How many BP's take as much work as a dog? (Poll)

In your opinion, how many ball pythons would you have to own before they took as much work as an average dog?

Well. Dogs need to be fed and watered, walked like 3 times a day at the minimum, and played with to tire them out. I'd say thats like a solid 2 hours a day, at least. So say 15hrs a week. I have 8 snakes and it takes me only a fraction of that time. Feeding, watering and cleaning is probably like only an hour or two a week. So i'd say like 50 balls is equal to one dog. I'm talking about a dog too, not a chihuahua or pug.

I can't see the poll since im on tapatalk.

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

Well. Dogs need to be fed and watered, walked like 3 times a day at the minimum, and played with to tire them out. I'd say thats like a solid 2 hours a day, at least. So say 15hrs a week. I have 8 snakes and it takes me only a fraction of that time. Feeding, watering and cleaning is probably like only an hour or two a week. So i'd say like 50 balls is equal to one dog. I'm talking about a dog too, not a chihuahua or pug.

I can't see the poll since im on tapatalk.

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Agreed.

BP's don't need playtime, or excercise, or recreational attention. Just food, water and cleaning, provided the proper environment. So it would be tons of snakes to have the time spent taking care of them equal all the needs of a dog.

Um... I really don't know... but I've got 18 snakes and they don't require NEARLY as much work as properly caring for a dog. Depends how you do it though I guess, if you only clean once per week then cleaning everyone can take some time, but it's only one day so much less work than everyday care.

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Yeah, I don't think you can really even compare the two. It would take an awful lot of snakes to be as much work as my dog. My snakes are the easiest, most low maintenance pet I've ever had.

I think you would need alot of snakes to equal a dog. Also depends on the dog. I have a puggle and a pirbull. My puggle needs a while lot less attwntion than my pitbull. My pitbull needs ALOT of excersice.

I agree, I dont think you can compare the two.. Just consider the amount of time spent together.. my snakes dont care if I am around.. my dog does.

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

Well. Dogs need to be fed and watered

I can't see the poll since im on tapatalk.

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I never knew dogs needed to be watered, Im gonna start watering my dogs tomorrow to see if they grow anymore.

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Originally Posted by PolishPython

I never knew dogs needed to be watered, Im gonna start watering my dogs tomorrow to see if they grow anymore.

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Well, then you need to start feeding your dogs too like a baby, since you understood that part. Not just presenting the food to them. Instead of watering them, present them with water.

If you present it, they will consume. :gj:

One thing to think about: A dog will not have an problems eating, but if you own 20+ BP's, you get to deal with picky eaters every week ;). That doesn't take much extra work, but its more stress hahaha

We have three German Shepherds. In addition to the time spent caring for and playing with the dogs, I can guarantee I spend more time each week just vacuuming up dog hair than I do looking after all of the snakes.

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I have a Pomeranian, and he's the most high maintenance dog in the house. Then again, the other four dogs are my mom's, and he's the only dog that's active in flyball competitions. Not to mention, he's the most well behaved/trained - and that's not me being biased; he really is! Haha.
Puppy years were 24/7 - socializing, training, teaching right from wrong, behavioral conditioning, etc. None of which is necessary for a snake.
Later years - more specialized training, daily brushing, weekly teeth brushings, nail clipping, walking, fetch, etc. Again, things a snake doesn't need.
Then if you have a dog in any kind of sport - hours of work put into training every week (both with the team and at home), physical conditioning, tournaments (which for flyball, last LITERALLY from dusk 'til dawn - many of which are out of state), and not to mention all the costs that go into all of that.

I don't even want to know how many snakes it'd take to equal how much work my dog takes. LOL

Well, I'm currently raising a 4 month old golden retriever and a week ago entered the wonderful world of snake mommyhood. I can tell ya that mentally, I'm more consumed with the snake and her needs. Physically yes, the dog takes more work but the stress of setting up a brand new tank after not owning a snake for 20 yrs is about to drive me to drink. Can't wait until its all automated etc.

18 snakes, 2 tegus, 2 tortoises, 1 turtle, 4 rat colonies, 1 mouse colony and 1 ASF colony. I spend about an hour a day, if I average in the weekly rodent cleaning, tending to my herps and their feeders. I take my time though when I'm doing the rounds, could easily cut that time in half if I sped along.

I only have 1 snake it doesn't take me near as much time to take care of him as it does my 2 dogs! That's def 1 reason I like my snake the most

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Originally Posted by towelie4365

One thing to think about: A dog will not have an problems eating, but if you own 20+ BP's, you get to deal with picky eaters every week ;). That doesn't take much extra work, but its more stress hahaha

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Not completely true.....I have many customers who have dogs(mostly small breeds) that are extremely picky eaters that drive their owners crazy...they try sooo many different brands of dry/canned dog food to try and find just ONE their dog likes. Not to mention, some tiny dogs can easily go into hypoglycemic shock if they don't eat.

I said 4-5. Then again I also think about taking the snakes out (and record keeping), and my dog can let herself out to run around in the backyard.

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Originally Posted by Poseidon

I said 4-5. Then again I also think about taking the snakes out (and record keeping), and my dog can let herself out to run around in the backyard.

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I think a big portion has to do with whether or not your dog has to be let out to go to the bathroom or can go out on their own. I think it would take many snakes to equal the time commitment required for a dog that needs to be let out

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Originally Posted by towelie4365

I think a big portion has to do with whether or not your dog has to be let out to go to the bathroom or can go out on their own. I think it would take many snakes to equal the time commitment required for a dog that needs to be let out

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I agree. My dog needs medication and she doesn't always make it outside to do her business, and it's still not the time required for a dog that needs to be taken outside for the bathroom.

Difficult question. Once you get to a point in BPs, the work can increase exponentially. When you get to the point where you have to be raising and managing rat production to feed your collection, work increases a lot more than keeping f/t in your freezer or a few rat trios to feed a few snakes. Once you get to that point, I'd say that the work is more than the care required for a dog. However, my snakes do not greet me with wiggles and excitement every day when I come home from my day job, so I'll keep both!

I have two mastiffs and 50+ ball pythons. I also have 40 breeder tubs of rats to feed my snakes. I would say I spend far more time caring for the snakes and rats than I do the dogs. Yes I spend more time with my dogs but that is not caring for them. The dogs get fed twice a day and have 5 gallon auto watering dish that gets filled every other day(maybe daily in the summer) but they have a doggy door so they let themselves in and out. The rats get cleaned once a week which takes about 2 hours and food and water toped off between cleanings about 15-20 mins. The snakes get cleaned weekly which takes several hours and spot cleaned daily. This time a year when females are ponding food after laying and hatchlings are feeding every 4 days sometimes I am spot cleaning several times a day. For example I had to spot clean yesterday and around 4pm, again at 10pm, and again about 20mins ago. Even having two huge dogs I still spend more on rat food than I do dog food.

Difficult question for me, my last dog would tell us when he needed to "go outside" for bathroom/other. Daily food/water, and maybe a couple walks a week. We have a big back yard so he would run the fence line with 3 of our neighbors dogs.

My current dog is about as dumb as they come, frequently goes in the house, all though a little dog he's not so hyper and attention starved. He also runs in the back with the other dogs.

My first dog was almost no work outside of picking up poop out back and daily food/water.

Current dog a little more work.

My BP, seems like no work at all.

Neither compare to the 600g of fish tanks I had been doing weekly upkeep on the past 3-4 years.