Has a bp ever killed or severely injured any person newborn to 100 years old.

I just got into the ball python hobby and currently own 3 2 juveniles and 1 adult. I love them dearly and are wonder pets and none of them have showed me ANY aggression whatsoever even my 5 year old son is wanting a albino for himself ( with my supervision of course) my only problem is that my whole family can't understand why I have them and think I'm completely insane for keeping them. My sister thinks I'm a unfit father for having them cause she says one of them can curl around his neck in the middle of the night and kill him. An nothing I do can confidence her that they are good pets. What I wanna know is that has anyone young to old ever been hurt or killed by a ball python so I can ease my family's mind that they are completely safe.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

I know of no incident where a ball python has killed or seriously injured a person. They can bite or strike and though it really does not hurt that much, can bleed a lot at the bite site.

There are no recorded incidents of a ball python killing a human of any age.

For constrictor snakes in general (this includs the giants like burms and retics)

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7e7304b3.jpg

Would they see you as unfit if you got a dog?

I can't recall a serious incident either. These snakes are not large constrictors. Most max out at 5 feet or less. The max size prey a ball can probably kill is a large rat size equivalent. I've been bitten a few times but they were not out of aggression. The snake was being defensive when I accidentally startled it. The bite didn't hurt. Felt less painful than a pin prick from the doctor.

All you can do is educate your family and show them that the snakes are in a secure enclosure. There's a reason why Ball Pythons are a beginner pet due to their docile nature. The bad stories you hear about a snake killing a child are usually larger species that escaped an ill suited enclosure that wasn't secure. For example, adult boas or burms kept in screen top tanks. And even those incidents are very rare. I hate to use this example, but family dogs kill ~20+ children a year on average. The point I'm trying to make is that people underestimate some animals and overestimate others....(Aaron beat me with this example!)

Good luck.

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Would they see you as unfit if you happened to have your kid in the car with you while you were driving? I don't have statistics on hand but I think its safe to assume that you have at least 1000x the chance of killing your son in a car accident then by owning a snake.....

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

There are no recorded incidents of a ball python killing a human of any age.

For constrictor snakes in general (this includs the giants like burms and retics)

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7e7304b3.jpg

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What about Pitbulls? I thought they had some restrictions.

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Originally Posted by 3skulls

What about Pitbulls? I thought they had some restrictions.

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There aren't any state wide or national regulations (at least not yet/that I am aware of) most pit bull regulations are at the county or city level.

I thought Ohio and FL had something.

That's a cool poster, that's for posting it.

Definitely gonna use some of these facts with my family and customers at my PetsMart that look at the baby Ball Pythons like they're gonna jump through the glass and kill them. I still don't get why people are afraid. It really bugs me. What conditioned them to fear snakes? If anything at all, I received no such conditioning.

It's the same thing with spiders and bugs. I think it's not knowing or understanding the animal that leads to fear.

I just think that they think wild and captive breed are the same cause it's a snake in general. I told them there is no difference between wild cats and dogs vs wild snakes. Anything wild can kill you faster than a captive raised. But they don't listen to me I'm the oddball that wants a exotic pet and it's not normal around here to have pet snakes. Ohh well if they don't like it don't come around. And I've told them a cat scratch is 10 times worse than a snake bite. And they say cats and dogs font carry salmonella. But I know that's rare and not even fatal to us.

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Originally Posted by bradthebanker

I just think that they think wild and captive breed are the same cause it's a snake in general. I told them there is no difference between wild cats and dogs vs wild snakes. Anything wild can kill you faster than a captive raised. But they don't listen to me I'm the oddball that wants a exotic pet and it's not normal around here to have pet snakes. Ohh well if they don't like it don't come around. And I've told them a cat scratch is 10 times worse than a snake bite. And they say cats and dogs font carry salmonella. But I know that's rare and not even fatal to us.

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You have a much higher (though still incredibly low) chance of getting salmonella from licking the cake batter off a spoon (we've all done it, I let my kids do it...horrible mother i am) than from holding a snake. Don't let your kids lick the snakes cloaca or eat its feces. I trust my big girl normal BP with my kids more than my cat. Not that I allow unsupervised contact with either, but the cat roams the house. She has scratched both of my girl at least twice, and batted at them more than that.

It is drilled in our heads to be fearful of snakes because of multiple reasons. Never approach a wild snake, it could be poisonous. (I was raised with that) once I was older (10 or so) it changed to never approach a wild snake you cannot identify without a shadow of a doubt.

Another fear trigger is the religious stand point, Christianity drums into peoples minds that snakes are evil. Devil in disguise etc.

Evolutionary stand point, be wary of snakes, some have the ability to kill you, therefore be wary of all (animal brain reaction).

All you can do is try to educate them about the facts. With some it will work, given enough time, with others it will never work. Just depends on the person.

My husband was anti snake when we met. We now have 3 (soon 4) ball pythons. And he gets upset when people talk down about snakes.

People can learn, change, and accept. Not all, but a lot of them. As long as you offer to teach in a mellow fashion, and never "surprise" teach them by pulling out a snake unexpectedly. Good luck, I hope at least part of your family is able and willing to learn.

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Double post, oops!

I agree with everything Tiffany said :gj:, the universalization of snakes as being potentially deadly from a evolutionary standpoint is one of the deciding factors in being able to live long enough to reproduce. Which is also why some folks have a universal fear of spiders, sharks, lions, tigers, and bears.....oh my.

My daughter has a bp of her own and she turns 5 in two weeks. She has been asking me for one for over a year and I finally broke down. She named her moonlight and likes to take her out to read with us at night time. Her cage in in her room and she helps take care of her, feed her, and wants to breed her one day. The way I see it, she is a baby snake and not able to do major damage, even if she wrapped around her neck and tried with all her baby bp might! That is of course, a extremely unlikely event in the first place. If he enjoys them and you think he will be able to participate in caring for the snake I would say to go for it. Even if he loses interest, it's not like you aren't already established with a collection that could absorb another bp :)

Sounds like your sister needs a Hobby...... unless judging you IS​ her hobby

Yeah my boy just turned 5 today actually and when he is with me or his grandmother he always wants to see the snakes and holds them and I feel 100% safe when he is holding it. My mother is getting more used to it the more I explain it to her that it's a good pet otherwise they wouldn't be a beginner snake or be sold in every pet store.

I don't believe that any royal has harmed a human in a serious manor. I would suggest that a small child be allowed to have a large female royal around the neck unsupervised either. I would also say the same for dog or cat, well basically any animal, kids bite. The risk is minimal to insignificant.

My sister has given my nephew leopard gecko's and frogs and don't have a problem with them but idk I grew up with her and never won a fight with her yet ..lol.. So y do I even try with this subject. People can judge me all they want for my hobby but I don't care what they think.

My sister sent me this link and still is on my case about my ball pythons

http://abcnews.go.com/news/t/blogEntry?id=16733546

That link just takes me to ABC new home? Could be my phone though.

sent her article about crazy relative poisoning babies, dropping babies giving illicit drugs to babies.

honestly there is more danger in letting people approach your child than a ball python.

I still think that story is bull hockey. It does not make sense. A shy animal crawls into the bedding of a baby that is ten times its size and tries to eat it from the foot up? I don't believe that story happened the way it was told.

Im like wow.... One case now show me another one and I'll show u a hundred dog attacks on children.

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And said dogs are domesticated snakes are not and I said yes they are and everyone at the lunch table laughed at me.

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People in North America are relatively safe from snakes. However, snakes in general are extremely dangerous and kill between 20,000 and 94,000 people every year around the globe. (source) With that said, deaths from constrictors are pretty rare and then only from the giant constrictors. I have only read of one incident where someone was killed form a Boa Constrictor. Most constrictor deaths are from Burmese Pythons followed by Reticulated Pythons.

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Originally Posted by bradthebanker

My sister sent me this link and still is on my case about my ball pythons

http://abcnews.go.com/news/t/blogEntry?id=16733546

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Here is the original thread when that story broke: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ht=baby+attack

I can't see the story, but if that is the one that happened here in Florida, that is better proof that bps aren't dangerous. The baby went to the hospital for a few scratches and slight bruising. That was the extent of the damage.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/11/07/myzyje3a.jpg

I can confidently say that a ball python has never seriously injured or killed any human, nor will they ever. A kitten would be more dangerous.

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Originally Posted by satomi325

The max size prey a ball can probably kill is a large rat size equivalent. I've been bitten a few times but they were not out of aggression.

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Ball Pythons can absolutely kill things much larger than a large rat. Cat and even dog sized. A 5' adult bp is no corn snake.

There have been no deaths caused by Ball Pythons. Deaths by constrictors only occur when the animal is not taken care of properly and it is looking for food. They have to look at you as a possible food source. A ball python knows that you would be much too large to try to eat. So they wouldn't try. One should never leave a child un supervised around any animals. Accidents can and do happen. To either the child or the pet.