one mean ball python

[Smilts]

Ive been waching aBall Python at the local pet store for a couple of weeks now. They sell there pythons for 65 they want 40 for this guy. The deal is though this is a aggresive snake, if you stand close to the tank he strikes and if you put your hand in without a glove he bites. He bites when you have the glove on to but you know leather and all.They say he eats good hes just mean. Is there any way to settle him down, i hope so a want him for the chalenge he poses and because nobody else is likly to buy him. But with my snake lovin 3 year old ill need to be able to settle him down. While im at itis it possible that him living in a twenty gollon tank with five other ball pythons stressed him and he then got aggresive. sorry this is so long i just feel bad for the little guy

[Jayson]

Usually stressed BP's dont eat ,so I would be sure that the snake is actually eatting before purchacing it. somtimes pet store owners will say anything to get rid a snake they dont want.
I have a female ball who has a very strong feed response and wants to eat all the time and if she goes more then 4-5 days with out food she will strike out at any movment in front of her bin.
If it can be tamed or not i cant say, but i bought a Boa constrictor from a pet store once that was marked aggresive and it to was marked down in price, that was 4 years ago and to this day he is still very aggressive.
In my experiences it is better to spend the extra money and go to reputable breeder and get a healthy well established animal.
Jason

[Serpent-King]

Fierce biters can turn out to be the best eaters. But it's never wise to buy an animal out of pity. Sounds like a real demon, but with handling he'd sure make a good pet. I'd do it....

[Big Mike]

I agree with Jason. All those balls at that pet store are probably WC and not fully healthy. If you buy it, you will just encourage the pet store to get more WC balls.

That being said, I would guess that it is agressive because of it's current situation. If it were placed into a proper enclosure by itself and left alone for a good period of time, I think it would eventually mellow out.

[Smilts]

thanx for the advice. i havea lot of reading to do on it before i decide to get one

[remsin76]

you should talk the price down even more man.
aggressive snakes are good in the sense taht they need your attention so its like a challenge. im sure you can tame him, but $40 is not a great deal. make sure he's eating. and make sure its a CB.

[Smilts]

ill have to see him eat before i buy and talking the price down wont be hard he bit the owner good the other day

[Big Mike]

If it's selling for $40 or even $60...I would bet that it's not CB. The pet store most likely paid $20 or less. They may not be exactly wild caught but more likely farmed or hatched from WC snakes. These snakes are shipped in by the thousands and are usually in poor health. Parasites are a very common problem.

Captive bread snakes cost more...that's all there is to it. If you ask most experienced keepers they will tell you that it is worth the extra money. Like I said before, buying cheap snakes from pet stores just encourages them to buy more and this keep the imports coming in.

Check around the usual snake web sites and check how many questions you see about ball pythons that won't eat. I'd bet that the majority of these questions come from people with little experience who bought a ball python at a pet store because it was cheap.

It's up to you though...if you want to get it, then get it. You might end up with a healthy snake that will be a great pet for a long time. Just don't say we didn't warn you

[Smilts]

im not worried about it being cheap i want it in part because i feel for it though charity isnt my main goal. i like the challenge it presents me with. thank you all for all the warnings and advice i will take everything into cosideration before buying

[Invictus]

BP's are a big enough challenge with their picky eating habits. Do you really need the added stress of not being able to handle it either?

[PoiSoNouS]

I have a friend who had a ball python that would bite anything that moves, after two weeks of handling he became tame...

You can use "dish-washing" gloves, they usually dont like the taste and wont tend to bite it again...

BTW Ive moved your post to the Ball Python's Forum

[Mike177]

well like what was said it will just incouroge the pet store to get more. but if you can get the price to around 30 or less hopefully the pet store wont make any money and wont do it agan. also when buying let the pet store know that u know what the market is on ball pythons are. and tell them you want it out of pitty. and also talk about there flaws of keeping. that will eather piss them off or what u out of there(with the ball python hopefully) just dont give in. especally sence the general public dose not want an aggresave snake.

[killaclown]

I say this all the time pay 10 - 20 for wc and 20 - 60 for cb if not screw it it aint worth anything