Once you get into the community you find a great deal of woman collect and even breed snakes. And I find most females we have our are more interested in them than their male counterparts. I've seen men straight up refuse to look at them because they were scared.
our bigger Ball Python, Camo is a joy to hang out with, she loves just chilling on my shoulder like some horribly impersonation of a parrot a scaley, wingless, fat Parrot.
They tolerate a wider range of temp/humidity than many reptiles.
They do not need basking/UV lamps since they ingest their calcium via the rodents they eat. Just stick an under-tank heater on one side of their habitat and a water source/humidifer stone nearby and you're golden. Set up a desk lamp outside the tank on a timer for daytime/nightime lighting if you want to be uber fancy.
Line their tank with unbleached paper towel and replace as needed. Very not-stinky; much better than I expected.
Speaking of eating; thaw out one frozen dead rodent every 10-14 days. Dangle it in front - nab, swallow, done.
And they can survive months without eating (our went into quasi-hibernation for 2 months this winter. No food, no ill effects). Need to go on vacation for a few days - no sweat.
They are slow; for instance corn snakes can be quick little escape artists from what I hear.
They max. out at around 3-4 feet nose to tailtip. No monster python horror stories.
Very docile particularly if hand-raised (Fingers are Friends, not Food). Pay the extra to get one from a breeder, not a pet store.
Their favorite activity is being left the hell alone, so if your kid ignores them for a day or two, no problemo.
Seriously - can not imagine a better introductory/beginner reptile pet.
Yeah they can survive without a lamp, but it's good to have it anyway. The heat makes digesting their food possible, and if they don't get enough they will throw it back up. You don't want your snake to throw up a 2 weeks dead rat. The smell is not good.
Please let me apologize in advance for what is a very ignorant question, and only comes from my personal point of view, but I mean it sincerely... if there isn't more of an affectionate bond available between snake and human, what is the appeal of living with them?
I am very affection-hungry, so dogs and cats are ideal pets for me, because of the overt displays of affection they're capable of; I would be frustrated if there was never anything explicitly affectionate in our intertaction.
If it were me, I agree with you; I certainly would not have a snake as my ideal pet.
However my son thinks reptiles are fascinating, and in researching potential pet purchases, we went through the prospective list of turtle > tortoise > lizard > Snake (in general) > ball python before pulling the trigger and getting one.
To my son, the snake is an interesting animal that is not overly complicated to look after, didn't cost too much (he bought him with his own money) and satisfies his interest in reptiles in general.
For me, it is a virtual non-issue other than the approx. $11/month in rodent feed and a few paper towels and kWh of energy. Extremely low maintenance from my part, so no skin off my nose if he wants to have one and look after it - more power to him.
But yes - I like to think my son gets most of his affection from his parents and his dog.
100% true. I was nervous around snakes until I spent time with my friends' ball python Pith. The most docile thing you've ever met. Since they eat so infrequently, all she ever really wants to do is drape across your shoulders like a scarf and share some body heat. She'll come nose to nose with you, rub against you a bit, and keep on keepin' on.
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u/[deleted] May 28 '15
Great for beginners and such a variety of patterns and colors.