Ugh it's a SNAKE!!

[Fisha Seabreeze]

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This is my ball/royal python Benjamin, nearing 30 if he isn't already since I've had him since the end of the 80's. He's a big, heavy and very strong boy who has lead a very interesting life, he has escaped his tank a few times and got loose in the walls of my old house and in my new one he was last found hidden in the drawer of my old desk. Adored by young children who thought he was so cool , feared by wussy adults and every rodents worst nightmare for the past 2 decades of his exsistance.

I feed him one live African soft furred rat (his natural prey) once a week, snakes are not scavangers and he will not touch dead food. He hunts and kills it himself as he was ment to do. He lives now in a new fixed up cage with a locking lid and a new cave which I under estimated his size and when he hides under it, it makes him look like a turtle. But snakes like a hide that covers their bodies and makes them feel hidden and unseen. Anything else you want to know about Benjamin and his fellow balls just ask me.

[melodys_angel]

What pretty colouring

Im not really afraid of them and think they are cool for the most part, but theres always that respect as well, especially in nature

[mlp4me]

He's quite handsome. Approx how long is he?

[Bright101Eyes]

What an interesting pet! He is pretty cool;) Since the end of the 80's? That guy is older than me!

[barbgirl1999]

He's got gorgeous markings

I guess I didn't realize pet snakes lived so long, wow.  I love watching them in their cages, and I can stand and stare at them forever in the pet store, but I give them a WIIIIIDE right of way if I come across one in the wild, lol.  I don't know enough about them to know which ones won't kill me, so I just assume they all will and we get along fine, haha.

[Galactica]

Pretty!  I actually love snakes, I think they are beautiful animals-  but I don't own one.  I will capture the odd garter snake when we're out for a walk- but I let them go after.

[xeevee]

I love snakes, and all reptiles actually.  I hope to own one when we've settled down and own a house. 

[Sandra]

I love snakes! This guy is quite beautiful, especially with the contrast of his markings. I also had no idea that they lived that long.

[Fisha Seabreeze]

He's quite handsome. Approx how long is he?

To my rough estimate 4 1/2 feet close to 5, but it's his sheer girth that showcases his constricter snake status.

Post Merge: November 06, 2013, 04:35:24 AM

I love snakes! This guy is quite beautiful, especially with the contrast of his markings. I also had no idea that they lived that long.

The oldest ball on record lived till he was 47 1/2 years old.

[NoDivision]

Gorgeous boy! I love snakes, and all reptiles. I'd love to own one some day.

[Radiance]

I like snakes! I used to work at a pet store and people were always bringing in snakes they found outside that they wanted to keep as a pet. After telling them about the special equipment and care they require and that it's pretty illegal to keep native wildlife as pets, they'd pass their snakes over to me & I'd take them home & release them in my barn. No mice or rats spoiling my horses' feed! I don't think I'd like to keep one as a pet but I sure do enjoy seeing a big fat rat snake slithering about the feed room!

Benjamin is really pretty. It sounds like he has a great home with you! I hope you have many more years together (I didn't know they lived so long!).

[achab1984]

Very nice looking, not sure what it is that I don't like about snakes though. I love Rodents and have 9 Gerbils. That is cool they live so long!

[UrocyonFox]

My hubby and I use to breed snakes for pet stores to sell (ball pythons being the most common and popular of the pet snakes). They make such great pets, they get big enough for people to enjoy their size, but still small enough making them easy to handle. They stay pretty docile and are not nearly as active as other snakes. A few years back we had a few small BPs start showing symptoms of Inclusion Body Disease, to which we quarantined them immediately and they passed away. It was awful. Then it went really bad. We started having snakes drop like flies, all of our breeding stock as well as just our own personal pets started showing symptoms. There is no cure so once they get it, its fatal. As it turns out a female snake we bought back in 2000 for genetic variety had it but it didn’t show symptoms till several years later. (We always quarantine new snakes for 6 months, but because this took so long to manifest we never knew) By that time our whole collection was infected. We had lots of really pretty morphs that passed away, as well as our own pets. We had to put y husbands red tail boa (Mr. Echo) down because he started biting himself (on accident becuase he couldn't correct his head), smashing his head into his glass when he tried to move, and barrel rolling. It was so heart wrenching my husband took it the worst about Mr. Echo. It was all very heart breaking and we have never owned any boids (boas and pythons) again. We stick to our king snakes, rat snakes, milk snakes, and such (we had them at the same time as all the boids but they never caught it).
I do miss pythons from time to time and whenever I see the tinys at pet stores I melt a little and have to resist taking some home. Good to know that there are pony people who dig on snakes too, They’re such great creatures.

On a side note, if Benjamin is as big as you say he is have you ever had him sexed? BPs that size are normally females. Just curious, you might just have a super fat boy.

[Thunderwing]

Ooooo - another Ball owner!  We've had Balls for the last four years, every spring I buy a few (up to six this past spring) newborns, get them established on frozen-thawed fuzzy rats, and then resell them. We've also got one of our own as a pet - "Monty" - a little male, he's only a year old, and about 700 grams. I kept him because he was a VERY finicky and sensitive eater and I ended up getting attached to him while nursing him along. He's now taking frozen-thawed rats no problem.

Your boy is beautiful!  And very cool that you have had him so long!

[invaderhorizongreen]

That is a lovely snake you have, I think they are quite cool for creatures.