questions

[Jeanne]

Keep in mind if you get a male, it's not going to get much bigger than three feet in length and if you get a female, about four feet.

I have a male over 4 foot now, so dont count on that! And females can get up to 6 foot on the large side of the fence. Please read our caresheet: http://ball-pythons.net/modules.php?...warticle&id=52


Either way though, bp's are not hard to handle and are very wonderful snakes. However, they can be funny eaters at times, and it is the only down fall to the species itself that I can find. As far as shedding, give it a good soak in a tub of warm water, stuck shed comes off easily that way usually.

[frankykeno]

BP's are wonderful snakes and their more easy, slow moving ways make them lovely to handle. Don't be mistaken though they can and will move like lightning if they want to LOL though it's more rare to see one move at that speed. Most are pretty lazy, hang around type snakes in temperment.

Don't fret about shedding. It's not at all abnormal to have a shed or two go wrong especially with any new snake. Good husbandry practises generally take care of that and if not there's tons of good advice here about helping get a bit of stuck shed off. We've all been through it at some time or another.

As far as getting a BP consider getting a nice normal male through a reputable breeder. They are generally very reasonably priced and make super nice pets. You can get one through a pet store but there's more of a chance for problems as they aren't always well cared for in pet stores. If there's a concern about your parents accepting a snake, the last thing you want is problems with it.

If you check out a lot of areas of this forum you will see lots of advice about setting up the environment first, whether you choose a glass tank or a plastic tub. Please don't get a heat rock (the pet stores push them but they are BAD!) Also read a lot here about how to let the snake settle in properly. Overhandling during the first weeks of ownership tend to cause more grief than it's worth.

As far as convincing your parents I guess that depends on your age and ability to care for your new snake properly. You might suggest they read with you on this forum to see the amount of information and support you can access. Also as a parent I would want to know this isn't a passing fancy but more a true desire to commit to caring for this snake for it's lifetime (which can be 20+ years).

Best of luck!


~~Joanna~~