ball python

[tikeyas_mom]

i am thinking of my next pet option..
i am really into the reptiles.
I love my leopard gecko and my bearded dragon.
a friend of mine owns two 6 ft boas. and a 4 foot ball python..

i absolutly love the ball python.. i think they are so interesting and pretty..

i have been doing some research and they seem perfect..
i was just curious about prices.. and feeding

around here at petstores they are like 150 each... or more..

i would goto a reptile show or a breeder for mine though.. not sure of the cost.. i think it is based on color and size.
i want a piedbald ball python.. they are my favorite...

how would you go about feeding these snakes??
i would feed pre-killed..

[CathyBogart]

Piebalds run $5,000 and up right now depending on how much white is on them.

If you can get to a reptile show that would be the best option, as you can get truly captive bred ones there. A lot of suppliers that sell to pet stores take "farm-raised" animals and label them "captive bred", since technically they weren't bred out in the wild, but they still have a lot of the same problems a W/C animal does.

The biggest problem with Ball Pythons is that they tend to go on fasts. This isn't really a problem per se, but it does stress out a lot of first time snake owners. I recommend keeping a record of the snake's weight at each feeding, and if he fasts, remember that as long as he's not losing a lot of weight it's not a reason to stress out.

Pre-killed is IMO the best way to go, and most BP's started young have no trouble switching to pre-killed. If the snake is reluctant to eat at first, starting it on hamsters or preferably gerbils instead of mice, or scenting the mice on a hamster or gerbil will usually do the trick.

I've never had a BP, this is just my experience from working in a pet store and a reptile store and with a few friends who raise/breed them. ILoveReptiles can probably give you more detailed answers.

[tikeyas_mom]

wont a hamster or gerbil seriously hurt a bp?? i would worrie about that.. i know it hurts to get bit by a hamster... so it must hurt the snake... gulp

[ILoveReptiles]

Think very hard before getting a Ball Python. I have 2 of them and though they are very gentle, great pets, they have a stubborn streak a mile long.

They have been known to go off food for LONG periods of time and they are the most finicky eaters I've ever seen as far as Snakes go. After having two boa constrictors, I know now I'll never get another ball python.

[Suki Wingy]

Ooh! good luck! the regular (orriginal) colors were going for $100-$150 at the chicaho herp show. They are a little to boring to me, I like an animal that is more active- unlike my skink.:rolleyes:

[tikeyas_mom]

right now i am just researchng all the different types of snakes i could get as pets...

corns are cute... but so small...

the ballpythons seemed like a good choice. but i dont want a finicky eater..

i dont want a boa, since they get HUGE!..

any other suggestions?

[ILoveReptiles]

Well not all boas get huge... what's your definition of huge? I have two boas, one I would not recommend for a novice - it's rather high maintenance on the care - 80% humidity required, but that's easy enough with the misting system.

He's also a bit snappy. In case you're wondering - I'm referring to Prism. He's my male Brazilian Rainbow Boa. A beautiful snake though. He will max out at 6 feet, and he's just about 5 feet now. His picture is below:
http://www.caicos.org/images/galleries/snakeGallery/Prism04302005_a.jpg

And the other one, she's a female Guyana Red-Tailed Boa, and she's the smallest Red-Tail boa you can get. She will max out around 7 feet in length. That's not all that big if you ask me. I assume you were referring to the ones that get to be over 13 feet. Now THAT's a big snake.

Here's a shot of Youkai:
http://www.caicos.org/images/galleries/snakeGallery/Youkai04302005_a.jpg

I used to have a Kenyan Sand Boa years ago, but they're even smaller than corn snakes.

Most of the other ones I'm thinking of are pretty tempramental as far as care goes, and really aren't that great for a beginner - Emerald Tree Boas are really nice. I don't know how long they get though. Anacondas - no way. VERY nasty attitude, and they get ENORMOUS, plus they require standing water in their enclosure.

Dumerils Boa - can be very aggressive, but is tameable - and they stay around 4-7'

Blood Pythons - make sure it's Captive Bred - the wild caught ones are VERY nasty, but CB are docile. This isn't a beginner snake though - you should know something about keeping/handling snakes, and their behaviors before you get this one. Females get to be 4'-6', Males 3'-5', so they're about the same size as a ball python.

Speaking of which - one of my ball pythons just came out of a 6+ month starvation after I took him to the vet TWICE to be force fed. He wouldn't eat ANYTHING. Finicky is definitely an accurate description here.

I'll try to think of more.

[tikeyas_mom]

huge to me is like 7-12 ft... I would prefur a snake that gets a max of like 5 ft...

your snakes are beautiful.