please get this through his head

[snakemann87]

hey. My friend just got a ball and it isnt eating. So he is VERY frustrated and i told him that he will have to put up with this. So now he said hes giving it back, which is bad enough, but he is getting a BURM instead. Please tell him this is a BAD idea maybe he'll listen to you.

[Zoe]

Maybe he's taking after you??

At any rate, it is a bad idea. Ball pythons are known fasters, and he might try and pique his apetite with a live pinkie rat. Otherwise, just wait it out.
He may want a burm, but burms fast too! Ask im if he's really ready to get a house with an extra bedroom for this snake, prepared to pay huge vet bills when it gets an RI or dehydrated, ready to spend hours misting and cleaning horse-sized crap, ready to risk being mistaken for prey and killed everytime he enters the snake's domain, ready to feed is turkeys or pigs a couple times a year, ready to convince someone to help him handle it when it gets to be 10 feet, ready to convince SEVERAL people to help him handle it when it gets to be 18 feet, ready to devote his LIFE to this animal because it will live to be very old and he wont be able to leave home for more than a little while at a time, and last of all ready to buy a second bathtub for this snake for soaking and drinking.

[reverendsterlin]

lol, he'll be like the guy I called tonight offering a 2yo 7+ft normal burm for (gasp+lol) $350 USD. I told him flat out that in this area he can't get $50 for it. In the last year I have rescued and given away 6 burms, one single albino burm's (12 ft 110lbs) adopter gave me $50 against my feeder (rabbit) expenses, the other reptile rescue has an 11+ft'r (only about 45lbs) they can't get rid of. I basically refuse them as rescues anymore because they are almost impossible to place around here.

[LdyDrgn]

Hey Don... how long has the Royal been fasting?

[Zoe]

He "just" got a ball... I imagine it means that he got it recently (i.e. last month) and it has yet to eat. Which is normal, stress and all...

[snakemann87]

only a week, and zoe please id rather you exclude the comments thanks, wasnt neccesary. its ridiculous i told him a ball will do this, sincemine did it for 2 months

[Zoe]

true tho, aint it? :P

Only a week????????? That's insane! That's the how long a snake should go between two feedings... Does the BP have good weight? If so, tell him NOT to worry, even if it doesnt eat for a month or two yet...

Zoe

[ThEmAdHaTtEr]

Yeah it should be just fine, prolly still settling in and all..Burm in exchange for a ball? If hes frustrated with a Ball not eating for a week, imagine a burm? Now, I dont know anything about burms other than size and all..But if he really does want to do all that Zoe listed, so be it. According to my knowledge about them, all Zoes info is correct. Anyway, good luck with whatever he chooses.

[Aaron_S]

I'm assuming your friend is about your age and most likely he won't listen to anybody seeing that young adults usually don't,(speaking from experience:P)

So I would just refer him to some books and explain to him that a burm is not a good choice cause of the growth.

Recommend a bullsnake or pinesnake for a pet that will feed for you all the time and will remain tame. If he doesnt like the colubrids tell him to get a BCI.

[Zoe]

If he sticks to the BP, it will likely eat soon. He'll be very proud when it finally does eat - it's such a great feeling when a snake stops fasting! I greatly encourage him to keep the BP, and if he feels he MUST get rid of it, to stick with smaller boids (rosy boas, BCIs, rainbow boas, carpet pythons), as opposed to burms (or retics, scrubs, rocks and so on).

Zoe