside the snake, you should be good. When I vacuum my snake doesn't notice.


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[T_Sauer]

Welcome to the site and congrats on your interest in a ball python. As said above care is pretty easy and simple once you get set up initially. Here is a good starting point and reference for what your ball python will need to be "The happiest snake"

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

There are a magnitude of things that you will learn along your journey but any problem you run into, there is a lot of very experienced owners and previous owners in this community that will be able to help with any questions.

As to answer your original question, yes I believe that your lifestyle and work schedule is right up ball python alley!

The most important tip I will can give you, is to explore this site and do some reading for a month or two before you get your snake so that you can have everything in order and ready for him/her. Good Luck and make sure we get pictures once you make the plunge!!

[DennisM]

$2000 for a piebald?! Someone hasn't updated their price list for several years. You can get one for well less than half that.

[kitedemon]

The first this is you have asked about ball pythons on a venue dedicated to them. You are not likely to get apposing view points.

Snakes in general are low maintenance spot checks daily, fresh water periodically (debated here, personally every two days mine get fresh water) and then feedings weekly or so, and every month or two a big cleaning. Snakes are not social animals so not having time to bring them out and spend time with them is not neglect. It is more for the keeper than the animal.

The sound is a odd issue snakes have an ear but not like we understand they have no tympanum. They 'feel' sound with the jaw. This is actually very sensitive to small amounts of vibration. So yes some provision for the drums maybe needed not so much from air borne sound (pressure waves) but from transferred vibrations of the enclosure. Some kind of mounting system that isolates the vibration of the stand to enclosure might be a sensible addition. It is also likely the snake will adapt to the sound and have no issues. Herd to predict.

In an attempt to be fair lets speak of some of the downsides.

IMO a 4 year old cannot be left unsupervised with the snake this is mostly for the health of the animal not child. A snake placed on the floor will often race to the least accessible darkest hardest to reach corner. They need supervision at all times, The 4 years olds I know don't have long attention spans.

Salmonella there is a chance for all reptiles to be carriers, and that is increased in that a snake may crawl through deficit and carry salmonella on the scales mouth to scale contact could be bad. Personally I am not crazy cautious about it, just general cleanliness is all I ever do. It is a bad idea to pet any animal and eat a sandwich dogs also can carry salmonella. It should be mentioned as this may weigh in on a decision.

The enclosure and heating system. Ball pythons are native of africa, they need environmental conditions to be african. This means technical tinkering when the enclosure is set up. Heaters, thermostats, and bowls and such all need to be in balance. This is likely to be an animal set up to be viewed so figure that you are going to need 400-1000$ to get all the parts for this. Yes it can be done for less, but a display enclosure properly set up 400$ is not a lot.

Stigma, there is a stereo type that goes along with keeping snakes. It is often wrong and not correct at all, but it still exists. When people discover you have a pet snake there is a response and sometimes that response is negative and can change the relationship between the people involved. You mentioned you have joint custody, it is something you should be cautious of that the other parent may use the snake against you.

Life span, a ball python isn't a dog. It is common for them to reach 20 years old and the maximum life span is undetermined at this point. The oldest recorded was over 40 years BUT that only means that animal was in captivity for 40+ years. It was an adult when it arrived. It is possible your daughter could be close to 50 when the snake dies. This is something you should not take lightly.

[C2tcardin]

$2000 for a piebald?! Someone hasn't updated their price list for several years. You can get one for well less than half that.

No kidding, I bought a breeding size male last fall for $400 and he's about 50 to 60% white too.

[bcr229]

No kidding, I bought a breeding size male last fall for $400 and he's about 50 to 60% white too.

Well, the OP did say he was at a store, there's a good bit of markup from a retail shop versus buying from a local breeder.

To answer the OP's question - yes, a snake does sound right for you given your schedule. Cats, dogs, small rodents, etc. require daily or even several times daily care that you can't provide, where a snake does not.

Whether a ball python is the right snake is a different question. If your kids are going to want to interact with it a lot, that can stress some critters out enough that they stop eating. You may be better off with something like a king, corn, or milk snake initially, as they are much cheaper, easier to maintain, have a more consistent food response, and are more of a "display" snake and tolerant of handling than ball pythons are.

[Black Hills Reptiles]

Whether a ball python is the right snake is a different question. If your kids are going to want to interact with it a lot, that can stress some critters out enough that they stop eating. You may be better off with something like a king, corn, or milk snake initially, as they are much cheaper, easier to maintain, have a more consistent food response, and are more of a "display" snake and tolerant of handling than ball pythons are.

Another one to look in to would be Woma pythons. While not as popular they are great display snakes and handle really well. Some of the top people in the reptile world "not breeders" say they are the best pet because of there activity and easy handling.

Always buy from a responsible breeder

[JennyBP]

Be careful... once you get one.. you may feel the impulse to get more snakes.. such sweet little characters.. Welcome to the forum.. a LOAD of very experienced people here.. with miles of info! Post pictures when you do get one!