CapeFearConstrict
Wilmington, NC
Male, 32
I've been working with ball pythons for over ten years now. Two years ago I decided to breed them as a business. I run a small operation. Currently I have approximately 100 snakes in my breeding program and hope to produce over 200 babies in the 2013 breeding season. I've always been fascinated by reptiles, snakes in particular, and being able to work with them every day is very satisfying.
It is possible for a large constrictor, like a fully grown burmese or a fully grown reticulated python, to constrict the neck of a human to the point where the person couldn't breathe. That's why it's important to be responsible when handling these large snakes. Never let them get into the position where they can wrap around your neck or other vital areas of your body, and always have someone on hand that can assist you if things get out of hand. I, personally, have never felt in danger with any of my ball pythons. Of course, ball pythons rarely get over 10 pounds and 6 foot long, so they cannot overpower an adult. I also have no qualms about allowing my children interact with them.
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That depends on your definition of "living." If I were to cut you in half, you would live for a period of time, but it wouldn't be very long. In other words, it's not instant death. That being said, reptiles have much slower metabolisms than we do. You cut a human's head off, and the brain will remain conscious for a few seconds. You cut a snake's head off, and its brain will remain conscious for a good bit longer. We're talking in terms of minutes, not seconds. Cutting a snake in half wouldn't result in two separate entities that could survive independently. It's the same as cutting any other animal in half, with the exception that the snake would be in agony much longer.
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There is still some debate on this. The reptilian brain is very primitive. They have very little cognitive ability and no real show of emotion. My personal opinion is that even if the snake recognizes one person from another, they don't treat that person any differently. A snake's behavior is mainly based on interactions from their environment. When handling a snake, they can tell if you're nervous or calm, and their behavior stems from that. If you're nervous, they are more inclined to be nervous, and similarly, if you are calm, they are more likely to be calm. They are certainly not companion pets, but I see them as fascinating, beautiful living works of art.
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I have seen that movie and it's 100% pure fiction. Hollywood rarely portrays snakes in an accurate (or even positive, for that matter) way. It's a shame that the only time you see a snake in a movie is when they want to scare you.
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Can I leave everything to my pets?
Ball pythons have an average of 6-7 eggs per clutch, and one clutch per year at most. In the carefully monitored environment that we breeders keep the snakes and the eggs in during breeding and incubation, the vast majority of eggs survive and hatch, and the vast majority of babies that hatch survive into adulthood. I'm certain this is much better than they see in the wild. I have personally not hatched a large number of eggs, but I've seen statistics from a large breeder. He has approximately 90% of his eggs go full term. There are no stats on hatchling survival rate, but I'd guess it's probably 98% or higher. There are occasional development deformities and incubation issues that result in some babies not making it, but these are few and far between. As for other python species, I know they tend to lay far more eggs (20 or more), but as far as egg and hatchling survival rate, I cannot comment because I have not done enough research on those species to know the numbers.
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I feel ball pythons are a great starter snake. They are very docile, reluctant to bite and they don't get too big. Some snakes are very active when being handled, they will be going this way and that, and for a child this might pose problematic if the snake gets away from them. Ball pythons will explore a little bit while being handled, but they aren't usually quick moving and they are easy to control. Ball pythons aren't perfect though. They are notoriously picky eaters. I have some snakes that haven't eaten in over seven months. This is frustrating when you're trying to raise up a snake for breeding, but as a pet owner, it's not such a big deal. Corn snakes are another species that come highly recommended. I have no personal experience with them, so I can't comment much. Definitely research any species you decide to go with before bringing your pet home.
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You can't really train snakes in the same manner as you can a dog. Reptile brains are very primitive. There's not much there beyond the essentials for survival. Snakes do get vibes from humans though. If you are handling a snake and you're nervous and scared, the snake will realize that and also be on edge. If you are calm and confident, the snake will know it and be more at ease. It's still under debate on whether or not snakes learn and can identify their owners vs others. Some snake owners will swear their snake treats them differently than others. Personally, I'm of the opinion that the snake really is only reacting to how you are feeling. Also, snakes tend to change their personalities as they age. Babies are typically more easily irritated and more likely to bite. They have to be though, as in the wild, baby snakes are easy prey. Once they reach adulthood, they tend to mellow out. As far as danger, if it's a smaller snake, the only dangerous area is going to be their teeth. When someone is handling one of my snakes, I caution them to keep the snake's head out of striking distance of their face. Ball pythons have heat sensing organs that help them find their prey. Your face is warm and your breath is hot, so that's a big ball of heat that the snake is seeing and in a moment of confusion, they might strike. As I mentioned before though, a bite from a ball python isn't exactly dangerous. It's more of an annoyance than anything. You also want to avoid sudden movements. Predators in the wild move and attack quickly, so any sudden movements might be seen as an attack and could result in a defensive strike. Now, with venomous snakes, you don't want to be anywhere near them unless you've had proper training. Bad things happen when a venomous snake bites you. Larger constrictor snakes, such as burmese pythons or reticulated pythons, can pose more of a danger, since they are strong enough to constrict you to the point where you can't do anything about it. It's always recommended that you don't handle large constrictors alone. Always have someone on hand to help, in case the snake starts constricting. The snake won't constrict you with the idea of eating you, but if the snake is draped around your neck and starts feeling uneasy, it might tighten its grip on your neck in order to keep from falling off, and that could lead to a bad situation. Once you get enough experience working with the snakes, you learn how they work. You understand their body language and know when they are relaxed and when they really just want to be left alone. I can easily tell if one of my snakes is likely to bite, and through experience I also know the best ways to handle a snake that is likely to bite so that they don't bite.
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