Is a ball python right for me?

[anemicshoe]

Hey all!

For all you pros and addicts out there I pose you this question. Is a ball python right for me?
I got into snake keeping with my corn and while I love her dearly I have the repti-bug and am looking to get at least one other pet snake at some point.
I considered getting a ball as my first snake but was put off by their picky feeding reputation. However I would love to have a docile, thick bodied snake that will just hang out with me while I watch TV,
rather than dedicated ADVENTURECORN time which is fun and active.

My issue is: I love rats... I have owned rats all through my childhood until I started developing a nasty skin rash from their urine (even the teeny tiniest traces of it on their claws makes me flare up) and could no longer handle them. I am very pragmatic about death (into taxidermy and whatnot) so I could handle feeding ethically farmed f/t rats... but never EVER live. I could never compromise on this, it is animal abuse to me and I would vet trip/force feed/rehome a snake rather than feed live ever. (Please don't start a live feeding debate in here, im not gonna jump on you for doing it, I just wont personally, respect that).
Of course I never have this issue with my corn because they take mice and rarely go off feed.

Are ball pythons going off frozen and needing to be fed live a statistic that has been blown out of proportion or should I give up now on the idea of having one?

[albinos_rule]

I think it is not blown out of proportion. I know several people who have ball pythons who absolutely refuse anything but live, and I have one myself. Maybe a kingsnake, or even a boa would work better for you, as they very seldom have issues with eating f/t, but however in the case of the boa you might want to consider the size, as most redtails grow to 8 ft. Good luck with whatever you decide

[anemicshoe]

Thanks for your input! I hear they are more reliable if they are fed f/t from the start, I guess my worry would be a sudden snake midlife crisis where they want nothing to do with frozen suddenly. What are the chances of that do you think?

Red tails are a bit over my size limit & kings aren't exactly docile/thick bodied x3 plus I hear other snakes get stressed when they can smell a king because they are snake eaters? I wouldn't want to stress my lovely corn.

[thejennabird]

Here are my thoughts on this, and hopefully others will chime in as well.
The "picky ball python" stereotype exists because Ball Pythons tend to not eat when they're stressed. Stress could be caused by changes in their environment, improper husbandry, feelings of insecurity, etc. Which means that IF you give a ball python a 100% great home, perfect your husbandry, and minimize sources of stress, your likelihood of a feeding strike is seriously reduced.

However, your snake still might have occasional hunger strikes associated with seasonal changes (BPs tend to eat less or not at all in the winter). But, that sort of hunger strike is perfectly natural and will resolve itself in time. As long as you continue to provide proper husbandry and monitor your snakes' health/weight, you don't have to worry about changing food. (Side note: Are you ok with throwing away a frozen rat because your snake refused to eat for a meal?)

PLUS, there are plenty of alternatives to feeding live. Hypothetically, IF your BP was to go off rats and was beginning to lose weight/become malnourished to the point that you needed to take alternate measures, you could:
- Try braining, soaking in broth, etc.
- Feed live or frozen mice
- Feed frozen African Soft Fur rats (which are closer to a BPs natural food source)
- Buy freshly and humanely killed rats from a local rodent breeder

Plenty of options without having to resort to more extreme measures. SO, that means you MAY never have to worry about feeding live if you can give your BP great husbandry and you are patient enough to wait out the occasional natural hunger strike.

BUT, and here's where I play devil's advocate: vet trips, force feeding, and/or rehoming because the snake refuses to eat what you want it to eat, are in of themselves disrespectful to the natural needs of a snake. I would hope every pet owner who takes on a pet is willing to give that pet a loving life-long home regardless of feeding circumstances.

Do you have any sort of "Plan B"? Could you give it to a local breeder or fellow snake owner, allow them to feed your snake live, and then return it to you after feeding? Are you willing to spend the money to take your snake to the vet so the vet can feed it live for you?

If you are unwilling to let your potential snake eat live under any circumstances, and your only response to a snake eating live (even for just one or two feedings), is rehoming or force feeding, you probably should not get a ball python. Because, in the end, there is no guarantee the snake you get will eat f/t it's entire life for every meal without fail. And you'd need to accept that if you get something long-lived like a BP.

[bcr229]

Red tails are a bit over my size limit...

Locality BCI's like Hog Islands and Caulker's Cay top out at seven feet, or one of the Mexican localities like Sonoran, Cancun, or Tarahumara, stay under six feet. Female king snakes can get up to that size easily, I have a Mexican Black King that is five feet at two years old.

You could also look into milk snakes, my Honduran is a little garbage gut except when he's in shed.

[The Golem]

Hey all!

For all you pros and addicts out there I pose you this question. Is a ball python right for me?
I got into snake keeping with my corn and while I love her dearly I have the repti-bug and am looking to get at least one other pet snake at some point.
I considered getting a ball as my first snake but was put off by their picky feeding reputation. However I would love to have a docile, thick bodied snake that will just hang out with me while I watch TV,
rather than dedicated ADVENTURECORN time which is fun and active.

My issue is: I love rats... I have owned rats all through my childhood until I started developing a nasty skin rash from their urine (even the teeny tiniest traces of it on their claws makes me flare up) and could no longer handle them. I am very pragmatic about death (into taxidermy and whatnot) so I could handle feeding ethically farmed f/t rats... but never EVER live. I could never compromise on this, it is animal abuse to me and I would vet trip/force feed/rehome a snake rather than feed live ever. (Please don't start a live feeding debate in here, im not gonna jump on you for doing it, I just wont personally, respect that).
Of course I never have this issue with my corn because they take mice and rarely go off feed.

Are ball pythons going off frozen and needing to be fed live a statistic that has been blown out of proportion or should I give up now on the idea of having one?

My BP is 11 months old and has only ever had f/t so I would never try to feed him live prey, I"d be too worried he'd get hurt.
As for ethics: I've been vegetarian for over a decade so the only meat in my freezer is rat LOL. I think you just have to accept and budget to feed 1 f/t rat per week, and leave it up to the snake to eat or not (although he's still young and I actually offer every 5 - 6 days).

As for hanging out and watching tv: I've tried this a few times but BPs are nocturnal and not really fond of the brightness of the 40" display. Although he does watch and track movement on the screen for a few minutes he'll then start trying to move around, either down off the couch onto the floor or into any dark crevasse between the cushions. So I end up turning off the tv and getting far more entertainment from observing and interacting with the snake.

[thegamejr]

5 out of 6 of mine take f/t fine but the other will only take live and thats once a month before a shed. So it all depends on the snake. If you want an animal that eats rodents you should be prepared to feed live if that's what it wants IMHO. There are other snakes that have been mentioned that you won't have any problems with in that aspect. And how would forcing food down an animals throat just to make yourself feel better not be animal abuse? Honest question

[anemicshoe]

5 out of 6 of mine take f/t fine but the other will only take live and thats once a month before a shed. So it all depends on the snake. If you want an animal that eats rodents you should be prepared to feed live if that's what it wants IMHO. There are other snakes that have been mentioned that you won't have any problems with in that aspect. And how would forcing food down an animals throat just to make yourself feel better not be animal abuse? Honest question

Now see this here is why I genuinely avoid herp pages in general and why I considered not asking at all.

Honest question, pfft. When you do something uncomfortable to an animal -for its own good- its not animal abuse, otherwhise vets are quite the animal abusers indeed /sarcasm

I guess i'll just stick to my corns.

[yl4870]

Now see this here is why I genuinely avoid herp pages in general and why I considered not asking at all.

Honest question, pfft. When you do something uncomfortable to an animal -for its own good- its not animal abuse, otherwhise vets are quite the animal abusers indeed /sarcasm

I guess i'll just stick to my corns.

Whoah, whats with the sassy attitude. Its just a question. You came here, asked some questions, and I think people did their best to answer your question.

You don't have to be rude about it. Also, I'm not too sure if you actually meant what you said, the about rehoming/forcefeeding/vet trips. I thought you were making a point, an extreme one but nonetheless a point. If you actually meant it, and took offence to what people have said then, yes maybe you should stick to your corn.

[srp1102]

I do believe that it was an honest questions and i think thegamejr was trying to understand how you viewed feeding live to be animal abuse and force feeding not be abuse. There is a time when a snake must be force fed and that is only under extreme circumstances, not because your snake doesn't take f/t for a couple of weeks. I completely understand not wanting to feed live and will do whats in my power in order to only feed f/t but before i bought my first bp i had to come to terms that i may have to feed live in order for the snake to eat and stay healthy. So 2 years and six bp's later since i got my first bp i haven't needed to feed live but i am always prepared to. Snakes have to eat to, and this is what they do in the wild. Now on to your original question. If you are that against feeding live I do not suggest a bp, other users suggested some snakes that are like garbage disposals and will eat anything they are offered, so look in to those. Im sure there are some bp's that are fantastic eaters and always take f/t, but bp's in general have a rep for being picky eaters for a reason. Like it was said earlier, husbandry has a lot to do with it but even when all things are perfect they will sometimes not eat for months at a time. If a ball python is really what you want then i suggest finding one that has been well started on f/t as a hatchling. Most of mine were all started on f/t very young and I have yet to feed live, but that doesn't mean it will only take f/t for its entire life. If you do get a bp and down the road it goes on a feeding strike please don't force feed it unless the snake is showing signs of it becoming unhealthy such as weight loss and being very lethargic, and please don't have that be reason you rehome the snake.