I've posted in this forum a few times over the past few weeks, and everyone has been extremely helpful. I have yet another question- after a little ball python story of mine (relevant).
A few years ago I worked with a 7-8 year old male "normal" ball. As part of my job as a naturalist, I was required to handle him for sometimes hours at a time during my shifts. Of course I was initially nervous about this, as the programs frequently involved contact with children and other loud stimuli, but I was quickly amazed at how dog-like this snake was.
He was housed in a display tank in public view, and ate on a weekly basis (time of day didn't matter, nor did having a noisy audience) and never missed a meal. He would sleep around my neck or on my lap for hours if I let him, and you could even touch his head.
He was/is a gentle, confident, forgiving snake. During my time at the museum, he reached through to so many people who were initially terrified of snakes, and he's the reason I own one today.
Anyway, this leads up to my main question:
How typical is this?
And, within reason, can any ball python have the potential to be conditioned into a similar way with enough desensitization? Assuming you start exposure at a young age?
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