Convincing Dad to get BP

[Duriana]

Hey guys! I've been interested in Ball Pythons for a while now and have basically been researching for the past week about them. Im determined I can properly care for them and give them the correct husbandry. When I brought up getting one to my Mom she was hesitant, but eventually said yes. I'm having a harder time convincing my Dad though. He basically thinks snakes shouldn't be pets or in the house at all. Its also worth mentioning that I explained to him they're nocturnal so he wouldn't see it during the day, and it would be kept in my room.


Any ideas? I know a lot of you will say to just wait until I move out, and if nothing else works out then thats what I'll probably have to do. But I just wanted to come here to see if you guys had any suggestions.

[Jellybeans]

I feel if your parents agree and you are a responsible young lady or young man it would be wonderful if you could own a ball python. You could be an example to others how to properly take care of them and when you do move out take your ball python with you because you will have it for many many years!

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[ImBadAtUsernames]

You could try going to a pet store and having him touch one or hold it if he is up to it. He may realize that they are soft and not very scary. Just an idea

[MR Snakes]

Hey guys! I've been interested in Ball Pythons for a while now and have basically been researching for the past week about them. Im determined I can properly care for them and give them the correct husbandry. When I brought up getting one to my Mom she was hesitant, but eventually said yes. I'm having a harder time convincing my Dad though. He basically thinks snakes shouldn't be pets or in the house at all. Its also worth mentioning that I explained to him they're nocturnal so he wouldn't see it during the day, and it would be kept in my room.


Any ideas? I know a lot of you will say to just wait until I move out, and if nothing else works out then thats what I'll probably have to do. But I just wanted to come here to see if you guys had any suggestions.

First, welcome. I'd say do what my two boys are doing with their hesitant Mom. They are doing research, research and then a little more research. And Mom is coming around. Good luck.

[Lord Sorril]

Snakes in the house isn't the only concern: You will have to feed these snakes rodents either frozen or live. Make sure they are OK with that as well...My parents were fine with the snakes until they saw the frozen rodents in the freezer...

[Jamiekerk]

I got my first corn as a kid by begging and when it came to frozen mice I had to save my money and buy my own freezer


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[Treeman]

Just like what MR Snakes said, I think the key is to do as much research as you can. Joining this forum is a great start. I just joined the other day, but was reading threads on this forum daily for a while now. Learn everything you can by asking questions here, googling things, asking questions to people in your area that keep snakes. Another thing I did before getting my snakes when I was young was petsitting for neighbors and friends , all kinds of animals, including reptiles. After my mom heard the neighbor tell her how good of a job I did, I think she was much more willing to listen to me about wanting to own reptiles.

Bottom line is research the heck out of them, care for the pets you already have (if you have a dog or cat or anything), and understand that snakes aren't everyones cup of tea. My mom doesn't much like them, and only tolerates the 2 I have now because they're so tame. But just remember, if you're living in their house, you need to respect their wishes. Best of luck to you, and hopefully your parents will come around, because ball pythons, with the right care and husbandry, really do make great animals to keep.

[Duriana]

You could try going to a pet store and having him touch one or hold it if he is up to it. He may realize that they are soft and not very scary. Just an idea

Thanks for the suggestion! I might try to see if he'd be up to going to the next reptile convention and showing him the bps there.

Snakes in the house isn't the only concern: You will have to feed these snakes rodents either frozen or live. Make sure they are OK with that as well...My parents were fine with the snakes until they saw the frozen rodents in the freezer...

Im pretty sure they're okay with that part. I'd keep the frozen mice in our garage freezer, which we dont use a lot.

I got my first corn as a kid by begging and when it came to frozen mice I had to save my money and buy my own freezer


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Lol I think if I begged he'd just get annoyed

[Duriana]

Just like what MR Snakes said, I think the key is to do as much research as you can. Joining this forum is a great start. I just joined the other day, but was reading threads on this forum daily for a while now. Learn everything you can by asking questions here, googling things, asking questions to people in your area that keep snakes. Another thing I did before getting my snakes when I was young was petsitting for neighbors and friends , all kinds of animals, including reptiles. After my mom heard the neighbor tell her how good of a job I did, I think she was much more willing to listen to me about wanting to own reptiles.

Bottom line is research the heck out of them, care for the pets you already have (if you have a dog or cat or anything), and understand that snakes aren't everyones cup of tea. My mom doesn't much like them, and only tolerates the 2 I have now because they're so tame. But just remember, if you're living in their house, you need to respect their wishes. Best of luck to you, and hopefully your parents will come around, because ball pythons, with the right care and husbandry, really do make great animals to keep.

Thanks for the info! I'll keep what you said in mind.

[Bogertophis]

For many people who have never been interested in snakes, there is often a lot they don't understand & may be misinformed about. For example, most snakes
we keep as pets, & especially ball pythons, are very picky eaters. Can't tell you how many people think snakes are ravenous monsters as portrayed in movies that
cannot wait to eat us...LOL! We are NOT on their menu...we don't appeal at all. Unless we've been handling rats, mice or hamsters and happen to smell like them,
we're pretty safe.

Just helping them understand what snakes (BPs) are really like might help: they're shy & only bite out of fear/self-defense, or a feeding mistake (which is avoidable).
And even IF you get a nip, it's far less of a wound than most other pets do to you, and also much less likely to get infected.