what was your first ever experience with ball pythons

around 8 months ago I saw someone post a picture with their boa on Instagram, and was immediately intrigued by how beautiful it was. I then decided I wanted to get my first ever snake. after doing tons of research, that first snake ended up being a normal female baby ball python, that I still have and absolutely adore...
now I work for a ball python breeder, own 3 of my own, and plan on breeding in the future!!!:rolleyes::snake:

I want to hear YOUR first ever ball python stories and where your love of ball pythons got you! share bellow:gj:

Their is a great family run reptile shop about 5 minute drive from my house! Went in there quite a bit, loved all of the animals in there and one day asked my old man for one as a Christmas present! That is where Peter and my massive love of reptiles began!

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my buddy in high school had several snakes, including a ball python.


some years later, i wanted to get a pet for myself. i really wanted a dog, but didn't have time to take proper care of one. so ball pythons being such low maintenance pets, i bought one. now almost 7 yrs later, i have 18 of them.

I inherited mine when my daughter went off to college and then marriage.

I had no real interest, but wanted to give a living creature the proper care.

Did not know a thing! My only instructions were, " give her a rat every two weeks".
Was so fortunate that I didn't kill the poor girl many times.:( That is how we bonded, through my mistakes, which was before I came across this forum.

Now I've added an adult Boa and an adult Carpet. :)


Elvira - mistress of the dark

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that's so awesome!

I bought my first BP in 1978 from a pet store. It was a normal as that is all there where then. I had no idea if it was male or female but man did I love it. If I had only known then what I know now.

(Well, my first post seems to have frozen, and then disappeared.)

Almost twenty years ago, a boyfriend of mine had one. He didn't like it much, and it only got basic care. I wasn't favorably impressed - it would strike the glass if one walked too close past the cage. Having once sinned by pooping on the bed, this BP was never again handled except for cage cleaning. During that process, the threat of salmonella loomed large.

That sad snake was finally given away to someone who actually liked snakes, and knew something about them.

Recently, I got hooked on watching snake vids I ran across online: Viperkeeper, 1Softkiss, BHB's Snakebytes...etc.

Now, I want one.

So despite just getting my first BP (which is Cake) AND my second BP (which is Blackout) just under a month ago, I've actually been obsessed with snakes ever since I was 12 years old. I didn't actually start doing more research and getting into the possible reality of owning a ball python until I was 19, which was 3.5 years ago. I wanted a snake just on and off for my entire childhood, but couldn't finally get them until I moved out... because my parents HATE snakes.

Cake and Blackout are quite literally a lifelong dream come true. I think I might get a heart attack and fly off a cliff if anything bad happened to them.

ETA: Uh... randomly remembering, I've actually been fascinated by snakes ever since I was 7 years old when my science teacher had a class pet Milk Snake. He fed live. I actually always stayed in his class after school JUST to watch his snake.

Wow, nerd alert. HAHA

Almost two years ago I was watching TV [Not too sure what show it was haha] and I seen a snake, I immediately thought "HOW BEAUTIFUL!"

Later that night I did a ton of research, and really got into the webshow "SnakeBytesTV" ran by Brian Barczyk.

I watched almost all of the episodes, and spent months researching on these forums, and about 6 months later, I was able to convince my parents to let me get a Ball Python of my own.

I saved up for a really long time, got the supplies I needed, saved up some more, then FINALLY had enough for her.

She is a female normal that I bought from BHB, and I named her Basil. She is my best friend [She doesn't know it though :snake:] and I love her more than anything! Even though my parents think I am crazy, since I talk to her all the time... They are just happen that they don't have to take care of her! :rolleyes:

I am so glad that I found out about how lovely and amazing these noodles really are!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rlditmars

I bought my first BP in 1978 from a pet store. It was a normal as that is all there where then. I had no idea if it was male or female but man did I love it. If I had only known then what I know now.

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Beat me by 10 years, I got my first (also a normal) in 1988 just after high school. A friend had also gotten one so I was hooked as soon as I saw his and I thought they were just so cool. Sadly with no publicly available internet (at least in southern NH) and no books on BP's to learn from I failed to realize it's husbandry was awful and I didn't realize it likely had a RI and died after several months of not eating. Took me 26 years till I bought my next one which was early last year and know that I know what I'm doing, and slightly older, I have 12 of them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by distaff

(Well, my first post seems to have frozen, and then disappeared.)

Recently, I got hooked on watching snake vids I ran across online: Viperkeeper, 1Softkiss, BHB's Snakebytes...etc.

Now, I want one.

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Love watching Viperkeeper on YT. I would love to have a Gaboon but with two young kids in the house there is no way I would do it. I do like hitting the Columbia SC Repticon show though and seeing all the venomous reptiles. :cool:

you sound exactly like me! haha
really similar stories!
when I first got into snakes I watched Brian alllll the time, too. I also refer to all my girls as "noodles". haha nice story though!!

Jeff, your bp collection is so cool!!

1986, my then brother in law had a ball python as a pet. He had no idea how to take care of it, and no one else in the family did either. I can't remember what eventually happened to the poor little dude, but I do remember how beautiful it was, and I decided then that one day I would have a snake of my own someday. (my then husband hated snakes, he's gone now) Fast forward to now, and I have 2 snakes, and a lizard. As well as the perfect husband.

My first ball python was when I was 7. His name was Adam and he was awesome. That led to a boa when I was 8. A 10 year old with an adult boa and ball python by her side. Now I own/co-own 11 ball pythons and 3 boas. Sadly, my first boa Clarice passed away but I still have Adam. I've had him for 11 years or so now.

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happy for you!

I enjoy this thread. I'm not gonna lie though, reading this thread I feel like I came late to the party :P

My initial experiences regarding snakes were not positive. I was raised to be afraid of and kill them if they came too close to me. As a better educated adult I regret my raising and have done what I can to educate my father about the snakes local to his area. He was shocked when he finally made a Facebook and saw pictures of my little girl. Apparently my step mother screamed :D They don't kill them though, anymore. I explained about the snakes and how a bite is treated for the venomous ones and how to avoid them for the most part.

About a year ago I saw this picture

http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/...psam7pe279.jpg

And I loved it so much I did TONS of research. I went to a local breeder's shop Tails and Scales in Derby, KS. And talked to those guys and held some of their snakes. And got myself a setup and my lesser pastel girl :D for my birthday present to myself at the beginning of November (After my actual bday). And I continue to read and research in preparation of my next reptile.

I first got into reptiles in seconds ( had a Russian tortoise) my mom helped me take care of him he sadly passed away a year later I then had an ornate box turtle given to me. And in then 3rd grade there an educational show at my school and I got to hold a ball python. Then in 5th grade I went to camp and got to see all these snakes I then fell in love with snakes. fast forward to last August I finally convinced my parents to let me get my first ball python. I know own 2 ball pythons a king snake a leopard gecko crested gecko and a bearded dragon ( I have the box turtle to a girl that allergic to dogs and cats and he's doing great) and I'm getting soon.

About 11 years ago, a friend introduced me to reptiles. His collection was mostly bearded dragons, corns, and Burmese pythons. He actually gave me my first 3 bearded dragons. He went with me when I purchased my first snakes.
Sadly, about a year ago he died unexpectedly at the age of 26.
I've restarted my hobby collection in his honor.

I'm enjoying reading every ones story's.

I'm not certain when the first i was in contact with snakes, I think when i was very little, I faintly remembering one of my uncles showing me his snake. I don't know what type it was or anything, as i faintly remember it. Fast forwarding, when I was probably about 10 or so my sister had a Milk Snake that i would watch eat and once i handled it, although they noticed i was a little scared so they took it back after about 5-10 minutes because the way he was moving(also, i remember as a joke my sister named him Coral). A few months later, he got out his enclosure... sadly to this day we have yet to find him... Fast forward to earlier this summer, some of my family, including I when on a vacation to Florida, and in the hotel place, towards the end of our vacation, i found out this dude had a beautiful Ivory ball python, so I got to hold him for bout five minutes, till the dude had to leave. So I told my mother I really wanted one now(she knew i wanted one for a while, but wasn't too serious). And on my last night on my vacation, I wasn't too happy so the dude brought Lemonstrip(the name of his BP) out for me, and we stayed up all night and I held Lemon all night. A little over a month ago I rescued a female BP. I named her Ryuu, and my mother and I have sworn we have a bond together:). She's still not fully recovered physically and mentally(I say mentally because I just fed her a med rat that she somewhat struggled with and an hr or so later she's still looking for food, while my other one, who has been actually been taken care of was content with his small rat right after and they're both bout the same size), but she has come along nicely.
Right now, I only own two BP's. When I am more established on my own and more room I plan on adding to my collection :D

I first got into reptiles when I was 12 and my grandpa took me to the local petstore. A baby garter escaped and the cashier was too scared to pick him up, so I was told I could have him for free if I caught him. His name is Houdini, and he's still hanging in there at twice the average life expectancy for his species. It's a miracle he managed to live through my first attempts at snake-keeping considering I was not just a kid but a kid with no internet access at the time.

My first experience with BPs was about two years ago when my husband went on a cricket run to PetSmart and said they had a BP up for adoption for being 'too aggressive'. I went in to look at her, and when I saw how thin she was and covered with retained shed I just took her home immediately despite knowing exactly jack-squat about BPs (which is how I ended up here).