Should I Give It Another Try or Not?

[SuddenEclipse]

Back in August I purchased my first snake, a ball python which, about a month later, ended sadly because she died. It was extremely difficult to get her to eat, and looking back at her pictures I realize she was probably sick when I got her. She was very thin even from the pictures I took of me holding her at the pet store and honestly never looked round and plump. The more I tell people about my experience the more I keep hearing bad things from the place I got her from. Anything from stories identical to mine, to people getting snakes covered in mites (and mites actually biting the person's neck because the snake was around his neck). Anything to make a buck. Only the fancy morphed ball pythons had their own enclosures. My snake, being just a normal ball, was in a big tank with about 8-10 others. I heard the guy buys them for $2 a pop so that if half of them die, with him selling them for $40, he still makes a nice profit.

Nearly everyone I talk to agrees it was not my fault about what happened. But it still made me feel like crap and I was so worried it was something I had done. I had even taken her back to the store asking for help because I knew she was sick and all he did was hook a mouse on her teeth so she had to eat it. A week later, even though I was texting him telling him she wasn't right and I didn't know what to do, he was like, "Oh, sounds normal to me." And she died the next day.

I know for a fact my husbandry was right. My only regret is that there are really no vets around here that will see reptiles. I called several different vets, kept getting referred to other vets, none of which would see her, (which was why in my desperation I took her to the store hoping the guy would know what to do.) Obviously, he didn't. (This is a place that told my husband that buying a UTH or even a heat lamp was unnecessary for a corn snake.) I was like, Umm.. no, they need heat too!

This happened back late August/early September and it took me this long to finally post about it here because I felt like crap and was so scared it was something I had done. But reading reading reading, lots of research, talking, posting on this forum (you guys were always great at giving advice), just wasn't enough to save my ball python who I guess really never had a chance from the start.

I ended up purchasing a Kenyan Sand Boa about a month later. She is WONDERFUL. I love her. She is a GREAT eater, has had 2 great sheds, she's laid back, easy to care for, I can't say enough good things about her. Most importantly SHE IS HEALTHY! (No, I did not get her from the same store. I try to give that place as little business as possible now.)

As you can imagine being a first time snake owner and having such a bad experience with my ball python, my confidence was shot at being able to own one. But since then, my KSB has boosted my confidence and I think I might be ready to try it again. I had spent $400 on a 1 piece acrylic enclosure made specifically for ball pythons that has been sitting in the attic empty since then. Kind of a shame letting it go to waste, don't you think?

I would like to get a baby ball python. Do you guys thing it is possible to get one that is very young but already eating f/t? My KSB eats f/t without hesitation and it's so much more convenient (and a little less stressful, less risk of injury, etc).

I am still open to other suggestions of species. While I love my KSB and wouldn't trade her for the world, I would still like a snake that I can just put on my shoulders, walk around with, etc. KSBs don't really hang on very well lol. I just want a snake that will chill out with me, you know? My step son recently purchased a black blood python (really pretty!) from a show and it's a great eater and he is really enjoying it.

I want something that won't get all that big, so I'll probably get a male of whatever I end up with. 3-4 ft is fine with me!

What do you guys think? Ball? Blood? Some sort of boa? And is getting a young one okay? I'd like to be able to get used to it/it get used to me as a baby and I am not getting it from that bad store!!!!

[Kinra]

I'm sorry you lost your first ball python.

If you are looking for something that will sit around your neck for long periods BPs are probably the best choice. I'm becoming rather fond of Hog Island Boas, but mine don't sit still like some of BPs do.

It think it's possible to get a younger ball python that is eating f/t. If you get one from a breeder that's already eating well you shouldn't have too much to worry about. I get a few refusals from my BPs every week, but almost all of them eat very readily and take f/t. I think if you start with a healthy snake then you will find it's a completely different experience. BPs are great pets, just make sure you get them from a good breeder instead of pet store.

[loonunit]

where did you get the first snake? From a breeder? From a pet store? How old/big was it?

Because I can easily imagine that a lot of the tiny, skinny animals I see at Petco and Petsmart have never eaten in their lives, and would be a challenge for a new owner to even keep alive.

I would wait another month or two, and then buy a yearling with some weight on it. That way it's got a good head start and you know it's eating.

Ball pythons are supposed to be EASY! But I've got a hatchling here that took 2 months to eat. It's no picnic getting an animal like that started. And a lot of what they sell in pet stores in August are hatchlings like that.

[SuddenEclipse]

where did you get the first snake? From a breeder? From a pet store? How old/big was it?

I got her from a local pet store. Not a corporate store like PetsMart or PetCo, just a family owned store. She was 15" when I got her, so not a hatchling. And I know BPs have kind of an "arrow-shaped" head, but her neck was like pencil thin compared to her head size. Didn't really flow right, if that makes sense. She was thin, kind of like a corn snake, but a little rounder when I got her, not the normal, round fat body like they're supposed to be. Of course, she happened to be the one I picked to hold because she was doing that thing when they "rear up" and look up to the top of the tank and I thought it was cute. :/

[SuddenEclipse]

Wow @ loonunit! Just looked up Hog Island Boas. Very interesting! Wonderful suggestion! Hmmm .... must do more research! =)

[zeion97]

No need to let a tank go to waste. but I understand how much it hurts to loose a snake.. I finally got one of my two dream snakes, a Burmese python.. cute little girl.. she was almost 28 inches long, and maybe twice the thickness of a baby corn. She was horribly underweight, but with Burns its a travesty you see, same goes.for reticulated. We took her home and 2 days later she died.. we even git her to eat, but she regurgitated... it's hard, but you move on. Good luck wig your next one.

[spitzu]

Sounds like you got a baby that was wholesaled and shipped off before it was even eating. Not your fault at all. Ball Pythons are super easy to care for and you would be doing yourself a disservice to let that one bad experience prevent you from having one of these wonderful pets.

I'm kind of curious to see if you could find a baby that is already on F/T or not. It has been a royal pain trying to get some of my new hatchlings to eat live for the first time and I know it would be a waste of time to dangle a F/T in there. But I am very new at this, so I'm probably just doing it wrong

Try again and good luck!

[Homegrownscales]

You most certainly could find a juvy that eats ft. If you're going through pet stores you might have problems again. I'm not the biggest fan of any pet stores. I realize there are good ones out there. But things like that are a chance you take. The fact that they had so many babies in one set up should have driven you out quickly. My best advice see a small private breeder. The cost of a cb and shipping combined are more than worth it to get a healthy animal that the breeder can tell you everything about. All of my normals get treated the same as my higher end stuff. And most smaller breeders have a normal or two sitting around. Look around. Save yourself all of that trouble all over again.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

[aldebono]

We love our hog island! I too wanted something that I could manage (feed, handle, move) by myself but also had the personality of a boa. Whoa what a personality! She is almost 5ft long now at about 3 years old and no bigger around than a coke can. She is a very easy feeder on anything you give her and low maintenance like a ball python. Great disposition but very different from a ball. She also changes colors from her day time dark to night time pinks and turquoises.

We have pictures on our facebook page. Click the frog and it will take you to it.

[akjadlnfkjfdkladf]

Go to an expo and get one from a breeder. Pick one out that looks healthy and make sure you ask the breeder if it's a good eater.

There will obviously be alot more patterns and morphs to chooose from at an expo I'm sure you'll be happy.

Just to be careful you should get the setup before you go to the expo, and practice getting temps and humidity right before your bp is in there.