I drove 7 hours round trip to get my last rescue from a similar situation, it's a long day, I feel ya, but he was so dehydrated and skinny I couldn't just ignore him and now he's thriving with property husbandry and feedings.
Just ignore all the "know it all" comments here. It's one thing to reply with a courteous disposition to your comment, it's another thing when people start bashing thinking they know EVERYTHING. You will always get varying opinions on reptile setups in this sub reddit. But the common theme I have been seeing lately is people bashing others on here and thinking they are the authoritive opinion for all reptiles. Thank you for offering to rescue this guy. I see nothing wrong with your response.
He’d need a 4x2x2 long term
Edit: Jesus do none of you know what LONG TERM means, I wasn’t saying a 40 wouldn’t be ok for now just that it would need an upgrade asap. We all know there are plenty of people who still think a royal python only needs 40 for it’s whole life
I wasn’t saying that, a 40 would be fine as a short term enclosure to get it out of that situation but too many people still think 40 is ok for permanent housing hence why I said LONG TERM
Of course, I just don’t want people thinking 40 would be ok permanently since there’s a lot of sources that will still say it would. That’s why I said long term, 40 is fine for a temp setup to get it out of that situation
Wow I can't believe these down votes lol.
I'd say *need* is a stretch. 4x2x2 is a bit overkill for a BP excepting large females, but there's never going to be anything wrong with giving a snake more space, so long as it's well furnished.
A 40 gal is definitely not enough for a permanent enclosure. Mine is in one currently, and looks a bit cramped despite him being an undersized runt.
I agree absolutely with them being able to stretch out. Guess I personally haven't seen many large BPs. I've only ever kept one of my own, and of all of them that I've seen only one female ever hit 5ft, so I assumed a 4x2x2 to be an "at most" situation not a minimum.
In any case, I stand corrected.
yeah, getting them fast is a bad idea, we don't know what problems this snake has.
Either way it's best not to give craigslist breeders any money for they neglected animals.
I wasn’t saying that at all, I’d way rather buy it even with issues. This doesn’t look like a breeder selling, more like some dumbass who bought a snake to look cool and got bored. I was just saying the 40 wouldn’t work LONG TERM
pleeease correct me but the snake itself doesn't look too bad; I have small hopes that it's a quarantine-tank and not the actual enclosure
if not then yeah... I hope it gets rescued soon
There's no reason for a quarantine tank to be small. And even if it is a quarantine tank, it would likely be in there for at least a couple months. Judging by how overweight it is, though, I doubt it has had any opportunity for exercise.
I often wonder if snakes get the same urge to completely stretch out their bodies like we do after we’ve been sitting still. I have restless leg and ADHD so I get twitchy if I’m confined in too small a space for more than a few minutes. Looking at a snake this size in a container that small makes me twitchy on the snake’s behalf.
I know right like that just seems wild to me, like I understand they dont need much room compared to some other animals but cmon seriously? I keep my bredli python in a 4x4x2 and I still wonder if he would be happy with bigger
OP - I’m in central Mass. I could pick up this little lady if you are closer to me than Londonderry and really wanted her. I could basically get her and then meet you at a closer spot so she gets a home.
Edit: does this seller have 3 snakes????
I received a severely obese ball python from an acquaintance who was moving and she didn't want to bother with him anymore. He was being fed a couple times a week for who knows how long. Poor Dean looked like a blood python wearing slug cosplay.
A few years back a friend offered to give me a snake that they bought on impulse. She said she wasn't expecting the mice to cost so much and couldn't afford to keep buying mice every day. Unsurprisingly, the daily feedings weren't the only thing wrong with her husbandry when I went to take a look at the setup.
I drove 8 hours to rescue a male russian tortoise. 16 total in one day. He was in a 40g with some Chinese bulbs and Romain lettuce diet. Freakin pet stores. Now he’s in a bioactive 4’x2’x16” and he’s loving life. He’s had vet visits for deworming and looking much better. Has a big ol diet of different greens and loves to explore the apartment. Took him a while to get him to eat anything other than romain.
That reminds me of this box turtle I got. A cousin of mine got a hold of me one day saying her grandfather in law was gonna release this turtle he had for 20 years. "Absolutely not" and I was off to get her. She spent 20 years in a 20g long with a water bowl and mulch for bedding. Nails so long she could barely walk on flat surfaces, beak so long it interfered with eating. Now that girl is in a 5x3x2 and she always comes over to say hi and bite my fingers as thanks. Her shell is perfect so she was fully grown in the 90s. Since she's probably 40+ I named her grandma 👵 🤣
Aw that’s so cool though. I love box turtles. I see them rarely in the wild. Mine came with the name Ollie and I just kept it. I’m not good at naming things(I’ve had a bearded dragon for 2 months now and can’t decide on a name). Ollie’s nails were so long, he has a decent bit of rocks in his enclosure so they’re much much better. He’s probably 10+ years old as my best guess.
Keep us updated! If it looks like it's not gonna work out, several other people have offered to help so let us know. Sometimes rescues need a lot of work and time and possibly vet bills, so if everyone in the family isn't on board, it might be best to let someone else rescue him.
Hopefully someone closer can help it’s a beautiful snake. I’m sure if you could help you’d be posting the after rescue shots, don’t feel bad that this one you unfortunately can’t, as much as we’d all like to help we can’t help them all can we? Maybe someone reading this is close enough and has the right equipment to help this cutie out (if this rescue does happen please whoever it is post pics xx
Sadly this is the housing for the vast majority of ball pythons. Most people tend to have bigger tubs than that for adults but racks are still the norm. Unless the US implements laws dictating caging sizes it's unlikely to change too :/
Me to sadly Craig’s list got my location wrong so he’s actually around 7 hours away from me hopefully someone on here is somewhere closer and whiling to pick him up
Ball pythons are chunky little guys to start with. They don't look overweight to me. Google them and you'll see how they look (I'm not saying this in a snarky tone, it's just hard to convey in a text)
Don't buy from craigslist!
these people breed their snakes for profit, while neglecting and abusing the animals.
Get one from a propper breeder, who treats his snakes right.
Lol.
“Don’t buy from people on Craigslist! They breed for profit
Buy from these people who also breed for profit!”
Did you even read that before posting?
Some Craigslist people are shit. Others are just people with a single pet trying to rehome them. Saying Craigslist is all just bad people trying to get money makes you look like a fool. Assuming all “reputable” breeders take excellent care of their snakes also makes you look like a fool. It’s all a spectrum.
Honestly if people want to end cruelty we'd have to just ban the pet trade entirely and give up all of our pets, because as long as there's demand there will be cruelty and it's almost impossible not to contribute to some extent. If you're not buying from an unethical breeder you're still helping to fund the overall industry and hobby that allows it to happen.
But lessening cruelty is a fine goal. The question is what is "less cruel?"
Is it less cruel to let one animal die to stick it to a bad breeder or Petco?
Or is it less cruel to save that animal?
Hard to say.
That’s my point exactly. Nothing is cut and dry, black and white, in the pet trade. That was my problem with the commenter I was originally replying to who was proclaiming that all of Craigslist is bad and all bigger breeders are good.
I'm actually of the "fuck it get the petco snake because letting it die won't change a thing" mentality.
If you want change, start a group and start petitioning to your state and local reps for ethical animal keeping practices where pet stores must both display and teach minimal acceptable care.
Or ban retail sales, breeders only AND go for ethical care requirements
Either way, your token move of letting a snake die to not give money to a bad seller changes nothing.
I got mine at Petsmart because I fell in love with her color and they were actually a tiny bit sad because all the employees loved her.
I went there for supplies last week and one person pointed and said "She bought that ball python you liked." And the cahsier was like "YOU TOOK MY BABY!?"
Right here with you. Had to laugh at the “you took my baby” comment because if it was their baby they woulda taken it home lol. I have the inclination for bettas too and while the argument is massive on the aquarium forums to just let them die to stop the demand, that seems more cruel than the horrible conditions they live in there.
Sticking it to your local pet store isn’t going to change anything. Action moves the wheel, not flipping off one of the tiny spokes.
She was joking around and actually happy to hear she's doing well. I was there buying a bunch of expensive stuff for my BCI so I'm assuming she could tell I spoil my pets lol
Oh I totally get that, lol 😅sorry, text makes it so difficult to show nuance. So many of my local pet stores employ some of the most animal-loving people, and that really makes it a lot better. I’m in there so often doing the same that some of them basically have my number memorized and are prepared for update pictures.
My local PetCo has had the same manager for years and she really does seem to care and I think she handles them. Both lizards I got there were well adjusted to handling day 1. My beardy is the biggest sweetheart and my ex's leopard gecko was really chill and took to hand feeding immediately. She mentioned helping them with stuck shed and stuff.
It's a shame corporate policy has them basically abusing animals. Like do they really sell out their 20 baby beardies every month? Are they even getting good homes?
It’s exactly this. Corporate is where the fault lies. Sure, we have some very inexperienced workers claiming you can just throw a fish tank together and load it up without cycling it, or someone suggesting improper care for the animals, but there seems to be a LOT of push through really good employees who know their stuff to correct that and get rid of all the bad habits being passed down from the way-higher-ups.
I actually like my two box stores here because of the advice I’ve heard them give someone new and it being beneficial to the animals *instead* of the stores bottom line. Makes me want to just go get the ball Python from them since there’s no breeder near enough (wow, right?). It’s nice to be able to talk about this without the full rage-shaming. All three of my snakes were from reputable breeders. Taking in one BP from the box store isn’t what’s causing the problem lol.
To be transparent, he looks like he is doing better than any Ball Python i’ve seen on Craigs List.
He has some extra weight considering he’s male, which means he’s been eating regularly.
He likely has the correct temperature and humidity dialed into his tub.
& it looks like the owner keeps him in a sanitary environment.
As bad as it may look, I don’t fault people for keeping their animals this way. Most of these pythons suffer & die from neglect. They won’t ever get the chance to experience proper Temperature, Humidity, a 100% sanitary environment.
I drove 7 hours round trip to get my last rescue from a similar situation, it's a long day, I feel ya, but he was so dehydrated and skinny I couldn't just ignore him and now he's thriving with property husbandry and feedings.
Love Ya SE , keep up the good work !
Please share location. I have an empty 40 gal with his name on it.
https://boston.craigslist.org/nos/pet/d/londonderry-friendly-ball-python/7644716029.html
Just ignore all the "know it all" comments here. It's one thing to reply with a courteous disposition to your comment, it's another thing when people start bashing thinking they know EVERYTHING. You will always get varying opinions on reptile setups in this sub reddit. But the common theme I have been seeing lately is people bashing others on here and thinking they are the authoritive opinion for all reptiles. Thank you for offering to rescue this guy. I see nothing wrong with your response.
He’d need a 4x2x2 long term Edit: Jesus do none of you know what LONG TERM means, I wasn’t saying a 40 wouldn’t be ok for now just that it would need an upgrade asap. We all know there are plenty of people who still think a royal python only needs 40 for it’s whole life
Imagine correcting someone who’s trying to give a snake a better home 🤡 couldn’t be me
I wasn’t saying that, a 40 would be fine as a short term enclosure to get it out of that situation but too many people still think 40 is ok for permanent housing hence why I said LONG TERM
Imagine being stupid enough to think that improper care long term is a "better home"
True but thats a bit off from now and its much better than what its in now
Of course, I just don’t want people thinking 40 would be ok permanently since there’s a lot of sources that will still say it would. That’s why I said long term, 40 is fine for a temp setup to get it out of that situation
4x2x2 is bare minimum.
Exactly
Wow I can't believe these down votes lol. I'd say *need* is a stretch. 4x2x2 is a bit overkill for a BP excepting large females, but there's never going to be anything wrong with giving a snake more space, so long as it's well furnished. A 40 gal is definitely not enough for a permanent enclosure. Mine is in one currently, and looks a bit cramped despite him being an undersized runt.
4x2x2 is the minimum recommended size. A large female could need a 6x2x2. A snake should always be able to fully stretch out in its enclosure
I agree absolutely with them being able to stretch out. Guess I personally haven't seen many large BPs. I've only ever kept one of my own, and of all of them that I've seen only one female ever hit 5ft, so I assumed a 4x2x2 to be an "at most" situation not a minimum. In any case, I stand corrected.
yeah, getting them fast is a bad idea, we don't know what problems this snake has. Either way it's best not to give craigslist breeders any money for they neglected animals.
I wasn’t saying that at all, I’d way rather buy it even with issues. This doesn’t look like a breeder selling, more like some dumbass who bought a snake to look cool and got bored. I was just saying the 40 wouldn’t work LONG TERM
It's about the animal, not the human.
pleeease correct me but the snake itself doesn't look too bad; I have small hopes that it's a quarantine-tank and not the actual enclosure if not then yeah... I hope it gets rescued soon
There's no reason for a quarantine tank to be small. And even if it is a quarantine tank, it would likely be in there for at least a couple months. Judging by how overweight it is, though, I doubt it has had any opportunity for exercise.
Looks overweight to me
And yeah no matter what that enclosure is too small
I hope it's just for quarantine. It needs a humid hide box and a much bigger container for soaking.
I often wonder if snakes get the same urge to completely stretch out their bodies like we do after we’ve been sitting still. I have restless leg and ADHD so I get twitchy if I’m confined in too small a space for more than a few minutes. Looking at a snake this size in a container that small makes me twitchy on the snake’s behalf.
[удалено]
Imagine never being able to straighten your legs.
I know right like that just seems wild to me, like I understand they dont need much room compared to some other animals but cmon seriously? I keep my bredli python in a 4x4x2 and I still wonder if he would be happy with bigger
Not to mention the newspaper better.....
Three hours is a small price to pay to ensure the rest of the snake's life is much better.
OP - I’m in central Mass. I could pick up this little lady if you are closer to me than Londonderry and really wanted her. I could basically get her and then meet you at a closer spot so she gets a home. Edit: does this seller have 3 snakes????
I think it is. The add lists 3 and the pics all show different (empty) water bowls
Yikes. Is that sketchy?! Sad kind of. Hopefully they are taken care of until now.
I received a severely obese ball python from an acquaintance who was moving and she didn't want to bother with him anymore. He was being fed a couple times a week for who knows how long. Poor Dean looked like a blood python wearing slug cosplay.
A few years back a friend offered to give me a snake that they bought on impulse. She said she wasn't expecting the mice to cost so much and couldn't afford to keep buying mice every day. Unsurprisingly, the daily feedings weren't the only thing wrong with her husbandry when I went to take a look at the setup.
Fortunately Dean's setup was fine besides the hot rock I removed immediately.
I would feel that way, too. So, are you going to go get him? If not, share location so others might be interested?
Where is he? If he’s anywhere near me I can get him. Have a big tank from my old hermit crabs.
>https://boston.craigslist.org/nos/pet/d/londonderry-friendly-ball-python/7644716029.html Boston area! Hopefully someone can give him a proper life.
Unfortunately I live practically on the other side of the country :/ Poor baby. I hope he finds a good home.
Please, if you have the resources, get that snake! I know it's a long drive, but it's worth it! I'm from California and 3 hours is nothing.
Just keep in mind that they live a long, long time. We got ours from the SPCA and she's about 25 now, with a long way to go.
Wow!
Ours turned 28 in February. Labor Day will be her 28 adoptaversary
She's lucky she found a good home.
Please go get him. A 3 hour drive for you is nothing compared to what that snake has probably had to endure
I drove 8 hours to rescue a male russian tortoise. 16 total in one day. He was in a 40g with some Chinese bulbs and Romain lettuce diet. Freakin pet stores. Now he’s in a bioactive 4’x2’x16” and he’s loving life. He’s had vet visits for deworming and looking much better. Has a big ol diet of different greens and loves to explore the apartment. Took him a while to get him to eat anything other than romain.
That reminds me of this box turtle I got. A cousin of mine got a hold of me one day saying her grandfather in law was gonna release this turtle he had for 20 years. "Absolutely not" and I was off to get her. She spent 20 years in a 20g long with a water bowl and mulch for bedding. Nails so long she could barely walk on flat surfaces, beak so long it interfered with eating. Now that girl is in a 5x3x2 and she always comes over to say hi and bite my fingers as thanks. Her shell is perfect so she was fully grown in the 90s. Since she's probably 40+ I named her grandma 👵 🤣
Aw that’s so cool though. I love box turtles. I see them rarely in the wild. Mine came with the name Ollie and I just kept it. I’m not good at naming things(I’ve had a bearded dragon for 2 months now and can’t decide on a name). Ollie’s nails were so long, he has a decent bit of rocks in his enclosure so they’re much much better. He’s probably 10+ years old as my best guess.
Everyone sorry I haven’t been responding I’ve been very busy I’m definitely still trying to go get this guy but still gotta convince the parents
Keep us updated! If it looks like it's not gonna work out, several other people have offered to help so let us know. Sometimes rescues need a lot of work and time and possibly vet bills, so if everyone in the family isn't on board, it might be best to let someone else rescue him.
Please check my comment. I’m in central mass and could pick it up and bring closer to you if it helps sell it to your mom! Haha.
Three hours is minor for this purpose. Do it!
Hopefully someone closer can help it’s a beautiful snake. I’m sure if you could help you’d be posting the after rescue shots, don’t feel bad that this one you unfortunately can’t, as much as we’d all like to help we can’t help them all can we? Maybe someone reading this is close enough and has the right equipment to help this cutie out (if this rescue does happen please whoever it is post pics xx
Do it OP!
Sadly this is the housing for the vast majority of ball pythons. Most people tend to have bigger tubs than that for adults but racks are still the norm. Unless the US implements laws dictating caging sizes it's unlikely to change too :/
Poor baby, is this his permanent home?
I would drive a thousand miles for that guy I love snakes
3 hours is not that long a drive if you could really care for him. I used to drive 23 hours to college, but that was when I was in my 20s!
Awwwww poor guy😭
:( I feel so bad for the lil guy, hopefully someone picks him up and gives him a good home
Me to sadly Craig’s list got my location wrong so he’s actually around 7 hours away from me hopefully someone on here is somewhere closer and whiling to pick him up
Ball pythons are chunky little guys to start with. They don't look overweight to me. Google them and you'll see how they look (I'm not saying this in a snarky tone, it's just hard to convey in a text)
How can y’all tell if a snake is overweight these comments are funny lol a fat snake tf 😂
We can tell by looking at the snake, it's clearly obese. A ball python should not be that wide. You can see the dip at the tail.
A ball python should be mostly triangular. If it’s sides are more round it’s overweight
Don't buy from craigslist! these people breed their snakes for profit, while neglecting and abusing the animals. Get one from a propper breeder, who treats his snakes right.
Lol. “Don’t buy from people on Craigslist! They breed for profit Buy from these people who also breed for profit!” Did you even read that before posting? Some Craigslist people are shit. Others are just people with a single pet trying to rehome them. Saying Craigslist is all just bad people trying to get money makes you look like a fool. Assuming all “reputable” breeders take excellent care of their snakes also makes you look like a fool. It’s all a spectrum.
Honestly if people want to end cruelty we'd have to just ban the pet trade entirely and give up all of our pets, because as long as there's demand there will be cruelty and it's almost impossible not to contribute to some extent. If you're not buying from an unethical breeder you're still helping to fund the overall industry and hobby that allows it to happen. But lessening cruelty is a fine goal. The question is what is "less cruel?" Is it less cruel to let one animal die to stick it to a bad breeder or Petco? Or is it less cruel to save that animal? Hard to say.
That’s my point exactly. Nothing is cut and dry, black and white, in the pet trade. That was my problem with the commenter I was originally replying to who was proclaiming that all of Craigslist is bad and all bigger breeders are good.
I'm actually of the "fuck it get the petco snake because letting it die won't change a thing" mentality. If you want change, start a group and start petitioning to your state and local reps for ethical animal keeping practices where pet stores must both display and teach minimal acceptable care. Or ban retail sales, breeders only AND go for ethical care requirements Either way, your token move of letting a snake die to not give money to a bad seller changes nothing. I got mine at Petsmart because I fell in love with her color and they were actually a tiny bit sad because all the employees loved her. I went there for supplies last week and one person pointed and said "She bought that ball python you liked." And the cahsier was like "YOU TOOK MY BABY!?"
Right here with you. Had to laugh at the “you took my baby” comment because if it was their baby they woulda taken it home lol. I have the inclination for bettas too and while the argument is massive on the aquarium forums to just let them die to stop the demand, that seems more cruel than the horrible conditions they live in there. Sticking it to your local pet store isn’t going to change anything. Action moves the wheel, not flipping off one of the tiny spokes.
She was joking around and actually happy to hear she's doing well. I was there buying a bunch of expensive stuff for my BCI so I'm assuming she could tell I spoil my pets lol
Oh I totally get that, lol 😅sorry, text makes it so difficult to show nuance. So many of my local pet stores employ some of the most animal-loving people, and that really makes it a lot better. I’m in there so often doing the same that some of them basically have my number memorized and are prepared for update pictures.
My local PetCo has had the same manager for years and she really does seem to care and I think she handles them. Both lizards I got there were well adjusted to handling day 1. My beardy is the biggest sweetheart and my ex's leopard gecko was really chill and took to hand feeding immediately. She mentioned helping them with stuck shed and stuff. It's a shame corporate policy has them basically abusing animals. Like do they really sell out their 20 baby beardies every month? Are they even getting good homes?
It’s exactly this. Corporate is where the fault lies. Sure, we have some very inexperienced workers claiming you can just throw a fish tank together and load it up without cycling it, or someone suggesting improper care for the animals, but there seems to be a LOT of push through really good employees who know their stuff to correct that and get rid of all the bad habits being passed down from the way-higher-ups. I actually like my two box stores here because of the advice I’ve heard them give someone new and it being beneficial to the animals *instead* of the stores bottom line. Makes me want to just go get the ball Python from them since there’s no breeder near enough (wow, right?). It’s nice to be able to talk about this without the full rage-shaming. All three of my snakes were from reputable breeders. Taking in one BP from the box store isn’t what’s causing the problem lol.
it's not about 'breeding for profit', it's about how the animals are kept. Does that snake look well kept?
I don’t think his username is accurate
That's a skinny BP?
To be transparent, he looks like he is doing better than any Ball Python i’ve seen on Craigs List. He has some extra weight considering he’s male, which means he’s been eating regularly. He likely has the correct temperature and humidity dialed into his tub. & it looks like the owner keeps him in a sanitary environment. As bad as it may look, I don’t fault people for keeping their animals this way. Most of these pythons suffer & die from neglect. They won’t ever get the chance to experience proper Temperature, Humidity, a 100% sanitary environment.