Should i buy a ball python?

[BrianDallek]

There are a lot of people, not naming names, that come onto this forum with limited experience and probably limited life experience as well. They give their opinions and advice on tons of posts based on that limited knowledge. I would say ABSOLUTELY these people should not be giving advice in an area that they don't have extensive experience. You see this on all forums across the internet. I just wish these people would read and learn for a bit first. There are so many posts here that even newbs can join in on, but I wish they would stay away from giving advice on RI's or stuck sheds or how to raise humidity...etc. There are some very knowledgable people on here that have the right help and advice to offer and it sucks that it gets watered down with crappy advice most of the time.

[LivingwithBalls]

There are a lot of people, not naming names, that come onto this forum with limited experience and probably limited life experience as well. They give their opinions and advice on tons of posts based on that limited knowledge. I would say ABSOLUTELY these people should not be giving advice in an area that they don't have extensive experience. You see this on all forums across the internet. I just wish these people would read and learn for a bit first. There are so many posts here that even newbs can join in on, but I wish they would stay away from giving advice on RI's or stuck sheds or how to raise humidity...etc. There are some very knowledgable people on here that have the right help and advice to offer and it sucks that it gets watered down with crappy advice most of the time.

So then what can us newbs do exactly?


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[nightrainfalls]

So then what can us newbs do exactly?


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Learn!!!!!!!!!!!

[LivingwithBalls]

Learn!!!!!!!!!!!

Well alright:p when it comes to reptiles, I guess you really can't learn enough.


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[Skiploder]

Hello BP.net members

Thank you for taking the time to read my thread.

About 6 months ago me, my son and daughter were out getting some materials for her betta fish and decided to take a look in the reptile section for fun. we were very fortunate to see a few pie-bald pythons the store had on display and we were even allowed to hold them as long as we wished! My daughter whom is 4 years old loves snakes and showed absolutely no fear when asked if she wanted to hold snake, I myself have always loved snakes as i worked in a tattoo shop for years which had one as kind of a mascot, i watched my daughter holding this snake and noticed she gave this animal great respect and was very good at handling it. so what happened next? of course she wanted me to buy her the 2,000 dollar snake! i told her to ask me later when i had the money as a ploy to see if she actually wanted one or was just caught up in the moment. 6 months later im getting really sick of her bugging me all the time to buy her a snake.....but there are a few issues im having with my lifestyle and schedule i need to address before buying a snake for me and my children that im hoping you guys could give me some advice or just straight up put a stop to my plans before i buy a snake i cant give the attention it needs. let me explain my situation

i am a single father of two children with shared custody, my work schedule is 4 days on 4 days off in which i spend all 4 days with my kids. the first 2 days of work i leave the house at 4:30 am and do not arrive back at home until 10:00 pm that night in between the 2nd and 3rd day i have a 24 hour split, leaving for my night shifts at 4:30 pm arriving home at 10:00 am. i am home every night at 10pm or everyday at 10am. my four days off are spend taking my soon and next year son and daugther to school and lazing around the house working on my bike and doing work around the house as im abit of a loner and a home body. so my question is, with this lifestyle and work schedule would a ball python be right for me?

a few other things i have to mention is that i am an avid drummer and my children have been showing an interest in the drums as well, would this in any way stress out my snake? if im going to buy the family a snake i really want it to be the happiest snake in the world! im not afraid of them but i am worried even though i was the only one in the tattoo shop that would handle the python and feed it that i may be overlooking some very important things here, please....enlighten me with your opinions

I'm going to go against the grain here and recommend that you NOT get a snake. Unless the snake is for you....or unless you have a deep abiding interest in keeping one.

I've sold a lot of snakes to a lot of people and I learned early on to talk people who were interested in purchasing snakes as pets for their kids out of purchasing one. We get calls all the time from my wife's friends who ask us if we want to take in a ball python or a corn snake that they bought for their kids. The interest wanes, the parents aren't interested and the snake goes on Craig's List to the next buyer.

For most kids (not all) the novelty of owning one wears off fairly quickly. Their friends stop being impressed with the "different" new pet and with most species, the level of interaction is a step above owning a pet rock. Ball pythons for example, can be easily stressed by repeated handling sessions. The woma python, which was brought up by another poster, needs more room as an adult and can be nippy. While they are less stressed by handling as adults, as babies they are prone to defensive strikes. With young kids, being bit once is all it takes to put them off interacting with the animal again.

It then falls on the parent to care for the animal - hence my warning that YOU should be the one desiring snake ownership...not the kids.

My very biased opinion is that as a parent you develop any interest in the natural world through trips to zoos, aquariums, reptile gardens, science academies and even some of the better specialty exotic pet stores. Encourage any burgeoning interest with books - starting from basic to more advance as the kids age.

If the interest you child shows with the tattoo parlor mascot flourishes and intensifies as she ages, then consider a basic entry level species such as a corn snake. There are other good entry level animals that are less common, but the idea should be to purchase and animal that cannot be easily killed or stressed by either husbandry lapses or handling.

[JhaRhod]

what a great thread

i just want to start by thanking all of you for your honest answers an opinions, newbs and vets!

as far as i go, i myself have wanted one for years and years but just never could take the plunge. every chance i get to view or handle a snake i take it, my childrens mother knows me very well and understands that i have a very deep interest for these animals and feel free to separate my interest for them with the responsibilities of owning one as thats why i came on this site. after showing her pictures of our daughter with the snake she has shown no hostility towards the idea of me owning one. our daughter is and always will be a very brave out of the box girl.

her attention span: Im not sure how address this but she is a child.....she has a short attention span, to be honest the betta fish was a trial for her as for 6 months she has been bugging me for a snake! as distracted as a child may be 6 months is pretty impressive to be bothering dad for an a individual animal, im assuming. she spends alot of time in front of her fish bowl talking to her fish and asking me if we need to clean or feed the fish, she shows great interest in caring for the animal and helps when its time.

corn snake, king snake or BP: I agree in every way possible that the BP MAY or MAY NOT be the right snake but again, she keeps going to the same snake everytime we visit the pet store. its a ball python! i show her the smaller snakes but she doesnt like them and by doesnt like them i simply mean she says "cool" and goes back to looking at the pythons. the snake we had in the tattoo shop was a ball python and i would walk around with this gem on my neck and let it hang out on my lap while i drew for customers, i may be the problem in this case as i have been known to treat the snake like a lap dog once a week. to be honest, corn snakes present no interest for me.....i dont know if its the size of a python or the design but small snakes have never done anything for me...please elaborate on this. i think its the same issue with my daughter, the snake isnt big enough to admire fully? none the less she has been showing great interest for the ball python.

i hope you guys have more to say to me on this topic and i know you may not realize it but you may have just made my daughter the happiest little girl ever by majority, it looks like we may be getting a new family member

[Black Hills Reptiles]

I am not a big fan of corn snakes ether but they get longer than ball pythons. Ball pythons are more of a fat snake. I guess the debate for you is do you want a snake that is going to hide most of the time or one that will be out and about in its enclosure most of the time? That's the big question.

Remember always buy from a responsible breeder!!!

[Felidae]

I have the feeling, you want that snake. Or specially you want a pied BP.
If you read, learn and listen the advice of the experienced keepers, doesn't matter if it's a ball python or a corn snake, he'll thrive.
Yes, it have differences between the tolerance of the species, but you must be sure to do everything right, and you don't "test" their limits with stress and bad husbandry.
If you give good education for your daughter, she'll don't get him like a toy pet.
If You want him, and You feel the responsibility, read everything what you can to make sure you can give him what he need, and get every supplies necessary before the snake. If you're done with that, search a reputable breeder for a hot pied and buy it. Better if the snake already older than one year, and ask the breeder if he eats without problem.
*Never buy a snake (or any reptile)from a pet shop!

[JhaRhod]

you are correct that I want a python! im not particular to any type of python, the piebald was the one was daughter held and asked for and be sure that i didnt explain to her 200 times in 10 seconds that this was a snake and snakes can if provoked or uncomfortable bite, she understood and handled it very well. I dont think im ready for a $2000 dollar snake and yes with as little experience i have with the animals even i knew the mark up was through the roof. I dont have too much in common with my daughter as she is a girl and i am not, the tea parties and dress up gigs are starting to take their toll on me.....i think this is something we will both enjoy and hopefully caring for it and learning its personality will be a great bonding tool for both of us. cant thank you guys enough for all the input you have given me and i look forward to posting and hopefully one day giving newbies advice on this forum.

[JhaRhod]

and if i knew how to post pictures without a URL directly from my desktop i would show you a picture i have of her the moment the snake was in her hand, tell me how please.