When I walk up to my Ball Pythons enclosure, he always seems to great me, almost every time. So that begs the question, does he actually enjoy being around me, or has he just associated seeing me with getting a free meal?
Ball pythons have an amazing sense of smell, so when my ball pythons see me, they get excited and just want me to pick them up and love them like Elmyra from Tiny Toons. All kidding aside, they really do have an incredible sense of smell, as well as great hearing. Ball pythons have sent pits called vomeronasal organs above their upper lip. They also use their tongues to detect smells and taste through air particles. As mentioned above they can hear sounds in the range of 200-300Hz (our voice is approx 250Hz). So realistically, our ball pythons are just used to us and don't see us as a threat or prey... usually. Ball pythons have different personalities no doubt. I have some ball pythons that are always grumpy, no matter what! But most of them are really laid back, so much so, I feel comfortable letting my children hold them. A lot of times hatchling ball pythons can be snappy and it makes sense. The are new to the world, everything is scary and new. They are very fragile and honestly, a lot of times when we are handling them we tend to hover over them. To a brand new baby ball python, all they see is a big warm smelly object. They have not associated our smell with anything other than something that can potentially hurt them. It's important to keep this in mind when we are handling or observing any animal. Try to not look like a hungry predator hovering over its prey.
Ball Pythons have developed a wonderful reputation for being very docile and having great temperaments. For the most part they don't mind being handled, but they would usually prefer to be left alone. It's good practice to wait a few days to hold your ball python after feeding. Its also good practice to leave them be when they are noticeable gravid and close to laying eggs. Ball pythons are also solitary animals and its best to keep them in separate enclosures, although hatchlings can be housed together for a little while. Some people will even keep them all together until they have their first shed (usually around the 1st week of life). Really, the only time you want to put two ball pythons together is when you are trying to get them to mate. Make sure you know you are pairing males to females; if you put two males together and they my fight.
When you handle a bally python its always best to wash your hands before and after. Avoid picking up a defensive ball python (forming an elevated "S" pattern, or hissing) if you can. Moving slowly and with confidence is also a great practice when handling a ball python.
Do you think your Ball Python loves you? If so, let me know in the comments below. I'd love to hear some of your stories!
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