Convince My Mom (to let me get a snake)!

Need to convince my mother to let me get a corn snake! If you have anything to say about the corn snake that would lean my mom towards liking snakes or at least allowing me to have one please share! Thank you!



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Last edited on 2016-04-14 at 17:56:23 by Oswin

I think one thing you could do that might help your cause is collect as much information as you can regarding care of this type of python, and do thorough research so that you can confidently answer questions about its needs, etc. Part of convincing your parents may include showing them that this will be a good pet, and one that you are prepared to care for. A pet is not just fun, but a responsibility too, so if you can convey that you will be responsible for it and understand what that may involve you might have a better chance.

Yes, I plan on showing them that I can take responsibility. I also plan to agree to pay back all debts. I am aware that a pet is not just fun (especially a snake haha). Pets are a lot of responsibility.

Balls are definitely not a great first-time snake. They can be so finnicky about food. My brother's boy hasn't eaten in over 9 months, and it's impossible to force feed the little [censored].

Here is some information from an acquaintance of mine who is really big on snakes and other reptiles:

"Tank Size
A 40 gallon breeder (tank) is acceptable for most adult Ball Pythons, though if you get a huge female it might seem a little small.

Tameness/Personality
All animals are individuals. I've only met one nasty ball python and she was just frightened/hand shy/nervous. You couldn't really hold it against her. She wasn't handled unless she needed to be. But with my five that I used to own all of them were hand tame and loved to just 'hang' with me. Even the live feeders. My 'nastiest' was a little lavender Albino named Nuru who was a baby and would get excited about being fed. (Note that he never actually bit me though.)

All of the ball pythons I've worked with and owned tended to curl up/hang out after a couple of minutes of exploring. But even those who didn't 'settle down' were slow moving and easy to handle while watching tv.

Feeding
This depends on the individual snake. I had all but one of my snakes come to me eating live and of those 2 switched over without an issue, 1 refused anything but live and another just wasn't a very good eater all together (Would sometimes take live, sometimes wouldn't, and would only ever take mice.). The most important thing I would do here is make sure that whatever animal you get it's got a strong feeding response. Whether to live or f/t it's more important that the animal eats. Younger animals in my own experience seem to switch over more readily (I switched them cold turkey and not a problem). But there are several techniques to try and get them onto f/t if they're being stubborn.

The difference in feeding mice vs rats is often size and protein vs fat vs other nutrient differences. As an example I feed my corn snake 1 adult mouse every 2 weeks. If I substituted that for a rat fuzzy/hopper (roughly the same size) my corn snake would get fat... Because the rats at that size have more fat in them then an adult mouse. Quite frankly if you have a ball python you shouldn't need to feed it mice ever. Young animals should be given young rats, and work your way up to smalls. Males really need only 1 small rat (Once they've stopped growing) every two weeks, and the ladies really only need them once a week. Mediums are fine for breeding females but if you just want to maintain your animal there is no reason to feed them giant meals.

Males vs Females
I've not noticed a difference in temperament.


Substrate and Heating
I kept all of my BPs on paper towel, though I've also seen news paper, aspen and other such mediums used. I liked Paper towel because I was already using it for my Leos so I had plenty. But news paper works too if you have some laying around. The issue with heat rocks is that they fail hot - so they could burn your snake. UTHs or heat tape are suggested, the size will depend on the tank but rule of thumb is 1/3 of the tank bottom should be one UTH (you cannot use 2-3 smaller sizes to make up the difference this screws with the gradient and will probably cause the UTHs to super heat each other, resulting in malfunctions.) BPs are nocturnal and do not need a 'light' if you want to use a light or you live somewhere where the winter is bad enough that the air temps need some help you can get a black light of a low wattage to help out. They do not need UVB or UVA

Other Snakes
Snakes;
Any small/medium sized cullobrid:
Corn snake
King snake
Milk snake
Children's python
Spotted python

There are a few smaller species of snakes too but I'm not sure if it would be too big for them:
Rosy boas
Kenyan sand boas
Indian sand boa
African house snake"


And another excerpt from another acquaintance whose advice I would trust inexplicably:

"I find that BP's do not do well in all-glass enclosures and tend to get stressed and not eat. You may have better luck if you put a background on three sides of the tank, but I find it not to be the same as either an opaque tub or a specific PVC reptile enclosure. As has been mentioned, they're shy and reclusive animals who tend to go off food if they feel something isn't right.

The other thing to consider is that screen top. Again, from personal experience with BP's and the Merauke blue tongue skink I had, maintaining proper humidity for anything that's remotely tropical (so 60% and above) is hard and messy not to mention can be a mold/scale rot risk, at least in the fall and winter assuming you don't use any air-conditioning in the summer either.
Now--if you fitted the screen part with a plexiglass cover with some holes in it it might go better, but me personally I'd try and find a critter who doesn't need the humidity requirements."

Tanks with screen tops are also going to need the top to be covered with cardboard and foil or plexiglass with holes. Humidity is a MUST for these guys, as they will have shedding problems and other problems if the humidity is not correct. Locking lids are required. These guys can squeeze through anything (and will often hurt themselves) Find a locking lid/lid clamps (6+). Believe it or not, these guys are strong.

They are also nippy as babies, and their bites don't hurt but they cause bleeding. Another thing to focus on is NOT jerking your hand away when it does tag you, you can rip their teeth out.

Ball pythons as young should eat 5-7 days, but balls are also NOTORIOUS HARD eaters. They WILL fast. They WILL refuse food. And if the guy you buy from isn't a reputable breeder/owner, and is more into the potential "money" of it all, and has not prepared the snake properly, you will end up with a dead snake.

They're fragile to the elements. One shift downward too far in heat, and you have a RI coming. These are not CHEAP to treat.

Regular vets are a NO for snakes, any kind. Regular vets aren't usually trained/experienced enough to actually help aid a snake or any of its health issues. You'll need to find a true herp vet (and those are expensive)

One thing that is consistent with ball pythons is their inconsistency.

I own 14 balls at the moment. I started with king snakes and corn snakes.
I use paper towels in the tubs and cypress mulch in the few tanks i do have.


Their biggest issue is the feeding and fasting. My males have only began fasting when they sense the females during breeding season (Or Sirius, who's just a turd and fasts randomly throughout the year) my females (and other ball owners females) have slowed down eating/fasted around 800 grams.

They are not good "visual" snakes. If your ball python is out and roaming a lot, it's stressed. A comfortable ball python will spend 90% of the day in one of the hides you provide. They are more active at night. Stress comes to these guys easily.

Oh and don't fall for what everyone says "It's better to put them in a separate feeding tank" No. It is not. That causes unnecessary stress to them and can cause a regurgitation, which is bad in itself. When feeding and you have bedding, put a paper plate or something down, and place the F/T rodent on it. Or use tongs if you have to. My Mojave eats from tongs, whereas everyone else will eat them just placed. You also dont want to over heat the rodent, it WILL explode and throw guts everywhere when the ball strikes.

Note every possible problem with a ball python. Certain morphs have neurological problems. Others have kinks. Spiders and HGW are known to have what is known as Wobble, look it up on youtube. My own spider mojave male has a severe wobble.
Caramel albinos are known to be born with kinks, others, like female desert ghosts, are infertile. Do your research.

Also note, you won't be able to always have it out. If you get one, have your setup done and ready three days before you pick it up. When it arrives in the home, put it in the setup, and leave it. Don't mess with it. Give it a week to acclimate. Otherwise you'll stress it out, and most often, they won't eat during this week. Potato just finished his week up, and he ate hungrily.

Set up should have two hides minimum. One on the hot side, one on the cool side. They should have a UTH (under tank heater) THAT IS ON A THERMOSTAT to control the temperature of the pad, otherwise you're going to burn your snake. Don't go for the cheapest thermostat either, you get what you pay for, and that is the case with these. Put in the extra money for a higher end one. (you're looking at 75 to 500 in this area) You need to make the enclosure feel "enclosed". Put plants (fake is what I use), some SAFE decor, so it looks cramped but this will just make the ball python happy and more comfortable. A Comfortable snake is a happy owner. Those plastic dials for humidity/temperature don't get those. those are inaccurate. Put extra money down for digital. And as much as this should NOT need to be said, NO TAPE IN ANY PART OF THE HABITAT. Snakes WILL find a way to mess with this and they can injure themselves, if not kill themselves with it.

They are also NOT Social animals. One per tank/tub, NO matter the size. They WILL compete for resources, even if you have multiples of each (Heat, hides, etc) because that's just what they do. They will stress each other out and more often then not, they won't eat, and they'll starve themselves.

Also, you can't get one just to decide you no longer want one in a month or so because another animal got your attention. These are not short term animals. These are an animal that can live 20 to 30 years in captivity if given proper habitats.

You also should not take it out in public places/outside too often. These are nocturnal animals, so they aren't generally active during the day. And another point is public views of these guys.
We are constantly battling legislature and laws trying to forbid the owning of snakes. USARK protects our rights, but if we have stupid people doing stupid stuff with these animals, those stupid people are going to ruin it for everyone in the hobby.

These are snakes, they aren't puppies or kittens or even birds. They're a bundle of instinct. Do I think each snake has a personality to its own? Yes. Do I think they feel true emotion towards anyone in particular? No. Yes, they can recognize you by your heat signature, smell, vibrations of your voice, but they won't "love" you.

Remember, its not a matter of IF you get bit, its when. Thats another point. Are you ready for needles to penetrate your flesh? I got bit just recently by my mojave female, and she coiled, thinking i had her food. My bad, it was feeding day and i forgot to tap her to let her know it was me not a heated rat. But she got me and coiled up before releasing, noticing it was me.

And in the end, snakes are a phobic creature. People are AFRAID of them, GENUINELY like with spiders. If your parents say no, they say no. Don't argue don't cry, don't complain, don't throw stuff, don't do anything pointless. Snakes are a tender topic and not everyone can handle them. Respect your parents wishes, they provide you a house, provide them with respect to listen. If they can handle them, great. Also, do note the amount of HATE and INSULTS you might get just for owning one. I constantly have to hear about how gross it is, or how messed up i must be in the head to own snakes. People fear them, so therefore judge harshly those who love and own them. When news strikes up about a person who got bit/killed, people immediately message me with links and videos and tell me "you should get rid of those horrible disgusting monsters before you die next!" all the time. People get disgusting with their insults and comments. Beware of that. It doesn't happen to everyone, but it DOES happen. And my friend actually LOST her job because she had a picture of herself with one of her snakes in HER Cubicle, and the boss fired her for it, saying that is an unnatural passion and he doesn't need THAT type of person in his work place. She is currently working on suing him.



I love my balls and would never trade them for anything. But they are sensitive snakes in snake sense, I would look into a corn snake first, get into those (They have pretty morphs too) before trying to move into the more fragile noodles.

So I should consider getting a corn snake first? The guy had some pretty corn snakes. The 55 wouldn't be too big for a corn snake, correct?

If you want a natural habitat go bio active. I'm honestly not one sided on these things, my beardies are on carpet but my tarantula is in a bio. It's personal preference really.

Did a lot of research and now just need some things to say to convince my mom. LOL! Does anyone have anything that may lean my mom towards liking snakes or at least allowing me to own one?

All I can tell you is I've always wanted a corn snake. My mom use to have a corn snake but it slept with her for body heat and she rolled on it and killed it in her sleep. Only suggestion I have is do research on snakes and see what is safe for beginners.

The best ways are probably just proving you're responsible, showing that you really want THIS animal, and accepting that if they say no, it'll be a no. Parents aren't going to change their mind if you annoy them daily about why they said no, it will just make them more mad. Also, what happened to the oscar? If you changed your mind on that, you're not setting up a good track record because you won't just be able to change your mind after you get a snake. It's a living, breathing animal and needs someone who truly wants it and cares for it.

Show them that you know what you're talking about and are DEDICATED to getting this animal. I would wait at least a few weeks before even mentioning it to them..If you still want a snake in a month, then maybe you could ask.

Also, while you might be able to work off some of the debt, keep in mind that pets can be expensive, both start up and upkeep, and your parents have to be willing to make the financial commitment to it as well. Going back to not changing your mind, your parents will be very mad if you drop several hundred (or more) dollars into this pet just to decide you don't want it anymore, and you can probably kiss a different pet goodbye, so choose wisely.

You're very young and you will change your mind, so the longer you wait while still feeling like whatever animal is the right choice, the better. I used to make pro/con lists about why I should be allowed to lease a horse, or get a cat/dog, or whatever, and my parents always said no. I hated them for it then, but now that I've gotten a few years on me I'm thankful. I had nothing to worry about when I went to college, where I had no time and nowhere to keep a pet, so think about the longevity of the pet too. If you leave the house in 4-5 years, are you going to be leaving this pet behind? Or is it something you can take? Because now you're not just convincing your parents to let you get it, you're going to have to talk them into learning the proper care and maintenance of this pet, so they can care for it if you're unable for whatever reason.

Long story short, think about more than just wanting ANY pet right now and trying to convince your parents to let you get it, also think about what you can do with it in the future.

I am not one to know much about corns. I have a California king myself. I use the big animal planet (I think) double front door screen top snake cage. Has coconut husk on one side with a large water dish and sand on the other with a couple small pieces of wood keeping the substrates where I want them. Has a nice light and does well for my girl. Snakes do eat mice. If you can get one who is used to frozen it will be allot better for you. You need stuff for the snake to hide in. My girl is only a couple feet long but I keep a heavy rock in the back on the sand side with bark hideaways. She ignores the leaves on the coconut side and hides under the water dish. One side stays pretty even at 85 and the other is good at 75.

What happened to the Oscar?
I've been doing some research on it and there is lots of controversy on what tank size is best for it. Many say 55 gal. is too small. I really want what's best for whatever I get and I'm not sure if a 55 gal. is too small for an Oscar.

A 55 is the absolute minimum for a single Oscar because they're really big waste producers. You could still do it potentially, but what would do much better in a 55 cichlid wise would be some Africans maybe. Nice color too.

Snakes are cute! NOTHING will change my opinion

Maybe talk to them about something smaller and more affordable like a hamster, they have short life spans with some species only living 1-2 years. In that time, you can show your parents that you CAN be responsible for something like that, they're more likely to say yes to a hamster.

a big reason a lot of parents (mine, and numerous other friends for example) wouldn't let their children have snakes out of their own personal fear, and it's a common and understandable fear, so keep that in mind too.

If you prove you can take care of a hamster, and STILL want a snake, then more power to you and good luck with your parents.

The best thing, imo, to show parents is dedication and sincerity when asking for new pets, especially the exotic ones.

My mother ultimately made me get rid of it because she was afraid of it, and my sister was grossed out by the pinkies, but I had a monitor for awhile. He was pretty awesome. But yeah, she was afraid of him like she was afraid of snakes, but she let me keep my other reptiles. (iguanas, geckos and a chameleon)

Last edited on 2016-04-16 at 06:16:38 by Buck