Should You Get a Pet Ball Python - The Pros & Cons

Ball Pythons or Royal Pythons as they are formally known are a species of Python indigenous to the southern Sahara African countries of Togo and Ghana. Because the snakes don't get very large, are known to be very docile, are easy to care for and rarely bite, they are becoming increasingly popular as pets. In fact, the Ball Python got its name for its propensity to curl up into a ball when they feel threatened as they are extremely reluctant to bite a perceived threat.

Ball Pythons are a small to medium sized snake that reach no longer than 3 to 5 feet in adulthood with the females generally larger than males. Ball Pythons generally have a life span of twenty to thirty years in captivity with the longest life span on record being 48 years. The Ball Python comes in a mind blowing variety of colors and patterns and are even available in the albino variety. Due to the simplicity of care management needed for them, they are considered among the best of pet snakes for the beginner.

When it comes to the pros and cons of owning a Ball Python as a pet, the pros drastically outweigh the cons as a Ball Python is generally considered a perfect pet. But since there is no such thing as "perfect", let us speak on the one perceived con of owning a Ball Python as a pet and that is getting it to eat. I know this seems strange but since virtually all Ball Pythons come from Africa, the vast majority of them are caught to be placed in captivity. Because of this, once made captive and kept as pets, it is nearly impossible to get a Ball Python to eat, regardless of whether you are feeding it pre-killed or live prey.

The reason for this is simple-since Ball Pythons are extremely picky eaters and if wild born they will be acclimated to eating a specific type of prey and when you attempt to feed it a mouse you bought at a pet shop it is more likely to think of it as a toy than it will as dinner. Since snakes can go months without eating, it isn't unheard of for a Ball Python to refuse to eat anything for over 8 months. The best way to circumvent this issue is to buy a Ball Python from a reputable dealer, one who can provide pictorial, video, or live evidence that the snake you are potentially purchasing will in fact eat.

Now that we have the one potential con of owning a Ball Python out of the way, let us speak on the pros of owning one. As previously mentioned, Ball Pythons are very docile animals so there is little to no risk of a pet Ball Python biting either you, your guests, or children. Another pro of owning a pet Ball Python is its size. Since they rarely get larger than 4 feet, they can easily dwell is smaller tanks than most snakes. Furthermore, they are easy to manage and maintain and need little care in order to thrive in captivity. All in all, Ball Pythons make excellent pets for a multitude of reasons. Their beautiful colors and patterns, docile temperament, and ease of maintaining make them ideal pets for anyone.