• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

need advice for my 9 yr old son

C

cynderski

New member
Joined
Oct 22, 2011
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Tampa Bay, Florida
My son got a new juvenile bp last week from our local reptile shop that we purchase our feeders from. He handled him in the store (along with my husband) and he was very docile and friendly for the first 2-3 days. For the past 3 days he puffs up and hisses at my son every time he tries to pick him up.
We talked with the owner of the shop who basically said he is adjusting to his new home and to pick him up anyway and to not back off when he hisses and he will eventually stop. Makes sense to me but my son is becoming afraid of him (understandably) and is getting very discouraged.
This is not my son's first bp. His first was a baby female who was incredibly friendly and laid back. He absolutely adored her :( She became very ill and passed away suddenly (very long and heartbreaking story) I don't want him to lose his passion for bp's.
Any other advice for handling this snake or how to break him of this??

Also my son wants a spider ball for Christmas which we plan to get for him. I think we should get him a baby so that it will be used to being handled regularly. My son wants a juvenile because he doesn't want a baby who will get sick and die :(
any thoughts?

Thanks for helping the newbie mommy :)
 
oops, i failed to mention.
the snake has never struck at my son or my husband (who picks up the snake regardless of the hissing) I guess that's a positive :)
 
One of my BPs used to do this all the time when I took him out as well,but has since stopped and is now quite the puppy dog. ^^
Just give him a break with no handling for a couple days for now. When you do start holding him again be gentle and calm,if you continue to do this he should calm right down,it just takes some time. ^^
 
Does he have a hide in his enclosure? Is the enclosure a fish tank? If the enclosure is to big they feel insecure and scared. They don't like a lot of space.
 
Thanks ladies for responding :)

Yes, it is a fish tank 20g. He does have a hide. But he roams around the tank often.
I wasn't sure if the best approach was to leave him alone and get adjusted or basically ignore the hissing and pick him up anyway.
I really want this to work for my son. He really is a friendly snake once you get him out of the cage.
 
No problem. ^^
As long as hes not striking or biting I don't think you'll have much trouble getting him used to be taken out.
 
I have multiple balls that get all huffy puffy when I touch them or take them out. I find it adorable and makes me baby talk to them sometimes, lol. If he is calm around the snake the snake will eventually stop.
 
I would suggest waiting until the snake has eaten 2x and then start handeling him again. He probably just needs time to adjust. You can also cover the tank with a dark towel...bps get stressed easily in all glass enclosures like tanks. It might help your son to have you or your husband get the snake out of his cage and give him to your son. Most of the time the snakes I have that get cranky when I get them out calm down after a few seconds out of their enclosures. As for the spider, I would suggest looking for an older 2011 hatchling. That way you get a compromise:). You get a young one who will adjust to handeling but its less fragile than a brand new hatchling.
Hope this helps:)
 
wikidkitty said:
I have multiple balls that get all huffy puffy when I touch them or take them out. I find it adorable and makes me baby talk to them sometimes, lol. If he is calm around the snake the snake will eventually stop.
Click to expand...

This is what I find in my collection. They are all well adjusted though. This behavior may never stop but doesn't mean they wont make a great pet.

FireStorm said:
I would suggest waiting until the snake has eaten 2x and then start handeling him again. He probably just needs time to adjust. You can also cover the tank with a dark towel...bps get stressed easily in all glass enclosures like tanks. It might help your son to have you or your husband get the snake out of his cage and give him to your son. Most of the time the snakes I have that get cranky when I get them out calm down after a few seconds out of their enclosures. As for the spider, I would suggest looking for an older 2011 hatchling. That way you get a compromise:). You get a young one who will adjust to handeling but its less fragile than a brand new hatchling.
Hope this helps:)
Click to expand...

I think you should listen to this advice, and see if it helps. Normally I would agree with the shop owner if it had already adjusted to the new home.
 
You didn't say how long he had the first female before she passed away, but it was obviously a premature death. I'm sorry to be the one to introduce negativity (combined with good old common sense); but my feeling is that you probably shouldn't just add another one until this one has been kept successfully for some time.
It would be somewhat unusual for a BP to become very ill and die suddenly - it's just not the way they are...they don't typically do such things "suddenly", unless something is very, very wrong. We may be of some help in sorting out problems, if you are of a mind to describe how the BP is housed, including heat source; type of temperature controller; daytime and nighttime, warm side, cool side, and basking temperatures; room temp; feeding practices; handling practices, etc.
Also, regarding getting a 2nd BP - if/when you do opt to pursue that, it is generally considered best to house them individually (regardless of pet store practices and advice). That may have been your plan, but it wasn't stated; so I wanted to toss that out there for consideration.

Please note - it is not my intent to dissuade you from getting your son a second BP...on the contrary, I simply want to help prevent another dead one (or two). Frankly, I applaud your willingness/desire to let him have this experience, and (hopefully) to help him learn how to best take care of any animals in his care.
 
I would recommend getting a ball python from a breeder instead of a local reptile/pet shop. Most* shops import balls from africa so you never know what you will get. The first one could have had serious health issues when you bought it such as mites or something else. Buy from a reputable breeder
 
Back
Top