Quote Originally Posted by chaa View Post
Hello, all! I've been reading through this forum for a few weeks every spare minute I've got and have learned a LOT, it's an excellent resource.
I've always been interested in snakes, but due to my mother's fear was unable to procure one in my youth. Thanks to college and a steady job that dream is now a reality! I've been reading care guides, husbandry pages, forums just like this one and all sorts of FAQs to prepare myself for my very first snake.
I currently have a bearded dragon and (here's where the questions start) pet rats.
Welcome to BPNet Chris. It's wonderful to see someone doing their research first. Always a benefit to you and to your future snake.

As stated above, I do keep pet rats. I'm in a dorm situation, single room w/ no option to house my herps separately from my 'fuzzies'. Even worse; all my animals are stored so they are visually available to each other (because of my room design/layout). I will be feeding f/t to my future BP since I honestly can't have two sets of rats, it would kill me to sacrifice one set even though I would be doing it for the good of another one of my pets. with that said,

will housing a BP under/across from live rats be in any way detrimental to the snake or make feeding f/t rodents (even if fed f/t previously) impossible?
We keep multiple ball pythons housed in the same large room that houses our good sized rat colony. It's never been an issue. The only issue is to remember to not handle the snake when you've just been handling a rat. It's easy to forget and be feeding rats then go to quickly tidy up a snake's home and ooooops...guess who smells a bit like dinner. LOL

would it make the snake more inclined to mistake a handler for a meal because of this?
The snake's not making a mistake. As mentioned above, the human being is by smelling like dinner and triggering the snake's instinctive reaction.

Does anyone happen to know the operating electrical cost for keeping a BP? (odd question, i know)
If you choose an efficient heating method it is minimal. If you choose overhead lighting which isn't terribly efficient and tends to dry out the enclosure, it would show more on the monthly bill. Setting up an efficient enclosure that's both easy on your wallet and appropriate for the snake is part of this great learning curve you are doing.

at what age/length does a BP bite start to cause significant damage to a handler?
Anything with teeth can bite. Having said that I've personally been bitten more over the years by my toddler aged children than I have been by our 30+ snakes. I've actually been bitten only once and that was by a very stressed rescue snake.

Ball pythons don't tend to be bite first type snakes but that does not mean they won't ever bite. You'll get to know your snake, you'll get to know what are the indicators of an attitude that says "I will bite you" and when they are just bluffing. That comes with time and close observation. If you do get tagged (aka bitten) try to not pull back as they have recurved teeth and you'll only hurt them and yourself. Most times though if they do nail you it's a fast slap and they don't clamp down and start to constrict. Ball pythons really don't get large enough to do significant damage to the average adult anyways. Even our biggest female at just over 5 ft and over 7 lbs in weight can be handled by children (under supervision).

what can I expect as far as standard veterinary fees go for a CB ball with no major health concerns?
Before you ever buy the snake find a vet to see it. That's better than having a medical issue and not knowing who to call. Once you find a vet local to you that's experienced with snakes, ask their office for an estimate of fees. That should cover a basic check over, making sure the snake does not have external parasites, weighing the snake, etc. and then at your choice - a fecal float to rule out internal parasites and sexing (usually an extra charge).

and lastly (and certainly most opinion-based), which is better? a male or female BP?
Depends really. If you are looking purely for a pet ball python then a nice normal (non-morph) male makes a perfect choice. They don't tend to get as big as the females but otherwise their care, temperment, etc. is basically the same. Normal males are not required in most breeding operations so you are often able to get a top quality snake from a top breeder for a very reasonable price.

If you are considering breeding down the road, then a lovely normal female would be the better long term choice I think.

Whatever you pick I'd say go with a reputable breeder. You'll get a well started, properly sexed, healthy snake that you know it's hatch date, you k now it's eating and how and what it eats, etc. I would advise you to consider a pet store purchased snake as your last resort.

Quote Originally Posted by chaa View Post
I'll be moving back to chicago in a month
I don't know if you are aware Chris that every October there is a top snake show held in Tinley. My husband and I plan to attend it this year. It features some of the premiere breeders in the ball python world and since you will be moving so close to Tinley (which I believe is a suburb of Chicago) you may want to attend. Be prepared to drool and become hopelessly addicted to ball pythons.

http://www.narbc.com/htm2006/tp_index.htm

Pictures from last years Tinley show (by Celia at EbN - get the bib you won't believe the snakes!).....

http://www.exoticsbynature.com/07tinleyphotos.html