#exotic pet

Ball Pythons are not an impulse pet

Tw: suffering reptile

A few months ago I got two rescue ball pythons. One I was given when picking up what I thought was going to be just a fish tank. The other was given to my by a local exotic store owner who takes in SPCA surrenders.

This is juniper, she is 4 years old and weighed 400 grams when she was given to me. She had 2+ layers of stuck shed on her eyes rendering her temporarily blind.

This is Kratos, he had stuck shed that took a month of pillowcase soaks and humid hides to get off, he was so skinny you could see his spine and ribs through his skin, he was so weak he could hardly lift his head to grab the rat when I first fed him.

I beg you, if you want to get a snake, or any pet for the matter, do your research first. Join species related groups and forums, find mentors, read book, cross reference information you’ve found. Don’t listen solely to what a pet store employee tells you. Ball pythons can live over 4 decades, they are a lifetime commitment and require copious amounts of work. They are not an animal you get to cuddle and play with, they are easily stressed and can go off feed so easily. They are tropical and require specific humidity and heat, they cant have heat lamps so you need to buy CHE, heat mats, thermostats,etc. They’re hard to keep in a tank so you may need to invest in a $300 PVC enclosure. They are expensive animals, they can eat rats every week which can cost upwards $30 a month.

Please don’t impulse buy such delicate animals if you’re going to get bored of them, not do your research or if you think they’re low maintenance. These are living animals too and don’t deserve neglect and suffering.

DON’T GET A SNAKE IF YOU’RE GOING TO LET IT END UP LIKE THIS

Edit: both snakes are much healthier now, eating like champs and both have put on tons of weight, no longer have stuck shed and are no longer dehydrated. They’re now thriving with the proper care and just the sweetest babies ever