Do BP's pose ANY conceivable danger AT ALL to small children?

I need to know factually, 100% without a doubt, no biased opinions just actual facts... Can my BP POSSIBLY harm my boyfriend's kids in ANY way? They are 5 and 7 years old. Thanks so much. :rolleye2:

As long as you don't let the kids handle the snakes unsupervised, don't allow the kids to put the snakes around their necks, and always have the kids wash their hands after handling the snakes due to the (very slight) risk of salmonella, then no.

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Originally Posted by Calider

I need to know factually, 100% without a doubt, no biased opinions just actual facts... Can my BP POSSIBLY harm my boyfriend's kids in ANY way? They are 5 and 7 years old. Thanks so much. :rolleye2:

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There's no way anyone can say '100% w/o a doubt' but you know your BPs better then us. I've had mine 4 months and he's never once struck me or shown any signs of aggression but I'm still a little unsure that I want my young kids holding him because I can't predict their behavior (sudden movements, dropping, etc...) and his reaction to that behavior.

I would teach them the rules of the road and start slow w/ monitored and short holdings and go from there. Good luck.

I agree with the person above me, you know your snake better then us. Like mine for ex, I would trust my girl Calypso with someone holding her (not sure about a kid) but thats because I know she has a nice temperament, but Petri I dont even trust her as she bit my pinky finger one day. There animals not robots so its hard to tell how there gunna act sometimes.

What do you conceive as "danger" ?

Death? or Injury? A bite?

Death is very remote. You would literally have a large Ball Python, drape it around the kids neck, and then get it to constrict the neck and squeeze hard and long enough. Very remote indeed, but no-one can tell you that would never happen.

If anything, a bite. But they wouldn't die from that. It might hurt a bit, depending how big the snake is, whether its a defending nip or a "feeding error" bite.

Then, like its been said, is the remote danger of salmonella. If the kids wash their hands after handling the snake or cleaning the enclosure (if they ever do that) that is also nothing to worry about.

I find rodents (even hamsters), cats, dogs, horses much more of an "issue" then Ball Pythons, when it comes to possibly injury to children.

Anything with teeth can be danger.......
Your level and mine might be two different ideas.

I know this hasn't been asked, but there is also this "spin".

Have you considered the danger TO your Ball Python by the 5 and 7 year old children of your boyfriend?

Actually, to me, that would be far more worrisome ;)

Its really not that hard to lay down some ground rules. Teach the kids to respect the snake and leave it alone unless supervised.
If handled, wash hands before and after.

Then it literally becomes a non-issue.

I have had a handful of different pets throughout my lifetime, and as far as danger to children I think only my fish and corn snakes are less of a threat, and maybe my little turtle that I only had for a few months as a young kid.

Dogs, cats, rats, hamsters, ferrets, iguana are all more likely to actually cause any real injury to a young child.

Of course, I'm not going to 100% guarantee a BP will not strike or potentially constrict a young child. Of course, its possible. The likelihood of a BP causing any significant damage is VERY slim, however.

With proper adult supervision a minor bite would most likely be the biggest threat. An adult BP could potentially constrict enough to cause serious injury, but it would take some time and is probably as likely as hitting the lotto. If supervised, and the huge long shot occurred that a BP actually constricted with the intention of "killing it's prey" an adult would easily be able to intervene and prevent such an injury.

Yes of you are not carefully and do not supervise, I have a few 4000 grams females if they put a squeeze around your neck you will feel it and without a doubt it would have severe consequences for a child.

Common sense is you do not let a child put a snake around their neck, nor let them see you doing it regardless of the size of the animal.

Than there are the minor possible problem, bites etc.

Even a Chihuahua or a small cat would have a much easier time of significantly injuring or killing a child than a bp would and would be more likely to do so. If put around a child's neck and sufficiently scared into constricting something that doesn't smell like prey and is too big for prey and somehow then maintaining it, an adult ball python may be able to kill a child, but it's not their natural reaction to anything and many wouldn't react that way at all. Any supervision would also easily correct the issue as would not letting the child allow the snake to loop around the neck in the first place. If held up to the face and irritated or scared into biting, the snake could hit the child's eye. Again, easily prevented with supervision. Also easily accomplished by a cat or small dog. A cat could also conceivably suffocate a child by laying on its face while the child is sleeping. None of these things are very likely, and the snake has the great bonus of being easy to lock away from the child when the child is unsupervised, which is preferable anyway since it's easy for children to hurt, kill, or lose the snake.

This is not as easy as 100% because there is danger in walking across your backyard patio, that doesn't mean your never going to go outside because there is some ridiculously small percent that there could be danger.

Ball pythons are on average too small to cause any serious injury to a child of that age. You still can't say 100% because there are some larger than average that could do slightly more damage by bite or even constriction. In general, they just are not the type of python you need to be extra careful with compared to some of the larger pythons that can potentially constrict humans to death.

There are the two less serious dangers that have already been mentioned, a bite and even less likely salmonella or some other type of bacteria/disease. I've been in the reptile hobby since I was a young child, over 30 years and have never actually witnessed or heard of anyone getting sick from their pet reptile. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen, it's just to show how incredibly rare it is. Now a bite happens now and then. Bp are less likely to bite than most snakes but it does happen. A snake as small as a bp, the bite rarely ever does any damage. Now this is where it gets tricky, there is a very small chance it could get infected or they could get bit in the eye or some other more sensitive area that could cause a more serious injury. The thing about this is, there is a chance of dying every time you get in a car, there is a chance of dying every time you swim, there is a chance of dying every time you get on a bike, it is impossible to have 100% safety and what a horrible life it would be for children to be so sheltered that they would miss out on all the wonderful joys of life because there is a 'chance' of being harmed.

A ball python poses such a small percent chance of danger that it certainly is not worth concerning oneself with. They still should be respected as any live animal should be and precautions like washing hands should be followed but other than that they are about one of the safest animals a child could handle. I personally let my 3yo and 6yo hold any of my ball pythons whenever they want as long as it's supervised for their safety but more so for the safety of the animal because they are more at risk then the child in this situation.

So I guess the answer is yes, there is a small chance a ball python could harm a young child, just as everything else in life.

For a 5 or 7 year old? Not much. Others have covered the reasons pretty clearly. There's a BIG difference between kids that age and small children though.

Do I let my 1.5 year old see or "play with" any of my BPs without playing the part of helicopter parent? Nope. Not for even one second. For both her sake and theirs. No matter how many times she looks at me and says, "Sssssss, Dada. PWEEEEEASE? :wuv:"

A hamster is a threat to small children. Never leave a small child unsupervised with any living creature. Ball pythons cannot possibly constrict to death or harm a small child outside of a bite. If you let your ball python bite your small child that is on your for bad parenting, not the snake. Sorry but I don't sugar coat parenting and small animals especially snakes. You don't leave a cat alone with a snake and you don't leave a small child alone either.

I got several awesome responses and a couple that I thought were a little rude and strange lol. Nowhere did I ever say, anywhere, that I was not concerned about the children hurting the snake. The reason I did not mention this is because I KNOW kids can hurt a snake. I wasn't asking about that. I was asking if the snake can pose any real danger to the children. And I am aware that anything with teeth can bite.

The purpose of this post was because I am intending to move out of state to be with my boyfriend and his children. I wanted something to show HIM, from experienced people, any possible danger to his children, so that he can make the decision whether Sassy comes with or not. I already know my other two snakes are no-go because if they did somehow come in contact with the kids, they are big and nasty and unfortunately very beautifully colored and potentially appealing to curious hands... They have both bit me way too many times, and they already have excellent homes lined up.

Thank you so much for the helpful responses, it really means the world, and I am hoping he finds it informative and interesting. Fingers crossed, :gj: thanks again everyone!

....And who would leave a small child alone with a pet in the first place? When was this ever implied? LOL

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Originally Posted by Calider

....And who would leave a small child alone with a pet in the first place? When was this ever implied? LOL

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It was implied when the question was asked. Most people here only need to use common sense to know that a ball python posses no serious danger to children that age. So when the question is asked, it is assumed that the person asking knows very little to nothing about ball pythons and then everyone takes it to the extreme to explain so their is no misunderstanding. Not sure why you would think anyone was being rude, it all looked like pretty good info to me, a little too detailed maybe, but not rude. If your boyfriend is worried about your ball python being a risk to his children then it’s probably a good learning read for him.

If common sense is used, then there is absolutely nothing to be worried about. Ball pythons are actually pretty great pets for children as long as they are taught how to properly handle and care for them. They pose no risk like a large python would. People that don’t know about snakes hear ‘python’ and they instantly think of some large snake that can constrict a child and that just isn’t the case for most pythons, especially ball pythons, probably the most non aggressive, docile of them all and of course small.
Good luck with the outcome;)

I've never heard of a death or injury requiring more than a band aid from a ball python to a human.

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Originally Posted by Calider

I got several awesome responses and a couple that I thought were a little rude and strange lol. Nowhere did I ever say, anywhere, that I was not concerned about the children hurting the snake. The reason I did not mention this is because I KNOW kids can hurt a snake. I wasn't asking about that. I was asking if the snake can pose any real danger to the children. And I am aware that anything with teeth can bite.

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You asked for "100% without a doubt" factual proof.

Like rufretic said, your original question implied someone with very little experience regarding Ball Pythons or snakes in general. The question was over the top in regards to being impossible to answer as there is no "100%", so people went out of their way trying to explain why, and just how SMALL of a danger a Ball Python would be to a child. Saying that children that age are more danger to a Ball Python, then the pythons are to them, was simply meant to raise awareness to that point, with someone I assumed had little experience.

Wishing you and your snakes best of luck.

As others have mentioned, you can never absolutely guarantee that a ball python/small child interaction wouldn't/couldn't result is a negative experience, but much depends on what your definition of "danger" is.
If you're talking a scratch, or scrape, you'd have less to worry about from a ball python, than you would a hamster, gerbil, rabbit etc. Even budgies and cockatiels can deliver a painful bite.
Statistically, in the U.S. in 2016, 13 of the 42 deaths attributed to dog attacks, were kids under the age of 9.
Much as we'd like to, we cannot prevent our children from ever experiencing something unpleasant, but we CAN expose them (in as safe an environment as possible) to new things and situations. Rather than being concerned about the extremely unlikely possibility of a unpleasant supervised interaction with a ball python, I prefer to consider what the positive aspects are.
Handled as a learning experience, a child exposed to snakes will learn some of the principals of tolerance and compassion. Once they're comfortable with handling the snake, they will gain confidence and satisfaction in overcoming any nervousness they may have originally felt. Because a snake isn't interactive in the same way a dog or cat is, a pet snake will teach the child patience and the self discipline to learn how to interact with their pet on the pets' terms. A pet snake may also earn the child some respect from friends and peers who are less comfortable with reptiles.
Our kids are never completely safe, they could get stung by a bee for that matter, but frankly, I think kids every day, suffer more harm from unkind words, thoughtless actions, bullying at school etc. than they ever would from a ball python. Supervision, a positive parental attitude, and information on correct handling and care of ball pythons could make this SUCH a wonderful experience. However, unless both adults are 100 % in agreement, it's not likely the snake has much of a chance.

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Originally Posted by Calider

I got several awesome responses and a couple that I thought were a little rude and strange lol. Nowhere did I ever say, anywhere, that I was not concerned about the children hurting the snake. The reason I did not mention this is because I KNOW kids can hurt a snake. I wasn't asking about that. I was asking if the snake can pose any real danger to the children. And I am aware that anything with teeth can bite.

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In fairness, your thread title said "ANY conceivable danger"...the title alone begs for a vast range of answers. I think you got perfectly appropriate responses that ran the gamut. You can show your bf you researched thoroughly. :gj:

I had to put on bandaid once, for like a day. They can’t constrict anything much larger than a rat.


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Assumptions, aren't they great, lol.

Thanks for the helpful info. I am going to ask him to read over this thread as he gets time and hoping it works out. Sassy has a severe wobble and would be extremely difficult to place because it is so bad. If anyone knows of any bleeding heart who would take good care of her and not breed her, please let me know, because that would put my mind at ease as well, and it is for her benefit, not mine.

Thanks!

I have a BP I bought in August. No idea sex or age, but still small. My 4 yr old daughter chose the snake as a pet. The snake has never hissed or tried to strike my family. I have 3 children and have not had a problem. I guess it depends on the snake and children.

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i think a BP bite is nothing but a pinprick. but for kids (and peeps of all ages actually), a bite can cause mental scarring and could create a long lasting phobia of snakes. i think the mental trauma, despite the actual wound, is a pretty conceivable danger. hopefully most can and will brush it off.