Our new friend, "Pickle"

[mrgrimm]

He is a very cool snake, shop says about 1 1/2 years old and a male but they are not 100% sure...oh well we love him anyways. Very calm and nice, but also seems like he wants to explore if you sit still with him on the couch he wants to slide away! Around the shoulders though he is content and just hangs out while walking around the house. Very glad we have decided to keep a Ball Python.

[thinkbig317]

Congrats bud! Ball pythons make great pets! Enjoy!

[ErikBush97]

They're definitely cute little snakes

[Teal]

Congratulations on your new addition!

[alessia55]

Congrats on your new scaly friend! Your kid(s) will enjoy having him.
Before you decide to put your new ball python around your neck or around your kid's necks, have a read through this thread: http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/gener...ound-neck.html

[mrgrimm]

Originally Posted by alessia55

Congrats on your new scaly friend! Your kid(s) will enjoy having him.
Before you decide to put your new ball python around your neck or around your kid's necks, have a read through this thread: http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/gener...ound-neck.html

Going to read it now, but before I do I want to say that even though he is pretty small (I think so at least) he is strong, and I don't let him get a good coil completely around my neck without sticking my chin down or my hand in there first. He stays below the shoulders on the kids for various reasons! Last thing I need is my daughter bragging to the other kids at school about how daddy puts a python around her neck!

When I first got him, he did get pretty tight around my neck once to the point where I could feel a little throbbing and I started to get light headed...it was kind of a test to see how far he would go, with my wife sitting right next to me. I said that's enough, and I was still able to easily slide my hand in between him and myself to gently pull him off.

For me I have found it is nice to have both hands free to clean his tank, change water, etc. so around the neck/shoulders is the most practical place and he does behave really well as long as I just give him a little adjustment if he happens to feel a bit "squeezy". I am not concerned with him biting me in the face but if it happens then I guess I will have to re-evaluate hanging him around the back of the neck. Thanks for the link!

[mrgrimm]

...That was an interesting read, I saw valid points for both sides of the discussion. Of course at the end there was some bickering but that's to be expected in a public internet forum, right? lol...

Thank goodness its a (mostly) free world we live in - but seeing the big picture needs to be considered and I see how "snake around the neck" pics can be misleading and even harmful to young and/or uneducated people.

I personally don't think the above pic I posted is harmful because he is not coiled around the front (opinion of course!) But if a moderator were to think otherwise I would not have a problem with them removing it to maintain a particular image on this site.

I am all about supporting responsible pet ownership and setting good examples even though I'm not always perfect myself. It's all about sharing and learning to gain experience.