Quote Originally Posted by Deborah View Post
And I will have to disagree with this base on the fact that YOUR perception is based on less than 6 months of ownership of a single Ball Python and the fact that you seems to apply human emotions when it come to your snake.

Ball pythons can make great pets so long people have the right expectations.

They make poor display animals (spend 80% of their time hiding) and they are very easily prone to stress (FACT), which means over handling or not being on the top of husbandry requirements can make a HUGE difference between an enjoyable ownership and a difficult one.

There is no such a thing as choosing the right Ball Python aside from an health standpoint, you can handle one for hours at a store and come back home to a complete different animal, or it can change very fast if husbandry is not met, choosing a Ball Python is not like choosing a puppy.

Now to the OP you have to remember that 4 years old is very young and ultimately this will really be YOUR snake, so make sure that YOU are ok with this long term commitment, the good news is that snakes are very low maintenance especially if you only own one.

Since this is something that sparks your daughter's interest, and will probably be an animal that she will want to hold quite often (at least in the beginning) I would also recommend something that is more forgiven husbandry wise and more tolerant of frequent handling, many colubrids fits the bill however due to their speed and size as hatchlings I would recommend a sub adult or adult one.

And in the future if she is still as passionate a transition to a Ball Python may be the right transition depending again on the expectations.

Here are some pointers when choosing the right animal

Size, docility, level of care, EXPECTATIONS, price, longevity.
Sure I don't have as much experience if any, but my opinion is still valid. Not sure why you say I apply human emotions to snakes? If you could please explain that statement it would be greatly appreciated.

You are right in saying that they hide most of the time. I was talking more about the cage setup and all is a good addition to any room. But when they do come out of hiding, it's quite fascinating and they truly are amazingly beautiful creatures. And hey, it can be a game for the kid to find the snake! I am a strong believer in that as long as the snake is not stressed, you can hold them however much you like. There is a lot of debate on this topic though, so I will just leave it at that.

No ball python is alike in personality. If you own more then 1 ball, you should know that.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk