Why do some people return their ball pythons?

[Bogertophis]

One issue I can think of is that pet store personnel (& also some old books in libraries) routinely tout BPs as perfect "beginner" snakes because they're usually docile, stay a nice size & they're pretty.

BUT- that's only half the story, as they are NOT the easiest beginner snake to keep, because they're shy & can easily refuse to feed (more so than many other kinds of snake), they need higher temperatures in order to do well (eat & stay healthy), those temperatures also require some expenses like a good thermostat for safety, & when they're frightened, they still might bite you, especially if you don't yet understand their "body language" & normal habits of a snake.

So I'd say that most of the reasons that people lose interest in a BP & want to return or re-home it is that they failed to really research it first- or they have unrealistic expectations & want a pet they can interact with frequently without negative repercussions (BPs hide all the time- & if handled too soon, they may not eat, etc). And unfortunately far too many people don't budget for everything they actually need for a new pet- the cost of the tank or enclosure, the heat & t-stat, etc.- no one should buy any kind of pet if they can barely afford the animal, but you'd be surprised how many do just that. They have an old tank someone gave them- with no heat- & they run to the pet store & "impulse-buy" a BP because they think it's cool & the store mostly just wants to make a sale.

Unfortunately, there's all kinds of people in this world- many don't buy pets for the reasons you think they do. They may see someone with a pet snake & think it's cool, but have no real interest once they find out they need to learn things to take proper care of it. I once took in a BP from a guy who admitted he was afraid to even hold this BP he'd had for a while (his girlfriend liked it) & the only reason he got it was because he hates mice & loved to watch it kill them... When it comes to pet stores, many kids clamor for a pet & swear they'll take care of it, but when parents aren't really involved with it's care, unfortunately most kids just aren't responsible enough to do so on their own- & if the snake survives, eventually the parents want to re-home it.

And I can't tell you how many snake owners have told me they want to get rid of a snake because it's "mean"- and they "know this because the snake chases them thru the glass when they walk by"- they actually think the snake wants to eat them, not realizing that snakes just go after motion when hungry, & don't identify prey (or us!) by vision alone. In every case, those unwanted "mean snakes" never bite me, & even when I explain the issue to the owner, they're usually too afraid to take a chance of keeping it, because "other (misguided) people" keep filling their heads with nonsense (horror stories about how that snake is going to get them).