I currently have a male ball python and I know all animals vary in personality but are female ball pythons generally more laid back compared to males as pets? If you have a ball python who will sit and curl up with you for ten minutes or longer can you tell me if they’re a male or female and their age??
Mine isn’t a year old yet so maybe that’s why he moves around so much but I just want to gather more data from other ball pyton owners.
I am focused on getting a female next primarily because I want to see the personality difference but if it genuinely doesn’t matter and it’s all just a gamble I’d love to get another male because I see more males I’d love to buy compared to females right now.
I haven’t personally seen a difference between sexes, it’s all just individual personalities.
Most of my ball pythons, male or female, are relatively laid back and curious individuals. There’s several that are a bit more shy and cautious, and I have three females that are all a bit on the defensive side. I don’t have issues handling them, but I do have to be mindful as they wouldn’t hesitate to tag me if I moved too suddenly. The usually calm down after a bit of handling though.
I would note that I mostly purchase females so likely why I ended up with more defensive females — I’ve had one male that long since sold that was nearly impossible to handle because of how bad he was.
Edit: really the only major difference between the two is size, females typically get bigger than males when they’re full grown!
I have not experienced anything that would point to one being more laid back then another. I have males that love to be held and I have females that will strike almost all the time. They have their own personality and it is the luck of the draw. Handling more could help change this behavior.
As others have said, I don’t think sex is a determining factor of temperment in ball pythons. I’ve known several over the years that spanned the temperment spectrum, and never noticed any pattern related to sex. The most laid-back ball I knew belonged to my previous roommate, and he was a male. He was also older (16+ years old and BIG, especially for a male), so his age could have also been a factor. But he was super chill, and seemed content to just hang out with us for extended periods of time. He was also great in the educational programs my roommate did with him.
I think it’s mostly just luck of the draw. Socialisation also plays a role. Snakes who are handled regularly and properly are generally going to be more “friendly” than snakes that don’t get much human interaction…though there are snakes who seem to remain skittish and/or defensive no matter how much they’re handled, and there are snakes who are totally chill being scooped up out of the wild. Just like humans and other more “personable” animals, reptiles all have unique personalities. Some are naturally more high-strung than others.
I’ve often wondered if there’s a genetic factor in temperment.
I’ve not noticed females being more laid back, if they are I think it’s because they are bigger, though I have a 4-5 yr. old female who is NEVER laid back.
Personality seems to pass down at least somewhat, that same female laid eggs, five in June, the babies of that clutch seem more skittish than the other clutch I had, nine eggs from a female who was sweet as a snake can be.
The fathers of both those clutches were very different too, the bitey females sire is also very nervous while the others sire was very laid back so I guess I was kinda asking for ‘mean’ snakes!
I had the opposite, a calm female and male, all hatchlings calm but one male mental. But It seems to be an over active appetite.
Some of my adult females get a bit eager when packing food in the breeding season.
I would say its an individual thing but also based on where they are in the breeding cycle for some.
