Things I Wish I Had Known Before Buying A Ball Python

[Caali]

As the title suggests: This is a list of things I wish I had known before buying a ball python. When I was caring for my little worm the other day I came up with a lot of little things that I had no idea prior to buying him. I originally didn't plan to post this list but then I thought that it might help someone who is thinking about buying a snake. Please keep in mind that I have had my little ball python for just about half a year and I am by no means the most experienced person. Well, anyway, let's get to the list:



1. Taking a look at the animal before purchasing.
Before buying my ball python I did a lot of research and decided to purchase this cute little Bumblebee het 100% Clown ball python from
semi-famous breeder that lived in my country but still quite far away. I asked the breeder a lot of questions about the food size, the feeding
schedule, shedding schedule, the parents and so on. The breeder suggested I took a look at the animal but since I lived quite far away I
declined the invitation. About month later the baby snake arrived and he was quite skinny. I was a bit shocked and worried but since he was
perfect in every other way I decided to keep him anyway. Now he has very healthy weight and he eats every time I offer food to him.
Anyway I strongly suggest to take a look at the animal and ask the breeder lots of questions to make you're getting a healthy snake. Any
good breeder will answer you're questions and will let you take a look at the animal.

2. The famous Spider Gene
The spider gene has a great defect. It'll cause ANY ball python with the gene to have a slight wobble. And what does the wobble mean? Well,
it depends on the snake but the spider gene can cause the snake to shake it's head lightly or, if you're snake has it badly, it can cause the
snake to do corkscrews. That's why it's called the wobble. Now it isn't possible to know how bad the wobble is going to affect the animal when
breeding hatchlings with the spider gene and it is highly debated whether it is okay to even breed ball pythons with this gene due to the
defect. As I already stated, I have a Bumblebee (Spider + Pastel) ball python and I actually wasn't sure whether to get him due to this defect.
In the end I decided to do so anyway since I wasn't going to breed him but I do notice him wobbling when I am about to feed him. I am really
happy that his wobble isn't too bad but sadly there are ball pythons that had a slight wobble when they were younger and then start to
corkscrew when they got older.

3. Snakes have characters
Now some of you might think that it is obvious but to me it really wasn't. Humans tend to make their pets humanlike and interpret their
behaviour in a human way. Just look at what some dog owners tell you about their dog's behaviour. Some behaviours are clearly not what
people think but since we don't know about the animal's language we don't get that. I thought that's the case when people talk about their
snakes "characters" but I actually take that back. I am still not sure how to interpret some of my ball pythons little quirks but I have noticed
that all ball pythons behave differently. Some of them like to climb, others don't. Some are a bit more open to being handled, others hate it. A
funny thing I noticed with my little guy is that I think that he is a curious one. I don't handle him but he is used to me doing some stuff in his
terrarium from time to time. He has never hissed at me, bitten me or showed the S-line they do before biting instead he will literally lay about
1cm from my hand and just watch what I am doing. A few days ago I changed his water in the evening so he came out to watch me do that
and once I was done, he took a look at it and then went back to his cave. That is kind of weird if you ask me.

4. Tank vs. Tub
This is a heated discussion. I would suggest to simply look at the arguments that both sides have to offer and then decide for yourself what
you think is better. The one thing I noticed is that most ball python owners will start with tanks and then switch to tubs. Their view of the
matter often changes with that as well. Experienced owners with more than one snake will often suggest to buy a tub and short time owners
will usually prefer a tank. I've had my ball python in both a tank and a tub (during quaratine). I personally prefer the tank since he seems
more at ease in it and his feeding response is better but that might be because I was inexperienced when I had him in quarantine or maybe it
is one of his little quirks. Whatever it is he is doing better in the tank then he was in the tub but do have to admit that I personally think that
the tub has some great advantages.

5. Ball pythons are plant wreckers
This is the most frustrating thing ever. I really like the idea of the bioactive terrarium but I really doubt that my little ball python will agree
with me on that. Right now he has a few fake plants in his terrarium. I purposely left enough space for him to go around them but he couldn't
care less. Not too long ago I found him slithering right through one of the plants that is now a bit broken. Why does he have to go right
through the plants? It's not like there's no other way around!

6. Bioactive terrariums
I originally planned to have him live a normal terrarium as long as he is still small and then change to a bioactive terrarium when he is big
enough to move to his final terrarium but I found that having a bioactive terrarium is more work than you think. Before your ball python can
move in, the bioactive tank should be working for about 2 months already. The colonies need time to get established and the plants need time to
really plant their roots. These terrarium are great for someone who already has a lot of knowledge on that kind of thing cause that it what
they require: LOTS OF KNOWLEDGE. I'm not gonna rule that I might go for a bioactive terrarium someday but for now he's going to stay in his
normal one. I'm also worried that he might wreck all of the plants .

7. Getting an older ball python might be easier than a hatchling
I got my ball python when he was 4 month old. He wasn't exactly a hatchling but he was still quite young. I only wanted to take in a snake
that had already eaten at least five times and shed at least twice but in the end I think an adult snake might be easier. My ball python was
used to eating live mice and I didn't want to feed live mice (I only would have done that if I had to). It wasn't difficult to switch him from live
to frozen mice (I was lucky) but switching him from mice to rats was a pain. If you get an adult ball python, you won't have to deal
with a lot of problems when it comes to upbringing. You know how big and long the snake is. You can have a look at it's temper. You will have
an established eater. You can still own that pet for a long time if you really care for it (ball python have a life expectancy of 30 to 40
years). I know that most people will probably want to watch their snake grow up but I honestly think that purchasing an adult ball python is
easier for a beginner.



An that concludes the list. These are all the things I came up with but feel free to share your tips down below if you have some. I hope this list helps a least somebody .