Do BP's pose ANY conceivable danger AT ALL to small children?

[rufretic]

This is not as easy as 100% because there is danger in walking across your backyard patio, that doesn't mean your never going to go outside because there is some ridiculously small percent that there could be danger.

Ball pythons are on average too small to cause any serious injury to a child of that age. You still can't say 100% because there are some larger than average that could do slightly more damage by bite or even constriction. In general, they just are not the type of python you need to be extra careful with compared to some of the larger pythons that can potentially constrict humans to death.

There are the two less serious dangers that have already been mentioned, a bite and even less likely salmonella or some other type of bacteria/disease. I've been in the reptile hobby since I was a young child, over 30 years and have never actually witnessed or heard of anyone getting sick from their pet reptile. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen, it's just to show how incredibly rare it is. Now a bite happens now and then. Bp are less likely to bite than most snakes but it does happen. A snake as small as a bp, the bite rarely ever does any damage. Now this is where it gets tricky, there is a very small chance it could get infected or they could get bit in the eye or some other more sensitive area that could cause a more serious injury. The thing about this is, there is a chance of dying every time you get in a car, there is a chance of dying every time you swim, there is a chance of dying every time you get on a bike, it is impossible to have 100% safety and what a horrible life it would be for children to be so sheltered that they would miss out on all the wonderful joys of life because there is a 'chance' of being harmed.

A ball python poses such a small percent chance of danger that it certainly is not worth concerning oneself with. They still should be respected as any live animal should be and precautions like washing hands should be followed but other than that they are about one of the safest animals a child could handle. I personally let my 3yo and 6yo hold any of my ball pythons whenever they want as long as it's supervised for their safety but more so for the safety of the animal because they are more at risk then the child in this situation.

So I guess the answer is yes, there is a small chance a ball python could harm a young child, just as everything else in life.

[Eric Alan]

For a 5 or 7 year old? Not much. Others have covered the reasons pretty clearly. There's a BIG difference between kids that age and small children though.

Do I let my 1.5 year old see or "play with" any of my BPs without playing the part of helicopter parent? Nope. Not for even one second. For both her sake and theirs. No matter how many times she looks at me and says, "Sssssss, Dada. PWEEEEEASE? "

[SDA]

A hamster is a threat to small children. Never leave a small child unsupervised with any living creature. Ball pythons cannot possibly constrict to death or harm a small child outside of a bite. If you let your ball python bite your small child that is on your for bad parenting, not the snake. Sorry but I don't sugar coat parenting and small animals especially snakes. You don't leave a cat alone with a snake and you don't leave a small child alone either.

[Calider]

I got several awesome responses and a couple that I thought were a little rude and strange lol. Nowhere did I ever say, anywhere, that I was not concerned about the children hurting the snake. The reason I did not mention this is because I KNOW kids can hurt a snake. I wasn't asking about that. I was asking if the snake can pose any real danger to the children. And I am aware that anything with teeth can bite.

The purpose of this post was because I am intending to move out of state to be with my boyfriend and his children. I wanted something to show HIM, from experienced people, any possible danger to his children, so that he can make the decision whether Sassy comes with or not. I already know my other two snakes are no-go because if they did somehow come in contact with the kids, they are big and nasty and unfortunately very beautifully colored and potentially appealing to curious hands... They have both bit me way too many times, and they already have excellent homes lined up.

Thank you so much for the helpful responses, it really means the world, and I am hoping he finds it informative and interesting. Fingers crossed, thanks again everyone!

[Calider]

....And who would leave a small child alone with a pet in the first place? When was this ever implied? LOL

[rufretic]

....And who would leave a small child alone with a pet in the first place? When was this ever implied? LOL

It was implied when the question was asked. Most people here only need to use common sense to know that a ball python posses no serious danger to children that age. So when the question is asked, it is assumed that the person asking knows very little to nothing about ball pythons and then everyone takes it to the extreme to explain so their is no misunderstanding. Not sure why you would think anyone was being rude, it all looked like pretty good info to me, a little too detailed maybe, but not rude. If your boyfriend is worried about your ball python being a risk to his children then it’s probably a good learning read for him.

If common sense is used, then there is absolutely nothing to be worried about. Ball pythons are actually pretty great pets for children as long as they are taught how to properly handle and care for them. They pose no risk like a large python would. People that don’t know about snakes hear ‘python’ and they instantly think of some large snake that can constrict a child and that just isn’t the case for most pythons, especially ball pythons, probably the most non aggressive, docile of them all and of course small.
Good luck with the outcome

[OhhWatALoser]

I've never heard of a death or injury requiring more than a band aid from a ball python to a human.

[zina10]

I got several awesome responses and a couple that I thought were a little rude and strange lol. Nowhere did I ever say, anywhere, that I was not concerned about the children hurting the snake. The reason I did not mention this is because I KNOW kids can hurt a snake. I wasn't asking about that. I was asking if the snake can pose any real danger to the children. And I am aware that anything with teeth can bite.

You asked for "100% without a doubt" factual proof.

Like rufretic said, your original question implied someone with very little experience regarding Ball Pythons or snakes in general. The question was over the top in regards to being impossible to answer as there is no "100%", so people went out of their way trying to explain why, and just how SMALL of a danger a Ball Python would be to a child. Saying that children that age are more danger to a Ball Python, then the pythons are to them, was simply meant to raise awareness to that point, with someone I assumed had little experience.

Wishing you and your snakes best of luck.

[B.P.'s 4me]

As others have mentioned, you can never absolutely guarantee that a ball python/small child interaction wouldn't/couldn't result is a negative experience, but much depends on what your definition of "danger" is.
If you're talking a scratch, or scrape, you'd have less to worry about from a ball python, than you would a hamster, gerbil, rabbit etc. Even budgies and cockatiels can deliver a painful bite.
Statistically, in the U.S. in 2016, 13 of the 42 deaths attributed to dog attacks, were kids under the age of 9.
Much as we'd like to, we cannot prevent our children from ever experiencing something unpleasant, but we CAN expose them (in as safe an environment as possible) to new things and situations. Rather than being concerned about the extremely unlikely possibility of a unpleasant supervised interaction with a ball python, I prefer to consider what the positive aspects are.
Handled as a learning experience, a child exposed to snakes will learn some of the principals of tolerance and compassion. Once they're comfortable with handling the snake, they will gain confidence and satisfaction in overcoming any nervousness they may have originally felt. Because a snake isn't interactive in the same way a dog or cat is, a pet snake will teach the child patience and the self discipline to learn how to interact with their pet on the pets' terms. A pet snake may also earn the child some respect from friends and peers who are less comfortable with reptiles.
Our kids are never completely safe, they could get stung by a bee for that matter, but frankly, I think kids every day, suffer more harm from unkind words, thoughtless actions, bullying at school etc. than they ever would from a ball python. Supervision, a positive parental attitude, and information on correct handling and care of ball pythons could make this SUCH a wonderful experience. However, unless both adults are 100 % in agreement, it's not likely the snake has much of a chance.

[hilabeans]

I got several awesome responses and a couple that I thought were a little rude and strange lol. Nowhere did I ever say, anywhere, that I was not concerned about the children hurting the snake. The reason I did not mention this is because I KNOW kids can hurt a snake. I wasn't asking about that. I was asking if the snake can pose any real danger to the children. And I am aware that anything with teeth can bite.

In fairness, your thread title said "ANY conceivable danger"...the title alone begs for a vast range of answers. I think you got perfectly appropriate responses that ran the gamut. You can show your bf you researched thoroughly.