Big snakes...Who can and who can't handle them?

[BWSmith]

Originally Posted by fb4076

I would have a hard time breaking the tail

Human life is worth more that an injury to the snake.

[ChristopherD]

oh, I know, but just imagining actually having to do it creeps me out...

[MAG_Pythons]

if i was put in that situitation, i believe that i would be able to do it, i wouldn't even think 2x about doing w/e i could to save my life

[ball python chick]

i dont keep large pythons.i place them with experienced people,but my big female redtail is between 7-9 ft.i dont know how much over 30 lbs she weighs but im 5'4 and weigh 110lbs and i dont handle alone anymore.she is just to strong and theres just to much of her to deal with.once i get her out its almost impossible to get her back in the cage by myself.good thread.

[JuliusSqueezer]

Unwinding tail first...breaking the tail if needed (forget the biting end. It hurts but won't kill you) is a very important point to get across to whomever is there to aid you in case you get wrapped. Chances are, you won't be able to do it yourself. This may sound terrible but I also keep a fixed blade hunting knife in my back pocket in the unlikely event I may need to cut myself out of a snake wrap. Again, there's a good chance I won't be able to get to it but maybe someone else could find it in them to do what they have to.

In reality, it's not often that a large python or anaconda will get you in a full body wrap. It's usually an arm or a leg. A leg wrap is going to be the best case scenerio as long as you can keep him/her off your torso. You have both hands free to unwrap the snake and/or grab some alcohol or cold water. An arm wrap can get ugly very fast if you lose control and a coil gets around your neck. If this happens, lights out in less than 10 seconds especially if you are panic stricken.

[louise]

so would guys say that a burm or retic in the wrong hands is almost as dangerous as a hot?

[MAG_Pythons]

Constrictors are deffinatly a danger to any1 that dosn't know what their doing, a huge constrictor might be even more dangerous b/c hots don't constrict and kill their prey, they bite (you can rush to the hospital and get anitvenom), the large python isn't gunna let you go w/o a fight, so in essence you have a better chance of surviving a hot bite (depending on what type of hot, how much venom is injected)

	Venomous Reptile A term commonly used to refer to a venomous reptile. Most commonly used in reference to venomous snakes.

[JuliusSqueezer]

I don't know. It's easier for the average joe herper to learn the ins and outs of large constrictor handling. With a half of cup of common sense and safety protocol, there's much less risk with a large constictor. Considering the numbers of them in private collections as opposed to the low count of hot keepers, I'd say that the odds of a constriction death are very low compared to the odds of a pet hot killing someone.