Is a ball python right for me?

Hey all!

For all you pros and addicts out there I pose you this question. Is a ball python right for me?
I got into snake keeping with my corn and while I love her dearly I have the repti-bug and am looking to get at least one other pet snake at some point.
I considered getting a ball as my first snake but was put off by their picky feeding reputation. However I would love to have a docile, thick bodied snake that will just hang out with me while I watch TV,
rather than dedicated ADVENTURECORN time which is fun and active.

My issue is: I love rats... I have owned rats all through my childhood until I started developing a nasty skin rash from their urine (even the teeny tiniest traces of it on their claws makes me flare up) and could no longer handle them. I am very pragmatic about death (into taxidermy and whatnot) so I could handle feeding ethically farmed f/t rats... but never EVER live. I could never compromise on this, it is animal abuse to me and I would vet trip/force feed/rehome a snake rather than feed live ever. (Please don't start a live feeding debate in here, im not gonna jump on you for doing it, I just wont personally, respect that).
Of course I never have this issue with my corn because they take mice and rarely go off feed.

Are ball pythons going off frozen and needing to be fed live a statistic that has been blown out of proportion or should I give up now on the idea of having one?

I think it is not blown out of proportion. I know several people who have ball pythons who absolutely refuse anything but live, and I have one myself. Maybe a kingsnake, or even a boa would work better for you, as they very seldom have issues with eating f/t, but however in the case of the boa you might want to consider the size, as most redtails grow to 8 ft. Good luck with whatever you decide :gj:

Thanks for your input! I hear they are more reliable if they are fed f/t from the start, I guess my worry would be a sudden snake midlife crisis where they want nothing to do with frozen suddenly. What are the chances of that do you think?

Red tails are a bit over my size limit & kings aren't exactly docile/thick bodied x3 plus I hear other snakes get stressed when they can smell a king because they are snake eaters? I wouldn't want to stress my lovely corn.

Here are my thoughts on this, and hopefully others will chime in as well.
The "picky ball python" stereotype exists because Ball Pythons tend to not eat when they're stressed. Stress could be caused by changes in their environment, improper husbandry, feelings of insecurity, etc. Which means that IF you give a ball python a 100% great home, perfect your husbandry, and minimize sources of stress, your likelihood of a feeding strike is seriously reduced.

However, your snake still might have occasional hunger strikes associated with seasonal changes (BPs tend to eat less or not at all in the winter). But, that sort of hunger strike is perfectly natural and will resolve itself in time. As long as you continue to provide proper husbandry and monitor your snakes' health/weight, you don't have to worry about changing food. (Side note: Are you ok with throwing away a frozen rat because your snake refused to eat for a meal?)

PLUS, there are plenty of alternatives to feeding live. Hypothetically, IF your BP was to go off rats and was beginning to lose weight/become malnourished to the point that you needed to take alternate measures, you could:
- Try braining, soaking in broth, etc.
- Feed live or frozen mice
- Feed frozen African Soft Fur rats (which are closer to a BPs natural food source)
- Buy freshly and humanely killed rats from a local rodent breeder

Plenty of options without having to resort to more extreme measures. SO, that means you MAY never have to worry about feeding live if you can give your BP great husbandry and you are patient enough to wait out the occasional natural hunger strike.

BUT, and here's where I play devil's advocate: vet trips, force feeding, and/or rehoming because the snake refuses to eat what you want it to eat, are in of themselves disrespectful to the natural needs of a snake. I would hope every pet owner who takes on a pet is willing to give that pet a loving life-long home regardless of feeding circumstances.

Do you have any sort of "Plan B"? Could you give it to a local breeder or fellow snake owner, allow them to feed your snake live, and then return it to you after feeding? Are you willing to spend the money to take your snake to the vet so the vet can feed it live for you?

If you are unwilling to let your potential snake eat live under any circumstances, and your only response to a snake eating live (even for just one or two feedings), is rehoming or force feeding, you probably should not get a ball python. Because, in the end, there is no guarantee the snake you get will eat f/t it's entire life for every meal without fail. And you'd need to accept that if you get something long-lived like a BP.

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Originally Posted by anemicshoe

Red tails are a bit over my size limit...

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Locality BCI's like Hog Islands and Caulker's Cay top out at seven feet, or one of the Mexican localities like Sonoran, Cancun, or Tarahumara, stay under six feet. Female king snakes can get up to that size easily, I have a Mexican Black King that is five feet at two years old.

You could also look into milk snakes, my Honduran is a little garbage gut except when he's in shed.

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Originally Posted by anemicshoe

Hey all!

For all you pros and addicts out there I pose you this question. Is a ball python right for me?
I got into snake keeping with my corn and while I love her dearly I have the repti-bug and am looking to get at least one other pet snake at some point.
I considered getting a ball as my first snake but was put off by their picky feeding reputation. However I would love to have a docile, thick bodied snake that will just hang out with me while I watch TV,
rather than dedicated ADVENTURECORN time which is fun and active.

My issue is: I love rats... I have owned rats all through my childhood until I started developing a nasty skin rash from their urine (even the teeny tiniest traces of it on their claws makes me flare up) and could no longer handle them. I am very pragmatic about death (into taxidermy and whatnot) so I could handle feeding ethically farmed f/t rats... but never EVER live. I could never compromise on this, it is animal abuse to me and I would vet trip/force feed/rehome a snake rather than feed live ever. (Please don't start a live feeding debate in here, im not gonna jump on you for doing it, I just wont personally, respect that).
Of course I never have this issue with my corn because they take mice and rarely go off feed.

Are ball pythons going off frozen and needing to be fed live a statistic that has been blown out of proportion or should I give up now on the idea of having one?

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My BP is 11 months old and has only ever had f/t so I would never try to feed him live prey, I"d be too worried he'd get hurt.
As for ethics: I've been vegetarian for over a decade so the only meat in my freezer is rat LOL. I think you just have to accept and budget to feed 1 f/t rat per week, and leave it up to the snake to eat or not (although he's still young and I actually offer every 5 - 6 days).

As for hanging out and watching tv: I've tried this a few times but BPs are nocturnal and not really fond of the brightness of the 40" display. Although he does watch and track movement on the screen for a few minutes he'll then start trying to move around, either down off the couch onto the floor or into any dark crevasse between the cushions. So I end up turning off the tv and getting far more entertainment from observing and interacting with the snake.

5 out of 6 of mine take f/t fine but the other will only take live and thats once a month before a shed. So it all depends on the snake. If you want an animal that eats rodents you should be prepared to feed live if that's what it wants IMHO. There are other snakes that have been mentioned that you won't have any problems with in that aspect. And how would forcing food down an animals throat just to make yourself feel better not be animal abuse? Honest question

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Originally Posted by thegamejr

5 out of 6 of mine take f/t fine but the other will only take live and thats once a month before a shed. So it all depends on the snake. If you want an animal that eats rodents you should be prepared to feed live if that's what it wants IMHO. There are other snakes that have been mentioned that you won't have any problems with in that aspect. And how would forcing food down an animals throat just to make yourself feel better not be animal abuse? Honest question

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Now see this here is why I genuinely avoid herp pages in general and why I considered not asking at all.

Honest question, pfft. When you do something uncomfortable to an animal -for its own good- its not animal abuse, otherwhise vets are quite the animal abusers indeed /sarcasm

I guess i'll just stick to my corns.

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Originally Posted by anemicshoe

Now see this here is why I genuinely avoid herp pages in general and why I considered not asking at all.

Honest question, pfft. When you do something uncomfortable to an animal -for its own good- its not animal abuse, otherwhise vets are quite the animal abusers indeed /sarcasm

I guess i'll just stick to my corns.

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Whoah, whats with the sassy attitude. Its just a question. You came here, asked some questions, and I think people did their best to answer your question.

You don't have to be rude about it. Also, I'm not too sure if you actually meant what you said, the about rehoming/forcefeeding/vet trips. I thought you were making a point, an extreme one but nonetheless a point. If you actually meant it, and took offence to what people have said then, yes maybe you should stick to your corn.

I do believe that it was an honest questions and i think thegamejr was trying to understand how you viewed feeding live to be animal abuse and force feeding not be abuse. There is a time when a snake must be force fed and that is only under extreme circumstances, not because your snake doesn't take f/t for a couple of weeks. I completely understand not wanting to feed live and will do whats in my power in order to only feed f/t but before i bought my first bp i had to come to terms that i may have to feed live in order for the snake to eat and stay healthy. So 2 years and six bp's later since i got my first bp i haven't needed to feed live but i am always prepared to. Snakes have to eat to, and this is what they do in the wild. Now on to your original question. If you are that against feeding live I do not suggest a bp, other users suggested some snakes that are like garbage disposals and will eat anything they are offered, so look in to those. Im sure there are some bp's that are fantastic eaters and always take f/t, but bp's in general have a rep for being picky eaters for a reason. Like it was said earlier, husbandry has a lot to do with it but even when all things are perfect they will sometimes not eat for months at a time. If a ball python is really what you want then i suggest finding one that has been well started on f/t as a hatchling. Most of mine were all started on f/t very young and I have yet to feed live, but that doesn't mean it will only take f/t for its entire life. If you do get a bp and down the road it goes on a feeding strike please don't force feed it unless the snake is showing signs of it becoming unhealthy such as weight loss and being very lethargic, and please don't have that be reason you rehome the snake.

I'd have to say no.
Some snakes will only eat live and then you are stuck trying to get rid of a snake which is no easy task.

But I understand your delema. I feed my snakes both frozen and live, I have a pair of breeder rats for that purpose. And while I get the whole circle of life thing, I still feel a little bad when I have to grab a cute little ween to feed to one of my picky eaters.

Mine won't eat anything but live. They can be picky. I can't get mine to eat f/t, but feeding live doesn't bother me so much.

IN MY OPINION, I wouldn't give up on a Ball Python :) yes, Balls are known to go off feed, but that seems to be the only thing that discourages people from getting one, and what labels them as an "intermediate" snake. You just have to accept that it's a natural occurrence and will resolve itself over time. And be prepared! Make sure you have a scale so that when it does go off feed you can monitor its weight. They'll go back to eating eventually (unless the reason they're not eating is due to a sickness, then it'll require a vet trip to resolve).

Honestly, if you can handle corn snakes, you can handle a ball python. My first snake, when I was around 16 I think, was a baby corn snake. That thing was quick and nippy! (Obviously since it was so tiny). But when I was younger I was afraid of getting bit. I ended up almost never touching the thing and as it grew it became less tame. That snake made me scared of corn snakes :(

But now, owning several ball pythons has given me the courage and confidence to try my hand at owning a corn snake again. Now that I've been bitten by my snakes I'm not so scared of being bitten by a corn snake, especially a tiny baby one. (Sorry this is kind of irrelevant)

MY POINT IS, ball pythons are great pets and if you're prepared for them to go off feed you and the snake will do fine. Be patient with the snake. And if you have any worries there's always these forums where people are willing to help you out!


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If you really want a ball python then do some research. They are really not that difficult to keep at all. You need to be prepared for the fact that you may one day need to feed live. You have to do what is right for the snake not for yourself. I have not seen anyone tell you anything that you should not already know about keeping ball pythons as pets. I am not an expert but I have been keeping ball pythons since 2008. I am just telling you the facts. I have had ball pythons that used to take f/t and then had to be fed live to keep them eating. You MUST do what is best for the snake, not what you WANT to do.

My 14 year old ball python used to be fed live and switched to frozen/thawed about 6 years ago without problem. He has been feeding steadily on f/t since. Just my personal anecdote.

I fail to see how one animal doing as nature intended is animal abuse, but a human pre killing it, then feeding it, isn't. Sort of like eating a McDonald's hamburger but not knowing it used to be a cow...


Molly & Steve
0.1 normal BP 'Precioucess'
0.1 BCI 'Luna'

Some of the snakes suggested are not exactly what the OP needs/wants I believe. They want a hang around snake that will just chill while you watch TV. My boa, ball, and tree python are not in that category but my bloods are dead on. Maybe a short tail would be a good choice. Stay away from a blood python as they are probably larger than you are wanting. The other two choices are heavy bodied, will eat anything, and are usually like holding a pet rock. My bloods will just stay around my neck or just lay across me as I watch TV. My big girl will hang with me for hours with no complaint.

Young short tails can have a bit of an attitude so maybe a sub adult would be a good fit.

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Originally Posted by calmolly1

Sort of like eating a McDonald's hamburger but not knowing it used to be a cow...

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Are you sure they have cow in their meat!?!:D

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Originally Posted by KMG

Are you sure they have cow in their meat!?!:D

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HAHA! The fact is a bp may not eat f/t it's entire life. If feeding live is something you feel you simply can not do, then it sounds like that is a gamble you are not willing to take. I'm sure everyone here is glad that you have taken the time to research if this is the right pet for you instead of buying one then asking what to do with it. I'm sure the "animal cruelty" question was just that as well, but obviously not a topic you were interested in discussing. I hope that you have taken all things into consideration for what is best for your future pets and for yourself and am sure you will find an animal who's lifestyle fits with yours...

Just another point about boas... if they stop eating f/t rats, which is rather unlikely, you can offer very small/young rabbits, or quail, as feeders.

Calling live feeding inhumane is incredibly naive and selfish. These are carnivores, so they eat meat. What is inhumane about feeding an animal it's natural diet? I don't recommend a python if you want to put YOUR WANTS above your snakes NEEDS.

Ok so the snake killing it is humane but puting it in a box and pumping it full of co2 and waiting for it to suffocate is. Stick with your corns