Future owner with questions

Since I don't live with my parents anymore, I just get them well, without their permission. I have my own apartment and my landlord is OK with reptiles. I told my parents initially when I got a snake and they told me to take it back. But I wasn't about to take the love of my life back.

I have 2 more snakes and soon a crested gecko :P they still think I have one snake. What they know won't hurt them. I suppose since it sounds like you are living at home, you should get permission since it is her house. Good luck to you! I have found getting a snake to be one of the best parts of my life :)

Sounds like you need to introduce her to an ambassador snake. An adult ball python that she can touch and possibly handle.

just get a female and tell your mom its a boy :)

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Originally Posted by TheBallPython

Hello,

I am looking to get my first BP in a few months and had some questions. I have learned the basics (humidity, warm/cool side, identical hides, etc), but there are a few things I don't know. Now, I was thinking about getting my snake from the show here in havre de grace, md.. but I'm a little worried about either being ripped off, or not knowing the breeder. Is there any way to know which breeders will attend certain shows?

I was also wondering if there seems to be a temperment difference between males and females. Right now, since I'm still living with my mother, she first didn't want me to have a bp at all, then agreed on a male because they don't get as large. And on here, I have seen some MASSIVE females. However, do they get that big naturally? Or is it because of frequent feeding? I just really wish I'd be able to keep my options open with gender and be able to tell my mom that females don't really get that much bigger.

I have also seen many opinions on tank size. After what I've read, I'm thinking about going with a 20gal. Is that really large enough for a full grown BP? I was also wondering if 1 UTH would be enough? One person here told me 2 would be better for the warm and cool side since my house is a little cooler for my chinchillas, but being a 20 gal, would it really be necessary? Not that I don't trust who told me (they were a huge help), just want multiple opinions.

Thank you. :) I'll ask more questions as I think of them, lol.

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Depending on the morph you want to purchase, not sure on the pricing. I'm just guessing you want a normal. Baby normals can be anywhere from $40-$80, maybe more or maybe less. Try to get a cheap one, but make sure it's healthy.

Many females are fed A LOT for breeding purposes, so females normally don't get large unless you feed it large food items. Though, you wouldn't want her to get too fat. Females only get massive when fed large food items and given a large enclosure for space to grow. Males can also get pretty large when fed the same way and given a large enclosure.

A 20 gallon enclosure is too small for a fully grown adult BP. Adult BPs will need a 40-55 gallone enclosure. The smallest size you could go would be a 40 gallon enclosure. Also, I think 1 UTH would be just fine.

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Originally Posted by BallPythonLOVER

Depending on the morph you want to purchase, not sure on the pricing. I'm just guessing you want a normal. Baby normals can be anywhere from $40-$80, maybe more or maybe less. Try to get a cheap one, but make sure it's healthy.

Many females are fed A LOT for breeding purposes, so females normally don't get large unless you feed it large food items. Though, you wouldn't want her to get too fat. Females only get massive when fed large food items and given a large enclosure for space to grow. Males can also get pretty large when fed the same way and given a large enclosure.

A 20 gallon enclosure is too small for a fully grown adult BP. Adult BPs will need a 40-55 gallone enclosure. The smallest size you could go would be a 40 gallon enclosure. Also, I think 1 UTH would be just fine.

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Where did you get this info from? I don't believe a bp will grow according to the size of it's enclosure. Also, 40-55g? Wayyy to big imo. You can certainly do it, if you're wiling to heat it. And then there's the stress factor of the bp involved.
Can I see where you read this info?

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Originally Posted by BallPythonLOVER

Depending on the morph you want to purchase, not sure on the pricing. I'm just guessing you want a normal. Baby normals can be anywhere from $40-$80, maybe more or maybe less. Try to get a cheap one, but make sure it's healthy.

Many females are fed A LOT for breeding purposes, so females normally don't get large unless you feed it large food items. Though, you wouldn't want her to get too fat. Females only get massive when fed large food items and given a large enclosure for space to grow. Males can also get pretty large when fed the same way and given a large enclosure.

A 20 gallon enclosure is too small for a fully grown adult BP. Adult BPs will need a 40-55 gallone enclosure. The smallest size you could go would be a 40 gallon enclosure. Also, I think 1 UTH would be just fine.

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Sorry, that doesn't make any sense.

Enclosure size has nothing to do with how big they grow. Nothing at all.

a 20g long is perfectly fine for a full grown MALE bp. I would never put a male bp in anything bigger. A full grown FEMALE bp would go in a 30g long, nothing more.

A 55g is the most useless tank for a BP. It is far too tall and has about 10 more square inches of space than a 30g long.

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Originally Posted by TheBallPython

Yeah, parents really just need to chill out, lol. I think what bugs me most is that I'm 20 and still have to ask permission. If it were up to me I'd already have him here! I told her there was nothing to worry about, but she keeps getting upset saying that she hasn't said yes yet. Another arguement is she says I already have enough pets, and when is enough enough.. but why does it matter? They're my pets. I pay for them, their needs, vet bills... AND they're in my room! Ugh.. ok, done venting. :D

Well, the good news is I did get her from "absolutely not" to "thinking about it", so maybe in a few more months I'll get her there.

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Get a tub and hide him in your closet. :gj: She'll NEVER know.

I don't recommend getting a 20g to start with, you may end up buying a 10 gallon anyway because the animal may get stressed from so much space. Hides and cages must grow with the snake, the snake should not grow into them.