Why are ball pythons (and other snakes/reptiles) so addictive?

I have been both read and been told numerous times that ball pythons (and indeed snakes/reptiles in general) are extremely addictive as pets, and once you have one, you will want another. I also know many people here who I imagine are a living testament to being addicted to reptiles, and in fact I am starting to feel it a little bit myself. :P

What do you think it is about keeping reptiles that is so addictive - and why? I am very curious to hear some thoughts about this!

I think it is more the work for numerous snakes is not much more than it is for one, and in many ways they are a part time pet. It is all comes down to what you are capable of handling work wise. For example two dogs really, to me, is no more work than one. The second a third dog is added it is complete chaos, so I have two dogs. In the case of snakes I have found that right around 12 snakes is the point where I don't feel I am spending an exorbitant time on the work part of care. Before someone jumps on me for the "part time" comment, I will quantify it to mean that snakes can and should not be handled frequently. As too much interaction can actually be harmful to them, having as many as you are comfortable keep actually is best for them as you can spread the "love" around. Also it is nice when 90% of your collection is in blue or was just fed, you can still find someone to hang out with.

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Originally Posted by AntTheDestroyer

I think it is more the work for numerous snakes is not much more than it is for one, and in many ways they are a part time pet. It is all comes down to what you are capable of handling work wise. For example two dogs really, to me, is no more work than one. The second a third dog is added it is complete chaos, so I have two dogs. In the case of snakes I have found that right around 12 snakes is the point where I don't feel I am spending an exorbitant time on the work part of care. Before someone jumps on me for the "part time" comment, I will quantify it to mean that snakes can and should not be handled frequently. As too much interaction can actually be harmful to them, having as many as you are comfortable keep actually is best for them as you can spread the "love" around. Also it is nice when 90% of your collection is in blue or was just fed, you can still find someone to hang out with.

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This is dead on. Especially the part about three dogs. LOL

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Originally Posted by AntTheDestroyer

I think it is more the work for numerous snakes is not much more than it is for one, and in many ways they are a part time pet. It is all comes down to what you are capable of handling work wise. For example two dogs really, to me, is no more work than one. The second a third dog is added it is complete chaos, so I have two dogs. In the case of snakes I have found that right around 12 snakes is the point where I don't feel I am spending an exorbitant time on the work part of care. Before someone jumps on me for the "part time" comment, I will quantify it to mean that snakes can and should not be handled frequently. As too much interaction can actually be harmful to them, having as many as you are comfortable keep actually is best for them as you can spread the "love" around. Also it is nice when 90% of your collection is in blue or was just fed, you can still find someone to hang out with.

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I definitely thought this too (in regards to the number of reptiles one can comfortably keep versus other, more high maintenance animals). I still wonder if there is something especially addictive about reptiles though in comparison to other animals...

For instance, you can progress from beginner snakes, to intermediate and then advanced, plus the amout of morphs and different care needs are both fascinating and staggering in variety. I just feel there is just something mysteriously addictive about them and I can't seem to put my finger on what it is - although that could just be my personal preference speaking. ;)

To me, snakes are "living art". They are so unique and so beautiful.

We as humans like to "collect" art. That they are alive and can be interacted with, is a big draw as well.

Plus, keeping 10 snakes is a lot easier then 10 dogs, or cats or horses :)

I think they are just like anything else. If one is good, 3 is better. Throw an addictive personality in there and it grows and it can get out of hand. These animals are pretty easy to take care of and if you use a rack system, the footprint can be very small. The problem comes when one get's bored. It's easy to get passionate about something and jump in with both feet and a credit card only to grow out of it in a relatively short amount of time. You are left with animals that you don't want or care about anymore. It's a lot more responsibility than you think. I have to be really careful because I have a wicked addictive personality. When I got back into snakes I had visions of rooms full of racks and I had to take a step back and think about it before it got out of hand. I'm glad that the older me is able to do that better than the younger me was. lol Having said all that, I get it. Snakes are fun. Growing your collection is fun and I didn't mean to put a negative spin on it. If you have the means to care for lots of animals and give them the care they deserve, more power to you. When my wishlist is complete I will have about 10 snakes.. And to clarify, I'm not pointing fingers at anyone. Especially the members that are breeders.

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Originally Posted by zina10

To me, snakes are "living art". They are so unique and so beautiful.

We as humans like to "collect" art. That they are alive and can be interacted with, is a big draw as well.

Plus, keeping 10 snakes is a lot easier then 10 dogs, or cats or horses :)

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Horses..... Ball python "addiction" does not even come close to horses. Those things are like crack cocaine to me. On one side of my family I was heavily involved with american saddlebreds, and thouroughbreds on the other side. I was lucky to get away with some money and just a few scars. It is disgusting I know, but I love the smell of their poop and their sweat. There is not a single thing I don't love about horses. I don't allow myself anywhere near them now or i will start spending loads of money. I promised myself I would not get involved again until I retired.

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

Horses..... Ball python "addiction" does not even come close to horses. Those things are like crack cocaine to me. On one side of my family I was heavily involved with american saddlebreds, and thouroughbreds on the other side. I was lucky to get away with some money and just a few scars. It is disgusting I know, but I love the smell of their poop and their sweat. There is not a single thing I don't love about horses. I don't allow myself anywhere near them now or i will start spending loads of money. I promised myself I would not get involved again until I retired.

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It's hard to find people more passionate about their animals than horse people.

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Originally Posted by cletus

It's hard to find people more passionate about their animals than horse people.

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I can't disagree with that. Your whole life ends up revolving around the animals. At least with the snakes I can get away for a couple days without worrying too much.

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

I can't disagree with that. Your whole life ends up revolving around the animals. At least with the snakes I can get away for a couple days without worrying too much.

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Yeah. It's a whole culture when it comes to horses. A lifestyle. You can totally be a casual reptile keeper but horses are a way of life. Nobody has their horse thing "on the side" unless they are rich and have people caring for them and they just show up every so often to take a ride.

I didn't believe it at first when people said that snakes are addictive. But now that I've had my ball python for a few weeks I'm thinking about how cool it would be to have another morph or perhaps a brazilian rainbow boa...

The addiction strikes again. Just pulled the trigger on three breeders from Garrick. Reasoning was simply three more won't hurt. Same logic I used to apply to smoking.

And besides i need to catch up to Ax who it seems has been bringing in snakes like there won't be any tomorrow.

lol What did you get?

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Originally Posted by cletus

lol What did you get?

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Picked up a Fire on the recommendation of a couple people here since I don't have one and to breed with my Phantom Enchi Pin.

Got a Special to fill out my BEL stuff. Will probably put her with my Super Mojave if he makes nice babies this year to make some Crystals.

Got a Normal het albino since my Albino project is dragging butt.

The girls look good to me but I'm really trusting Garrick on this stuff since I have never worked with Fire or Special and wouldn't trust my own opinion on quality of them.

All of them are proven so hopefully I won't run into the same issues I have had with my albinos this year.

Not a super expensive purchase by any means but I am a big believer in single gene females for breeding.

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

The addiction strikes again. Just pulled the trigger on three breeders from Garrick. Reasoning was simply three more won't hurt. Same logic I used to apply to smoking.

And besides i need to catch up to Ax who it seems has been bringing in snakes like there won't be any tomorrow.

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I seem to go in waves of buying snakes although I guess it's down to availability ... I went a while with no purchases before falling for the Anerythristic Sand boa that's coming in a few days and yet just minutes ago I've agreed in principal to buy a hatchling TransPeco Ratsnake ..... probably arriving next Sunday .... that will be numbers 21 and 22 incoming ... I've been waiting about 9 months for the TransPeco though .


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Originally Posted by Zincubus

I seem to go in waves of buying snakes although I guess it's down to availability ... I went a while with no purchases before falling for the Anerythristic Sand boa that's coming in a few days and yet just minutes ago I've agreed in principal to buy a hatchling TransPeco Ratsnake ..... probably arriving next Sunday .... that will be numbers 21 and 22 incoming ... I've been waiting about 9 months for the TransPeco though .

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I usually set myself a budget and buy at the same time every year so that I don't have to keep my quarantine rack running all year. There are exceptions though. I have certain stuff I am looking for that would significantly reduce my project timelines and that I will buy when they pop up.

Jodan bought 3 snakes in the middle of an Addiction thread. That's like taking a bottle of Jager to an AA meeting. lol

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Originally Posted by cletus

Jodan bought 3 snakes in the middle of an Addiction thread. That's like taking a bottle of Jager to an AA meeting. lol

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Hahahahahahaha!!!!!

I think the ease of care is a huge draw. And like somebody already said, it's nice to be able to still have a snake (or a few) to hang out with when the other(s) are all in shed or have just eaten. I have 4 snakes now, and it seems there's always at least two who are in shed or have just eaten. And I love what Zina said about snakes being living "works of art". There are so many beautiful morphs and such an amazing number of species to suit everybody. I love having a variety to watch and study and be fascinated by. They are all alike in some ways, but yet so drastically different.
My wishlist includes at least 3 more, but I can definitely see myself stopping at 10 (or 12...or 13...).

Snakes are hands down the easiest, lowest-maintenance pet I have ever owned (provided good, prior research to getting each species).

Add that to the fact that I LOVE THEM SO MUCH, and you start adding up! LOL

I think the max for me to maintain it as a fun hobby is 8~9 snakes! Like Ant said, there's a different line for different people between where it feels "just right" or starts becoming a chore.

Different species also require different maintenance. Green tree pythons feel like even lower maintenance than ball pythons, in my opinion. So I could easily add another GTP, and it wouldn't feel any different. :D

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Originally Posted by cletus

Jodan bought 3 snakes in the middle of an Addiction thread. That's like taking a bottle of Jager to an AA meeting. lol

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Yes. Hi, my name is Eric and I have a problem.

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

Yes. Hi, my name is Eric and I have a problem.

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We're all here for you, Eric. You're not alone. Acknowledging the problem is step one... Hahahahaha!!

Oh trust me guys. I took the high road on this one but I would def have a room full of boas right now if I had the space for a bunch of big enclosures. We will probably be buying our forever house next year and it's going to have a giant snake room.

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Originally Posted by cletus

Oh trust me guys. I took the high road on this one but I would def have a room full of boas right now if I had the space for a bunch of big enclosures. We will probably be buying our forever house next year and it's going to have a giant snake room.

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Yeah, my most recent place I made sure I had room for my snakes and my motorcycles. Problem is that no matter how big the space is I find a way to fill it.

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Originally Posted by cletus

Oh trust me guys. I took the high road on this one but I would def have a room full of boas right now if I had the space for a bunch of big enclosures. We will probably be buying our forever house next year and it's going to have a giant snake room.

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My girlfriend and I are in the process of deciding whether or not to turn our two family into our forever house. She has already acknowledged that we will need a snake room. Yup, that's one of the reasons she's a keeper ;) Right now the snake room is "my" bedroom where we have an extra bed I go to when I get kicked out of bed for snoring too loud. It was originally the "guest" bedroom but it became my snake room, and I'm sure most of our guests would be a bit squeamish about sleeping in a room with 4 snakes living in it. Oh well, I guess we need an official snake room (then I can add a few more snakes! :gj:)!!

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Originally Posted by cletus

Jodan bought 3 snakes in the middle of an Addiction thread. That's like taking a bottle of Jager to an AA meeting. lol

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Well I've bought two in the same time period so I'm not much better :)

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

My girlfriend and I are in the process of deciding whether or not to turn our two family into our forever house. She has already acknowledged that we will need a snake room. Yup, that's one of the reasons she's a keeper ;) Right now the snake room is "my" bedroom where we have an extra bed I go to when I get kicked out of bed for snoring too loud. It was originally the "guest" bedroom but it became my snake room, and I'm sure most of our guests would be a bit squeamish about sleeping in a room with 4 snakes living in it. Oh well, I guess we need an official snake room (then I can add a few more snakes! :gj:)!!

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My snakes are in my office. I have plenty of room but before I have multiple larger snakes I'm def going to get a small rodent breeding operation going and that is def not an option for me now. I def have a keeper too. She loves the snakes and looks at them like her babies. The first snake she ever held was an 8 foot Olive Python at a reptile show and she hasn't looked back. I'm so lucky and thank my stars because I can't live without her. it took me a year to warm her up but she is good to go now. lol

My name is Lucy and I have a problem.

I was only going to get ONE more. So I got a Pastel Desert Ghost female Ball Python. Beautiful.

And then...

I couldn't help myself and got just ONE more

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