What if BP's were a bigger species? Would u keep them?

One of the reasons BP’s are popular is b/c of their relatively “small” and manageable size. on average, they come in a 4 feet long, 2000 gram package as adults (give or take). it’s a nice size for alotta reasons: single person handling, housing, feeding costs, etc.

But let’s say if BP’s were actually a larger species of pythons. How big of a snake could u handle? how much ball is too much? could u handle a BP that’s double the size of the current species? What if it were a really big snake?

At the moment, I think I would max at a BP double the size. I think i can handle an 8 feet python, maybe push a 10 feeter.

What about u?

What I can handle and what I want to handle on a daily basis are two different things. Double the size with the disposition of a ball is still no big deal. Any bigger I would have to keep far less of them and they would be a problem for my kids to handle just with sheer weight.

The size they are now (the odd individual able to hit almost 6 foot but in general 4') is about the largest I could deal with.

I personally wouldn't want to go much bigger than 6 feet, but would be ok up to 8 feet.
To me, I want a snake which is manageable in size and disposition. Once a snake is bigger than I can handle by myself with ease it's more of a chore than a pet for me. That's me though...

Oops I voted before I read your post. I could handle them larger since we do keep larger species (boas and retics) but I would want my BPs the size they are now. I prefer the smaller, easier to manage size. We have enough snakes that take monster poops. haha

My biggest issue with an increased BP size is publuc opinion. At double they can kill a cat, even with the same fears. Which means they will be demonized. As it stands ball pythons can barely kill a retired breeder male rat.

BP's are already too small to me, so I'd LOVE if they were bigger while having the same docile disposition! 7~8 feet would be super ideal.

At the moment, I find them so calm and small that they're kind of boring to handle LOL. But still endearing.

Like even though my dumeril's boa is also calm when handling, her size and muscular feel is what makes it interesting.

If they came ina bigger package but still kept the classic ball mellow chill, morphs, and everything else? Heck yeah, I'd still keep them. Would not be able to keep as many of them due to space though.

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Originally Posted by Ax01

One of the reasons BP’s are popular is b/c of their relatively “small” and manageable size. on average, they come in a 4 feet long, 2000 gram package as adults (give or take). it’s a nice size for alotta reasons: single person handling, housing, feeding costs, etc.

But let’s say if BP’s were actually a larger species of pythons. How big of a snake could u handle? how much ball is too much? could u handle a BP that’s double the size of the current species? What if it were a really big snake?

At the moment, I think I would max at a BP double the size. I think i can handle an 8 feet python, maybe push a 10 feeter.

What about u?

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My lovely Dwarf Burm is virtually a very big Ball / Royal Python :)

He's as soft and placid as my Royals with the inquisitiveness and feeding response of a Retic : - he's maxed out at just under 6' .


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I would keep them bigger(i have had berms) but I enjoy them as they are my biggest is near 5 1/2 feet and 4k grams and still a big baby

I would love it if they were 8-10 feet. :)


But then.....

Would I have even gotten started if it had not been for my less than 5 foot BP?

I got my one high white pied bp girl since i have always wanted one but honestly to me, no matter what size they were, they are like pet rocks. I see Dottie usually once a week on her own and more if i actually drag her out lol. So for me, one BP is plenty. I love my boas and retics and 10' is probably the max i would want to go for any snake. Caesar is pushing 6.5' and Rosey is 6.5' and they are easily handleable but they are pretty mellow. Not to mention after having all my boas and the retic, having snakes that refuse meals or go on hunger strikes just isnt for me. I give Dottie about 2 mins to eat. If she doesnt take it in that time, it goes to someone else. Just dont have the patience when I've got boas and a retic literally diving out of their cages for food lol.

I'd definitely like them more if they were bigger. But one BP is enough for me. Like sauzo said the whole pet rock thing isn't for me

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

What I can handle and what I want to handle on a daily basis are two different things. Double the size with the disposition of a ball is still no big deal. Any bigger I would have to keep far less of them and they would be a problem for my kids to handle just with sheer weight.

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Beautiful forum picture you have JodanOrNoDan:). I have a super stripe female that looks very similar! Almost identical.

And to answer the question - Yes, I think up to 8 feet would be manageable but I think the huge appeal of BPs are the size and knowing they won't even become too big and aren't crazy to handle.

Depends on how big we are talking about I have tiny children's hands , (my nine year old has hands almost as big as mine) so I think they are prefect the size they are... But if some fabulous breeder reads this and loves Star Trek, like myself a morph that looks like Data yes! :gj: That what dreams are made of...

I would love a bigger snake with a bp's personality but I would have to say that 8 foot is the max for me.

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

My lovely Dwarf Burm is virtually a very big Ball / Royal Python :)

He's as soft and placid as my Royals with the inquisitiveness and feeding response of a Retic : - he's maxed out at just under 6' .


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalkhttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...e8d7fa3be1.png

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I would LOVE a burm that size. I was advised by TJ at Prehistoric pets to not get a burn as "they are aggressive and will go for the eyes." He went on to say they weren't for a novice snake owner. I would agree, they aren't for a novice but I've never seen you and others that own them mention aggression issues.

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Originally Posted by BR8080

I would LOVE a burm that size. I was advised by TJ at Prehistoric pets to not get a burn as "they are aggressive and will go for the eyes." He went on to say they weren't for a novice snake owner. I would agree, they aren't for a novice but I've never seen you and others that own them mention aggression issues.

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I'm in the uk and these recent Dwarf Burms are just perfect . No aggression or nastiness at all.
Mine was bought / sold as an F2 as I recall ..
As I said he's like a flamin' big Royal / Ball python just slightly more inquisitive ...

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Originally Posted by Bearfall

Beautiful forum picture you have JodanOrNoDan:). I have a super stripe female that looks very similar! Almost identical.

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Thank you. The picture is a hold back from last year. I kept him because of the strong striping. He is a Mojave/Phantom/Pinstripe. I have high hopes for him next season.

Would they have the same temperaments?

In terms of size and morphs, we already have retics that come in multiple shades and sizes, and most people hesitate to get a snake that big, let alone a large collection of snakes that big. I think temperament would figure into it quite a bit - do they become more outgoing because they're bigger, or maintain they're rock-like tudes? :)

The other thing you have to consider is feeding them! It's easy to keep a bunch of food on hand for BPs, but would people keep large collections if they had to feed a bunch of snakes large rabbits or pigs every week?

I could probably still keep them if they reached the size of a boa (which would be awesome by the way, seeing some of those patterns in a snake that size), but my collection plans would shrink significantly based purely on cost and space.

I love them as they are. They are the perfect size and temperament to be ambassadors and lap snakes.

I got my first Ball Python a few months ago. I was attracted to their docile nature and manageable size. Due to my age, not as young as I use to be, I couldn't see myself handling anything large and feisty.

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

My lovely Dwarf Burm is virtually a very big Ball / Royal Python :)

He's as soft and placid as my Royals with the inquisitiveness and feeding response of a Retic : - he's maxed out at just under 6' .

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...e8d7fa3be1.png

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i'm sooo jealous. i would love a Dwarf Hypo Burm. Hypo Burms have the best glow. a Dwarf package sounds perfect. :gj:

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Originally Posted by ShaneSilva

I'd definitely like them more if they were bigger. But one BP is enough for me. Like sauzo said the whole pet rock thing isn't for me

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for all the BP's i have, i've learned that the pet rock stigma is a general rule but not an absolute. sure most BP's like to hide. they ball up. but given good husbandry and space and individual personality, they are pretty active. i have two in display tanks and i pretty much see them scooting around every night. the most annoying thing is they can be picky eaters.

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Originally Posted by ladywhipple02

Would they have the same temperaments?

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sure why not. they're still BP's. they would just be larger balls. :)

[QUOTE=Ax01;2535042]
for all the BP's i have, i've learned that the pet rock stigma is a general rule but not an absolute. sure most BP's like to hide. they ball up. but given good husbandry and space and individual personality, they are pretty active. i have two in display tanks and i pretty much see them scooting around every night. the most annoying thing is they can be picky eaters.


I have my BP set up in a display enclosure as well. Husbandry is fine. He is actually very active at night (when no one's watching lol) but during the day he would rather chill out in his hide and doesn't care to be handled too much. I understand this is all natural BP behavior. BP's are cool snakes just not my favorite which is why I only have one.

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Originally Posted by StillBP

I would keep them bigger(i have had berms) but I enjoy them as they are my biggest is near 5 1/2 feet and 4k grams and still a big baby

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Holy crap! A 4,000 gram Ball? I've never seen one that large. Can you share some pics of him with us?

My vote is for double in size. I think a Ball Python that would reach the size of an adult female BCI would be awesome! I don't know how a lot of you feel about hybrids, but personally, I look forward to making some Super Balls in the future. How could a big fat Blood with the cool colors and patterns of a Ball not be awesome?

Great poll!

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Originally Posted by Aedryan Methyus

Holy crap! A 4,000 gram Ball? I've never seen one that large. Can you share some pics of him with us?

My vote is for double in size. I think a Ball Python that would reach the size of an adult female BCI would be awesome! I don't know how a lot of you feel about hybrids, but personally, I look forward to making some Super Balls in the future. How could a big fat Blood with the cool colors and patterns of a Ball not be awesome?

Great poll!

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will take a few when I get home tonight

Awesome! I will be looking forward to seeing them!

@Zincubous - AWESOME Dwarf Burm! It must be so great having such a cool species in a smaller package like that!

I couldn't decide how to vote. I have a burm so the double and triple size thing isn't an issue for me but there's no way I'd keep nearly as many as I have now since they wouldn't fit in my current snake room. Plus the added food expense for larger prey like rabbits. I get a lot of free rats currently but not enough to keep 50 burms fat and happy!

I've shared her before but this is my biggest gal on a 5' table. Only 3200g before laying a few days ago so I'm interested to see a 4000g too.
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...209_113549.jpg

Beautiful big girl, Hannah! Is she a Lesser? My Lesser girl only weighs about 1,805 grams right now after being on hunger strike for about a month...

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Originally Posted by Aedryan Methyus

@Zincubous - AWESOME Dwarf Burm! It must be so great having such a cool species in a smaller package like that!

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Yep , he's only matched by my Super Dwarf Purple Albino Retic :)

Another crazy tame and placid snake in a tiny little package - he has all the normal Retic traits though ..


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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Yep , he's only matched by my Super Dwarf Purple Albino Retic :)

Another crazy tame and placid snake in a tiny little package - he has all the normal Retic traits though ..


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I am sooo jealous! I am really wanting to get into Super Dwarf Retics at some point! Is yours full grown? How big is he?

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Originally Posted by Aedryan Methyus

Beautiful big girl, Hannah! Is she a Lesser? My Lesser girl only weighs about 1,805 grams right now after being on hunger strike for about a month...

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Yep she's a big, cranky lesser.

LOL! My Lesser girl can be a little hissy, too sometimes. She is sweet most of the time, but she can be a little moody. Typical female... lol :P

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Originally Posted by Aedryan Methyus

I am sooo jealous! I am really wanting to get into Super Dwarf Retics at some point! Is yours full grown? How big is he?

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No he's about 24" - at 12 months ... Hoping he stays under 5' rather like his dad ( mum was only 7') .


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Originally Posted by Aedryan Methyus

Holy crap! A 4,000 gram Ball? I've never seen one that large. Can you share some pics of him with us?

My vote is for double in size. I think a Ball Python that would reach the size of an adult female BCI would be awesome! I don't know how a lot of you feel about hybrids, but personally, I look forward to making some Super Balls in the future. How could a big fat Blood with the cool colors and patterns of a Ball not be awesome?

Great poll!

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Take into consideration that I am 6'4" and have hands like bear paws. Fully stretched out she goes past my knees tho she may only be just over 5 feet looking at her https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...cdd78ee59f.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...3b68482f5c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a396b58f6d.jpg

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Thanks for sharing! She is definitely a big pretty girl! How old is she?

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Originally Posted by Aedryan Methyus

Thanks for sharing! She is definitely a big pretty girl! How old is she?

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4. Have only gotten one clutch off her

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I'm glad they are the size they are. I had a supposedly male BCI who just kept growing. He was over 9 feet when I sold him. Might have been a female or not a true BCI. But he was a very docile snake and it was still too much. Someday I will get a true BCI but I'll get a male from a trusted breeder that can give me a better idea on size. 9 feet is just too much for me. I have a female Dumerils right now. She will be large but manageable in a 4x2 cage.

Yeah I would, they seem to grow calmer with age.

Girl in this pic is >6' long and a gentle giant. She actually eats better in her rack but we put her in 40 gallon tank from time to time. For reference that tank is 3' long x 1.5' wide and much of her is still under the right hide. (pic looks better @ gallery, here it looks distorted)

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...9/img_0215.jpg

I originally wanted a red tailed boa (first snake I met and fell in love with) but after some research I realised as a first timer, young adult who doesn't own a home, that that was too much snake for me. I loved the look and size of the bps so it was my second choice. Plus they require a 40g max which is a reasonable size for my lifestyle. I'm so glad I ended up with a beep, she's amazing and pretty straight forward to care for with proper research. I've had her for like 4months now 😁

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Originally Posted by C.Marie

Depends on how big we are talking about I have tiny children's hands , (my nine year old has hands almost as big as mine) so I think they are prefect the size they are... But if some fabulous breeder reads this and loves Star Trek, like myself a morph that looks like Data yes! :gj: That what dreams are made of...

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^^^this

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