I need your advice.....

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Originally Posted by L.West

I sure don't want to regret my decision to get him and then be miserable and afraid of him.

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To that same effect you don't want to regret not getting him every time you look at the animal you might end up purchasing if you pass on this one.

Aggression can be worked on and safely with the use of gloves. The experience might even help you get over this anxiety I think I sense in you.

Even your calm baby doll of a snake could decide to bite you out of the blue one day. Its a possibility with any snake you own.

With that said think about your decision and make one you won't regret.

Keep in mind that if this animal is at display at a show it may be a little more stressed than usual and its aggressive nature could be amplified.

Good Luck!

Thanks spanaird,

You are correct in picking up on my stress level - I'm a whimp but I definitely need to work on that and overcome my fear with getting bitten.

When I see the snake in person tomorrow and it is everything I think it is - I will probably take my chance with him and try to reform him - LOL.

I have learned sooo much on this site so I know how to provide the exact setting that he needs. I've ordered his new RBI cage with an RHP - that should be here with in a week or so.

Even if I do take this snake - the breeder has agreed to hold him for me until the new cage arrives - so I will make him work with him also - LOL.

I am really glad that I decided to post this and get all the feedback - it helps to make an informed decision.

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Originally Posted by likebull1

most of the time they will strike and not even bite(kinda a warning).
But when they do bite most of the time it is a quick release with little pin pricks of blood.

If you search the forums there are a lot of threads on bite.:D

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Agrre 100 % I was bitten one time ( my fault i have mouse scent all over my hand a that was feeding time :colbert: ) She draw blood :O but pain was like mousquito bite. I was more shocked she suprise me LOL but like I said that was my fault
Right now I wash my hand every time before i take her out :D

sometimes we slip up and it happens. one of my adults that i had for 5 years nearly tagged me in the face. this is a nine year old that had never ever shown any aggression at all. completely calm ball python. its tank was situated higher then my head at the time. as i picked him up to pull him out he snapped towards my face. i was looking the other way and saw it just before he made contact. thank god for fast reflexes or he would of tagged my eye. their bite does not heart. i know for a fact because his sister from the same clutch tagged me on another occasion . but it will surprise you when it happens. what i hadn't noticed when i grabbed him was that he was in the beginning stages of shed. i realized it when i saw his pinkish red belly. must have been a tough shed for him. it was the only time i have ever seen him grumpy so far. it happens. its all part of snake keeping. took me over seven years of handling ball pythons before i got my first bite but it happens. i was relived when it happened because i then knew i had nothing to worry about. i say go for that spider and enjoy taming it. if anything it might get your adrenaline pumping for a while and that could be a good thing. besides you might learn a thing or two about balls in the process. and then in the end if you feel you cant tame it i sure you will be able to trade him to someone for something else you might like.

Thanks to everyone that has chimed in on this - I have really struggled with what to do - today is the day I have to make my decision. I am leaning towards getting him and attempting to tame him with good care and patience.

And, "like bads15" mentioned - if after some time passes and I don't think it is working out - I could probably trade him for something else as a last resort.

Something else I learned thru this post which I didn't realize - I have become sooo comfortable with my female normal because she has never shown agression but I see from this site that she could act out at any time - I will definitely heed that warning and stop putting her towards my face - I think I got overly comfortable.

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to update you all on what I ended up getting. I went to see the breeder and was able to see all the snakes that he had to offer. I decided against the Spider Male simply because his temperment was just very pissy and I didn't think I would enjoy his company - LOL.

I did get a beautiful Male Ghost - he has really nice markings/coloring and his temperment was very docile and friendly. He is about 250/300 grams - which is just the size I like for them to be when I get them.

So, in the end - all is fine - I'm happy with what I got.

I wanted to thank you all for your input it was greatly appreciated.

Congrats L,

In the end what matters most is that you are happy with your decision and the animal you brought home. BUT, where are the pictures?! :D

Unfortunately, I purchased him but wasn't able to bring him home immediately since I am waiting on his new RBI cage to arrive. The breeder is holding him for me until the cage gets here.

I will be sure to post a picture of him just as soon as I can. I am not very good at getting pictures to this site - which is why I haven't updated my picture of Bella lately.

I will have to figure out the process so I can post pictures - I love to share my photos.

Feel free to give me easy step by step instructions on how to upload the darn pictures - I always seen to have problems with it.

Good move. If you werent comfortable with a nippy snake the best move would be to choose another.

Ghosts are beautiful snakes, good choice:gj:

The Spider Male had already bitten the breeder and was immediately in strike mode while he was trying to show him to me - that was enough deterant for me. Never been bit and sure don't want to ask for it.

The Ghost Male - whom I named Casper was just as calm as can be - no issues with me holding him at all.

I just can't wait for my new cage to arrive so I can bring him home.

Oh yeah, I do have another question though - when I quaranteen him - is putting him in another room on the same floor of my house sufficient or should it be a great distance away??

Thanks