First time buyer

knads06 · 05-04-04, 10:24 PM

Im about to buy a BP and im just wondering what everyones opinion is on them as a first time snake. Easy to handle etc or will i be looking forward to getting bit and snapped at constantly. A few of my friends have them and they say their great to have and a few others say they have friends that have them and they snap all the time. Just looking for some helpful info. thanks

nita · 05-04-04, 10:46 PM

A snappy BP is not very common. BP's make a great first time snake as long as you do your reading. Check out your library or bookstore for some books on keeping Ball pythons and you can do a search on caresheets online, there are lots. BP's are wonderful, beautiful animals that deserve to be cared for properly, my opinion is if they are snapping at you, you have a very hungry snake, or stressed out. Two things that are corrected with proper husbandry. You definately came to the right place though for information, there are a lot of very knowledgable people here. At this weekends Edmonton show I had my ball Ulysses out and he was contentedly having his picture taken while lounging around the necks of the younger kids there.

sapphire_moon · 05-05-04, 05:06 AM

research research research! Oh and set up your cage ATLEAST 1wk (7days) before you get the snake so you can stabalize temps.

In care sheets they don't tell you HOW to measure temps. Get a digitial thermometer and put the probe right OVER the UTH (uth being on the outside underneath of the cage)

and you will need a lamp dimmer or rheostat to control the temps.

As for them being snappy, if they are snappy they are hungry, have mites, or just general poor bad husbandry.

I have 2 of them, and never had one attempt to bite me, or even strike out at me. Most of the time you hear people getting bit is because of a SFE (Stupid Feeding Error) like hand feeding a rat (without tongs) or startling the snake like ripping it's hide off of him and grabbing him.

BoidKeeper · 05-05-04, 06:20 AM

Balls are calm and stay relatively small but will get large enough to eat adult rats.
Here's why I do not recomend them as pets,
- They can be picky eaters and this can be stressful for a first time owner. If a ball is not eating IMO it should not be handled. That makes them boring if you want a snake you can handle often.
- They need higher heat then most snakes, 95-90 hot end 80-75 cool end. Those temps can be hard to maintain in a cool house.
- They need higher then avarage humidity (60%) in order to shed properly.
They can be good first snakes but given their husbandry requirments I personaly do not recomend them for a beginer.
Cheers,
Trevor

daver676 · 05-05-04, 07:08 AM

I have a bp as my first snake, and although I love her to death, she has been a huge source of frustration as far as not eating. I'd strongly recommend against a bp for a first snake.

smeagel · 05-05-04, 07:22 AM

my first snake was a ball python, and they are great. She is the most tame snake i have and very easy to handle. i only have a couple of ball pythons but plan to get many more to increase my collection. I highly recomend the Ball Python.

Auskan · 05-05-04, 07:56 AM

A ball python was also my first snake and I still have her, but for a first snake I would recommend corn snakes. I agree with all the points that Trevor made, so I won't restate them. My first winter with my BP, she went off feed for 7 months which was a huge source of frustration for me. She is still partially off feed from last winter as I am also doing the switch from mice to rats and she will only eat rats under very particular circumstances which results in her only eating every 3-4 weeks.

As far as temperament, they are great. Mine has never snapped at me and is slow moving and easy to handle, compared to baby corns which are quite fast. However corns also have great temperaments and are rarely biters, even as babies. As they get bigger they calm down and become easier to handle too.

sapphire_moon · 05-05-04, 08:27 AM

ohhh, about beginer snakes? No, I wouldn't reccommend ball pythons as beginer snakes either. Unless you can actually deal with all that has been said. But you never know until you try.

Just remember that these are living creatures, If you get tired or frusterated with them, you can't just throw them away.

A good starter snake is something like a corn snake, but they can be nippy as babies, rarely as adults.
My little 8-9 month old will whip around as if to bite EVERY time I get into her cage. I'm not to sure if it's a defensive thing, or if she just thinks I'm food, because she IS a pig.

Either snake you get, allow it time to acclimate to it's new home, at the very min. 1wk without handling, staring, attempting to feed, or anything else, it is always suggested that you go atleast 2 wks like this though.

mykee · 05-05-04, 09:16 AM

Some balls snap, some don't. Some balls fast, some don't. Some have great temperments, some do not. It all depends on the individual snake you get, and how patient and stress-free you would like your life to remain. Oh yeah, do LOTS of research, buy books on captive husbandry and read everything you can BEFORE buying the snake. Good luck.

marisa · 05-05-04, 11:15 AM

I am going against the grain and saying that most snakes are good starters as long as you RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH *before* buying.

My first was a corn and frankly, I highly regret it. This little ten inch snake was whippy, bitey for a couple weeks and terribly hard to hold. I had no clue about snake handling and this was a terrible way to learn. My boyfriend did all the work with the snake because it took me months to feel comfortable holding a living whip. Sure by the time it calmed down (3-4 months old) its eating habits, and easy care made up for the handling but I certaintly wouldn't want to learn on that again.

This is JUST me though.

My ball pythons were a joy to have. You simply MUST follow the rules. Tiny enclosures for babies with tight hides and NO human interaction....now I agree this might make it not a good starter. If you have patience and you can accept not seeing your ball for the first three weeks then go for it. Anyways....the handling is amazing...hardly any strikes and no whippy-ness.

In the end many many snakes make good starters and no one can tell you which will work out best for you because on top of all their species tendencies, they are also individuals as are you and only you know which is best for you. I suggest picking out 3-4 snakes you like the looks of, then researching the crap out of them..I mean TONS of research...then using what you have learned and asking questions about the species, pick which would be best for you.

Marisa

knads06 · 05-05-04, 07:08 PM

Well just thought id let everyone know that i bought my BP today and its been great so far. I had a choice of five to choose from and he was the only one moving around inside the tank so i picked him up and he was extremely calm. All the other ones seemed tense. Planning on feeding him in a week or so since the lady at the store said they just got them in on sunday so they didnt even feed them yet. Just one question for all of you. What size tank is best? I was thinking about either a 20 or a 30 gallon tank..........Right now i have him in a 80 gallon tank just because i had it laying around and figured id use it till i buy a new one...

snakehunter · 05-05-04, 07:37 PM

The 80 gallon should suffice, just make sure htat you have ALOT of hides in there for him, tupperware containers, cereal boxes, ANYTHING he could fit in and touch ALL sides is perfect. the only thing i would worry about with a tank that large is humidity and temperature, other than that id say stick with the 80, and he could live it most if not all of his life. i say most, cause sometimes you might get a freak snake that could hit 6 ft.

nita · 05-05-04, 08:13 PM

Go with a small rubbermaid to start off with and then switch to the large one when he is ready. BP's like small spaces. If you keep him in the big one you will need to really fill it with hide places, maybe PVC Piping so that he can move around and still be hiding.

marisa · 05-05-04, 10:07 PM

Putting your snake into a 30 or 80 gallon will be disaster. Which is why I recommended RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH!

Put the baby BP into a small rubbermaid as suggested using a heat pad under 1/3 for heat. A small rubbermaid! Tight tiny hides that are almost too small. Leave it alone for two weeks I'd say....no handling, no cleaning, no nothing. Then try a very warm F.T mouse. Good luck and remember the most important thing is small secure enclosure, and no human interaction for awhile.

Marisa

knads06 · 05-06-04, 02:12 PM

After doing a week of RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH ive come to the conclusion that everyone has a different method for handling the bp's. Methods that work for your snake might not necessarily work for our. I downsized from the 80g tank i had laying around to a 20g long that i bought today. SOme people said it would be fine in the 80g and others said to put it in a rubbermaid container. Im just waiting till next week to feed it for the first time and hopefully get a good video of my new lil buddy chomping away on pinkie.