Why Did You Get Your First Ball Python?

With so many new people posting lately with questions about their first ball python's needs but also with long term owners/breeders regularily posting, it just begs to be asked....

1) What made you want that get that very first Ball Python?

2) What was your first exposure to this fascinating creature and how long did you wait before actually getting one?

3) If you had to go back and redo that first experience, what's your best advice to avoid some of the pitfalls or challenges you faced?

4) What's your take on the impact of the internet on this hobby/business?


Well there that'll give you all something to ponder over coffee LOL.


~~Jo~~

1. I wanted my first bp because they seemed easy to keep, looked freakin' awesome, and were calm and docile for the most part. Perfect for the kind of snake I needed.
2. My first real exposure to a bp was when I saw one at a place called Raven Hill Discovery Center. After that I held one a few times in a pet store.
3. If I had to redo the expiernce I would be sure to not want to buy one just because it's there. I mean I wanted the ones I saw at the petstore even though they weren't to healthy simply becuase I was in love with the idea of getting one. Be patient and look carefully for the right snake.
4. The impact of the internet was HUGE for me. I mean this very site provided me with everything I needed to know and all the advice I needed.

1.when i got my second snake witch was a ball python i seen it and thought it looked awsome and had amazing color of other snakes i had seen

2.i actually waited about a ten minutes lol.
3.well this is a memory that stick in my head cause my dad(R.I.P. 4-30-05) was with me and he helped me through it and he helped me take care of it. the only thign i could say is make sure the snake is really tame cause nothign confuses me liek a snap at my hand lol.
4.i say the internet helps alot with knowledge and sellign responibly on this.

1) I had always wanted to keep snakes. Ball pythons were the best in my opinion, so thats what I went with. oh ya....and i moved out of my parents house :)

2) I had limited exposure to them before I bought one. I had been around burms before and thought they were awesome, but I could not handle that size. I started doing some research on other options and came across the ball python. I remember a friend having one when I was younger (and him complaining about it not eating) and how I wanted one, but that is about it.

3) Don't buy from pet stores, get your snakes from a breeder. Get a female first, so then when you decide to start breeding (and you will :)) you will have a head start.

4) The unlimited number of morph potential and the internet are the two top reasons that the ball python business has taken off the way it has.

1. I remember holding a corn snake at the zoo once when I was like 12 and it fascinated me. It took me 18 years to finally take the plunge and now I'm thoroughly addicted!

2. About 2 years ago I decided I wanted to get a snake. It took me that long to make sure it wasn't an impulse thing and do the research on which kind of snake I wanted. I absolutely fell in love :love: with bps. Even normals are absolutely beautiful. :aww: My only exposure was from several pet stores.

3. Once I decided on bps I thought I had done enough research but a lot of the information I got (from online and petstores) was very inaccurate. I wish I would have joined this site long before I actually purchased her. I also wish I would have purchased online from a reputable breeder. (not that I've had any problems with her, I just would've rather given my money to someone who actually cared about their animals) I thought the one I was purchasing at the pet store was cb not ch.

4. The internet has been a wonderful but confusing source of information. Which sites are more reliable than other and such. I took an average of all the information available and came close to having a good habitat for my new bp. I have found this site to be invaluable and very patient especially when I was first starting out and completely neurotic :psychotic Of course not much has changed and you guys are still very paitent ;)

1. Its in my blood, my dad and his brothers have always about plants and animals. I grew up in the country and had lots of wildlife exposure but my my mom and step-dad rarely let keep animals other than fish in the house.

2. I'm not exactly sure when my first exposure to BP's was...I remember when I was very young my dad had a roomate with snakes, I think that is the first time I touched a BP. I didn't actually have my own first BP untill I was like 19, I was of course living on my own as my parents wouldn't allow it as mentioned above.

3. I would suggest for new individuals interested to NOT purchase from a pet store (there are some exceptions and I would not rule out looking in such places). I wish I had know more about reptile shows when I first started, the prices are fair, your buying from the breeder most likely, and the knowledge and advice you get is priceless. The only real challenges I faced at one point was living in a house with a couple other friends in which they did stupid things a time or two when I was gone for weekends. I guess I would try and educate others more so they understand and respect these animals. (no snake was injured but could have been).

4. The internet...well its like a reptile show/sale every day. You can buy from numerous breeders on the net or at least find out about them. You can also learn as much as you want from other keepers and breeders willing to share.

Dooby I'm sorry I wasn't aware you'd recently lost your dad. My deepest condolences to you and your family. I'm so very glad that you have that lovely memory (and I'm sure more) of your father and a living reminder of him in your snake.

Guess I should answer my own questions LOL...

1) Baby was a gift from my husband for Mother's Day for me and I have to say though I thought Baby was pretty I was misinformed about balls being "boring snakes that just stay curled up in a ball 24/7".

2) My first exposure to ball pythons was years and years ago when a lady brought her personal collection of corn snakes, ball pythons and other various creatures to a local children's museum. I must admit at the time I was more interested in the colors of the corns but the more subtle beauty of the ball pythons always stuck with me (didn't know about morphs back then at all). That would have been about 10 plus years back.

3) Well since our first experience is still so new (we've had Baby about 2 months now) the only thing I would say is I'd probably buy direct from a breeder (which we are doing with our first morph purchase from 8Ball) rather than from the pet store. Baby is perfect but I do think we more or less "lucked out" there. Sure we've worked hard to do right by the snake but we were working against the odds a bit with an unknown baby snake from unknown sources.

4) I think the internet is both bad and good (like most things). Good in that the information is so readily accessible though one must take everything with a grain of salt and a lot of common sense tossed in. Wonderful in that someone like me and Mike in northern Michigan have easy access to top notch breeders around the country. Not so great in that idiots and scam artists now have a lovely wide pool of folks to take advantage of and then disappear into the mists of internet never-never-land. Example...saw an ad online recently for a ball python that was "mostly tick free"....good lord how can a snake be "mostly tick free"....is that like being "slightly pregnant".....either you is or you isn't LOL...and a snake that has ticks has ticks....no "mostly" about it.


~~Jo~~

Oh shot just noticed I started this thread in General Herp and not Ball Pythons - General like I meant to.

I'm such a dweeb when it comes to stuff like this LOL.

~~Jo~~

1, i had always wanted a snake and have been fasinated with them for years but was unable to have one. when my situation changed i made my choise and purchased one becuase they were listed as a great starter snake. i love ginger and shes behaveing and doing very well.

2. my first exposure to snakes was a trip to the bronx zoo's snake house when i was oh 15 or so. fishing in the local lake when a blck racer desided to use my net. and other varius trips to zoos and petstores. it took me 21 years to get my first snake. I want more....

3. if i could redo any one thing it would be being talked into buying the snake at the local petco before i had time to get her cage setup. and all the kinks worked out. it took a few weeks to get the temps right, was using the round one's. in a glass top tank i could never get the humidity right. so get your snakes home setup inadvance and monitor it dayily before you get you new lifetime freind. remember they can live 20=30 years.

4. the impact of the internet has and will continue to be huge. from the instant access to so mch data and advice. to supplys and equipment, even animals at great prices.

Ooh, a fun fill-in-type post! :)

1) What made you want that get that very first Ball Python?
It was a complete accident. I was into keeping amphibians (frogs and a few salamanders.) I went to our local petco and there was this cool chick there with tattoos. My man is into tats too and we three talked about tats and the conversation turned when she saw we were looking at reptiles. She said "how would you like a p*ssy little snake?" Turns out, they had a nippy BP in the back that had been returned twice for being nippy, and they just wanted to get rid of it.
I went home, researched a bunch and in a few days we went back and brought The B*tch home. She stayed true to her name and was always nippy. She ended up escaping her tank and freezing in onr basement sadly. It was the only time I have seen my boyfriend of 4 years, actually cry.
This was all in '03. I had gotten Goblin my adult male BP, that september. Got Ashes from another petco for a measly $20 that year too... and got Bela the next May from Alex Hue (shes a cbb '03.) Adopted the other 2 last March frrom an idiot keeper.
OK, now that the novella is over, lets move on...

2) What was your first exposure to this fascinating creature and how long did you wait before actually getting one?
The first time I ever saw a BP was back in gradeschool; they had a travelling reptile exhibit come to our class, and we could touch and see the reptiles. That had to be over 10 years before I got mine!

3) If you had to go back and redo that first experience, what's your best advice to avoid some of the pitfalls or challenges you faced?
Start with a tamer specimen. I was so amazed at the difference between my first BP and laid-back Goblin!

4) What's your take on the impact of the internet on this hobby/business?
I think it's great. You can get stuff frrom people all around the country (or even the world) instead of being restricted to the crappy neighborhood pet store. Or if you have a cool local store, they can more easily order you the stuff you want!!

1) What made you want that get that very first Ball Python?
I actually got my first Ball second hand. I have always had some sort of snake around me and the when this reputation spread to my Ex-girlfriends friend who got pregnate and didn't want the little guy anymore. So I took "King Tut" off her hands when he was about 9-months to a 1 year old (store bought). To this day I have never seen a better looking norm (sorry have no way to post pics yet)4 1/2 years later I still never get tired of watching/handling him...

2) What was your first exposure to this fascinating creature and how long did you wait before actually getting one?
My first exposure was through a roomate I had in my first house. He had purchased his after he lost his Water Dragon.. I remember always comming home and finding him slithering around because he got out of his cage again ( Dissclaimer: dont try this at home this is not a professional)!!!..He had a great tempermant though. That stuck with me...2 years later I had my very own...

3) If you had to go back and redo that first experience, what's your best advice to avoid some of the pitfalls or challenges you faced?
Never handle your snake 2-5 days after eating..they are guaranteed to poop on you...If your snake looks really fat after they eat..they are, leave them alone they don't like being touched when they feel vunerable... Small,tight and dark is a good thing to all snakes... Last and very important if they hiss, strike, and spit they don't feel like being handled that day, wait until tommorrow...If the temperment is still the same get some thick leather gloves and let them know who is actually in charge (by holding them of course)...Remember patience is the key to happy snake..

4) What's your take on the impact of the internet on this hobby/business?
The internet is the biggest thing to happen since Bob Clark's proven gentic lines in Burmese(albino)...No longer will joe-schmo be forced to listen to ramblings of an idiot puppy-pet-shop store owner who knows or care nothing of herpology, but in fact will have the information readilly available at their finger tips so they the consumer can read and form their own opinions on how to properly find,purchase,breed,house, and take care of your animal/pet for a lifetime.....with this said; peace I'm out..

we were looking for a cool snake for the kids. not too big and not aggressive. bought one at a local rep store that was captive bred here locally.

i'd spend more money on proper caging/setup the first time and not have alot of extra stuff i don't use now. racks/cages made for snakes and nice thermostats (helix).

i was researching the internet for info on bp and found alot. saw alot of morphs and got hooked. the net is great, any private breeder can have a worldwide market from their house. the amount of info is incredible though not all info is good.


vaughn

I got my first BP about 10 years ago when my wife said that if a snake came into our house, she would pack her bags and leave. I now have over 100 snakes - BPs, boas and pythons and she is still here!!! Women never stick to their promises!!!!!

1) To be honest, I had actually wanted to get a green tree python and I just wanted a small boid to refresh my herp keeping skills after almost a 10 year hiatus. I went back to the old pet store I always went to as a kid (who get in their herps from local breeders), to see what they could order in for me. BCI's get a bit too big for my taste, and ball pythons were the only other boid they could get so I decided to get one.

2) I first saw a ball python in a pet store when I was perhaps 11... I used to travel to pet stores all around the city on my bike or by public transit with my friend, who also liked herps, to see what they had. The one I saw was a hatchling. I never really wanted a ball python back then, because I was under the impression that they were fat slugs as adults, that never did anything. My opinion has now completely changed and I ended up getting a bunch more ball pythons, and only just recently finally got a green tree python.

3) I would have done more research ahead of time. I had a 20 gallon tank with screen lid and a night bulb with cardboard boxes as hides. Worked fine for all the colubrids and the BCI I had kept when I was younger, so how different could a ball python be, right? I bought a digital thermometer at the same time I got the ball python, and after researching the web realized how far off my temperatures were. Also, I freaked out over the humidity since I read that night that tanks with screen lids were bad for humidity.

4) I think the Internet has completely revolutionized the world of herpetoculture. When I kept herps in my pre-teens, there were only books available on common species. For everything else, I had the "The Completely Illustrated Atlas of Reptiles and Amphibians for the Terrarium". Needless to say, a single book to cover all species is insufficient information. The only hope of finding breeders was through Reptiles magazine, which were all in the US and were inaccessible to me here in Canada, unless I made a huge order of several thousand dollars. Since coming back to herps, I probably now at least know of a good majority of breeders in Canada through a forums site. I can find tons of information on species for which there are no books or other published sources. It's also great just being able to discuss my hobby with people who have the same interests. Although many of my real life friends like the idea of herps, none of them actually keep any. Well, with the exception of a local breeder I befriended at a reptile show which I found out about through the Internet :P

whoops, I meant to edit instead of quote...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

1) What made you want that get that very first Ball Python?

2) What was your first exposure to this fascinating creature and how long did you wait before actually getting one?

3) If you had to go back and redo that first experience, what's your best advice to avoid some of the pitfalls or challenges you faced?

4) What's your take on the impact of the internet on this hobby/business?

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I thought I posted a reply to this a while back.

1. I had always thought that snakes were pretty cool, but I'd never considered owning one. The fact that they were so calm and I got a chance to hold one a bit later. I think the snake that was donated to a classroom in high school (it died shortly afterward, exceptionally stressed out and probably ill to begin with, poor thing) was a ball python as well, and I had held it a few times.

2. A girl was out at a park with two of her ball pythons (one on her, one on her friend). Not good snake practices, but it did give me a chance to see them in person, and then I started doing a lot of research, running into this site, NERD ball python morphs, kingsnake, and others as I went along. The NARBC show in Tinley also happened to be about 2 weeks later.

3. *Embaressed Cough* Acutally buying the cage and getting everything set up beforehand like I had planned. I ended up bringing Issa home and the cage at the same time. I had held one of the balls in the store becuase I wanted to be absolutely sure I wanted a snake. I would acutally get rid of my cat (who is an absolute sweetheart) before I would get rid of Issa these days.


4. I think overall it's a good thing. Exposure to more people, more correct information out there, you see the new morphs, etc.

1)What made you want that get that very first Ball Python?
i was looking for a snake on kingsnake and i saw a ball python and i knew i just had to get one lol

2) What was your first exposure to this fascinating creature and how long did you wait before actually getting one?
um when i got to my house the next day. and when i took it out the box all i could do was look at it lol.

3) If you had to go back and redo that first experience, what's your best advice to avoid some of the pitfalls or challenges you faced?
read alot more cuz i ended up spending more money then i had too. i made sure to do 3 months of research on my blood before i got it(plus my mom wouldn't get it until july lol)

4) What's your take on the impact of the internet on this hobby/business?
It's a great way to get reptiles if you get them from a reliable source lol. and it makes things alot easier for people who do not have access to pet supplies and certain Reptiles that they long for so much. i would be lost with out it lol.

Brian

hmm the reason i got my first ball python was because my friend had one and he let me hold it. It was really cool and after that i just became really interested in owning my own. Id say to any new reptile keepers don't buy to many snakes then you can afford haha I have no money and that is cool with me but I wish I hadn't and don't think there is anything wrong with a ball python and dream of having a retic I think ball pythons can be a good first and last snake they have great personality's and are some of the most curious creatures on earth oh and find a set up that needs very little maintanence to keep the environment perfect so that if you stay someplace longer then you expect you don't have to worry about your snakes and don't let people that know nothing about snakes help you make decisions about what you do with them people around me think I take care of my snakes to good but really there is no such thing. AND the internet is great this site has given me so many ideas on my husbandry and it's a shame they aren't being documented because you really can't find them anywere else.

Well Now lets see if I can answer some of these,

1, I wanted a Ball because I have read that they make very good first snakes. Between being farely dosile and not growing to great lengths.

I have wanted a snake since I was a child, As a child my mother would not let me have one, and then I grew up and my first wife would not either. Then after the divorce, I couldn't aford one, and now I have a very cool wife, and can aford it a bit easier.

As far as what I would avoid. I will not set foot back into another regular pet shop to purchase another snake, they were o.k. folks, but not specialists. I got some bad information from them that dampined my first snake experience and cost me a bit of extra money. I wound up with a sick snake that would not eat and moved very slow. I am guessing looking back at this point that it probably had something to do with temps too low in the shop. At least they took him back, I could only get an instore credit, but that was satisfactory considering I had the little guy for 3 weeks already. I then went to a shop that specialized in snakes with a few other reptiles. It was a world of difference in experience as well as the snake that I wound up with.

As far as the internet axcess like this site. I don't know what I would have done without it. This place has saved me lots of money, and time. Not to mention the comrodery that I have enjoyed. Most folks around me say things like "why in the world do you need/want a snake" and do not understand. In here I am not the strange one, I am the usual.

There it is, How did I do?

Later all

Ray:D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

With so many new people posting lately with questions about their first ball python's needs but also with long term owners/breeders regularily posting, it just begs to be asked....

1) What made you want that get that very first Ball Python?

2) What was your first exposure to this fascinating creature and how long did you wait before actually getting one?

3) If you had to go back and redo that first experience, what's your best advice to avoid some of the pitfalls or challenges you faced?

4) What's your take on the impact of the internet on this hobby/business?


Well there that'll give you all something to ponder over coffee LOL.


~~Jo~~

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1) I was about 13 years old (21 now) and I had a few garter snakes and my parents thought I was ready to move on to something bigger. So a ball python it was. It was really just due to size constraints, as the pet store only had RTBs and burmese pythons for sale at that time.

2) Didn't have to wait too long, although there was about a 6 year lapse between my when my first ball python died and when I got my next one. I had to wait until I was living on my own to start doing anything else with reptiles.

3) My first ball python died due to what I think now was an upper respitory infection. We had a bright spot light (doh!) and turned it off at night. As soon as fall came around, the snake went off feed and I remember hearing it wheeze a lot when I would handle it. I was 13 years old and pretty ignorant to that stuff, so it ended up passing away and my interest in reptiles got put on the shelf until I graduated high school.

I now work at a pet store specializing in exotics, mainly reptiles, and I'm finding that the #1 piece of advice on properly keeping these guys is in regards to their enclosure. I keep my 1.1 pair in matching AP cages, and the conditions that those cages provide do nothing less than just simplify my life. Rack systems further simplify things, yet probably won't work for the average hobbyist because of how utilitarian they are. Glass tanks require CONSTANT attention and tweaking to keep things right, and do not provide the level of consistency in temperatures, humidity, etc, that BP's need. Every time you AC clicks on, your snake is feeling it.

4) The impact of the internet I feel has been more positive than negative. People have access to more and better information than ever before. I think the only thing that lacks on the internet is context and perspective.

A lot of people just read bits and pieces of info and the message gets distorted; or they are confused when they read conflicting information. ***I think that forums like this are a key player in settling disputes between conflicting arguements, and allows the points and counterpoints of those arguements to be held in public for all to see, and for all to form their own opinions based on that.***