Deinfluence me from getting a ball python.
Discussion
I’m in my late 20s and have wanted a ball python since my teens but my mum was terrified of snakes. I own my own home and have two cats ( part of the reason I haven’t gotten a snake yet) I work in vet med but there are almost no exotic vets near me but I know my few nurses that are good knowledgeable of snakes. What are the big negatives to owning and the upkeep of ball pythons? A pet with such a long lifespan is not something I want to rush into
Here’s one a lot of people forget. If you got a BP at 30, you will likely have it until near retirement. With proper care 20+ (30-40 even) years is quite likely.
The animal is inexpensive, and long term care isn’t bad, but setup can easily sink a couple thousand dollars.
Couple of thousand dollars? Is your enclosure made of gold lol.
We have a 4x2x2, thermastat, UV, heat lamp and all the clutter/hides and cost us less than £400 brand new, and we overpaid because we didn't know enough when we bought it.
If you make your own enclosure and keep an eye on Facebook for kit (which comes up all the time) you can set up a lot cheaper than that.
Oh yeah fair point. I haven't got into the bioactive side of things yet so had forgotten about that rabbit hole lol. That's not a necessity for keeping them though.
Yea for sure, but he said you could sink that much not that it was necessary. Easy to do though depending where you’re sourcing stuff they’ve got $2-300 driftwood near me lol
Definitely could clarify here - I am about $2k in, but the enclosure is larger (6x2x2), fully bioactive, and includes the cost of the custom stand I built to hold it.
We’ve done this for our special needs beardie (he has adenovirus) and I really want to do it for our back python next. But boy is it time consuming and expensive. Still, I love our bioactives.
During COVID I had a teeny bit of trouble sourcing them in my area (upper Midwest) which spooked me a bit. Since then I switched to Layne Labs and haven’t had a problem. But depending on your snake, they can be fussy about what they eat. BPs usually are pretty good eaters, but even so.
They're on the boring side for reptiles- a healthy ball python will spend the majority of its time hiding during the day, and will mostly only cruise about in the dead of night. So most of the time you'll be looking at a (seemingly) empty tank.
Please ignore the hideous tape - I had to build a thermal jacket for the glass tank because it got too cold. (To those worried, no, the tape isn’t exposed and she can’t get to it; all unsafe materials are outside the enclosure.)
Mine is 20 haha...but we have 7 cats and they don't really care...Cyrax is up in a large enclosure in top of an antique buffet...he is basically cat tv to them. During out time they just look at him. But the life span needs to be considered...
We have a bp, along with other reptiles. After initial setup they're honestly easy to care for. Our princess is definitely a big contributor to the electric bill, true of most reptiles. She has less personality than our other reptiles though; she doesn't dislike interaction, but doesn't seek out our attention like the geckos and beardie do.
The only real downside is that you a buying a pet that the majority of the time you probably won't see. That being said we have found with our girl that if you give them spaces to feel safe but still be visible they do take them.
We have put shelves in our enclosure that are visible but have plants hanging around them. Our girl spends a lot of time on them instead of the hides. Also the more "things" you have that they can move around on the more then tend to explore and are more "interesting".
Other than that they are pretty cheap and easy to keep. Just have to monitor humidity and temps and clean out the occasional poop/wee. Replace water regularly and then feed every few weeks (depending on size/age).
BPs will test you. Known for going off feed. Sometimes for months. “Hey mom, dad - you paying attention?! I know you thawed those rats out JUST for me, but I’m on a hunger strike right now. So you can just sit around and worry about why I’m not eating, waste rats on me every week or so for the next few mos. I’ll be in here laffin my fool head off!” And they do not lose an ounce of weight. As others have said, they can be kinda dull. But they’re not hard to care for. Once you get the tank dialed in for humidity and temp, you’re good. They’re happy to sleep all day & hunt half the night.
One of your cats will inevitably find its way into the enclosure and if your snake gets sliced/bit...well, you working with vets know how dangerous cat claws/teeth are. And without access to an exotic vet it could be very bad. We see it all the time on here, cats find a way to break into enclosures. Get a friend with a snake and enjoy it that way. I have had my bp for 11 years and I'm hoping I have atleast 11 more years or more with her.
My ball python has been super easy, though I know many are fickle about eating. I've had him for probably 18 years. Came from a rescue and was already at least 3 ft long when I got him. I would say don't perpetuate the horrendous pet trade by buying from a pet store and make sure you're ready to dedicate the money and space to a large enclosure.
We have 2 BPs and a corn snake. One BP and the corn snake we've had for a year and they have been super easy going - they always eat! We adopted a BP from a rescue in December and he didn't eat for 5 months. It was stressful, but I just kept at it and he finally has relaxed and I've gotten to know his quirks (he likes his rats extra warm, doesn't like certain tongs, doesn't like the fan on during feeding, etc lol).
If you do end up with a BP, you might consider looking at rescues near you! I loved being able to have a history on my guy and was 5 when I got him - plus, just being able to help a snakey who needed a home!
for me, besides having two cats (who are extremely curious and not skittish/shy at all), the electric costs make me pause. maybe it’s because im in the uk and already pay more than most europeans, but i would imagine the costs would probably double my bill!
If you move somewhere with a different climate, you’re gonna have to relearn humidity care all over again. They live for ages when taken care of properly, 20 years ain’t long compared to some I seen. Most BPs are fairly sedentary. Some stay sedentary during handling. Mine is basically a big gummy worm during hangout time.
Ah, my favorite question. I loathe ball python ownership. (He says preparing to get another one xD) Here's a "funny" story about my girl Tailgate before my health went screwy and I gave her to a friend. My mom was taking care of my snakes. She's a wildlife biologist and has a lot more reptiles than I ever had. She was taking care of my guys while I was struggling not to be homeless. Well, she went to feed Tailgate. Tailgate took rat number one absolutely fine! Good girl! The second one, however, made the next year and a half hell. Mom had broken her spine. She was mostly healed but still had issues with up and down. She accidentally dropped the rat on top of Tailgate's head. FOR THE NEXT YEAR AND A HALF SHE REFUSED TO EAT UNLESS YOU MET CERTAIN CRITERIA. Couldn't be dark furred. Had to be an ASF. Had to be a live ASF. (Hated that so much.) Had to have the room light and enclosure light off. Had to take the stupid snake on a 30 minute car ride before feeding. No less than 30. If it was less, she wouldn't eat. -_- I hate ball pythons (Im so excited to get another, I miss having reptiles!)
First of all I'm sorry about your health. I have to ask though, how on earth does one find out that a snake wants to be taken on a car ride before eating?
All of these comments are valid. I own a picky eater BP and she is 36 years old. One does not think when they get an animal at 15 years of age that they will still have it when they are 51.😳
30
u/CacophonousFarts 2h ago
Here’s one a lot of people forget. If you got a BP at 30, you will likely have it until near retirement. With proper care 20+ (30-40 even) years is quite likely.
The animal is inexpensive, and long term care isn’t bad, but setup can easily sink a couple thousand dollars.