There is a learning curve, I think

[m1lkhoney]

My local library has several ball python books on reserve for me and I have three on my shelf. Some of them are aimed at beginners, some aimed at advanced breeders. I read them all, but i have to make a decision between right husbandry and incorrect husbandry with only three months of experience. When I found this forum, I was so excited to learn from so many people who knew so much, and could help me tell right from wrong, and that a vet I trusted gave me terrible advice.

That's the thing. You don't have a list (at first) of which opinion is correct when you haven't had a lot of experience. Sometimes I and others ask questions that seem annoying or silly but I ask because I trust this forum to point me in the right direction.

Ball pythons are amazing animals, but they can also be complex, frustrating, shy and finicky. They are a rather daunting pet to care for properly, and I imagine the majority of BP owners don't get solid advice from, say, this website. I've read a couple of posts from people who kept ball pythons for years and had no idea that their husbandry wasn't ideal. You all helped them change.

I hesitate to post even this in case it gets a negative response, but we all share a love of ball pythons. Some of us are veterans and some of us just bought a snake yesterday. Regardless, there's a person on the other side of the screen, perhaps the other side of the world, who truly do mean well. Who truly do want to learn.

I love ball pythons and I research husbandry and genetics obsessively. But a couple of times I've cried while reading responses to some posts and while I realize that's a bit dramatic (hard to help it), would it hurt to be more kind sometimes? Of course I'm not singling anyone out; we could all probably stand to be more kind. And this forum itself says "the friendliest place on the Internet"

Most people don't understand why we love snakes. It's a relatively small community. Why hurt your own kind?

i am scared to post this and I am scared it will be deleted but i like this ball python community so much that it is startling when a comment can make one tear up.

To be fair, so do dog food commercials, so.