Ball pythons?!?

I will never understand these creatures. I have a coral glow pinstripe male, that was a voracious eater for his first 2 years. NEVER refused food. Then one day last November, he refused. Then the next week he refused again. And for the next 8 months he wanted nothing to do with a live or dead rat. I offered every single week, with absolutely zero interest. Well, it was feeding day, so I offered again, and BAM, he decided to eat. I will NEVER figure out ball pythons!


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hahaha that's ball pythons.

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Originally Posted by bhsurf4

I will never understand these creatures. I have a coral glow pinstripe male, that was a voracious eater for his first 2 years. NEVER refused food. Then one day last November, he refused. Then the next week he refused again. And for the next 8 months he wanted nothing to do with a live or dead rat. I offered every single week, with absolutely zero interest. Well, it was feeding day, so I offered again, and BAM, he decided to eat. I will NEVER figure out ball pythons!


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Oh but you HAVE figured them out...they're all :rolleye2:!

If you want a snake that doesn't waste food or drive you nuts, get a rat or corn snake, a king snake, a bull/gopher snake, a boa, or almost anything other than a beep! :snake:

This is why they're called "Royal pythons"...it has nothing to do with nobility, it's because they're a royal pain! :D

I dont understand how they're the most regarded starter snake! There's so much easier species.

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Originally Posted by wnateg

I dont understand how they're the most regarded starter snake! There's so much easier species.

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Because they have a reputation for docility, combined with a nice size & pretty patterns...it's also because they're plentiful & people have bunches of them for sale. ;)
Definitely difficult for beginners...if only they did more homework before buying one.

All my friends and co-workers know I keep snakes so they always want my opinion. And I’ve told dozens of people NOT to start with a ball python. Some listen, most don’t. (I also recommend they DO NOT buy from a chain pet store, but they don’t listen to me on that either!) Every one that gets one asks me 3 or 4 months later what to do, because their snake hasn’t eaten yet. They buy them from Petsmart, who then sells them a pack of frozen mice, which is the hardest thing to get a juvenile BP to eat!! I have a burm, a retic, and a boa, and if not for their size I would recommend any of them over a BP. But, even though I :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: and moan about them, I love the hell out of each of them.


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I haven’t had any problem feeding all 4 of our balls. Of course they are still neonates. I’m sure things will change in a couple of years. My western hog nose however has gone from feeding like a boss to week 3 of fasting. Only 2 months old.

I have changed my way of feeding the last 8 months and it’s really working out, I used to feed every 7 days on the dot, never had a refusal but they were babies When I did that, now I just read them and I can easily tell when they are hungry by their movements around the cage. My 2 bp’s are almost 3 years old and have never once not snatched the rat out of my tongs.

also I don’t do racks because I like to look at them and how they move, I spend hours watching how they move and what they do!

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Originally Posted by Igotsmallballs

I haven’t had any problem feeding all 4 of our balls. Of course they are still neonates. I’m sure things will change in a couple of years. My western hog nose however has gone from feeding like a boss to week 3 of fasting. Only 2 months old.

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Ball pythons wait until you're complacent about them eating regularly...like about 2-4 years of age, and THEN they mess with you. ;)

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Ball pythons wait until you're complacent about them eating regularly...like about 2-4 years of age, and THEN they mess with you. ;)

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Got ya! Yeah i will probably be like wtf! I’ve gotten accustomed to thawing them out in the room. Then heating them with a blow dryer. 3 out 4 do rip them off the tongs and my oldest will come out creeping on it when he senses it in the cage. Perhaps I should have saved all this extra stuff I’m doing for when they go off feed!��:cens0r:♂️