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Owners of Royal (Ball) Pythons - are they BAD snakes?

2K views 29 replies 16 participants last post by  Revobuzz 
#1 ·
On the one hand, I hear the sweet stuff: How they're such calm snakes that are easily affordable, absolutely gorgeous and simple to maintain.

On the other hand, I also hear this: They're terrible feeders. They stress easily. They're not a particularly hardy animal and are unforgiving of novice husbandry mistakes. Some have even claimed that their Royal was fine one day and then dead the next.

The positives, to me, sound wonderful. But the reoccuring negatives have me wondering if purchasing a Royal would be a bad idea. I'm not sure whether the problems are true or exaggerated, so would like to hear from a few Royal Python owners who actually know what they're talking about.
 
#2 · (Edited)
they are designed to gorge themselves in times of plenty, survive on their fat stores in times of famine, this instinctive behavior does not always gel well with captive maintenance, many are able to go with the flow of captivity, others seem to find it harder to fight their instincts, their evolutionary design and these animals are the so called problem animals, when in fact their just trying to follow thousands of years of wild refinements, of seasons they don't live under anymore.

its not the easiest survival model to mold to captivity, hence the variation in experiences with the same species.

are they easy to care for - yes
do they go off food - yes
does this make them difficult - no, it makes them p.regius

rgds
ed
 
#4 ·
20 years ago Royals were "classed" as being a second species snake, ie once you have cut your teeth and had some experience in keeping a corn / king snake you could "progress" to a Royal if you wanted something a little more challenging. This was mainly due to the fact that a lot of royals then were still wild caught or captive farmed, and exhibited the shyness / defensive tendencies, and would refuse food quickly.

These days, with everything (well almost) captive bred, a lot of those tendencies appear to ,of been bred out, although even with captive bred royals, the "binge feed and then fast" is often still there.

As for behaviour, well like people, royals (and no doubt all snakes) have individual personality's and royals can range from timid, shy animals to bold and even aggressive. If you do research, and you understand what royals are like then they make a great addition to any collection. But that's the issue, people don't do their research, and we see the "my royal hasn't eaten for 2 weeks- is there something wrong" type posts, where as anyone who has done their homework will know that Royals, especially males can and have gone 6 months or more in a fasting period.
 
#5 ·
which is why i often say, the best ball keepers are the most patient. if u cant deal with this particular stress or simply don't want to there are plenty of other species to purchase. but if ur not the type to lose sleep over months long fasts, that accepts it as part of the species called regius, just as stupidity is part of cali kings, then balls might be for you.

i still don't recommend them as a starter snake though, there are far better candidates than royals for a 1st snake.

rgds
ed
 
#6 ·
Mine is only fairly young so things could change but she is not really like what you read as the "typical" Royal.


Yes she is very calm and docile in most ways but, she has always been fairly bold and happy to be handled but her feeding response is getting to be quite spirited to say the least. So spirited that she tagged me an hour ago. Worse still, a couple of weeks ago trying to find its head, she managed to lose her mouse and as a result went mental striking out at any (i.e. me) heat source. I made the mistake of trying to go in and pick the mouse back up but, her head was out of the viv and after me as soon as I opened the glass. :lol2:

As a whole though I find it hard to imagine how snake ownership could be simpler? Get the viv set up right, change water every day, squirt some water if the humidity gets low, feed once a week, spot clean as required and clean out once a month. :gasp:
 
#7 ·
As a whole though I find it hard to imagine how snake ownership could be simpler? Get the viv set up right, change water every day, squirt some water if the humidity gets low, feed once a week, spot clean as required and clean out once a month. :gasp:
Quite agree.... I guess it only becomes a chore when you have to repeat that 30 or more times when you have a large collection in a small space (such as a collection in a rack system) ! But then anyone growing such a collection should also be responsible and respect that it will take up a lot more time
 
#8 ·
The problems are grossly exaggerated by two factors

1) Thousands of royals are imported into the UK every year. These are farmed in the wild, they are shipped from Africa, they are usually dehydrated and not feeding. Some pet shops and importers (people also buy them in bulk on the forums and sell them on, so it is not just shops) are responsible and will keep them for months, getting them feeding and up to a good weight, but many are sold at 30g and are stressed, dehydrated, malnourished and make terrible first time pets because people aren't aware of these factors.

2) Royals are fasters, especially in the winter and especially whilst breeding. They are designed to store fat, put on weight and then fast without any serious consequences. Food does not come every week in Africa all year around. Keepers can have a tendency towards panic and worry (naturally) because we associate not eating with being sick or something being wrong. People get frustrated with wasting food, and feeling like they don't know if it's a husbandry problem, a health problem, or simply a fasting animal. I have seen royals that will literally only eat for 6 months of the year but put on weight well for those 6 months and then don't lose any weight whilst fasting.

People are more likely to talk about their animal when there is a problem, and this is why you will see a disproportionate amount of discussion about royals. It's not because they are hard to keep, bad snakes, or any such thing.

The important and crucial thing is to ensure that you are buying an animal that is well started in weight and is feeding well on defrost, that you feed it well whilst it's feeding, and are confident about having the right setup and temperatures so that you don't need to freak out if it fasts.
 
#10 ·
Never again

Used to keep Royals and since keeping Carpets and dwarf Boas I realise how much more interesting snakes can be. Most Royals are inactive and a fair proportion are problem feeders in comparison.

It really does puzzle me why Royals are so popular, Its only when you keep other snakes you realize there is a world of better options out there that are more rewarding to keep.
 
#21 ·
Used to keep Royals and since keeping Carpets and dwarf Boas I realise how much more interesting snakes can be. Most Royals are inactive and a fair proportion are problem feeders in comparison.

It really does puzzle me why Royals are so popular, Its only when you keep other snakes you realize there is a world of better options out there that are more rewarding to keep.
It's because 99% of them are calm , friendly and docile and 100 % of them are stunningly gorgeous looking ! :)

There's also a massive selection of colours / morphs at very affordable prices and readily available ...
 
#11 ·
ive got a fair few royals, one in particular is a demon he wants to kill anything that moves, changing his water is not easy, i have other royals who are lovely and docile, i dont think anyone can say a temperament of a species of snake is good or bad as it all depends on the individual

i dont agree with alot of people saying theyre a snake for beginners, as most of the 'beginners' dont do their full research then post on here week in week out with the same stuff - royal not eating, bad shed, temps are always fine though blah blah blah

husbandy will affect a royal more than it would affect ya average colubrid but once its right, its right.

so in a contradictory way i guess to what ive just said, they can be a eal easy snake, once you know what ya doing, just my opinions tough, Athravan had it perfect in that earlier post
 
#12 ·
Most has already been said and put very well. My halfpennyworth: I adore my royals and I do think that a royal can make a great first snake provided you find out as much as you can about them, buy a well started captive bred youngster and aren't the type to stress easily if they refuse a feed or two. If you can chill with your animals then royals are amazing, beautiful and usually of good temperament. I also have a few psychos but get a snake either direct from a breeder who knows that you are a beginner and what you want or from a good pet shop and you should be given a good feeding pretty much bomb proof baby. They are not delicate snakes; if you get their conditions anything near optimum then they are actually very hardy and will thrive but don't put them in a circumstance where they are stressed most of the time; that really isn't good for them. My babies that I know will be pets (normal males etc) are brought up to be used to being handled so that it doesn't stress them or affect their feeding and I think that a lot of small breeders do the same; this is something to check when you look at buying one.
 
#16 ·
I took the plunge and got one a couple of weeks ago. Got it from a guy who didnt have the right set up at all.

Came on here, asked for advice, got the right set up, and I can honestly say im glad I did.

Very very docile. Would rather curl up in a ball that strike. My kids have had a hold when he was feeling like moving around and absolutely loved him.

Tried his first feed the other day. He didnt seem interested, left it over night and it was gone the next morning.

Early days but ticks all the box's for me.
 
#18 ·
This is a question with no answer, it's totaslly subjective from the individuals point of view, it's like saying for example pink is a good colour.

Any individual of any species can be a good/bad feeder, calm or terminally mental etc plus it depends on your requirements of the snake, do you want something that plays dead alot or something that tries to eat your eyes everytime you open the box.

If you like fat doorstops & fifty shades of the same colour & they float your boat then banzai, if you don't then whoopee do, get something else.

I'll get me coat
 
#19 ·
there is no straight yes/no answer, it depends what you want from the snake.

for example, within my lot:

i have a hognose, he spends most of his time making increasingly complex burrows, so i dont see him. i see the royal mooching about on a regular basis. so if you want a snake you'll see quite a bit, the royal is a good snake compared to the hoggy.

the youngest corn climbs a lot, so is an excellent display snake. the royal is a bad snake compared to the corn as he's not exactly interesting to watch.

the mexican black kingsnake has the very glamorous looks, but will pee down you if she doesn't want to do something (mainly, sit still while i get a bit of retained shed off). the royal is infinitely better to handle than her.

the indigo is an extremely interactive snake, he's always on the go, is very placid and is certainly 'clever'. but he requires a minimum of a 6x2x2 viv and is more high maintenance in terms of cleaning and diet than the royal. he'd also be a lot more expensive to buy.
 
#22 ·
What I don't understand is the hostility towards Royals by some people. I just don't get it? :hmm:

I can fully understand why some people would prefer other snakes. I can even understand why some people may consider them boring. But why the hostility, name calling and hating? It all has more than a slight whiff of immature competitiveness. Shades of my snake is better than your snake so why are you recommending. :gasp:

Viewed from my prospective I find it all a little weird? I think all snakes are wonderful amazing creatures. Yes I think some are more attractive than others but that's down to personal taste. Along the same lines, there are snakes I would rather own than others but, again that is down to my personal taste and circumstances.

Answering the initial question, Royals are certainly not bad snakes. Are there better snakes? Absolutely not! Don't let anybody try to persuade you there are.

There are DIFFERENT snakes with different traits which may or may not be better suited to what you personally want and expect from owning a snake. :blush:
 
#25 ·
i don't think it competitiveness, i think its ball keepers breeding hundreds of balls, selling to anyone with the money, then selling up, washing their hands of it as the bubble bursts (find a page in the classifieds without a collection for sale), meanwhile everyone left behind in the hobby will have to deal with the legacy of dumped, abused, abandoned, neglected, overproduced animals that make the headlines and shine a spotlight on everyone, even those who never had a hand in the problem, but those that caused the problem, they've moved on, guilt free hands clean, to the nxt big thing.

rgds
ed
 
#26 ·
Whoa going off on a bit of a tangent there. The topic was "Owners of Royal Pythons - are they bad snakes?"

For some reason certain posters appear to think this and similar questions are an invite to bad mouth the species. Hence my question and comments.


Over breeding is a totally different and mostly irrelevant issue. :hmm:


Does over breeding make Royals bad snakes? Of course not, it is irrelevant to the question! :naughty:
 
#28 ·
Ball pythons are great, though I only have one and let me tell you, he is a little unique. I handle him every day(other than feeding days and shedding) and he is completely fine. If it is during the day he usually goes into my shirt, pokes his head out and settles in for a long nap. If it's in the evening however he seems quite full of himself, exploring and licking everything lol. This little guy has never missed a meal, in fact he has a great feeding response! He doesn't stress easily at all. How do I know this? Well, he eats, sleeps, and does everything else a healthy snake should do, so I'd say he's pretty stress free. Yes, ball pythons can and will fast, but it is nothing to worry about. It's probably pretty annoying, but a healthy bp can survive up to 8 months without food. I think they are pretty forgiving of beginner mistakes as well. Ball pythons are like the dogs of the snake world. They just kinda roll with it and take whatever comes at them. Such peaceful animals with great personality. I even walk around with my bp outside, he goes up to my shoulder and looks around, it's pretty cute. My ball python is the nicest, easiest pet I own. One thing to warn you about though...if you get one, you will get more! These animals are addictive! I'm already planning on picking up more and breeding them after only 7 months....


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