See, this is in regards to what I hope to have, not a problem with an already existing pet. Currently my boyfriend and I have a water dragon and he is about 6 months old judging by his size but now I'm addicted and I'm falling in love with ball pythons. He's not too keen on the idea but I was hoping that since everyone here knows so much about them that they might be able to help me come up with some good points for convincing him they're not as bad as he thinks. Thanks everyone, I'll keep you posted.

Hello,

Ball pythons are great pets. I own 2 of them.

In regards to "pythons", balls are extremely small as adults. The term "python" has the affect of making people believe the snake will become some massive, unmanagable reptile. (Like the Burmese.) The truth is, most bp's are very easy to handle and care for.

Ball pythons do have a few quirks though, and they can drive an owner insane if they are not prepared for them. The biggest and most often posted question/comment about the balls are: "My ball won't eat, is he sick?"

Ball pythons are notorious for going off feed. They will literally refuse foods for months in some cases. It is completely normal! lol So long as the snake was healthy and plump before the fast, there are very few issues that arise. Most snap out of it on their own and start feeding again when they decide they need to.

Some balls are picky eaters. This is likely the second most popular item seen on the net about bp's. Some will not take frozen/thawed rodents and will only eat fresh killed. Some won't even do that! Those ones require a diet of live. (At minimal, for a snake that only feeds on live, you need to thwack it to stun it really good. Live is never the best option as it can easily injure the snake.) Then you have those bp's that just don't see "white" as an edible color. lol They need black or brown mice/rats.

If you are simply interested in aquiring a snake as a pet, I would actually suggest the cornsnake over the ball python. Both are easy to care for once setup correctly, but corns are extremely easy and have little "baggage" that will drive you insane. (I own a corn too.)

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Thanks for the input I really appreciate it. I'll do some research on the corn snakes tonight. I'm a pretty big research nut. I always think you should be prepared if you're getting a pet that you're not familiar with.

And that is a good thing.
Ball pythons are great. I have a pair that are 6 years old. We have allowed our grandchildren to hold them (supervised of course) since the kids were 5 and 6 years old. I also have corns and love them too. The main difference in BPs and corns, aside from the ease of feeding the corns, is that ball pythons are mellow and slow moving and just hang out while corns are constantly on the move.
Does your partner have some specific concerns or is it the subject of snakes in general that he dislikes?

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

if its a snake thing in general, take him to a reptile show and encourage him to hold a snake. My husband held his first snake about 10 months ago and was very surprised they weren't slimy. Snakes slimy??? Its amazing the false notions some people get.

education is the number one fighter on fear.

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

ok, I'll try this again got shut off, ball pythons are great, my daughter has two, my grandaughter loves to handle them. They have been hand trained. My grand-nephews like to play with them too. My daughter also had a corn snake, he's no longer alive though. He was a real sweetie too. Corn snakes move around more than ball pythons, ball pythons usually stay slower moving and don't wander much, but the newest one she has takes off a lot just to explore. One likes dark mice, the other light. my boa likes white, my junglecarpet diamond likes anything. Do your research, then make up your mind. play with a few if you can. My husband doesn't like the snakes, but will make them play furniture, and makes sure they're "happy". He likes the Tegu best, he will hold her, maybe because lizards have legs? See pictures in the Gallery

I think that the part he dislikes the most is that they do not have legs. My friend brought over her two ball pythons the other day and I got him to hold one. He did very well and I was pleased that he made the effort. I think the more he gets to know them the more he might like the fact of having one around. Thanks so much for all of your help everyone. It wasn't a serious issue but it means a lot that you would still comment and help me out. Thanks so much. I'll keep you all posted.

its definalty the legs. my husband is freaked out on how they can move without them. Personally I think its super cool.

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

Just tell him that they used to have legs!
They decided that they didn't need them so they got rid of them. You can even show him the remnants of them by the snake's vent!

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

I'm assuming that you're talking about their "Spurs". They have two "Claws" left over. One for each hind foot that used to be there eons ago. All Constictors are primitive snakes according to Nigel Marvin on Animal planet and all have these spurs. He says that an X-Ray shows the remains of Remnant leg bones and that this is proof that snakes evolved from lizards.
When I handle my BP I can Feel his spurs scratching against my skin.