BP's and newborn human safety...

[55Ballin]

Please don't bring issues about Burmese Pythons into a thread about potential dangers of Ball Pythons. They are two completely different things and should not be related due to risk of confusion.

There has not been a case of a ball python killing a human being.

I am well aware of the difference and I understand they should not be related. I was using it as an example to exemplify my point in that it is safer to have a snake than a dog because statistics show hundreds of incidents involving dogs in a year to one incident involving a snake. I was not in anyway saying a ball python was involved.

[GoingPostal]

I am well aware of the difference and I understand they should not be related. I was using it as an example to exemplify my point in that it is safer to have a snake than a dog because statistics show hundreds of incidents involving dogs in a year to one incident involving a snake. I was not in anyway saying a ball python was involved.

And there's thousands of cases of children being killed by their own parents every year. Of course a dog is going to be more of a risk than a snake, snakes aren't as commonly kept, snakes aren't loose roaming around the house like a dog, etc. Any number of things can be a risk to a child, I wouldn't be concerned about a BP, there's many ways to secure a cage and zero reason why an infant should ever be around a pet snake IMO. Be responsible, keep your snake area clean and locked up and no problem.

[jsharpie77]

much appreciated everyone! it's kind of hard proving a negative. there seems to be no documentation on ball pythons and babies because, well, there's nothing to document.

so, if i had any doubts at all they have been eliminated. i will lock my rack though it's more for their peace of mind...but that's worth the little effort.

thanks all!

[WingedWolfPsion]

A boa did kill a man in Papillion, NE (near me) recently. It was accidental. The man had a habit of carrying the snake draped around his neck constantly. He took it out to show it off to a girlfriend, put it around his neck, and the snake got nervous and tightened up. It cut off his airway. The girlfriend was useless, so nothing was done until paramedics arrived, and it was too late.

The boa's going to the Henry Doorly zoo, thankfully it wasn't euthanized, as it was clear that no aggression was intended. It was only about 8.5 feet long.

The 8 foot rule for constrictors should always, ALWAYS be respected. If it's over 8 feet, don't take liberties with it--have someone else who's knowledgeable present when you handle it, or you could wind up as another statistic that's a black mark against those who keep large constrictors. Any constrictor over 8 feet needs to be kept in a locked cage. It IS a potentially dangerous animal. Incidents may be rare, but the only way to keep them rare is to follow safe handling practices...and don't put constrictors around your NECK.

But no, to the best of my knowledge, there hasn't been an incident with a ball python. I heard a RUMOR years ago that some guy put a big female ball around his neck while cleaning cages in a cold basement, and it tightened up and cut off blood flow in his carotid artery, killing him--but I have never seen any documentation to verify it.

[mozbink]

A boa did kill a man in Papillion, NE (near me) recently. It was accidental. The man had a habit of carrying the snake draped around his neck constantly. He took it out to show it off to a girlfriend, put it around his neck, and the snake got nervous and tightened up. It cut off his airway. The girlfriend was useless, so nothing was done until paramedics arrived, and it was too late.

The boa's going to the Henry Doorly zoo, thankfully it wasn't euthanized, as it was clear that no aggression was intended. It was only about 8.5 feet long.

The 8 foot rule for constrictors should always, ALWAYS be respected. If it's over 8 feet, don't take liberties with it--have someone else who's knowledgeable present when you handle it, or you could wind up as another statistic that's a black mark against those who keep large constrictors. Any constrictor over 8 feet needs to be kept in a locked cage. It IS a potentially dangerous animal. Incidents may be rare, but the only way to keep them rare is to follow safe handling practices...and don't put constrictors around your NECK.

But no, to the best of my knowledge, there hasn't been an incident with a ball python. I heard a RUMOR years ago that some guy put a big female ball around his neck while cleaning cages in a cold basement, and it tightened up and cut off blood flow in his carotid artery, killing him--but I have never seen any documentation to verify it.

No matter what the cause, once anything constricts you so that your artery blood flow to the brain is cut off completely, you have only about 2-3 seconds of conciseness to resolve the issue. Once you are unconscious, if the the blood flow remains restricted you only have 3-4 minutes to live.

This applies to rope, snakes, or human beings trying to strangle you.

Just something to keep in mind when it comes to having something, anything that could potential effect a strangle around your neck. It isnt a large amount of time and the more you struggle without relief the closer you will be to the 2 seconds.

[Moonshae]

I haven't been around here in a quite a while, since my BP plans are still on hold. I now have a 7-month-old daughter, and my mother was giving me crap about wanting a BP. She doesn't like snakes at all, so she's already biased. But after talking about it a bit, she eased off a bit from total condemnation to just not understanding why I'd want one.

It's not like she has any role in the decision whether I get one or not, I don't live in her house and her opinion on this is totally irrelevant.

But my two 60-lb greyhounds and our two cats are her "grandpets". Go figure.

All of the previous posters are exactly right...it's more about managing the child's access to and interactions with the animal than the animal itself. Young children shouldn't be left unattended with pets of any kind, for the safety of both the child and pets.