Curious Writer looking for some insight!

Felt like I was writing a really shady personal ad with that title. Wow.

I am a writer doing some research for NaNoWriMo and I just had some quick questions.

My main character has a Ball Python, and I have the general basics down but I could use some help since I grew up with lizards, not snakes. We did have a garter snake so I have basic caveman knowledge. Anyways. The Python will be an important character in the foreseeable future, so I'd like to establish a little personality now. So I have a couple questions, and any general advice would be great.

I've noticed breeders and hobbyist keep their BPs in plastic bins. Would an owner of a single snake do the same, or is glass more probable?

Do they take to one person or, once they are used to being around different people, do they really act the same around everyone?

If you let your BP roam about the house... what does it do? Will it roam, stay near you, search for a specific area to hang out (dark/warm/ect)? Is it even advisable to let them roam?

I've seen videos of them in bath tubs, and heard a lot of people saying some like water? If you give them a tub of water, will they stay and swim for awhile or do you have to sit there and keep a very close eye on them? (Root of this question: I have her sitting in direct view of the tub, but in another room. Would that just make you think "She obviously doesn't know what she's writing about"?)

Are there any common portrayals/misconceptions that you see that are just not within temperament parameters and would just not happen?

What different kinds of personalities do you see in your BPs and how does that translate in their behavior?


I realize these could be very arbitrary questions depending on individual experience. Thank you, for answers to all or any questions, and really any help whatsoever.

In my personal experience I'd say if a person only has one snake it most likely would not be in a tub. It would be in an aquarium or some type of enclosure.

I don't think they take to one person, they act the same to everybody.

I can't answer about letting them roam, I've never tried that before.

I would say that they should not be kept in water unattended. When people soak them they only put enough water to cover about 1/4 of the body. So they technically aren't even swimming.

Thats my personal opinion, I hope it helps.

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Originally Posted by Sonkissed

I've noticed breeders and hobbyist keep their BPs in plastic bins. Would an owner of a single snake do the same, or is glass more probable? An owner of a single snake might keep their snake in a tub, however, most single-snake owners choose a glass tank or terrarium. I know I did when I got my first snake, a corn snake.

Do they take to one person or, once they are used to being around different people, do they really act the same around everyone? They really act about the same towards most people. I can't see them acting aggressive towards one person and then be puppy-dog tame to the next.

If you let your BP roam about the house... what does it do? Will it roam, stay near you, search for a specific area to hang out (dark/warm/ect)? Is it even advisable to let them roam? I wouldn't let the BP roam around the house. They will go towards a quiet, dark corner and just hide. If you let it roam, you may never find it again.

I've seen videos of them in bath tubs, and heard a lot of people saying some like water? If you give them a tub of water, will they stay and swim for awhile or do you have to sit there and keep a very close eye on them? (Root of this question: I have her sitting in direct view of the tub, but in another room. Would that just make you think "She obviously doesn't know what she's writing about"?) Water is actually not advised for ball pythons because it can cause their scales to get mushy and rot. The only time you would soak them in a tub is if they had a bad shed and you need to get the excess skin off, or if they have soiled themselves and need a quick rinse.

Are there any common portrayals/misconceptions that you see that are just not within temperament parameters and would just not happen? A lot of people think ball pythons grow to 20ft long and eat people and pets (my mother used to think this until I got my ball python). In reality, they get around 3.5-4ft long and the largest thing they eat are adult rats. Also, a lot of people think that ball pythons are aggressive and can bite at will. They are actually really docile snakes. Babies can be a bit nippy, but it doesn't hurt and they usually grow out of it. Adults who bite are generally in "feeding mode" and it's usually a mistake on the keeper's part for trying to mess with them with their hands scented like a rodent.

What different kinds of personalities do you see in your BPs and how does that translate in their behavior? I have three ball pythons and they all have individual personalities. My spider is my hider. She's very skittish and is always in her hides. I don't handle her much because she stresses easy and will go off feed. She's my most picky eater, so I do everything in my power to keep her feeding each week. My lesser male is very curious! When he's out of his tub, he's always exploring and he absolutely loves to poop on me, my family, and my carpet. I think he just saves it up until I handle him and then he lets it rip! My normal female is my most chill snake. I'll take her out and set her in my lap or on my desk and she'll just sit there and watch me do whatever it is that I'm doing

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My answers are in red. I hope this helps! I know a lot of people who are writing this month. Good luck to you!

This helps me a lot guys... I feel much better about this now.

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I would say that they should not be kept in water unattended. When people soak them they only put enough water to cover about 1/4 of the body. So they technically aren't even swimming.

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Water is actually not advised for ball pythons because it can cause their scales to get mushy and rot. The only time you would soak them in a tub is if they had a bad shed and you need to get the excess skin off, or if they have soiled themselves and need a quick rinse.

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So the people on Youtube are stupid... not a surprise... ;)
No water.

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I'll take her out and set her in my lap or on my desk and she'll just sit there and watch me do whatever it is that I'm doing

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So her hanging out while my MC is working on a term paper is totally cool? phew! I was a little worried about that part.

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A lot of people think ball pythons grow to 20ft long and eat people and pets (my mother used to think this until I got my ball python).

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One of the reasons my landlords won't let me keep one in their house. That and the whole "the puppies we breed are the size of small rodents".... :rolleyes:

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Good luck to you!

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Thanks!

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Originally Posted by Sonkissed

1. I've noticed breeders and hobbyist keep their BPs in plastic bins. Would an owner of a single snake do the same, or is glass more probable?

2. Do they take to one person or, once they are used to being around different people, do they really act the same around everyone?

3. If you let your BP roam about the house... what does it do? Will it roam, stay near you, search for a specific area to hang out (dark/warm/ect)? Is it even advisable to let them roam?

4. I've seen videos of them in bath tubs, and heard a lot of people saying some like water? If you give them a tub of water, will they stay and swim for awhile or do you have to sit there and keep a very close eye on them? (Root of this question: I have her sitting in direct view of the tub, but in another room. Would that just make you think "She obviously doesn't know what she's writing about"?)

5. Are there any common portrayals/misconceptions that you see that are just not within temperament parameters and would just not happen?

6. What different kinds of personalities do you see in your BPs and how does that translate in their behavior?

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1. Some people with single snakes just keep them in a tub; however, i think a glass aquarium or PVC enclosure would be more probable. Most new people to the hobby start out with their first snake in a glass tank, i know i did.

2. All of mine react the same way to everyone. Bps arent the smartest snakes so they dont have the brain capacity to think "oh thats the one that feeds me, i dont wanna hiss when he picks me up" or anything like that.

3. No it isnt advisable at all to let them roam. Id never let any pet snake roam my house. If a bp escapes outta its enclosure it seeks out a place to hide. A good hiding spot for a bp is a dark and tight place. I you read some of the escape threads on here some people have found their snakes in some really crazy places.

4. Bps arent really the best swimmers. The only reasons that there are to soak them are to get poop off them if they made a mess or to get off stuck shed if they had a ba shed. They dont need baths and dont really enjoy them that much.

5. Bps arent killer snakes that will get out and strangle and eat your child in the middle of the nite. Most weeks i cant get all of mine to eat their rodents, i cant imagine they'd go for a human child instead of a juicy rat lol. Also a bite from a bp isnt bad at all. The scary part is the strike bc it happens so fast.

6. Some are friendly than others. Its pretty rare to find an aggressive bp. Some of mine are friendly and curious and others are more nervous and headshy. If i want to introduce someone to my snakes and let them hold one i would pick one of the friendly ones. Not bc im afraid a nervous bp would bite or anything, but bc id be afraid that the visitor would get afraid of any nervous behavior that they exhibit. When my cinni girl hisses and flicks her body at me i dont bat an eye at her bc i know shes bluffing. But to someone who has very little experience with snakes that could be seen as a sign of extreme aggression or something. I think its cute though lol.

I added numbers to make it easier to answer. I hope this helps!

I for the most part agree with Mike. The exceptions being, that my husband swears my pastel likes me better. He will try to get back to me when my hubby holds him. And the next being, that for the most part they aren't really "nasty or mean" except for a female pastel I had. She was an absolute witch, and would strike for no good reason. Maybe she was part vampire and liked blood.

But yes, more likely for a single snake to be in a glass tank. Soaking in a tub is not good, no, they don't like to "swim". And they do seem to respond a bit different to different people. Maybe not because they "know you", rather than different people handle/hold them different, and they are more comfortable with one over the other.

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Thanks everyone! This is immensely helpful... now I need to immediately forget all roads to this site because I started at "Yeah, pythons are awesome, but then I couldn't get the iguana" and now I'm one adorable snake picture away from having to find a new place to live.

Get an iguana, and a python! We did ;)

As far as personalities go you have some creative room I think. My mojave male is an absolute puppy dog, could be out with anybody and simply cruise along (he's not so good at sitting still). Ember, on the other hand, will tolerate handling fine, and sit while I'm reading/watching something/writing, but I'd call her aloof, never really relaxes. I could go on about the others but the more I think about it the more I feel like the crazy snake lady.

My boyfriend talks about his first BP Avalon and how she'd go freely from her tank and cruise around his room, then return when she was done. She would seek out his body heat sometimes. It's not something I practice, and some might object to it story or otherwise, but for creative writing purposes I thought it was worth mentioning

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Originally Posted by Valentine Pirate

Get an iguana, and a python! We did ;)

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You're going to get me kicked out!!!! Still ogling every pinstripe and morph thereof I see... not getting any writing done... I think I should be able to to count the words I'm wasting here.

you have both an iguana and Pythons? how does that work. Do you keep them unaware of each other? Our iguana hung out with us pretty much all the time unless he was in his outside habitat, which meant any other pets had to stay in their homes 24/7. I can't even imagine having both. Though I guess it'd be easier than, say, a dog and a python.

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Originally Posted by Sonkissed

You're going to get me kicked out!!!! Still ogling every pinstripe and morph thereof I see... not getting any writing done... I think I should be able to to count the words I'm wasting here.

you have both an iguana and Pythons? how does that work. Do you keep them unaware of each other? Our iguana hung out with us pretty much all the time unless he was in his outside habitat, which meant any other pets had to stay in their homes 24/7. I can't even imagine having both. Though I guess it'd be easier than, say, a dog and a python.

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Our iguana is still pretty tiny (though when I look at pictures of when we first got him and observe him now I'm convinced he's a sneaky growth ninja). We've let him out a couple of times, but due to his greased lightning abilities it's always by himself. Not sure how it's going to work when s/he gets older, I was reading that they aren't the most fond of snakes. At the moment he watches the snakes when they're out and just seems mildly curious, if not indifferent.

Once Bruce is older, we'll see how he reacts to them. The snakes don't care a bit about other animals around (other than rodents) unless they're being touched/bothered. Don't see them caring about the iguana as much as he might care about them, we'll see!

My answer is a little late, but this is such an interesting thread. I'm still very much a newbie, but have been giving the question of how much individuality and interaction my snake is capable of a great deal of thought since I brought her home. (We got her very much as a family pet, since my son is allergic to everything.)

In our case, our female is extraordinarily mellow, friendly and curious. She will come out of her enclosure when I open it and crawl right into my hands. I do not believe she is capable of reciprocating affection, but I do believe that she has an amazing set of senses, that allow her to differentiate between various humans and recognize familiar ones in her environment. Millie will reject a f/t mouse or rat if it is less than 10 degrees off the ideal temperature and is perfectly capable if smelling the difference between a rat and my hand, so I believe that she can certainly tell the differences in scent and heat signatures of humans. (I've seen mention in some threads of owners putting pieces of clothing that had been worn in with snakes to successfully acclimate to their scent, as well.)

Since I worked with animals for years and couldn't resist seeing if she would respond to behavioral cues, I started very, VERY lightly tapping the rim of Millie's tank 2 or 3 times with my fingernail whenever she would decide to climb up her branch to come out to visit. Since then if she has a day when she hesitates, if I tap she'll sometimes start climbing up. (Yes, I am trying to train my snake to come when called using specific vibrations, something I hadn't planed to admit on this forum!)

If you are looking for individual snake quirks to incorporate, my husband had another BP when he was in college that loved going to the movies. (He worked in a movie theater at the time.) He'd take her to preview night when the theater was basically empty, and she'd climb up to the top of his foot on top of the seat in front of him and "watch" the entire movie while periscoping off his shoe.

As far as realism in your portrayal of the BP, the thing that most struck me after getting one is how important it is to respect my snake's needs, if I want her to be her friendly self when she interacts with us. We make a point of leaving her alone the day after she eats so she can digest in peace, and don't mess with her for almost a week at a time when she's going through her shed. It's not like having a dog which is very much a pack animal and needs socialization and daily interaction.

If you post your writing online, I certainly hope that you post a link to it here, since I'm sure many of us would love to read it. Good luck!

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Originally Posted by Libby

My answer is a little late, but this is such an interesting thread. I'm still very much a newbie, but have been giving the question of how much individuality and interaction my snake is capable of a great deal of thought since I brought her home. (We got her very much as a family pet, since my son is allergic to everything.)

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No, not late at all... after all, the event is a month long, and I am a fantastic procrastinator... I spent my one day off to write traveling to every wildlife keeper/reptile store/ect making them let me see their snakes... It was very productive.. minus the whole "not being productive at all" thing... Anyways. The allergy thing is actually why my MC started looking at reptiles in the first place.

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I do not believe she is capable of reciprocating affection, but I do believe that she has an amazing set of senses, that allow her to differentiate between various humans and recognize familiar ones in her environment.

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Maybe not because they "know you", rather than different people handle/hold them different, and they are more comfortable with one over the other.

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hmmm... very interesting... I will have to think about that... I have a scene with her brother that I was trying to make as natural as possible but then I realized I needed to keep writing and leave it be (so, of course, I went and looked at more BP pictures)

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(Yes, I am trying to train my snake to come when called using specific vibrations, something I hadn't planed to admit on this forum!)

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That's great... I am curious to see how that plays out... thanks for changing your plans to help me out!

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If you are looking for individual snake quirks to incorporate, my husband had another BP when he was in college that loved going to the movies. (He worked in a movie theater at the time.) He'd take her to preview night when the theater was basically empty, and she'd climb up to the top of his foot on top of the seat in front of him and "watch" the entire movie while periscoping off his shoe.

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We used to do weird things when the theater was empty, but bringing a snake was definitely not one of them... I wonder why she did that. Unless she watched tv at home as well, it would seem there is a different factor at play, but maybe the giant people were just fascinating to her... (and now the scene from George of the Jungle where he does everything the tv tells him to do is stuck in my head)

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If you post your writing online, I certainly hope that you post a link to it here, since I'm sure many of us would love to read it.

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Oh dear... that would make me self-conscious. I have a bunch of stuff from when I was like 15 that should probably be taken off fanfiction.net because it is horrible, but I might make my blog public to some select readers once the month is out. The problem with sharing NaNoWriMo is that it isn't edited at all, that includes horrid misspellings.







After procrastinating... I mean, researching on these forums and a couple other sites, I had another question. Okay, I have a million questions, but none that pertain to my story except... oh what was it? I thought of it in the first ten minutes of my two hour drive home from work... (ten minutes later) Imma blame this horrible memory loss on the glass of rum I just started and we'll pretend that makes sense... (Another ten minutes of, the 90lb dog thinking that she can fit in the six inches between my lap and the desk :rolleyes:) I remember!!!

I read on another thread (I think one about selling normals, I really am not even going to waste the time it's gonna take for me to remember more details) that some of the breeders here have a list of questions to ask potential buyers. The ones coming from craigslist/first time buyers/ect. What is on that list? What could a buyer say that would make you refuse to sell? and I don't mean "I intend to use this snake as a jump rope." or "I have a shoebox that will make a perfect home!" I mean something a relatively intelligent person might say. I would assume the list could not be as long as, say, a Burmese potential buyer, but I'm sure there are plenty things you've been told or asked that made you say "this is not the right pet for you." This has happened once while helping my landlord with his dog breeding (I rent a room, not a whole house/apartment, just to clarify). When an owner said the dog would be crated most of the day and not allowed in the house at all, we told her she needed to look into a different breed. I assume this sort of thing happens to all animal breeders.

Thanks again for all your help! I think I've 85% convinced my landlord that having a snake will, in fact, not result in his eminent death. His wife is all "I used to have an iguana" and "that morph is cool looking" so I figure that's a point in my favor...