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#239349
Cjm
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 Getting a ball .need advice
im getting a ball but i need some facts .are they nice.easy to take care of.how big do they get.i need answers quick
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02/03/05 05:01pm
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#239379
The World Is Flat
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Message To: Cjm In reference to Message Id: 239349
Getting a ball .need advice
Ya ball pythons are a good choice for beginers. My first was a bp and they are nice, they reather curl into a ball than bite, thus the name ball pythons. they don’t need all that much work, feed em every week, clean the cage, and they get about 6 feet i think. They really are a good choice in first time snake.
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02/03/05 05:26pm
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#239402
Paintballplayingherp
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Message To: Cjm In reference to Message Id: 239349
 Getting a ball .need advice
You’re getting a ball python but don’t know anything about them yet? What happens if you decide you don’t like it or it grows too big for you to house? Oh well I guess since you’re getting one I might as well try to give you advice to make it as comfortable as possable. They are not aggressive snakes and would rather curl up into a ball than fight with you. You would really need to piss one off for it to bite you. Or smell like a rodent. Always wash your hands before and after holding it. Theses sankes out of all I have ever handled, hate having their heads touched the most. They like temps on the cool side of about 80 degrees and 90 degrees on the warm side. You can acheive this with a heat lamp or heating pad. Heating pads can burn your snake though. NEVER EVER USE A HEAT ROCK! They are pure evil for any reptile. Use a substrate of cypress mulch or carefresh. I don’t reccomend repti bark as I have heard they can give your reptile mites. Have a good sized water bowl in the middle of your tank(this gets evaporation going for humidity and it gives your snake something to drink). Have at least one hide box on the cold side. its better to have more though on either side. You may have a tree or whatever to climb on but it will rarley use it. The ball python can live in a 20 gallon tank for about the first two years of its life. Then I reccomend housing it in a 40 gallon for the rest of its life. They can live up to 30 years in captivity maybe more. they usually won’t grow longer than five feet. Feed them one feeder mouse a week(prefferably frozen thawed as live mice can injure your snake). Get bigger mice as your snake gets bigger and eventually move on to rats. Don’t be alarmed if yours doesn’t eat for awhile. I’ve heard of them going for months on end without eating. Tjey are very picky eaters. The longest mine has gone was a month and a half. Let me know how this ends up. Private message me if you want to ask any specific questions.
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02/03/05 05:50pm
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#239412
Python21
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Message To: Cjm In reference to Message Id: 239349
Getting a ball .need advice
ball pythons are nice like really nice i am holding mine right now they are known to get to 6 feet but that is only female female are usually around 5 to 6 feet and male are 4 to 5 feet they are one of the easiest snakes to handle i would recommend getting one you will be happy
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02/03/05 05:59pm
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#239413
Python21
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Message To: Python21 In reference to Message Id: 239412
Oh yea
you can not tell the difference between a male and a female i would recomend taking it to the vet they will charge around $40
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02/03/05 06:00pm
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#239894
Pelota
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Message To: Cjm In reference to Message Id: 239349
Getting a ball .need advice
Ball pythons are very gentle docile creatures. In the time I’ve had my ball python, I’ve only been bitten once, and that was my fault as I was trying to move her while she was still in feeding mode. Actually, any time they bite you, it’s your fault. They act upon instinct, and bite to defend themselves, or hunt prey.They’re easy to take care of, as long as you research before you get the snake, and know what you’re getting into. Ball Pythons can live up to 30 years in captivity, so it’s not fair for the snake if you buy it as a spur of the moment thing. If you plan on getting a ball python, or any snake for that matter, you better think things through and be positive that it isn’t just a phase, and you’ll be willing to care for it for most of your life. Males typically grow to 3-4 feet, and females typically grow to 4-5 feet. 6 feet is quite rare in ball pythons, so I find it funny that a few of you are mentioning that length... I hope you don’t need answers quick because you’re going to get the ball python anytime soon. I’d hope you’d take a few weeks out to read up on care sheets and get an enclosure together and heated steadily before purchasing the snake. Like I said, they’re not good spur of the moment pets. Unlike cats or dogs, you can’t just pick one up, bring it home, and be set. You have to have a cage heated and ready for them before even getting the snake. You have to leave them be for a week or so to settle in to their new environment. They stress fairly easy. And so on....So yes, do as much research as possible. Think this through. Here are some good care sheets that I read during my 3-4 month research period before I even thought of purchasing my ball python. It helps you tremendously to be prepared for any problems that could arise. Ball Python Troubleshooting Guide NERD’s Ball Python Care Sheet -Cody
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02/04/05 01:32am
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#240190
Cjm
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Message To: Pelota In reference to Message Id: 239894
 Getting a ball .need advice
ive been studying up for about a month now .i know that you have toget the temps ok before getting the snake.thats what i did which the cornsnake i got.my first my okeetee.i stumbled upon this web site looking for pictures of bps.there are ssssssssoooooooooooo sweet can you post sum pics of youre own bps thanx
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02/04/05 02:32pm
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#240250
Paintballplayingherp
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Message To: Cjm In reference to Message Id: 240190
Getting a ball .need advice
I would but I don’t have a digital camera I’m sure other people would be glad to or you can look at other pictures in the forums.
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02/04/05 04:01pm
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#240350
Eunectes4
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Message To: Paintballplayingherp In reference to Message Id: 240250
Getting a ball .need advice
I hate to say this but I am a tad tired of these posts and I am surprised you are all allwoing people to cut corners like this. People need to get out and do some research on theri own. The forum should be for specific and advanced questions..not giving the basic information. Most people on here are not even qualified to be giving advice almost nobody is qualified to be giving advice on some of the questions (many health iissues). If you are trying to cut corners and have it all spelled out for you in a thread...what corners are you going to try and cut with care?
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02/04/05 05:50pm
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#240375
BPkid
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Message To: The In reference to Message Id: 239379
 Getting a ball .need advice
My ball will kill yours
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02/04/05 06:17pm
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#240380
Cjm
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Message To: BPkid In reference to Message Id: 240375
 Getting a ball .need advice
are you a retard i didnt get one yet only someone as stupi as you would fight a ball python...RETARD
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02/04/05 06:21pm
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#240776
Pelota
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Message To: Cjm In reference to Message Id: 240380
Getting a ball .need advice
Uhh...he wasn’t even talking to you, lol.Eunectes, I don’t understand why you seem to put down some of the people here who are just trying to help out. I also don’t understand what you mean with the health advice stuff. With most, if not all, health issues, what is the main answer? See a vet. Is that not acceptable advice? Just because we don’t have degrees or hands on experience doesn’t mean we can’t give advice. I’ve never had to deal with a respiratory infection, but I can still tell people the warning signs and tell them to go to a vet if it gets bad. Since when is this a professional forum that requires you to have the qualifications to give advice and discuss issues? -Cody :(
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02/05/05 05:50am
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#240799
Eunectes4
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Message To: Pelota In reference to Message Id: 240776
Getting a ball .need advice
I knew someone was going to ask this. The problem with giving health advice even when they may know the early signs of a health problem is that the person asking the question cannot give a perfect description for someone to know exactly what the problem is. There are many things that can cause a snake to have the same symptons as RI and only a vet who sees the snake can tell you this. Even a highly qualified vet would not diagnose a problem over the internet if there is possibilty of it being more than one illness. This is not because they just want to take your money, it is a moral obligation a vet has and it would not be the best advice given. Also, people need to know when taking the snake to the vet is the best advice. When there is an eye cap still on, small blood near the cloaca after a shed, snakes not eating or pooping for a while are not necessarily things which need urgent care and vet attention unless the problem persists. Any sings of wheezing, regurgitation, discharge, or neurological problems need to go to a vet asap. Knowing when it is ok to give advice and when it would be a harm to the poster to waste time with anything but a vet visit is a skill people need to have in those situations. Giving advice to this person is alright if you want to be friendly on this post but keep in mind it is doing no good for the person seeking advice. if you seek the forums every time you have a problem you will only grow as knowledgable as the most experienced people in here. I do not think their is near enough knowledge in here to make that my basis. Yes I learned alot from forums but I spent hours and hours in libraries and reading publications from the most respected people in the herp community as well. I certainly did not go to forums to get my basic information. I use them only for things I cannot find in books and other detailed publications. But a severe health concern is never something to trust a forum or even a book on.
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02/05/05 08:45am
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#242116
Makaveli
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Message To: Eunectes4 In reference to Message Id: 240799
Getting a ball .need advice
wouldnt it just be easier to help someone out then to make a big fuss about it??? some plp just open there mouths and say the wrong things but hey what can you do :)
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02/06/05 08:48pm
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#242322
Pelota
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Message To: Makaveli In reference to Message Id: 242116
Getting a ball .need advice
"but hey what can you do?"Ignore them and give better advice.  
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02/07/05 01:13am
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#242335
Eunectes4
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Message To: Pelota In reference to Message Id: 242322
Getting a ball .need advice
I am not making a fuss. I am just giving the best advice. When there is so much bad advice in these forums I think there should be some more caution before throwing out any advice. There are people on here who have had ball pythons for less than a year and are giving advice from experience about things they know nothing about. I really am saying this light heartedly but I would like people to take everything people say somewhat lightly. Get second and thrid opinions on all your questions. And get them from multiple people while trying to pick out the most experienced and most educated people on the topic. I very rarely take advice from one person unless the person has extremely high respct in the field. Like I would never question anything on green anacondas from kelly haller or lutz dirksen. But I would question any vet or even any other breeder even. I have done a ton of research on snakes and I have kept quite a few personally for a good time but i would stilol recommend people look at other sources or question me where i took my information from. I just wish people would try much harder to find information about an animal they are caring for. And if they are asking a forum what they need to know..that suggest they have not done enough research to form any basis on whether or not the info they will get will be worth a dime. Just my opinion. I think you all are very nice for giving out your experiences but I think sometimes the quickness to give info is a little to quick.
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02/07/05 02:02am
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