Losing Interest

After having my snake for about a month, I fear I'm losing interest after spending $400 for everything. My coral glow pastel is a beautiful snake, but I just don't seem to enjoy watching him anymore.

Has anyone gone through this, how did you get past it?

Not really sure what to tell you. BPs aren't much of a "sit and watch" display animal. How about interacting with it more?

Well, the first thing is ball pythons don't really make good display animals, and one month isn't a lot of time to really get a feel for what being a reptile keeper is about. For me, the pleasure I get from my ball pythons comes from the joy I feel when I open their tubs and feeling my heart race because they take my breath away and I feel honored to have such amazing animals in my care. (I have about 80 snakes total, and ALL of my bps are in rack systems), watching them grow, shed, and change and knowing that I am providing excellent care for them and they are thriving.

Why did you want to own a snake? Why is owning one, especially such an amazing looking animal that only 2 years ago was worth many thousands of dollars?

In my opinion, if you want an animal that is fun to watch, I would look into aquariums. The only cool "display" reptiles that come to mind are not ones that I would recommend for a beginner....

I could not agree more with the two posts above, you should interact with your ball python a lot more. I couldn't get enough of my ball python in the first month and I still can't now.

It probably has to do with the fact that he strikes at me everytime I go to mess with him, so I rarely handle him.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by oopslala

It probably has to do with the fact that he strikes at me everytime I go to mess with him, so I rarely handle him.

---

If he's striking at you and you leave him alone then you're training him to strike at you because it's getting results.

Give him/her some time Atrox.... My little Pastel at first was just like that.
This is what i did to fix that issue.
every time I am about to handle him I would rub his body for a few seconds, so that way I let him I am about to grab him and play. Doing this he started to understand the the message, he hasn't true to strike me in a long time. Also when you are going to handle your BP don't go at him straight, try going to the side. BP are solitary animals, therefore they get stressed very easy. But once they get used to you they become adorable.

www.screenprintingetobicoke.com

Constant striking might be a sign that he isn't comfortable yet. Are you certain that your husbandry is spot on, appropriate temps/humidity/hides, etc?

If I got rid of every snake that ever struck at me I wouldn't have very many left....

You have to remember that is your little snake's only way of proactively defending himself, so it happens sometimes. Young bps can be snappy, but it's usually because they are young and feel vulnerable.

snakes arent for everybody. I had crested geckos and found them boring. Luckily reptiles dont get attached to their owners like some animals so finding a new home isnt the end of the world. Just be careful, sometimes boredom can lead to neglect, rehome before that happens.

Yeah it takes some time for them to settle in and even then I think that they have their cranky days - "I don't want to leave my nice, warm hide so PISSS OFF" (you can tell that I have a boa and she lets me know that she is not in the mood but i don't let that stop me as she is super when out). I want her to realize that when I reach in, rub her on her side that it is time to come out for adventure. It is so funny trying to put her back in her enclosure - she twists and tries to crawl back up my hand and arm but eventually goes in. My normal ball is so easy going - no hissing, no striking, even to my 2 1/2 year old grandson (she is a little head shy but nothing major). I even picked her up in the middle of a shed one time and she was just as calm as normal (I promptly put her back down and felt so bad for disturbing her - have you ever apologized to a snake?).

P.S. One reason my boa has been seemingly more cranky the past few days is that she was in the middle of her shed. Last night I looked in on her and her skin was peeled back to her middle. This is the first time that she has shed since I owned her and it was interesting to watch. My daughter and I watched as she pulled the last piece off of her tail - really cool! I feel kinda stupid for not knowing this but her colouring is so light and I didn't notice her eyes were cloudy or anything. I suppose that I could have missed it when she ate last week. It is easier with the ball as the difference before and after is significant - like a new, freshly painted ball!

For most people, interests in a particular endeavor wax and wane, ebb and flow. If you ditch every hobby, job, person, life-choice you make just because a time comes that you don't "feel" as "interested" in it as you did at first, then you'll never get anywhere or have any meaningful relationships ("relationships" in a very general term, relating to anything from people to hobbies). Making a commitment means sticking it out even when you don't "feel" like it.

Work with the animal, help it get over its own fears of you and help yourself get over your own fears of it. Care for it as if it's life depends on it...because it does! In time, you'll start to see some progress and feel that immense sense of satisfaction in caring for another living creature. And the "interest" that you thought was lost will return in spades. It's a gradual process...and will always have its ups and downs. Don't try to live life based on how you "feel" at any given moment.

All that being said...as was mentioned, reptiles don't develop an emotional attachment, and if you are sure your ability/willingness to care for it properly is going to suffer because you just don't care for it anymore...then please find it a new home. And keep in mind that maybe reptiles just aren't a good fit for your lifestyle. Not everyone needs to keep them. Just because someone admires and respects cold-blooded creatures and enjoys watching/learning about them...doesn't mean they have to have them as pets.

One note on "display" snakes. I will disagree that any display-worthy snake isn't for beginners. Many North American colubrids are very simple to care for and can make delightful display animals. My milk snake is awesome to watch (often to the point of distraction when I'm trying to work! LOL). Milk snakes, king snakes, corn snakes...all can make lovely animals that will be active and content living in a display enclosure.

OP what exactly are you looking for in a pet snake? Ball pythons are typically bought and sold for their paint jobs, not their personalities.

I've had my girls since February and I still get excited to hold them and interact with them, see them shed and eat and just do any sort of snakey things! Then again, I've pasionately wanted pet snakes since I was a wee thing, so my enthusiasm might not be standard haha. We're going on vacation tomorrow and I have to leave them for a whole week. As much as I'm looking forward to the trip, I miss my babies already!

Addendum: I find that having my girls in tubs and not being able to look at them constantly is better than having them as "display" snakes in tanks. If I want to look at their lovely scales, I have to pull them out and interact with them.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bcr229

OP what exactly are you looking for in a pet snake? Ball pythons are typically bought and sold for their paint jobs, not their personalities.

---

Not true. I think most of the time it's the docile personality that most people enjoy.

OP, I hear you on the loosing interest part. It happened to me a while back when life got a little bit too busy. The great thing about BPs is that they don't have any emotional attachment to you. If you're not feeling it this month, that's ok. Do your usual upkeep to make sure your pet is healthy and do your own thing.

When I first began in this hobby, I used to fuss over my BPs every day. Now, I enjoy them once in a while. I still enjoy watching them explore but I handle probably once or twice a month and I'm content with that.

I guess what I'm saying is I found my happy balance between obsessing and lossing interest. You just have to find your happy medium.