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...
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