Rashmi Rekha Das
The idea of keeping strange pets like snakes is appealing and reptile lovers recommend ball pythons as their pet of choice as it is quite a lovable and docile creature that is easy to feed and maintain. Nowadays snake lovers in the state capital are slithering into shops selling rare and colourful species of pythons.
Nowadays exotic is the buzzword when it comes to having a pet. Among pet lovers there are some who are happy with one pet, while others prefer to own a family of pets. Besides dogs and cats twitching their tails, pet lovers also love the sight of colourful fishes swimming around inside an aquarium. Love for snakes is rare, though. Snakes are not difficult pets to keep, however. Keeping ball pythons as pets is easier than most people think. They make for a good choice because they are a relatively small and docile species. Sunday POST talks to reptile enthusiasts about how good a pet the ball python actually is.
If you are interested in adopting a ball python, just pay a visit to Pet Paradise. Set up in 2003 by two friends, Subhakanta Patnaik and Satya Sankar Biswal, Pet Paradise at IRC Village in Bhubaneswar is a large store selling birds, especially foreign species, reptiles, dogs of various breeds as well as cats. Snakes too are up for sale; however, they are of foreign origin and not venomous.
“There are pet lovers who enjoy owning a ball python because it is easy to handle. A snake is a low-maintenance pet. Compared to other popular pets snakes require little attention. The more you handle and hold your ball python, the tamer it will become as it grows used to your touch. Another benefit of having a ball python as a pet is it eats only once a week and defecates once every week. Cage cleanup is fairly easy. Ball pythons can live up to 47 years when cared for in captivity, but on average they live 20 to 30 years,” says Subhankanta.
“People generally think that we sell poisonous Indian snakes like the King Cobra. But in fact, we only deal with animals and reptiles which are not included in the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Snakes such as ball pythons, corn snakes and milk snakes are sold. We are currently breeding the African ball python as it is easy for domestication. One of the most popular captive reptiles, royal pythons, are bought due to their friendliness, manageable size, and a wide variety of colours and patterns,” adds Subhankanta.
The ball python (python regius), also known as the royal python, is one of the most beautiful snakes in the world, displaying remarkable patterns of gold, ebony and bronze. It is an extremely docile snake which is one of the reasons why it makes for a great pet. Ball pythons are nocturnal, so during the day they generally sleep in their hide boxes, but at night you can spot them taking baths.
Although the cost is never a factor for pet lovers, prices depend on the morph of the snakes, says Subhankanta. “The non-venomous constrictor ranges from `25,000 to above `2 lakh as per the availability of a range of colours. Besides, milk and corn snakes are both non-venomous and attractive as they are available in different colours. These species are also bred at our shop. But because cost-effectiveness is a pressing concern, currently we are only breeding and supplying ball pythons,” he says.
“It is true that most countries have laws against keeping snakes as pets. In most nations around the globe it is illegal to capture, breed, or sell snakes. Yet there is a global fascination for such exotic pets. Adopting ball pythons is not violative of any Act and it is not wrong to domesticate the reptile,” Subhakanta says.
Researchers collect rats for laboratory tests and later use them to feed pythons. A ball python can survive around a month on just one rat. It is easy to feed the African snake. “We have a selective customer base,” Subhakanta says. “Apart from reptile lovers based in Bhubaneswar, we have customers from Mumbai and Delhi who are interested in domesticating snakes. We sell around 10-12 snakes a year.”
REPTILE LOVE
Conservationist and hugely popular as the “snakeman” of Orissa, Suvendu Mallick says ball pythons are excellent pets due to their small size and hassle-free maintenance. They are typically gentle animals that often seem to enjoy being handled and interact with the keeper.
“Their care is far less demanding than conventional pets such as cats and dogs. That apart, feeding does not require a rigorous schedule that most house pets need and vacations don’t affect the quality of care. Snakes can go weeks with little care as long as fresh water is available. They are very clean, secretive and do not make noise. They do not require routine checkups. Unlike corn snakes and king snakes, which may be a bit small and easily mishandled by children, ball pythons are slow creatures and easy to handle. In addition, they live long. But we can keep snakes as pets only when we get rid of snake fear,” says Suvendu.
Ball pythons are robust and heavy-bodied. The head is well defined and the snout is broad and distinctly rounded. The neck is fairly thin and easily discernible from the rest of the body and head. The average species is 36’’ to 48’’ and females are generally larger than males. Average hatchling size is between 8” to 12”. Record size of the ball python is reportedly 7.5’.
“The ball python is not a typical household pet. It is not a domestic animal that can adapt to fluctuations in temperature and humidity that average a household undergoes on a regular basis,” says Suvendu. “Interestingly, the average lifespan of a captive ball python is approximately 20 years, although a 35-year plus lifespan would seem reasonable, provided the reptile is properly taken care of. The longevity record of the species is 48 years for a captive zoo specimen. A ball python at the Philadelphia zoo lived for 47.5 years.”
“You will be surprised to know that the royal python is revered and regarded as sacred in some cultures,” says Suvendu. “It is unthinkable to kill a ball python in some places in Africa. If one is discovered dead, it is often covered with a cloth out of respect. It is also believed that if you kill a snake it would not rain and a ritual must be performed by the culprits to set things right. In some cultures, a ball python wandering into a household is regarded as a blessing. Besides, in some places the reptiles are brought into villages to control the ever-growing population of rodents that destroy grain holdings. In cultures that respect this reptile there is no collection of wild ball pythons since the animal is revered. These protected areas are avoided by snake hunters due to the possibility of inflicting injury on the creatures.”
Another interesting fact about the snakes is that ball pythons are usually depressed when things are not correct in their environment. They become inactive and secretive. This may occur when their cages are located in the path of heavy traffic and the reptiles feel secure. Over time this effect can lead to the demise of otherwise healthy pythons.
“I have two ball pythons and they have been christened by my son Ricky and Rocky. I am in support of keeping the reptile as a pet. At a time when we are keeping dogs as pets that often bite us, what is wrong in keeping African pythons as pets. Those who are against keeping ball pythons as pets have a wrong notion that the reptile would harm us. We are not violating any law,” reasons Suvendu.
“When the ball python is disturbed, rather than displaying aggression it has a tendency to curl up into a tight ball, which is a defensive behaviour. Thus it is commonly known as the ball python in the United States, though in Europe it is referred to as the royal python,” adds Suvendu.
THINK TWICE
Young snake rescuer and wildlife photographer Debabrata Parida, however, says keeping reptiles as pets is not advisable. “I am not particularly in favour of trapping a ball python in a cage. While all Indian species of birds are protected under the Wildlife Act, exotic foreign birds are exempt. Though it is not illegal to keep different animals, there is no guarantee that the animals would not hurt anybody. When they feel suffocated and unwell, there are chances that reptiles could attack humans. Also, only those who know about reptiles and their behaviour can make them pets. Besides, accidental strangulation by big snakes is also likely.”