I want one REALLY bad but my mom doesnt like snakes and I dont live with my dad. PLEASE HELP!!!
2006-09-30 18:18:38 · 9 answers · asked by Chloe 2 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
When I got my first ball python (I think I was 15 at the time), my mom HATED snakes. After a few months, she grew attached to her!
Tell your mother that ball pythons (official name is "Royal Python") are one of the smallest in the pythonidae family (grows to about 6 feet long, usually shorter) and probably the most docile and easy to tame. They rarely bite and are a pleasure to hold as they'll sometimes be shy and roll themselves into a ball (hence their nickname), tucking their heads in the middle. It's just so cute!
Also, make sure to tell her that ball pythons are beautiful in color. They come in many different "phases" besides the standard tan and black "saddles". If she loves to decorate, tell her that she can decorate the cage (with assumation that she'll do so with snake-friendly furniture and plants that are as close to the snake's native African environment as possible).
Although the chance of them escaping is always a small one, if she is worried about it, just inform her that your new snake will probably just want to curl up somewhere quiet and warm. Let's not tell her that that "quiet and warm" space may be next to her body while she's sleeping!
Before you buy, do your research. These snakes are NOTORIOUS for being extremely finicky eaters. Sometimes they'll go for months without eating, and while they can survive for that amount of time without food, it's not healthy for them at all.
Last of all, make sure to research where you'll be buying your new snake. Ball pythons are, unfortunately, captured and sent to United States in bulk loads from their homeland in Africa due to their high demand and are apt to harbor numerous types of diseases and parasites. Make sure to buy from a reputable herpatology store that takes care of their animals. When I bought my first ball python, I got to see her parents, which meant that she wasn't captured and flown overseas. I suggest you attempt to do the same. Snakes that are domestically bred can save you a whole lotta trouble and money from continuously taking your snake to the vet for parasite and infectious disease medication. Maybe your local vet might know of a well-run herpatology store that supplies ball pythons. Remember, snakes should never be a show-and-tell tool. They are living, breathing creatures and you must respect them, and in order to do that, you must read up before you buy.
Good luck and I hope your mom lets you get one!
2006-09-30 19:02:19 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Do a LOT of research, and be persistent. I had to keep at it for about 7 years to get a corn snake. Now I have the corn snake and a ball python. My dad tells me that I asked for a snake when I was around three, and he told me that I could get one when I was ten, figuring I would be over it by then. Boy was he wrong. Show that you're responsible and can take care of it. I have NEVER seen a ball python bite. On the other hand, my corn snake just tangled in some wires, and I grabbed her tail. She turns around and bite me. And they're supposed to be a mellow type of snake. It depends on the individual snake.
Convince your mom that snakes are friendly and nice. If she shows no signs of relenting in about a year, then go and start asking for a tarantula or something that she would probably hate even more. That may get her to start thinking that a snake might not be so bad. *evil grin*
2006-10-01 01:42:59 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
When teens come in to the shop wanting a snake, the first question I ask them is, how long can a ball python live? They average about 20 to 30 years. You can't take the snake when you go to college. Your mom will have to watch it. Food has to be purchased weekly. They start out on fuzzies or hoppers and end up eating full sized rats. That's a weekly trip to the pet shop for food. Ball Pythons can get 7' long and are very thick around the middle. We don't even recommend them to families that have children aged 5 and under in the home because a small child can be constricted by one. Then there is salmonella. A person has to keep themselves and the tank clean. Snakes like to defecate in the water bowl. Owning a snake is a lot of responsibility. A person just cannot dump a snake anywhere if they don't want it any more either and lots of times, pet shops won't take them back. These are the facts about owning a snake.
2006-10-01 03:37:49 · answer #3 · answered by kriend 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Ball Pythons are very docile snakes. I love 'em but they are a bit boring after awhile. :P I think the best thing for you to do is 'borrow' a ball python for a while. Print articles off the internet and show your mom. Then encourage her to hold the snake. Tell her to keep her hands still and the snake will curl up in a ball and try to get warm from her warm hands. Don't make the mistake of showing her a snake that has recently eaten -.-. Let her have plenty of time to get used to the idea of the snake and show her your responsibiltiy by washing your hands after putting the snake away, and encouraging her to do the same. Then tell her about the lids to the aquariams having the locking side flippy things. Tell her if the snake did escape, it would probably just sit itself behind the tv closest to the cage to keep warm.
2006-10-01 01:29:13 · answer #4 · answered by BookGirl 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Boy, thats a tough one. My mom has been scared to death of snakes all her life and no I never got one at home. Now that I'm on my own I have two, And she has actually held them and now likes them, so unless you can get your mom to like snakes I wish the best for you. Some people never get over being afraid of snakes so I hope you'r mom only does'nt like them, it may be easier.
2006-10-01 02:08:14 · answer #5 · answered by LisaMarie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you cant force your parents to do anything.
if they dont want them in thier home then more than likely you will have to wait until you move out and get a place of your own like i did.
and i have had a ball python and a ferret
she did however let me have iguanas back then. they were really nice.
i might get another one some day.
2006-10-01 08:39:58 · answer #6 · answered by Jen L-Baby #1 due Nov 15, 2010 ! 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well when I was a kid i wanted one too. my mom was like disgusted at it i say just keep on looking for something that you can handle maybe a baby one just not too big, check in on local classifies and for low prices in the retiles section and tell your mom that and the great blessings youll recieve if you own one. eventually she'll break "might" after begging and the pros. well thats what happened to me.
2006-10-02 10:09:53 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
As a mom im one that could never be convinced...Wait till you move out then you can have all the snakes you want.....
2006-10-01 02:13:55 · answer #8 · answered by ABBYsMom 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Well women usually are naturally afraid of snakes.
Maybe ask one for your birthday or christmas, say you'll do extra chores for the rest of the year! Make a negotiation.
2006-10-01 01:22:38 · answer #9 · answered by General X 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋