Pictures are welcome! I've heard that carpet pythons can sometimes be mean, but I do think they're pretty.
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What's it like to have a BIG snake?
- Thread starter hypnoctopus
- Start date
WestCoast_Redneck
New member
Sorry for the multitude of pictures!
I LOVE the pictures!! I'm so envious of everyone with their big snakes...They are awesome! I love the stories too...Hope this thread keeps going
SteelJawEmily
New member
It depends on each snake really. My Irian Jaya Malakai (pictured) is sweet as can be, but my Jungle, Shiva....is a right nasty piece of work when she wants to be. Irian Jaya's and Coastals are known for being the most gentle. My favorite part about them is how active they are. They are always perching (being arboreal) and out to see. Plus they don't get "sausagy" as some bigger snakes tend to. Here are a couple more pictures for you....to try and bring you to the dark side.
They really are addictive. The IJ's are the smallest, getting to maybe 6 feet long, and the Coastal's the biggest....possibly growing up to 10-12 feet long. The nice thing about these guys though is that they stay fairly slender, so they don't SEEM like such a giant snake until they stretch out. If you have any questions on these guys, feel free to ask. They really are a great species and I love them so much.
Shiva-Jungle
Bandit-Coastal (Late 2012 baby)
MysticExotics
(formerly NWHeather)
I am quite fond of Carpet Pythons. As babies, some can be bitey, just as Cornsnakes can, they think everything is going to eat them, so they're defensive.
Most Carpets outgrow the bitey stage, some do not. Generally, the Jungle's are the ones known for retaining their not-so-nice personality, but many do calm down.
I love the dragon-like head on Carpet Pythons & they're pretty interactive. Not to mention, they are very pretty!
Some of my Morelia....
Attachments
Weda737
100% Soul free.
You beat me to it, I was going to say how I love those dragony faces too lol.
Here's my boy, he's been begging to come out for a couple nights now, I just haven't felt very good at all. Keep in mind he snuggles up with me on his own, it's not cold in here at all and he avoids the warm spot in his viv like the plague. All I do is keep him on the bed if he tries to venture off, which he really doesn't do. Oh and on an interesting note, if he's ever in one of those rare moods where he's feeling antisocial, all he does is shove my hand away with his coil, just like a corn that just laid eggs.
Here's my boy, he's been begging to come out for a couple nights now, I just haven't felt very good at all. Keep in mind he snuggles up with me on his own, it's not cold in here at all and he avoids the warm spot in his viv like the plague. All I do is keep him on the bed if he tries to venture off, which he really doesn't do. Oh and on an interesting note, if he's ever in one of those rare moods where he's feeling antisocial, all he does is shove my hand away with his coil, just like a corn that just laid eggs.
SteelJawEmily
New member
I knew you'd pipe up eventually Heather. Lol
I love your guys' pictures! I don't love the look of super heavy-bodied snakes like burms or blood pythons (in fact, it's one of the reasons I chose a corn for my first snake over a ball), so the slenderness of carpets is appealing. I love the velvety look as well. I'll have to see if I can handle one at the next expo.
Oh, and nwheather - I love the traditional black and yellow, but that first picture you posted is so cool! Is that a morph or is it a different species/locale?
MysticExotics
(formerly NWHeather)
How could I not? Those are just pics I could access from work, I have tons moreI knew you'd pipe up eventually Heather. Lol
The top left picture is a Red Coastal Jag (Red Coastals are selectively bred, Jag is a Coastal morph), the one to the right is an Ivory Jungle (selective bred, like Carol's LBR Miami's, to get a specific look),
the next one is an Irian Jaya, the one draped around my neck is a (pale yellow) Jungle, & the last one is a Granite Irian Jaya.
The ones I've seen at expos (babies, not adults) are generally $75-$125 bucks.
Joba
New member
Charlotte
Derp snake says hi.
I also looked into a Dum, but (being really shallow here) their coloring just didn't jump out at me enough to want to get one. And he's really small now, but I have a Caulker Cay boa who I'm infatuated with. He won't get BIG, probably around 5', but excusing his little hateling days he's very very tame. I can't wait till he's bigger.
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/602972_455920987794435_2073684677_n.jpg
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/602972_455920987794435_2073684677_n.jpg
morgan.mac814
New member
oooo I like this thread! Haha, I just got a male Hog Island last month who is about 3.5ish feet. He is such a cutie. I'm already thinking about something bigger. It's going to be dangerous walking around Tinley next month ;D woot woot
MindsEyeExotics
New member
Big snakes, especially burms are very rewarding to keep. I really hope they don't all but die out in the trade. It would be such a shame for future herpers to lose the experience of keeping a tame giant. I will always have at least one burm around. I like retics too but they aren't as trustworthy as burmese and therefore harder to work with. Retics are more visually appealing to me as well. I also am really into bloods, they can be nasty, but also some are very tame. Big snakes poop is horrible, sometimes they save it up for six months and you literally need a shovel. And when they pee on you its like a gallon and all you can do is stand there and frown while they finish lol. And hopefully you will never have one regurge a baby pig...most horrible smell I have ever smelt, I threw up too. Been bitten, it sucks but it's still not as bad as you are probably imagining. Teeth getting stuck in your skin is the most annoying part. But I would say definitely go for it, once you get used to them and especially if you raise them up it's not that different than a colubrid, just on a bigger scale
I missed this thread. I apologize for the necro on the thread...
What is it like? It's nothing like owning a smaller species. I only keep retics now- I sold off my burms and my anaconda, along with every colubrid I owned. I can honestly say that until you've worked with and hands on with at least one giant (12'++) you are missing out a great deal. It's an awe inspiring experience.
Do I feel comfortable handling them? I get this question by nearly every smaller snake keeper. Usually along with "aren't you worried about getting bit?!" and things of this nature. I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt- I feel more secure and comfortable getting out my 18 foot 120 lb female retic and holding her, taking her outside, than I did working with any other species. I have never felt in danger around a retic, never been worried about a bite. They are hands down one of the more docile and predictable animals when it comes to attitude than anything I've owned.. I've had corns, bulls, balls, burms, condas, etc etc, all seem a bit more "sketchy" in terms of actually getting tagged.. That isn't to downplay that if a retic does tag you- it's going to be worse. However; if you get tagged by a retic. 99% of the times, it's your fault entirely. I've been randomly bit for no reason at all by other snakes, I had a few bullsnakes last year that would just randomly bite and go back to normal, same with some balls and a couple corns over the years. A retic from my experience is smart enough to never strike randomly like other species.
More annoying to feed larger prey? No not really. Where I am, it's actually cheaper to feed the larger prey. I'm paying $3-5 a large rat for my male super tiger retic and he's about 10' long. I get rabbits as low as $2 at the local livestock auction for the females, rabbits are also easier to breed, smell less, and are more pleasant to work with over rats. I can breed them and sell some offspring as pets at a profit, and get feeders at the same time. It's actually (to me) easier.
Poop/smell? Obviously larger the snake the larger the poop. Also varies highly on meals. Chickens seem to create a worse stool than a rabbit- but every couple of weeks when one of my big girl lays one down- you know it! It's horrible but it really is very simple to clean up. A couple Wal-Mart bags and a few paper towels and a few minutes of your time and it's over. I hardly have a "messy" stool from my snakes.
Bitten or musked? Yes both. I've only been nailed by one large individual- and that was a smaller male yellow anaconda around the 10 foot mark. It bled, life goes on. I know people who have been bit by some 15' animals, and it usually leaves some sort of scar, is unpleasant, but it's usually a bite and let go- frankly you'll live. I've had worse injuries riding a bike as a kid or playing soccer than from animal bites LOL. Musked by a big snake? No, although I did have one that I decided to take outside and handle BEFORE he had done his business and he decided that the moment we got outside, to go. Sadly I was holding him at the time. He was about 14' and let go while his tail was running down my leg. Needless to say, I just tossed out the shorts, socks, and shoes and bought new. LOL
What do I own? I currently only own 3 large constrictors. I had ~10 at one time but downsized and got rid of my 3 burms, my conda, and 3 of the retics (a 1.1 het albino pair I wasn't using, and a large male to go do education/display). I also had half a dozen or so 6-8' boas at the time, but I don't consider them large anymore. I've owned or directly taken care of every large snake I can think of outside of king cobras now. The 3 I have are a 10' male supertiger, a 13-14' female het albino, and a 17-18' tiger female.
Anymore questions feel free to ask
What is it like? It's nothing like owning a smaller species. I only keep retics now- I sold off my burms and my anaconda, along with every colubrid I owned. I can honestly say that until you've worked with and hands on with at least one giant (12'++) you are missing out a great deal. It's an awe inspiring experience.
Do I feel comfortable handling them? I get this question by nearly every smaller snake keeper. Usually along with "aren't you worried about getting bit?!" and things of this nature. I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt- I feel more secure and comfortable getting out my 18 foot 120 lb female retic and holding her, taking her outside, than I did working with any other species. I have never felt in danger around a retic, never been worried about a bite. They are hands down one of the more docile and predictable animals when it comes to attitude than anything I've owned.. I've had corns, bulls, balls, burms, condas, etc etc, all seem a bit more "sketchy" in terms of actually getting tagged.. That isn't to downplay that if a retic does tag you- it's going to be worse. However; if you get tagged by a retic. 99% of the times, it's your fault entirely. I've been randomly bit for no reason at all by other snakes, I had a few bullsnakes last year that would just randomly bite and go back to normal, same with some balls and a couple corns over the years. A retic from my experience is smart enough to never strike randomly like other species.
More annoying to feed larger prey? No not really. Where I am, it's actually cheaper to feed the larger prey. I'm paying $3-5 a large rat for my male super tiger retic and he's about 10' long. I get rabbits as low as $2 at the local livestock auction for the females, rabbits are also easier to breed, smell less, and are more pleasant to work with over rats. I can breed them and sell some offspring as pets at a profit, and get feeders at the same time. It's actually (to me) easier.
Poop/smell? Obviously larger the snake the larger the poop. Also varies highly on meals. Chickens seem to create a worse stool than a rabbit- but every couple of weeks when one of my big girl lays one down- you know it! It's horrible but it really is very simple to clean up. A couple Wal-Mart bags and a few paper towels and a few minutes of your time and it's over. I hardly have a "messy" stool from my snakes.
Bitten or musked? Yes both. I've only been nailed by one large individual- and that was a smaller male yellow anaconda around the 10 foot mark. It bled, life goes on. I know people who have been bit by some 15' animals, and it usually leaves some sort of scar, is unpleasant, but it's usually a bite and let go- frankly you'll live. I've had worse injuries riding a bike as a kid or playing soccer than from animal bites LOL. Musked by a big snake? No, although I did have one that I decided to take outside and handle BEFORE he had done his business and he decided that the moment we got outside, to go. Sadly I was holding him at the time. He was about 14' and let go while his tail was running down my leg. Needless to say, I just tossed out the shorts, socks, and shoes and bought new. LOL
What do I own? I currently only own 3 large constrictors. I had ~10 at one time but downsized and got rid of my 3 burms, my conda, and 3 of the retics (a 1.1 het albino pair I wasn't using, and a large male to go do education/display). I also had half a dozen or so 6-8' boas at the time, but I don't consider them large anymore. I've owned or directly taken care of every large snake I can think of outside of king cobras now. The 3 I have are a 10' male supertiger, a 13-14' female het albino, and a 17-18' tiger female.
Anymore questions feel free to ask