Arguments for keeping ball pythons<3

I was watching ball python videos on YouTube the other day and scrolled down to read some of the comments. Here I came across someone saying that Ball Pythons should not be kept in captivity, rather live free, and that snakes shouldn't be allowed to keep at pets. There were already a few people giving some pretty decent reasons to why keeping a Ball Python really isn't that bad (the fella mainly argued that they shouldn't be living in tanks, even though the one in the video was huge).

So I wanted to chime in and came up with a few arguments for keeping BPs, although not too many.
I'm just wondering if anyone has got any good reasons to why keeping snakes should be allowed, and I don't mind hearing any arguments against keeping snakes either, I'd love to hear both sides of the discussion<3

I hope the guy who commented that snakes shouldn't be kept as pets also feels dogs, cats, fish, birds, hamsters, etc...etc...etc... shouldn't be kept as pets.

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

I hope the guy who commented that snakes shouldn't be kept as pets also feels dogs, cats, fish, birds, hamsters, etc...etc...etc... shouldn't be kept as pets.

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That's exactly what I thought as well!! There's literally no difference, except that it's a different type of animal. Eesh, people rarely get on my nerves but this was enough to actually make me slam my head into the wall in frustration.

Well, well, people will be people.

It is by keeping not just snakes but all animals that we can learn more about them so as to appreciate them in the wild & hopefully effect their long-term
survival with an ever-increasing human population that both pollutes & steals the space they need to live in the wild. Captive-breeding helps to ensure that
we can replace wild populations that may be decimated in the future. Make no mistake, we NEED the entire web of life...we are all connected creatures.

And "living free" sounds great but it's not what it used to be...you'll still find vast tracts of open land in this country but it's often trashed by off-road vehicles,
trash dumped (broken glass, toxic chemicals including farm run-off and illegal dumping...you name it), & industrial pollution (harder to see but ask the people
of Hinkley CA, it's there & making both humans and animals sick). Mining, oil...the "wild" is disappearing...there's too many people...sorry, but that's obvious.

Finally, keeping pets (again, all kinds) has a selfish aspect: pets tend to make people happier, calmer, better...and in this crowded world, we too have to
"get along" with each other. Pets de-stress us, provide common interests & are "surrogate children", & their products are good for the economy too. :rolleyes:

Keeping snakes also fosters curiosity & research (think "library use" including reading/writing skills for kids+), creativity and problem-solving that can lead to
inventions & further scientific interests (including medicine) that benefit all...it keeps us communicating and our brains working.

Specifically, keeping snakes (ie. overcoming all the negative stereotypes) helps promote open minds too. ;) Well, that's my list...and feel free to use it.

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

I hope the guy who commented that snakes shouldn't be kept as pets also feels dogs, cats, fish, birds, hamsters, etc...etc...etc... shouldn't be kept as pets.

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Probably a PETA-member...that's how they see things, that not only shouldn't we EAT animals but we shouldn't even OWN them. :rolleyes:

So what were your arguments for keeping them, sleepymoon?

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Probably a PETA-member...that's how they see things, that not only shouldn't we EAT animals but we shouldn't even OWN them. :rolleyes:

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LMAO I was just about comment saying it was probably PETA! Don't forget they want pets to be vegan too :rolleye2:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

So what were your arguments for keeping them, sleepymoon?

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I mentioned that there is no difference between keeping a hamster (since I've previously owned two lovely gals) in cage, and a Ball python. They are both originally animals found in the wilderness that humans have kept as pets for ages. Also, the snakes aren't taken from the wild, they've been bred in captivity and are used to living safely in a cage.
I also referred to a research about chickens in captivity and chickens living freely, where the chickens kept in captivity produce way better eggs and get along better. As to where the chickens living freely were pecking each other to death, rivaling, producing bad eggs so on and so forth.. (this was all from a Norwegian study)

Nothing else really hit me at that time, so that was all I came up with.

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Originally Posted by MissterDog

LMAO I was just about comment saying it was probably PETA! Don't forget they want pets to be vegan too

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They are getting so ridiculous, honestly..
Heck yeah hold on PETA while I force feed my snake salad.

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Originally Posted by MissterDog

LMAO I was just about comment saying it was probably PETA! Don't forget they want pets to be vegan too

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If my snakes went vegan would they make sure to tell EVERYBODY, EVERY chance they got??? And start social media pages to show off their vegan meals??? I can see it now...."VeganBP2642" and "CosmoTheVegan" and "BrorneoVegan4Ever" hahahhaa!!

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

If my snakes went vegan would they make sure to tell EVERYBODY, EVERY chance they got??? And start social media pages to show off their vegan meals??? I can see it now...."VeganBP2642" and "CosmoTheVegan" and "BrorneoVegan4Ever" hahahhaa!!

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C'mon Craig time to give Cosmo a strawberry! #CosmoTheVegan would be a smash hit with his tofu recipes for snakes lmao

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Originally Posted by sIeepymoon

They are getting so ridiculous, honestly..
Heck yeah hold on PETA while I force feed my snake salad.

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Don't forget the avocado!

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Originally Posted by MissterDog

C'mon Craig time to give Cosmo a strawberry! #CosmoTheVegan would be a smash hit with his tofu recipes for snakes lmao

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Cha-ching!!!! I just figured out how to make my millions!!! Cosmo's cute little face will be on vegan reptile food worldwide!!! :rofl:
@MissterDog, I'll send you monthly royalty checks!!! Hahahaha :rofl:

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Arguments for keeping ball pythons;
1) I want to keep ball pythons
2) I am a winner
3) Winners get to do what they want

Seriously, it sounds like a childish response and it is however at least it is funny and it will get you just as far as a logic based and factual filled one. At least with those kinds of people.

I used to belong in that camp of "reptiles are not good captives no matter how well bred." When I cross that line and acquired my lizards, I filtered that down to "snakes can't be good captives because" camp.

That was about 2 years ago before I fell in love in snakes. Oddly enough, it was not my first snake, the bp, that convinced me. It was my king, my 2nd snake.

I have other exotic pets too including a hamster but my king proved something to me that almost everyone around me was wrong about: they have a personality. Nibbler is a sweety from day 1. Never hissed, never bit me even out of hunger, and never fussy during or after shed. She is in many ways, a "good girl," if she was a dog. She knows if you approach her tank. She knows who is handling her by how right she would wrap her tail around you if you are new to her. With me, she is so relaxed she could fall off my arms. She does not mind getting her head petted. And best of all, if I place a new item in her tank, she actually checks it out, not ignoring it. How can one say there is nothing behind those eyes and she is doing all this strictly for survival? There is curiosity. And there is personality. And she is a snake, supposedly one with a fussy attitude.

The only thing I will agree with this group of people is that reptiles, including snakes, should be provided a good quality of life, commitment and purchased captive bred only.

They will have their opinions and I respect them. In return, they should respect what they don't have to understand other than that it brings joy, companionship and admiration to the young and old. I have never met such loyal, dedicated pet owners compared to dog or cat owners. These people memorized the Latin names of their snakes. If that is not love for the species, then what is?

Well, I'm pretty sure the snakes sure don't mind being in captivity, they get an onslaught of free food on a regular basis and oftentimes they don't even need to kill it themselves! Not to mention the weather is always perfect and someone comes and cleans up after them and there are no predators to hurt them.

For a simple creature like a snake, I suspect this is the closest thing to paradise they have, especially for species like bps that don't care to move around much if they can help it.

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Originally Posted by Alter-Echo

Well, I'm pretty sure the snakes sure don't mind being in captivity, they get an onslaught of free food on a regular basis and oftentimes they don't even need to kill it themselves! Not to mention the weather is always perfect and someone comes and cleans up after them and there are no predators to hurt them.

For a simple creature like a snake, I suspect this is the closest thing to paradise they have, especially for species like bps that don't care to move around much if they can help it.

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I have a similar thought about the rodents we feed to our snakes: they have it pretty easy...food, water, shelter, housecleaning, medical care, dating service, &
only one ultimate predator at most.

And as far as reptiles, I'll never forget the time (when I lived in the CA desert) that I found a tiny night lizard that had gotten into my house and was trying to figure
out how to get a deal like the leopard gecko had: the night lizard was sitting on the screen top, looking in..."where do I sign up?" (I did end up accommodating his
wishes, so tiny & cute!)