BALL PYTHONS IN THE WILD (An Original Film)

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Hey everyone, I hope you enjoy this movie as much as I enjoyed making it! I must ask that you please be aware of what you say and how you say it in this comment section. Please keep your comments rational, respectful, civil and courteous. Polite discussions are encouraged, however this comment threat will be monitored by several moderators who will delete any comments that are insulting, or are deemed to be bullying, intolerant, or are mocking, condescending or other forms of harassment to anyone. The replies to your comments may not necessarily be from me personally. I’m sure you all understand the need for me to state this. Thanks, enjoy the movie, and Rattle On! -Dāv

[@WayneStakem]

Should have opened with "based on a true story".

[@notyourgma]

So stoked .. This is eye opening ,, thank you so much!!!!!!! I'm still crying from the murder market... I wish you could of just took them all home!!!!! All your hard work and money is so much appreciated Dav. Cant wait to buy one of those baby balls ... I want a male and I know your selling them unsexed so , maybe Ill have to buy a couple lol.....

[@redneck_ridge_reptiles]

This was out f*****g standing Dāv, Top drawer ol boy (standing ovation) 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏

[@bigharrykochenbauls4567]

That's asking a lot of the Internet lol

[@kristinmontague9084]

Understood Dāv

[@ClintsReptiles]

Finally, the wait is over! Thank you for making this legendary film, Dāv. It's a game changer!

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Thank you my friend!

[@ThreeThree6]

Well Hi There!

[@loriw2661]

I agree 100%. I’ll be watching it again tonight.

[@AngloCelt88]

Hey Clint, I think you might be one of the best people to ask this question to. Do you think it would ever be possible to introduce the "Sickness Gene" or high black coloration that is in some of the Green Tree Pythons to Ball Pythons. I recently seen a video of some Tree Boas with it, I believe it would be hands down the coolest morph available if it were at all possible.

[@norwichreptileshed]

I thought you were better than that Clint... This is just fuel for the rack keepers even though three locals admit they see them in trees for over half the year during the wet season.

[@GoatyHerps]

"She has no idea how special she is." Man, I freaking love that. This film is amazing. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@thederpydragon4204]

"To have one in your house is a blessing" I couldn't agree more :) With a $500 custom designed enclosure, plenty of hides, climbing opportunities and other unique enrichment, high quality meals, an automated humidity system and full spectrum lighting, you could say the ball python in my house is worshiped like a god too 😅 So cool that people of such different cultures can share in the love of these animals!

[@kated3165]

This is part of the reason why wealthy countries should care about the living conditions of other people around the world. The locals are the ones that truly decide what gets protected and what gets exterminated, so conservation is entirely dependent on helping these people. No amount of education or money being poured in conservation is going to convince local people not to kill the lions and crocodiles if the animals are eating their kids or decimating their flocks, and the capturing of wildlife will never cease if locals have few other options to earn decent money.

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Yup, you’re both correct sadly

[@kated3165]

@Robert Petrelli Indeed. Just thinking of how messed up our relation with China is. On one hand we blame them for their massive pollution habits and call out their blatant abuse of human rights. On the other hand, we 100% depend on them remaining the world's slave-operated global industries. Nothing is even being done to allow this to change in the future...

[@brandieluna6459]

Dav, you did a service. The murder market made me cry. I can only imagine how you felt going through there. My heart hurts for you. I so very much appreciate you filming all you've filmed on your trip. You just provided us yet another service in learning more about the animals we love and keep. I hope that you're taking care of your mental health. Xoxo

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Thanks. It changed me that’s for sure

[@tristanpaulik8419]

Thank you so much for making the point that these people aren’t evil for what they’re doing with theses animals. That poverty is forcing them into do what they can to survive. What a great film. I always love your content, I appreciate your work.

[@jojew8635]

Being poor doesn’t justify mistreating animals it’s a sign of a lesser cultural connection to morality and you can see how it differs from country to country

[@Nepeta-Leijon]

@@jojew8635 its actually very common for morality to become less of a concern for those in life-threatening situations, otherwise no one would ever kill in self defense

[@jojew8635]

@@Nepeta-Leijon still not a justification, and just am fyi you sound like some one who's never experienced a life or death situation. The fact that almost all of these third world countries have nearly no regard for the animal life and regularly post videos of them Fighting on KZbin speaks to the fact that these people are immoral. Struggling does not change the fact that you are a bad person and does not mean you immediately deserve pitty

[@teedles88]

i just realized after watching the part about the temple, that ever since i got my bp, my life has truly seemed to be better. the blessings i have had. ball python's truly are a blessing.

[@ashleymarie6715]

I always hated snakes my whole life. Until going into a pet store and I immediately fell in love with a mystic potion python. She's just beautiful and has totally changed my tune for snakes. Documentaries like this have also been amazing to become more educated!

[@666-y8w]

I almost married a girl who practiced vodoo and she had ball pythons but I knew nothing about their connection to the religion. I am so grateful for documentaries like this...thank you.

[@fireinateacup89]

Anyone else notice that the colors of the temple area walls were specifically ball python colors...a sort of terra Cotta brown, yellow and black! I just love how much they adore their snakes. If the rest of the world had half of that affection for snakes, they would have a much better outlook!

[@christopherchesnajr1429]

I'm very happy you brought a side about the skin trade that people don't see. The first world assumes people in the skin trade are evil and even demons, but it's just people trying to make end's meet to feed their families and we forget about that

[@doubledgaming4032]

This should be WAY more popular than what it is. It disproves a lot of information that people on the internet are saying about temps, humidity and how they live!

[@sassypenguin3168]

My 6 year old and my 13 year old have rewatched this about 4 times now and love it just as much as the first time. Thank you for this amazing reptile adventure ❤ it was so cool to learn about the morph breeding in Ghana

[@gameravodak589]

Me too iam gonna watch it again

[@thegreenrocket]

Incredible you went out to Africa to film this and meet the people doing the work in the continent where these animals are found. I haven't finished the video yet but well done, amazing.

[@pythonalley8882]

The way the African fella said “no” when you asked if the worm was a tiny ball python? Lol priceless.

[@brandonhowe7544]

So great! 🤣

[@physbciob]

Captivating film dav! The journey was insane: from the light-hearted habitat demonstration to the horrendous skin and medicinal trade industry, as well as providing a perspective on the natives and what they need to thrive (even though I could see you were trying your best not to demonize their practices). You had me hooked. You will forever be a source of insparation and I'm honered that I was able to be part of your journey. Rattle on Dav!

[@andylydon8416]

This is my third time watching this! This is the best documentary I've ever seen. I have no idea how you pulled this off almost alone and Nat Geo has millions of $$ and a big crew and can't come close to this quality. You're a legend Dāv!

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Thank you Andy!

[@HellyeahRook]

This video taught me how much of a privilege it is to keep these snakes as pets. To be able to have homes, and have the ability to keep exotic pets is a huge privilege.

[@user-ix3en1zd7n]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH the first full film about ball freaking pythons , theres next to nothing in regards to actual wild ball python footage , thank you !

[@johndoody7526]

What you have done with this film is extraordinary..not only the ground breaking insight to Ball Pythons in the wild but the indepth look into a not so pretty side of things. This film is truly a work of art and worthy of an award

[@mistydawn7426]

I really enjoyed this movie. I learned so much! I have to be honest and say that those markets with all the dead animals made me sick to my stomach and they also made me cry! So horrible. I would live in the town where they worship the ball pythons. Thank you for making this movie and educating me. I'm an old lady that loves to learn about wildlife. 😊❤🐍

[@LavastormSW]

I love the ball python worshipping village so much. It's wonderful that they can only pray for good things and view ball pythons as the wonderful animals that deserve to be worshipped as they are. I was also very surprised that they didn't have any snake mites! Just goes to show how well they're being taken care of.

[@BBooBooBop]

This is by far the best and possibly only documentary about ball pythons. I learned so much that I would have never known! Thanks so much, I appreciate this more than you know. Stay safe and keep doing what you do sir👊

[@dingdongism]

If it's the only documentary, it's also the worst. And the longest. And the shortest. You're not quite giving the praise you think you are there, bud.

[@ElvenWarriorWoman]

I'm truly amazed at how docile they are in the wild no wonder they've become so popular as pets. I love my normal morph girl

[@kearstinnekenerson6676]

What really got me thinking is it would be grate to have a bigger bioactive enclosure with deeper soil substrate and build little borrows for them.

[@nikoco1]

hey Dav thanks for your work, i recently (couple of weeks) built a tall enclosure for my BP (1,60x1,20x60 cm), i used to see him try to climb is old small one (45cm heigh...) at night. he loves it, climbs all over most of the night and today even decided to sleep behind a cork bark i've put in the branches instead of the hides he usually goes in on the ground, hence my comment today. i'm new to the hobby, he's a 6years old snakes i've got 3 months ago, but i'm so happy to see him evolve in a bigger better environment. again thanks for all you do!

[@jonathanowens9666]

This was probably one of the best put together documentaries I have watched in a long time . Thank you very much for this world wind of information you just gave us.

[@pft_socal]

Thank you for pointing out how most of the deforestation is caused by agriculture. Having traveled all over the neotropics and living in the Peruvian Amazon for the last 5 years, I have seen first hand how the overwhelmingly vast majority of deforestation is caused by unsustainable agricultural practices. Not logging, mining or palm oil plantations, although those do tremendous damage as well. I constantly get messages from my followers on IG telling me how sad it is that the forests are disappearing due to palm oil, mining, logging and cattle ranching and when I tell them the cause of probably well over 90% of deforestation they are surprised. Misinformation bombards us from every direction 24/7, so it’s very difficult for people to know the actual truth of things. Thank you again for putting out such amazing, educational, well put together and fun to watch content. Always look forward to your next video.

[@michaelthompson2782]

This is produced exceptionally well. Dav Kaufman top notch cinematic editing. Well done sir.

[@ReptilesandResearch]

Very good movie, I am glad that you went out to film these observations of wild behaviour! It should be congratulated. Thank you for your reply on my analysis video of this movie also 😀

[@onioncontrol]

It's nuts to me how polite wild ball pythons are. They're so chill compared to the colubrids I can catch where I live.

[@joshuastover1047]

That market breaks my heart. You kept your composure and props to you for that Dav!

[@destinyheath6583]

Amazing. Those snakes are incredibly calm. So grateful for my ball python.

[@toxicmartoc]

I'm working on making a naturalistic vivarium for my ball python and this video has given me some great ideas, fascinating film, thanks.

[@angelapie]

Are you going to add deeper substrate so they have a chance to burrow? Im might get a BP and thinkih about doing that

[@etet4736]

Real hot holes and minty burrows, such a great informative episode. Excellent work!

[@WarfelsMorphs]

Absolutely AMAZING Dav!!!!!! This was soooo worth the wait! I enjoyed every minute of this movie! Thank you so much for filming and sharing this with us all. I can only imagine how amazing it was to find them in the wild and see them flourishing. Such great information as well especially on how the eggs are being incubated in the wild! Thank you again!!!

[@dylanwicklund5129]

I've watched this countless times now and it's still just as good as the first time

[@blazertundra]

This brings so much clarity to some things about my 23 yr old snake. He looks just like the normal-looking normals from Benin. He came from a petsmart, and seemed a bit too large to be a hatchling back then. Sounds like he may have been in a bucket of baby pythons before he came to me. Also, the lifestyle of the snakes you found lines up perfectly with my snake's habits. He loves his caves, loves eating mice, and hates exercise. He gets handled regularly and knows how to ask to be let out for supervised exploration, but he only asks during the Monsoon season here in the American SW. The rest of the time he likes to sit around, look cute, and have his human deliver mouse snacks to his doorstep.

[@michaeld9705]

Dāv, You really are a huge influence to a lot of us in the reptile community. Thank you for going through all of the hustle and bustle, and the stress of getting all of this footage. You always out-do yourself.

[@mauricewalker3877]

JUST WATCHED IT AGAIN AS A FAN OF ROYAL PYTHONS having 7 of them BEING A FAN OF AFRICA AND BEING A FAN OF DAVE ALL I CSN SAY IS GOOD JOB DAVE SERIOUSLY LOVED IT. RATTLE ON….

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Thank you!

[@Lulusnotreadyforthis]

That market was heartbreaking. Very tough to watch but important to see. Thank you, Dāv

[@williammolina6864]

Dav Kaufman is GOAT. Awesome Vid that provides so many answers to so many questions about ball pythons. Great job!!!!

[@LuckyCoinFrog]

We need more expeditions like this one for specific pet species. Always an amazing journey and eye opener. I would wish for a trip like this to Mexico to search for different kinds of Abronia. You did a wonderful job and even the sponsor adds were cool.

[@Paintopia_VR]

Great video Dav, one thing to note. Although you found many Royal Pythons in their burrows they always had the opportunity to leave the burrow even if they would just sit outside to bask in UV like the first one you found was. This is a crucial part of their environment, the ability to leave their hide and go outside of it. Rack systems do not provide enough space for them to do this and most breeders set up their rack as the whole things being a hide. This leaves no potential for the snake to leave the hide and do other things such as bask, explore, hunt etc... Just because they like to spend most of the day in their hide does not mean they do not leave it at dusk and dawn to explore, hunt etc.. This is the fundamental problem with racks and is why they need to be reformed into something that gives each snake at least the minimum space they need to display these behaviors, with the current recommendation for keepers to use being a 4ftx2ftx2ft enclosure. This should be the minimum size of each snakes tub in a rack and that tub should be filled with enrichment using multiple hides and branches, a high humidity moss box and a regular UV light cycle. Only then will the breeders be providing the minimum care required to keep this animal in an ethical way. One day this will be realized by the industry i only hope that day comes soon and the suffering of millions of pythons is ended...

[@jase123111]

They are not likely to bask in the UV sunlight at the burrow entrances.. they will be in danger of being spotted and eaten by predators. They would only come out of their burrows at night to find mates, find food, or a new place to hide.

[@DeathHornDisst]

There are a few difficult problems with your option vs facts. Just to start out, a quick run down of what ‘Anthropomorphism’ is. It’s when we place human emotions onto animals or inanimate objects. Ie: ‘I want a nice big house, which all that money can afford inside. I want a big house for my family and I. Therefor, My pet animals would like a big house that is fully furnished as well.’ Claiming it is best for their health. Or using what we perceive as best for their health. What we have seen through this amazing documentary; is that the ball pythons, from this locality, prefer to live predominantly within burrows. Only coming out to feed, mate, or due to excessive rain. Those burrows in this documentary appeared to be smaller/ tighter than most ‘appropriately’ sized tubs. The difference is that we bring food and mates to their tubs, ie burrows. So there is no need for them to venture out. This is back up by two things; 1) a lot of times, larger enclosures cause our ball pythons to be stressed leading to health issues. We have seen this time and time again. On forums and even here on KZbin with some reptile owners. 2) Ball pythons are HIGHLY prolific and healthy when kept in a rack system. This has been proven with the industry and pet owners through literal decades of breeding and keeping of this amazing species. *If an animal is unhappy with its environment, it will become unhealthy and will most definitely not reproduce. We see this all the time in zoo’s and aquariums all over the world. Many animals can’t even be kept in any enclosure of any kind. No matter how ‘perfect’ it is. Great White sharks are a good example of this. A lot of times, animals can be kept in amazing enclosures and live good life’s, but will still never reproduce in the enclosure. Even when exceptional mates are available. We see this all the time in the aquarium hobby. As a fish breeder myself. I have kept thousands of different fish. Breeding serval different species. I can tell you from first hand experience, that if that fish isn’t happy or conditions aren’t perfect, they’re not reproducing. I say all this to get to this. If you want to keep you’re ball python in a large enclosure, by all means do so. But to say that your way is the best and only way despite literal decades of experts hard work to get to where we are today, is foolish and unwise. Do you really think ball python keepers/ breeders woke up one day and said ‘let’s use tubs to keep them in today’. Not a chance. It started through reptile enthusiast working hard to fine the perfect conditions to keep healthy/ happy ball pythons. There wasn’t money involved in keeping them at the start, like there is today. We’re all enthusiast. Most of us trust the years of trial and error from reptile experts on how to properly keep our amazing animals. While others try to reinvent the wheel. I wish you all the best and hope that this info reaches understanding and not hate.

[@Xlens22]

@@DeathHornDisst If it is a natural behavior that is not harmful then we we should do our best to provide that in captivity. It is not anthropomorphism to say that ball pythons will bask, explore and climb when given the opportunity. Rack systems don’t allow them to do these natural behaviors.

[@speedymadr6]

@@jase123111 But the first snake the guide found was outside its burrow? Dav even stated I will leave this snake here where we found it?

[@DeathHornDisst]

@@speedymadr6 did he not also state that it was a female that was outside her barrow to help regulate the temp of her eggs?

[@littlehawk299]

I've searched everyday to find a wild Royal Python video. Finally!! This covers everything I wanted to know. Thank you to you and all your team!!!

[@LastDaysIntercessors]

Exactly what I was looking for. As a Ball Python owner, I was interested to see how these animals lived lives in their natural habitats. Great job, my guy.

[@MamboGuy914]

This is literally the documentary of my dreams. I’ve been dreaming about this for a very long time. I can’t believe someone went through the trouble to actually make it! 🥺

[@PotatoeJoe69]

Thank you for this, Dāv. It always seems like the most common pet snakes are the ones we never get too see in the wild. Ball pythons, Boas, Corn snakes.... not many videos or even photos online of these species in their wild hanitats, but your changed that for at least one of these common species with this fantastic production!

[@georgetteve5019]

Dave, this is the best film you’ve made. The truth is horrible BUT!!! Knowing this may change the game. People need to understanding the reality. You’re right they’re not evil people they are impoverished. And I’m sick about it. This is true in any 3rd world country. And we need to fight for every land that has all our beautiful creatures in our world.

[@katiem.3109]

I would mention that the term 'third world country' is considered outdated. Also, it should be mentioned that Ghana is not actually a low-income country, but rather a middle income country (the same category as India and China), though both Togo and Benin are low-income countries. That said, even in middle income countries, there are still a substantial number of people living in poverty, and your overall point is still very much valid.

[@frida95frida]

Excellent documentary! Thank you 🙏 for bringing this to us.

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@martingreen1099]

THIS IS NOTHING SHORT OF A MASTERPIECE!!

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Thanks Martin!

[@leafystreet]

The effort you put into this is obvious, and it was worth it. I had no idea they were breeding morphs in Africa. awesome watch

[@fadleymohdjaya387]

At last a full documentary/movie about Ball Python in the wild. I am BP keeper myself and I always been obsessed about BP life in the wild. So,I want to thank you for the documentary about this majestic animal. Love from Malaysia.

[@mike_MSP]

Thank you Dav for sharing the things you find and giving the world a better understanding of the realities that are beyond our sight.

[@johnrafael4110]

I was able to use the information that you provided to us from this video in order to break my ball pythons 5 month long hunger strike. Thankyou for showing us how these animals really live out in ghana, etc. Keep up the good work brother

[@Brandon_Nelson92]

I have a 27 year old ball python that has had a few hunger strikes over the years. His longest hunger strike lasted 9 months. He was only just starting to look slightly underweight by the end of it. He regained all of his weight in less than 2 months. He just took 2 medium rats a couple days ago and is doing better than ever.

[@passerineblue]

Did the snake watch the video with you?

[@brandonkeen6115]

Absolutely amazing footage. Ended this with goosebumps. As somebody who is aspiring to breed Ball Python's I hope that we can do our part to preserve them in the wild. They're such wonderful animals. Thank you for what you do. What watching this has done has cemented my desire to work with these animals. Well done Dave. Well done.

[@WilliamCizzle]

Made me proud to be a ball python keeper. Love to meet anyone that loves them as much as me. Thank you for all of the valuable info. Even the darker side was very informative. Will definitely share this with all of my friends in the hobby!

[@bimalkumbhar12]

I'm from India a student,and looking for a full scale documentary about Royal Ball Python's environment, ecology and their behavior in the wild,,, thanks to Dāv, I learned a lot from this video, and after this video I'm now one of new subscribers of your..

[@garthsreptilecare1295]

10 minutes in and I'm appreciating the seasonality insight, habitat profiles and data. Thank you.

[@RobertKirkpatrick84]

This was a fantastic film. The murder markets were exceptionally difficult to watch. A reminder that addressing human poverty globally also benefits amazing creatures. It's amazing to see how proper balance between conservation and collection allows for healthy breeding populations and benefits to local people's as well. I had no idea ball python morphs occur so frequently even in the wild. The speed and degree to which we can alter their appearance feels almost like how humans domesticated dogs. Who knows, maybe in a few thousand years historians will look back on them as the first truly domesticated reptile.

[@karufon96]

Animal Planet or BCC should had sponsored you. Awesome insights ! LOVE IT !!!

[@mmurphy3608]

This was so great. It could have been four hours long as far as I am concerned. Thanks Dāv!

[@brettpeterson6800]

Dav, the fact that yourself and your colleagues have made the effort to go out of your way to produce this incredibly educational doco means the world to myself, and I'm sure , all the other herpers out there. Brilliant work! I hope this spreads some light on the habits and behaviour of Ball Pythons in the wild as well as how we should be correctly keeping them in captivity.

[@RebekahSF]

Thank you for making this! Our family has 3 as pets & I have been searching for research information on them in the wild....surprisingly difficult to find quality material. Hats off to you! This is exactly what we wanted.

[@LisaWheeler-e6p]

Very fine videography, and informative. some of the best Ive seen on you you tube. Thanks

[@nathanrupley]

A lot of great info here, but I'm confused about some of the conclusions. The one I'm most interested in is how, if they are out and about at dawn and dusk, and they climb trees seasonally, a rack system provides access to the amount of room needed to do that?

[@nightinggale6470]

The answer is they don’t. There is no way to justify using a rack system, at least not a typical minimalistic breeder rack.

[@brewkeepyr4647]

Fantastic video Dave!! Well done. What I love most about this film is your summation starting at 38:12. Your review of all the natural behaviors that you showcased all the way up to this point and that nature is not black or white. Great point about New Yorkers and pizza. You do a fantastic job of clearing up a very muddy issue and it's even more evident now, after your field trip, that there are 2 very basic reasons to keep animals in a tub, and rack system. The first being you're a breeder, the second being that you have a very large collection and need to optimize space, or well both. Your film clearly shows that it's just not possible to replicate all the environmental enrichment that these animals experience in the wild by simply keeping them in tubs.

[@nightinggale6470]

If you have so many animals that you’re forced to keep them in minimalistic tubs, you shouldn’t have that many animals. And being a breeder doesn’t necessitate keeping all of your animals in minimalistic racks. There’s are breeders that keep their animals in large, enriching enclosures. Take Smouldering Serpents for example. They have a channel showing their enclosures.

[@horsemanshipper]

Exactly. His own observations show that very clearly.

[@wgfu2003]

Awesome Dave, what you do for the community is definitely appreciated.

[@secondsfromdisaster5360]

Watching this made me feel even better about taking my sister's ball python. She couldn't keep it so she asked if I could take care of it. It's a gorgeous 5 ft ball python. I'm currently building a 5'×2'×2' tank for it to upgrade from the 40g

[@paulbradbury7166]

It shows how important talking and receiving information from stakeholders residents and guides. Thank you again for making such an informative film with wonderful content. Alain visitation could be more true than we think.

[@guntherbbb]

Wow this documentary was absolutely amazing sir, it is a true original film. I wish there was a couple more hours of this because it was just so damn good. Thank you sir for this and showing the world.

[@calamity0.o]

I appreciate the explanation that these people are not evil or bad people for their trade, they are just trying not to starve. Could that last one be het pied with the markings and tracks since it's close the pied area?

[@Boaman-cm1fk]

I love ball pythons with all of my heart and soul. Magnificent Movie!!!!

[@missybuchanan9631]

Those wild ball pythons are friendlier than my pet rabbit

[@AuroraExotics]

Aliens! I knew it! We need a pic of you doing the meme pose with a ball python on your shoulders haha. Great film Dāv, and great information - what an adventure!

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

I knew it all along too! Haha. Glad you enjoyed!

[@d.s.reptilez9407]

Freaking awesome movie man. Freaking loved it. Like you mentioned some good stuff

[@trevo8669]

First off I'll say congrats on making this film. More productions like this are certainly needed and welcome in the hobby. Great Job Dav. I think you touched into some really interesting aspects about ball pythons and the locals where they live. Shows the variability in behavior these animals express. Allows us to see a much more adaptive and resilient animal. Scientific academia shows these animals inhabit many different habitats and in some areas can be almost invasive. I think my only criticism would be a few missed opportunities which may or may not have been possible at the time at the time of filming. The first being potentially going into the uvb aspect of keeping these animals. That female outside of her burrow was more than likely seeking out uvb. There are a number of papers out showing blood serum levels with snakes that have no access to uvb and animals with access. Would stand to reason that a female would need a way to replenish after laying eggs and not eating for a while. The crepuscular nature of the animal is evidence of a much more active animal that we previously thought. Would be interesting to see these animals on the wet season. I'm assuming for the most part you were filming in the dry season. North American colubrids spend months underground essentially frozen solid, ball pythons have to face dangerous exposure during the dry season. Again I would think that would indicative of an active animal when conditions allow. Personally I think the evidence you showed us in this film, goes even further to show us that racks might not be in the animals best interest. A ball python in Scrub land Ghana is still the same ball python that exists in forested areas. Building for the animals natural abilities and niches is certainly in our capabilities. They are justifiably not the rocks we thought they were.

[@BeckyS]

Completely agree! I would also have liked to see some insight into different behavior based on locality. Are there actually many sub-species of balls in the wild? Should that affect their care? Id love to see a passionate hobbyist like Dav support biologists studying wild populations, genetics, behavior, etc. The hobby could really benefit from scientific study.

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Thanks for your comments. Yes there was so much more I wanted to investigate and there is so much left to learn but the areas where ball pythons live is very difficult to navigate for a number of reasons and that keeps most people who would like to do research there away from doing it. I'm just glad I could find out what I did and present that to everyone. I may go back one day and do a follow up movie on them but the cost of this trip, and the roadblocks in our way may make that difficult. - Dāv

[@trevo8669]

@@davkaufmansreptileadventures Absolutely...cost and safety as well as accessibility of resources and yet you were still able to turn out extremely valuable information. Thank you for taking critical comments as constructive. No malice or negativity was meant. I look forward to your future work. All the best Dav.

[@stevenhall8964]

As much as you care about animals, it must have been so hard not to give in to the temptation of buying those monitors and chameleons and the ball python and releasing them, but as you said it would just give the sellers reason to just go get more, plus the condition of those chameleons and most of the monitors was so poor that they probably wouldn't have survived anyway even if released. Thank you brother for your strength and dedication to bring the truth and reality to the rest of us, people like you make me proud of being a herper!! Even if your kind of goofy and can't fish as good as me!!!

[@amandasizemore44]

Dav, this is an amazing film. Man: “having a ball python in your house is a blessing.” Dav: “I agree” Me: Yep looks like I have to get me some ball pythons so I can be blessed and have an invisible ark. 😍🐍💚

[@newhampshireoutdoornetwork9505]

I would have got in trouble at the murder market. That was so hard to watch . Thank you for sharing this with us

[@placebo1222]

My Ball python was bought from a petco type pet shop chain. Its feeding record showed that it had only fed once when I got it and had refused its last four meals. I tried with frozen thawed mice for a few weeks. It refused evert time. I then tried it with quail chicks and it fed three times. From then it happily took mice and rats.

[@matthewsmith8727]

I’m so glad you me mentioned that the locals running the markets are not evil! they live in poverty and are left with no choice

[@radalys]

This really was something else...! Thanks Dav for this amazing film, and showing the full spectrum, the reality of Ball pythons in Africa.

[@casandraanderson73]

This is by far the best thing I've ever seen on KZbin! Dāv you are one of a kind and I hope the reptile world knows just how valuable you are to them! Simply Amazing. Now let's go burn down that market!

[@YashaVatrushka]

Great movie ! I've been having it saved for a long time before I eventually had the time to watch it.

[@MoonstonePlains]

This video should have millions of views! 🥺😍

[@thomasharhen2168]

AFRICA IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL CONTINENT!! Its the best !!❤❤

[@Boskibro]

Africa would be beautiful if it wasn’t full of so much horrible. The murder markets were disgusting and I struggle to understand how people would be okay with it.

[@eshankulkarni2843]

most of africa sucks

[@AweNature1]

Oh, Dav. What a wonderful movie. So many levels of important information. We get our first ball python tomorrow, and I'm hoping we can honor it as it deserves. Thank you for your hard work.

[@avasinistra]

That one tribe is so right they're a blessing. My house has 2 and this morning was blessed with a surprise clutch of eggs. ❤️ I really do feel so lucky to have them

[@d.e.sreptiles1585]

Dav ‘s just on another level and much needed debunking on some miss information, Epic Journey!!!!

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Thank you!

[@3ggeckos519]

I remember in the late 80s, ball pythons were notoriously shy, very difficult to feed, many having to be force-fed. It was sad. These were all wild caught balls, being sold in pet stores all over. $75-$125...There were no "morphs" - maybe you'd see an albino now and then, but that was it. My friend had one and it was an absolute PITA to feed. I got into retics, burmese and kingsnakes. It's so nice to see what decades of captive breeding can do for the species. There are tons of phenotypes now, balls seems to be thriving and their popularity has soared. They have come a long way from those 80s wild-caught specimens, which is a success story to be sure.

[@ThijmenTheTurkey]

That was moreso because of terrible husbandry back in the day than because of their difficulty

[@victoriapapesh6892]

Excellent documentary 🎉💯💖🙏 Ball Pythons are my absolute favorite snake and reptile. I can't live without them. I hope that you were able to take that amazing Ball Python home from Benine, Africa. That snake was absolutely beautiful 😍 I really liked the positive voodoo place that admired Ball Pythons. It really made my day 🎉🎉🎉 Ball Pythons are the most beautiful and doscile of all the snakes. I think they are absolutely perfect. I really appreciated this documentary. Thank you so much for making it 💯💖🙏😍

[@tullysoutregiusroyals]

Absolute gold. this video is saturated with value. Value that the hobby will continue to benefit from for decades. Its put so many debates to bed. Well done Dāv and thank you to all involved in the production 👏🏻

[@Serpent947]

That gold color on the ball python is amazing

[@nicholaszoppa3274]

Dāv Kaufman's best observation: "Wait a minute, what is this... This ball python has a very minty burrow here." (32:12) Best quote from the movie lol.

[@lorrainemunoa791]

YES! That and him politely asking "If I can just disturb your ball here-" to get a look at the head of that last snake. I giggled.

[@alucevision]

you accomplished what so many set out to do and dreamed of! be very proud of what you created and captured here. Loved every minute of it.

[@davkaufmansreptileadventures]

Thank you so much!!

[@mballen74]

Excellent Film sir. The murder market was tough to watch, so I could only imagine how tough it was to witness first hand. Kudos to you for getting the message out without judgment.

[@PaulFajardoOfficial]

this movie is educational as it is entertaining..it found the sweet spot where it will educate you about ball pythons and keep you on the edge of your seat at the same time..this movie sets the bar to a whole new level..this is a masterpiece! this makes me want to have my own invisible ark one day.. thank you dāv for making this movie.. 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@pennysunshine5261]

I’m so surprised that they are so docile in the wild!