I can tell you right now I've made a few mistakes with my husbandry and my ball python still ate like a champ. he's never skipped a meal. I guess it depends on the snake. I will warn you that ball pythons are like pet rocks. They don't move around much and too much handling can stress them out. Don't get me wrong, I love my snake, but if you want a snake that you can display and handle a lot, I'd go with a corn.