BP not good beginner snake

[limey]

/\ Can you see how this might be frustrating? It also wastes my time and money. I'm throwing away more food than seems necessary.

[EmbraceCalamity]

Originally Posted by limey

/\ Can you see how this might be frustrating? It also wastes my time and money. I'm throwing away more food than seems necessary.

People have already told you they can go 6-8 months without eating and to stop worrying, so I don't see why you insist on trying every week and getting worked up when she doesn't take it.

~Maggot

[limey]

Originally Posted by EmbraceCalamity

People have already told you they can go 6-8 months without eating and to stop worrying, so I don't see why you insist on trying every week and getting worked up when she doesn't take it.

~Maggot

You are assuming, Embrace Calamity. One must not assume. I'm talking in the past tense... I have offered her food every week... in the past.

I'm not so much getting worked up mate, it's difficult to convey your message by writing sometimes. In person, I'm very chilled. On a forum, I write more "to the point", but that doesn't mean I'm getting worked up. Just getting my message across.

I guess when others come on here and say "I disagree" and "they are perfect for beginners", I feel like people are trying to tell me I am wrong. I don't think anybody is necessarily right or wrong, we are talking "case by case basis" here. They aren't right for everybody. Just like most people couldn't manage handling the pack of timber wolves I used to work with a couple years back. It's not always cut and dry.

I'm trying to get others to realise why some ball pythons may be a frustrating pet for some newcomers to the hobby, as mine was, and why they could potentially put people off snakes a bit.

Example: I did 2 months research and read a couple of books before even considering getting a snake. I did okay when I finally got one, but still had some annoyances. Imagine what a straight nOOb would feel like after owning a BP like mine - somebody who just walked into a pet shop and bought one with no knowledge at all. Then people wonder why there are so many snakes given up, abandoned, neglected or given away... I guess I'm straying from the point here.

Beginner in my mind is something that takes very little effort to upkeep. The average guy in the street (not me) wouldn't think you have to do considerable research before getting a pet snake. Many people would just get a few tank essentials and just get one. Those people are your typical beginners. And those people might have their snake die on them or end up not knowing what to do and giving it up to a shelter. Everyone told them to get a BP, and they failed at it's upkeep. Why? Because keeping one might not be as simple as a beginner assumes. And that is why I don't believe this is a beginner snake. My opinion.

Like I say, if I wasn't moving, I really wouldn't have considered getting rid of her.

The main reason she has to go is because I'm planning on driving across the country and may/may not be allowed pets wherever I end up next. My husbandry has been almost spot on for a first time keeper... no hiccups, no health problems, she seems to be okay for the most part. You need a stable situation to keep a pet. My life situation is not ideal. Therefore she'll go to somebody locally that I know will take good care of her.

Perhaps also, like has been said already, I was just looking for something different, you may be right. And perhaps I was slightly disappointed in this species. But I've learned from it, and she's alive and okay and that's the main thing, right?

You are all entitled to your opinions, I understand. Some of you have been nothing but pleasant with me, and to those people I say thanks!

[EmbraceCalamity]

Wow. I wasn't trying to start a novel. Just an observation.

Originally Posted by limey

You are assuming, Embrace Calamity. One must not assume. I'm talking in the past tense... I have offered her food every week... in the past.

Yes, and you cited that as your reason for your frustration, hence me doing the same.

Originally Posted by limey

I'm not so much getting worked up mate, it's difficult to convey your message by writing sometimes. In person, I'm very chilled. On a forum, I write more "to the point", but that doesn't mean I'm getting worked up. Just getting my message across.

You said you were frustrated with your snake. Frustrated is a level of worked up in my opinion. That is what I was referring to.

Originally Posted by limey

I guess when others come on here and say "I disagree" and "they are perfect for beginners", I feel like people are trying to tell me I am wrong. I don't think anybody is necessarily right or wrong, we are talking "case by case basis" here. They aren't right for everybody. Just like most people couldn't manage handling the pack of timber wolves I used to work with a couple years back. It's not always cut and dry.

Wait...you said they're not good beginner snakes (reference: title), but when people say they are, then you say there is no right or wrong and it's only "case by case basis."

Originally Posted by limey

Then people wonder why there are so many snakes given up, abandoned, neglected or given away... I guess I'm straying from the point here.

I don't think anyone wonders that...

Originally Posted by limey

Beginner in my mind is something that takes very little effort to upkeep. The average guy in the street (not me) wouldn't think you have to do considerable research before getting a pet snake. Many people would just get a few tank essentials and just get one. Those people are your typical beginners. And those people might have their snake die on them or end up not knowing what to do and giving it up to a shelter. Everyone told them to get a BP, and they failed at it's upkeep. Why? Because keeping one might not be as simple as a beginner assumes. And that is why I don't believe this is a beginner snake. My opinion.

If your idea of a "beginner" snake is something that requires little or no research or knowledge, then you're out of your mind. That doesn't exist, nor should any snake be put in that situation, "beginner" or not. Every animal on the face of the planet requires research and knowledge. Some are more delicate and require more work, but they all need proper care that can only be given by someone knowledgeable.

~Maggot

[limey]

Ahhh, I can't win. Especially if I'm going to have my posts picked apart.

How's about me phrasing it like this:

1. A ball python wasn't the right snake for me.
2. I did a fair job keeping my BP in good shape considering I live near the arctic circle.
3. Lots of snake people are quick to recommend ball pythons.
4. Keepers should always advise the prospective keepers to do considerable research before getting a snake because to many people (generally speaking, and not referring to me) it might not be common knowledge that keeping a snake can be trickier and very different than, say, keeping a dog.
5. Ensure newbs know what they are getting into (the best you can) before recommending a species and simply saying "these are good beginner snakes", as many people do.

These are the points I'm trying to make. And in an ideal world, the last 2 points are things I would like people to be aware of.

Case in point... we had a lady come on here in the early autumn asking all kinds of questions on the forum. She'd never owned a snake before and had just bought a BP for her young son. She wanted to try and take care of it right. When some of the members tried to advise her of the husbandry needs of the BP she seemed very overwhelmed. She couldn't meet some of it's needs, if I recall, she couldn't get the cold side warm enough, the part of the U.S. she was in was very dry and had trouble with the humidity, plus all kinds of other problems. In the end, she found it very difficult, not as she had imagined a beginner snake to be at all. Perhaps if she had purchased a corn snake, it might have survived or even thrived.

The lady, in her frustration (with both the hubandry and some of the members here (who can also get a bit high and mighty at times it would seem) left the forum. Nobody knows what became of the snake, but it probably wasn't good. Inevitably, my point is, a corn snake is perhaps a better all-round beginner snake. It would be more forgiving of beginner errors.