Education & Transportation

[TalonNC]

So my Pastel BP has just booked his first showing...

Co-worker asked if i could bring him for pet day for her Cub Scouts. naturally i agreed


after awhile it donned on me ...I have never transported Goldie other then when i brought him home last august...he is about 9mo.

SO i have a few questions that I'm hoping i can get some advice on.

1. it's a 20min ride, what kinda carry device should i get to transport Goldie back and forth in? When i got him let gave him to me in a little black cloth bag but he was a baby then and just doesn't seem right to carry him in something like that now.

2. Education wise...I'm sure some here have giving talks about there snakes...could you guys/gals suggest some talking points i can give to 5-7yr old boys or maybe activities i could try to keep them interested.?

Also want to make sure my BP is as comfortable as possible while coming and going....

Any additional info would be very helpful...

[Lankyrob]

I take mine around schools on a semi-regular basis.

I carry them in a pillow case with the end tied in a knot.

I tend to explain that they arent aggressive, bites are defensive 99% of the time and that all bites are our fault not the snakes. That they arent slimy (not sure if you will be alloweing them to touch the snake or not, we arent allowed at most schools but when we are allowed we take antiseptic wipes with us for the kids to use afterwards.) I usually explain where the snakes come from, what their prey is in nature, how they can relocate their jaws to eat huge prey, where they hang out, what conditions they need in captivity.

As an activity i have done in the past is to get the kids to lie on the floor and try to move like a snake (without using their arms or legs at all) - this can be fun but also dirty - so depends on where you are and what parents will think of kids getting covered in dust/dirt :)

[Will0W783]

I like to transport my snakes on short trips in a small rubbermaid bin (holes drilled in for ventilation) on a folded-up towel. It gives them space to move around, and it is cheap and you can see the snake within. I always buckle the container in with a seat belt and drive placidly when I have scaly passengers, lol.

Rob gave some really good ideas for education- those are the things I'd explain to. You can also touch upon the adaptations snakes have for living. How the lack of legs allows them to get into small, tight areas, the eyes have no lids but have a clear spectacle scale protecting them, how all the internal organs have shifted into a line (most have lost a functional left lung), and how they eat and digest.

[USMCgunner11]

I transport mine in rubbermaid containers with paper towel bedding. I will also fill up a freezer bag with warm (not hot) water which I place on one side under the bedding. You may not need to do that but I live in southern CA so it tends to stay cooler here year round.

[alessia55]

The posts above mine have already given you perfectly suitable transportation techniques for a ball python. You'll be fine with any of those methods. Rob and Kim have also given you good talking points. You could also touch upon the difference between ball pythons and other pythons (that ball pythons don't get big like burmese pythons), and the difference between pythons and boas. Those little trivia facts is what kids love :)

[Lankyrob]

Good point Alessia, most kids want to know how big they can get :)

[millertime89]

Great points already. I too use small rubbermaids with holes for breathing and paper towels on the bottom. I usually just turn up the heat in my car and start it early. Bring a temp gun to be safe and if the place you're at is somewhat chilly don't have them out too long. The bowl of warm tap water is a good idea too, never thought of that.

[TalonNC]

I would like to thank all of you for the great advice...

[shaunyboy]

you could also tell them they are called " royal " pythons ;)

cheers shaun

[millertime89]

you could also tell them they are called " royal " pythons ;)

cheers shaun

now lets not open that can of worms... Just refer to them as Python regius...

[TalonNC]

I would like to say Thank you for all the advice.... The engagement went over VERY well...

1 thing to note:

Goldie decided he was too cold and wrapped himself VERY tightly around my hand for the very first time....no bite just wrapping for warmth... I took the advice from these forums and unwraped from the Tail end but it was DIFFICULT he had wrapped over his tail. He was Suprising strong...so i had to wait a bit for him to losin up to find his tail to unravel him...he eventually went back into the pillow case.

so not only did the kids learn about Ball Pythons and Goldie i learned how strong he can be when he coiled on ..and i'm sure he was only at 60% of true strength cause he was just holding on for warmth and security...i'm sure he could probably break my hand in a Bite and death grip... (more respect added)

[StudentoReptile]

Nowadays I prefer some form of plastic tote with ventilation holes. Sometimes you have an "accident" and a soiled pillowcase or bag is kinda awkward to deal with, especially if you don't have a spare!

Bring some paper towels, an extra t-shirt, and some hand-sanitizer. Also may want to consider a small first-aid kit, in the very unlikely event of a bite. You never know...

[StudentoReptile]

LOL...just realized this was a little too late! Oh well...

[alessia55]

I would like to say Thank you for all the advice.... The engagement went over VERY well...

1 thing to note:

Goldie decided he was too cold and wrapped himself VERY tightly around my hand for the very first time....no bite just wrapping for warmth... I took the advice from these forums and unwraped from the Tail end but it was DIFFICULT he had wrapped over his tail. He was Suprising strong...so i had to wait a bit for him to losin up to find his tail to unravel him...he eventually went back into the pillow case.

so not only did the kids learn about Ball Pythons and Goldie i learned how strong he can be when he coiled on ..and i'm sure he was only at 60% of true strength cause he was just holding on for warmth and security...i'm sure he could probably break my hand in a Bite and death grip... (more respect added)
I'm glad it went well! Snakes are mighty strong, that's for sure ;)