Observations for New-ish BP owners

[JohnnyBGoode]

I've been a member here for a while and never really posted a lot, but followed many threads and individual contributors. I just have to say how increasingly frustrating it is to read some of the replies on here from some regular members, directed at seemingly less experienced snake owners.

People come here because they need information. If they knew the correct answer, they wouldn't be asking. Jumping down their throat, for what may seem like a silly question to you, does no good for anyone except to stroke your own ego.

I do not consider myself a BP "expert", nor do I have any formal training in animal care of any kind. However, I have had BPs for close to 20 years and currently own 13 - the oldest of which is 16 years old. I like to think I am a good BP owner, as all of mine are healthy with great temperaments. I have never experienced any serious problems aside from a minor RI 10 (?) years ago and the rare mite.

Based on my observations and experience, here are some comments on BP care which raise the most questions.

General
Ball Pythons are wonderful pets, as they are relatively easy to care for and are simply beautiful. Of course, do your research and be sure a snake suits your lifestyle. Do not get bogged down in the battle of +/- 1 degree of temperature or 5% humidity. "Listen" to what your BP is telling you - observe it's actions, eating habits, shed cycle and poop. All the information you need is right in front of you. Of course, ask questions if you're unsure, but be warned that online you will find many answers for the same question, often contradictory.

Enclosure
Personally, I like to see my snakes. They are pets and part of my home and life. Some use tubs and racks, but I prefer to use enclosures I've made myself out of acrylic, plastic, glass, and sometimes even wood.
Do not use an aquarium as you'll see noted on this site and most others. Unless you live in a very humid locale, you will battle humidity issues forever. If you look at Showcase Cages, you'll get an idea of what's possible. I build mine to look similar to many of those.
Do NOT believe that BPs must be hidden from view (e.g. rubbermaid tubs, etc. It's true that they can be timid and solitary, but in my experience, the more you expose them to view the better they are at handling it. I actually had worse experience using tubs... the snakes didn't like to be disturbed, they were more timid and the number of strikes I had went WAY up.
What you put inside your enclosure is largely up to you. As a minimum, you should have 2 hides large enough for the snake to coil up (not too much bigger), one on the hot spot, one on the cool side. (More on temperature later). They do NOT have to be identical as someone posted here - ridiculous. A water dish that doesn't tip, and can hold most of your snake if it wants to bathe. Some do, most don't.
I like to throw in a large piece of driftwood or grapevine that has been washed and thoroughly dried, and a large rock... while it's mostly for decor, BPs will rub along it to get a shed started, and many of mine enjoy climbing them.
Real plants can be tricky, so get a couple of fake ones and place them strategically in front of the hides for additional privacy. Anything else for decor, knock yourself out.
For substrate, I prefer Repti-Bark mostly because I like the look of it. There are many common options here from newspaper to aspen shavings. Up to you, but read the common care sheets for what NOT to use.

Temperature/Humidity
This is the biggest battle most will have, and if you let it, it will turn you off the hobby forever. Start slow and simple. Before you get your snake, set up your enclosure with substrate and a water bowl, as if you're ready for your snake. Definitely get an appropriate sized heat pad and depending on your environment, a secondary heat source (room heater, dome lamp), and a thermostat. Leave this set up for a couple of days and monitor the heat/humidity. You will likely have to adjust.
Again, you will find varying opinions as to what the temp/humidity should be. The general consensus seems to be 82F on the cool side and 92F on the hot spot, with an ambient temp of 85F. Humidity anywhere from 50% to 65%. If you can obtain this with minimal effort, great... you're done. If you're close to this, you will be fine. Do not get obsessed with being exact. Mine is 79/89 with 55%-60% humidity and has worked well for years. Obviously, avoid extreme cool and hot.

Handling
As you will read, BPs can get stressed which could affect their feeding. That said, don't YOU get stressed about your BPs stress level. Use your brain. I handle mine frequently, taking them out of their enclosures to watch tv with me, walks outside (warm weather), I let my kids handle them, roam free in a safe room, etc. These are my pets... I do not want them in storage.
Obviously, the key part is to use your brain... be gentle, avoid extreme temperatures, avoid injury or ingesting/contacting something that might harm them, etc. Of my 13 BPs, only one acts like he prefers not to be handled, so I "listen" to him. Maybe he's just a bit of a jerk, who knows. The rest are very easy to handle and don't ball up in fear very often.

I'm not going to touch on feeding or breeding because feeding is rather simple (appropriate sized rat, frozen/thaw in my opinion) and I have no experience in breeding.

This is not intended to be a full scope care sheet, rather some comments on areas of difficult that raises frequent questions. To the aggressive regulars on here, you know who you are. Lighten up. While many of your answers may be correct, your delivery really sucks. I come to this site because it has the most forum traffic and questions get answers quickly. That said, it is the most unfriendly site to "rookie" BP owners that I've seen. Let's try not to scare people away, shall we?

Last - Obviously this is a new account and not my main one. I don't want to be ostracized and create more drama than there already is. Additionally, I will not reply to ANY responses for the same reasons. I've said my piece and don't wish to debate it as I'm sure some will disagree with my opinions. I'm ok with that.

[dr del]

Hi,

If you have been here that long you should also know we do not allow duplicate accounts.


dr del