ball python good beginner???

[Thomas]

Balls are better for an intermediate hobbyist rather than a beginner. A beginner should get either a corn, a king or a milk snake.

[tHeGiNo]

Yankee, take it easy man it was an accident I was making no accusations. My post, for some reason, is in this thread. I didn't put it here :S Also would like to mention I fully agree with Linds, and Thomas on the idea of corns (besides the fact that they bite often, or more often then that of ball pythons).

[yankeefoxtrot]

I enjoy all of your imput i may have to rethink my logic on the subject. Thanks for all your input!!

Thegine: No worries. I just did not want you to think i was someone else. : )

Lucas

[killaclown]

Linds are you talking about a the same ball python that never bit me and i guess loves to be handled or that crazy retic that almost killed me a few months ago. My first snake was a corn and when i took him out the bag he tagged me 4 or 5 times.

[Linds]

People all too often anthromorphize their snakes to death. Snakes do not have the same responses and "emotional reactions" that we humans do. A ball pythons natural defense is too sit still, or curl in a ball... this is them being defensive, NOT friendly. Snakes do no enjoy our company, they are solitary animals and only want to be around other animals if it is to breed or eat. Now a retics first defense when cornered is to bite, if a ball had the same defense mechanism you would have a crazy snake on your hands. What your ball is most liekly doing when your assuming he loves when you handle him is a) feeling very threatened or b) enjoying the heat your body gives off, the same sort of enjoyment he would get on a rock that has been sitting in the sun absorbing sun. Also, just because a snake has a repuation for seldom biting, this alone does not automatically make it a candidate for beginners, there are many other things to be taken into consideration...

[killaclown]

So i guess all snakes dont want to be handle but we make the dission for them because WE know that we mean no harm. Its like when we were little when we didnt want to eat vegtibles are parent still made us because the knew they ment no harm.