My pastel ball python...chillin'

Cadillactaste

Cadillactaste

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He is around 4'...had him since he was hatched...bought him from a breeder in PA. He looks quite comfortable chillin' in his boa cage.

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He looks so cool. I would love to have a snake, but my girlfriend would never allow one in our house.
 
KennedyMarx said:
He looks so cool. I would love to have a snake, but my girlfriend would never allow one in our house.
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I used to be petrified of snakes...like you couldn't pay me enough to go down an aisle at a pet store if they had a snake in a cage. We actually have ornate wood turtles when my son asked for a snake 13 years ago. No way...NOT IN MY HOUSE!

What changed my outlook...our trip to Canada. We went to the Bird Kingdom which had a reptile exhibit. Snakes were in a different area from the rest of the reptiles...or so we thought. At the end of huge reptile exhibit...was this green thing. (It was a bit dark in there...so I didn't know at first what it was. Knowing we were NOT in the snake section...I was puzzled. Never thinking
SNAKE!

It is much different than culbrid snakes...with a definition to its head. But...the way it was coiled reminded me of a moldy cinnamon bun. I took pictures of it...and was like...this think is actually cool looking! So I decided to do research...and become the "cool mom" and get the boys a snake.

Made contact with a breeder...and decided I best actually go to a pet store and see if I could HOLD a snake. Before having one shipped to the house. So I did...couldn't pick up the milkshake...pulled hand out of cage screaming like a girl. So I pushed that cage aside...and went for the python. It coiled into a ball when the cage was moved to the floor...so it was easy to pick up. When he started to move...I must admit...I about wigged out a minute...kept reminding myself that it felt like an antique metal purse. Then...someone walked by us. And it coiled into a ball hiding it's head. I laughed...it is more scared of US! After that...I did real well...Ball Pythons are the least likely to bite. Males even a lesser chance because female become gravid with eggs...and get hormonal during that time they can be bred. So to get a snake from a breeder...allowed me to determine the sex of the snake...and that it was actually a captive bred snake and not a wild caught one. Feeding thawed mice...allows any parasite to be killed the rodent may have as well. A ball python does not get big...and constrictors are sloooowwww moving snakes. Not a hand over hand sort of snake. Prefers to collect your body heat than escape. So not quick moving. When one learns about said species...knowledge replaces fear. A locked snake cage also helped me know...it couldn't escape. ;)

Emerald Tree Boa...not a first time snake purchase...but what got me over the biggest hurdle and able to look at a snake up close.

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Past...forgot to say...it is now..."MY SNAKE"! If the boys would choose to want a snake when they move out, then I will get them their own. This one is mine and not going anywhere.
 
Cadillactaste said:
Past...forgot to say...it is now..."MY SNAKE"! If the boys would choose to want a snake when they move out, then I will get them their own. This one is mine and not going anywhere.
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Good for you! My daughter keeps geckos. Our biggest problem right now is what to do with all the babies :)
 
I had a ball python once and they can move fast when they want to, like when catching food. I fed mine prefrozen mice and would feed it in a seperate feeding box. One time, it decided it didnt want to eat so I reached in to take the mouse out and it thought my hand was food (it could smell the mouse in the box) and struck at my hand. Nothing serious, just a few small scratches but sure did surprise me.
 
Paradox said:
I had a ball python once and they can move fast when they want to, like when catching food. I fed mine prefrozen mice and would feed it in a seperate feeding box. One time, it decided it didnt want to eat so I reached in to take the mouse out and it thought my hand was food (it could smell the mouse in the box) and struck at my hand. Nothing serious, just a few small scratches but sure did surprise me.
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That doesn't surprise me...feeding error bites is typically all they are known for. Feeding tongs are a good investment. ;) in case you would ever get another one. Also...I know many who use a feeding box. But was told not to use it. Since my snake was a young hatchling...being moved to a separate area might scare it not allowing it to eat. So we feed in the cage. Always using a feeding tong. And...always on the same side of the cage. When he is hungry and come to the glass door and look at us...like...hello I'm hungry! Lol never had him try and strike us...some say feeding in the cage can cause this. But with no scent of a mouse...they do not strike. He's a captive bred snake...and is so routine it's uncanny.

Also...we feed him from the tongs. That is what he is used to. If he won't take it. The mouse is removed from the cage. Never left to sit on the floor of the cage. Due to the repti-bark I didn't want a blockage. We've had him 5 years now I believe. Never had him strike us. He's missed the tongs and mouse but we were safe out of his way with the tongs being quite long.
 
Very cool. My son has a blue tongue skink and 2 ball pythons, a male spider morph and a male yellowbelly morph. I have a female super pastel. We may try to breed in a year or two...as Bnut is realizing, it can sometimes be difficult to find homes for the babies...Love those cresties:cool:...soft as velvet.

The pictures are from a bit over a year ago...the ones on the ends were juveniles then but have grown up a bit since then. The first is Cliff the spider morph, the next is Rocco the yellow belly morph, and then we have Adelle the super pastel morph.
 

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My Brother In Law lives in North Fort Meyers in Florida. He has an extensive snake collection including some rarely seen. Fact is they are all Rescues :eek: Make sure you have buyers or you might land up with an oversize personal collection :p

Grimmy
 
I used to own a few snakes myself. From smallest to largest.
Gray rat snake.
Breeding pair of corn snakes.
Black rat snake.
Ball python( the black rat was longer but not as heavy)
Columbian Boa
Pair of Burmese pythons.
I liked the corn snakes, boa and Burmese pythons best. Especially the Burmese pythons. I got them when they were babies. About 20" long. In a year both were over 10' long. First year on any snake is max growth time.
The biggest problem I had was keeping up on rats and rabbits to feed them. I raised both but snakes can and will eat almost every week.
I see all these nice ball pythons and want to get another snake now. But not a ball python. Most that I dealt with and almost everyone in the pet trade agrees. Ball pythons are calm and docile snakes that don't get overly large but after a while they stop eating. Any of you guys have that problem yet? I had 2 and they both did it. One didn't eat for 7 months and the other for almost 9. The remedy? Gerbils in the dark. It's what ball pythons eat in nature. Got to keep an eye on them though because they can be aggressive toward the snake. And like any prey item you give them if they don't go for it in a couple minutes get the rodent out cause they will gnaw on your snake.
 
Found a picture. The enclosure is 8' by 4'. I believe there is 5 snakes in the picture but can only see 4. That little ball python in the picture was a little over 3' in length. I moved and didn't have room so I sold them. I still see them occasionally since the guy I sold them to still has them. Next time I go over there I will take some pics. The Burmese python is really impressive at a touch over 18' long and almost 250 lbs. The boa is close to 14' now. Their names are Doom and Baby. They're so docile I used to take them and my Iguana (Godzilla of course) to the school here for educational demonstrations. The kids loved them.
 

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Dav4 said:
Very cool. My son has a blue tongue skink and 2 ball pythons, a male spider morph and a male yellowbelly morph. I have a female super pastel. We may try to breed in a year or two...as Bnut is realizing, it can sometimes be difficult to find homes for the babies...Love those cresties:cool:...soft as velvet.

The pictures are from a bit over a year ago...the ones on the ends were juveniles then but have grown up a bit since then. The first is Cliff the spider morph, the next is Rocco the yellow belly morph, and then we have Adelle the super pastel morph.
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Those are some sweet snakes! I have a morph coffee table book. Does your spider star gaze? I know it is an issue with that particular morph. Cool names as well...
 
GrimLore said:
My Brother In Law lives in North Fort Meyers in Florida. He has an extensive snake collection including some rarely seen. Fact is they are all Rescues :eek: Make sure you have buyers or you might land up with an oversize personal collection :p

Grimmy
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That is cool he is taking in rescue! Just seen in the news a teacher who had complaints of foul odor coming from his house...and several snakes were found dead and decomposing. Only 7 were found alive. The ones alive...were found cold. So no heat source...
 
M. Frary said:
Found a picture. The enclosure is 8' by 4'. I believe there is 5 snakes in the picture but can only see 4. That little ball python in the picture was a little over 3' in length. I moved and didn't have room so I sold them. I still see them occasionally since the guy I sold them to still has them. Next time I go over there I will take some pics. The Burmese python is really impressive at a touch over 18' long and almost 250 lbs. The boa is close to 14' now. Their names are Doom and Baby. They're so docile I used to take them and my Iguana (Godzilla of course) to the school here for educational demonstrations. The kids loved them.
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Nice snakes...I am amazed the larger snakes don't eat the smaller ones. I read on a snake forum you risk that with housing them together. I am amazed...my husband found a wild snake ( corn snake? ) ...that had eaten another snake...took a photo of it. Which surprised me...his picking it up...caused it to regurgitate the snake it had eaten.
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I didn't see these photo...I asked him more about that day...and he showed me these...he said he thought the snake it at was bigger than it. And once regurgitated...it slithered away. Both seemed fine...and crawled off.
 
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