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are they really calm

K

kggjr

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WE have several corn snakes not to mention several type of lizards and are looking into getting a bp, we have been looking on this forum. So far everyone seems very nice when answering questions is this the only website or are there others that would be good, just like some input on why they are so popular thanks so much. dana This will be strictly a pet would female or male be better :cool:
 
Yep..

Yes, ball pythons are nice calm snakes. It's extremely rare for them to bite...they would rather coil into a ball when threatened. Babies are much more shy than adults (or sub-adults), so shouldn't be handled too much at the begining. Eventually, they get used to handling, and are very nice snakes to "play" with as a pet. The only down side to BPs is that they sometimes can be finicky eaters. As far as getting a male or female...in my experience, the females are more reliable eaters. Also, females grow bigger than males...maxing out at 5-6 feet. Have you checked out the forums on Kingsnake.Com? They also have some good input by other snake people.

Scott Nellis
 
I have had adults that were in Africa on Monday and at my door on Friday and even they did not bite. They tried to get away and when that didn't work, they balled up.

The only baby I ever had strike at me was one at a local store that was not being fed. It had a feeding response when you reached in since it was hungry but once out, balled up.

I would say 99% of the BP's are naturally unwilling to bite. An established captive bred one would probably be your best bet. It will be used to people and an established feeder.

This is an adult import about 2 months after coming in. She settled in really fast. Started eating right away and a great friendly temperament.
 

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There are a whole bunch of other reptile sites out there, but I am particularly fond of this one - A really good bunch of people. And for the most part, the people that offer advice actually know what they are talking about, which is a HUGE plus, lol. (There are innumerable self-proclaimed "experts" out there...unfortunately, their misinformation can increase your confusion and problems). Feel free to PM me for some other sites - that way, I can be brutally honest about my opinions of them, lol.

As for why ball pythons are popular - 1) adult size is easily manageable 2) the basic model is cheap 3) enough designer morphs to keep everyone happy 4) CB and CH specimens are much easier to deal with than the imports that made up the market 10-15 yrs ago
 
I have personally been advised never to buy imports, because they can be stressed out by human contact more than those raised by humans all their lives. (among other mantras, but i won't get into it)
However, as a asnake, BP's tend to be pretty calm. All the "bad" BPs i have known or heard of were imports or neglected animals that were never accustomed to handling when young and as a result were difficult to deal with as adults. (like kids or anything else, get em used to it while their young, lol)
My little male is a CB and great handler, very cautious and used to jump at any percieved threat. now he only shies at half the stuff he used to, hee hee. Other than babies being a bit more nervous than adults, there are generally no problems with the majority of balls i've met or read about on this site tameness -wise.
My advice is to go for an older snake if you can, the males are usually cheaper if you buy, BUT please consider adopting a snake if there is a local rescue or someone advertising for a snake looking for a home. Be aware that secondhand animals can carry risks if the former owner is a not too educated or trustworthy person, but many snakes do need homes and have no problems other than being unwanted.
males tend to be cheaper, but wiegh that against Scitt's info about females, and really as long as you aren't looking to breed, ther prices are fairly reasonable for normals in both sexes if you do buy from a breeder.
hhmoore is pretty dead on with the reasons for being popular. Myself, i love fat chubby snakes, and their cute little snub snouts, i live in a high humidity area, and i fell in love with piedbalds... And i bought a baby because he was cheaper than an adult and it is pretty cool watching them grow up. :3
good luck whatever you do, and just be careful and check out sellers on the BOI when you do get one.
Do you have any plans on where you'll be gtting your new addition from? (f you do end up getting it)
 
Yes we do we have a friend who breeds bp from the normals to the very high dollar ones, we have been thinking about doing this for a couple of years and decided the time was right Ijust want to make sure we have the right set up etc because I want the snake to have the longest and healthest life it can , we have a exotic vet that takes care of our others only a few miles from us. The one we are looking at is a baby male which is normal but he also has several to choose from, like I said before I just want the snake to have a good life here. I am the type of person I want to have all the information to start off right and kept it healthy. thanks for the replys so far
 
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