The New Giant Snake Keeper Question and Answer thread!

[norm]

Two points to make:

1. A definitely don't think it's a bad idea to start with a boa if you are interested in keeping giants and have only kept small snakes.

2. On the disagreements between members: reptile keeping has some of the most educated discussion of any animal forum. I'm very proud of my fellow herpers and their in-depth knowledge of the animals they keep. Next time you see someone walking their dog, walk up and see if they know the scientific name of their little furry friend.

[MannyL]

Great idea for a thread.I recently rescued a 12 foot Burmese I am feeding frozen food.
Should I give her supplements?? I also know CPR. she is in double locked cage and her own room. Thank you!!

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[Sakara]

I don't think supplements are needed... just feed her appropriate sized rats and rabbits and she should be good

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[MannyL]

Hello ??
My Burmese has been soaking for 24 hours is this OK or is some thing wrong? She dose not seem to be shedding.She does seems to be happy in her tub.

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[Rachel SS]

Make sure your temps and humidity are accurate, and if she's a rescue, check for mites

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

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[leahskii]

Originally Posted by MannyL

Great idea for a thread.I recently rescued a 12 foot Burmese I am feeding frozen food.
Should I give her supplements?? I also know CPR. she is in double locked cage and her own room. Thank you!!

You can do CPR on a snake? How exactly would that work?

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[morti]

Originally Posted by leahskii

You can do CPR on a snake? How exactly would that work?

The CPR is not for the snake. It's for resuscitating a family member who may get constricted by the snake.

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[MannyL]

Thanks for the help My Burm did have mites.Shes doing fine now.
You guys are great. Keep up the good work and every body will love snakes!

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

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[borneoblood2010]

Originally Posted by Sakara

Ditto! My son LOVES the snakes, but they stay locked in their room and he is good about not trying to go in the snake room. He knows he HAS to ask mommy or Ryan to GO WITH HIM if he wants to see or hold a snake...
If you have children, START THEM EARLY! teach them that they CAN NOT go in the snake room or snake area without a parent

I am a boa owner and having had boa's for a long time i know how strong thay are. I just got back into the hobby and got my first snake a albino RTB I built the cage with a key lock. I love and trust my two kids, but I will never create a situation where my kids can get themselves in trouble.. So always locked and i also made my oldest (10yrs) Read that RTB care manual and ask her lots of questions. I feel the more people know the less of a chance of bad things happening. I also let her assist me, she is really taking a liking to reptiles.. I love the Giants but I know that if i got one My Gf won't help. before i moved to az i had about 5-9 snakes boa's, blood Python, Rainbow boa and ball. gf said she like them but lost interest glan i never got a giant my 9ft rtb was a handfull could on imagin 10-20ft wow..

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[tragedyandy]

What are behind the genetics in super dwarf Retics? is it just constantly breeding the runts of two0 clutches and going down the tree in that manner?, and how could you tell a super dwarf from a regular when they are both juveniles?

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[Samhain]

Originally Posted by tragedyandy

What are behind the genetics in super dwarf Retics? is it just constantly breeding the runts of two0 clutches and going down the tree in that manner?, and how could you tell a super dwarf from a regular when they are both juveniles?

Super Dwarfs are island local specific animals that have been naturally selected by being isolated on tiny islands off the coast of Indo without the food supply for god only knows how long that the mainland animals would have had giving you naturally occurring Dwarfs. I feel there is several sub species yet to be named where Retics are concerned. Head structure, scale count... so many variants.

Thats the short version of it, I could ramble for hours.

[tragedyandy]

i am looking for a snake that will be comfortable in my burms 4 x2x2 pvcx cage
would a super dwarf be an option? i love the retics pattern and there head shape but i just cant afford to house another monster

[Samhain]

Originally Posted by tragedyandy

i am looking for a snake that will be comfortable in my burms 4 x2x2 pvcx cage
would a super dwarf be an option? i love the retics pattern and there head shape but i just cant afford to house another monster

That would work for its entire life.

[ErikBehemoth]

OK, So I'm getting a Baby 6 Month Old 2 Foot Male Burm in about 2 weeks.

This will be my first "giant" as I only have a 3 Foot Ball Python, and a 5 Foot BCI. I'm 14 BTW.

Someone please clear this up for me, around how big will a Male get? I've heard 7-9 feet if eating bi-weekly, and 8-10 feet if eating weekly. I've heard that a Male will rarely ever exceed 10 feet. Is this true? The person I'm buying him from has him eating every 2 weeks, and that's how I'm gonna keep it, since both my BP and BCI are eating every 2 weeks as well. So roughly how big will he get under that feeding schedule, and how long will it take for him to grow that big?

Also, realistically, just asking, not really scared, but just thought I'd ask since I am gonna be owning such a big animal, and I do fully understand the danger it may hold, but in reality, how big would a snake have to be to try and constrict/kill/eat me? I'm 6'1' and about 220 pounds.

	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

	Ball Python The Ball Python (Python regius), also known as the Royal Python, is a ground dwelling snake native to the savannahs and rain forests in western Africa, predominatly the countries of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

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[Sakara]

an 8-9ft. burm can cause you some serious damage...

and whoever told you it will only get that big is full of crap... expect a minimum of 12ft on a male... and do NOT try to restrict it's size by feeding less... you WILL KILL IT... My burm was improperly fed for the first 3 years of her life and I had to put her down because she had liver failure from being starved... Even after I gave her a year of perfect care... So unless you want to kill your snake, don't get it unless you are prepared for a 12+ foot snake...

also... how do you plan to pay for his food? how about a full grown enclosure? rabbits are VERY expensive to buy once the giants get huge... Do you have someone to help you 24/7 for feedings, cleanings, handling?

a baby burm needs to eat an appropriate sized RAT, NOT MOUSE, once a week... then bump to 2 weeks when it's older... expect anywhere from 5-7ft. of growth in the first year...

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[RayRay]

Originally Posted by ErikBehemoth

OK, So I'm getting a Baby 6 Month Old 2 Foot Male Burm in about 2 weeks.

This will be my first "giant" as I only have a 3 Foot Ball Python, and a 5 Foot BCI. I'm 14 BTW.

Someone please clear this up for me, around how big will a Male get? I've heard 7-9 feet if eating bi-weekly, and 8-10 feet if eating weekly. I've heard that a Male will rarely ever exceed 10 feet. Is this true? The person I'm buying him from has him eating every 2 weeks, and that's how I'm gonna keep it, since both my BP and BCI are eating every 2 weeks as well. So roughly how big will he get under that feeding schedule, and how long will it take for him to grow that big?

Also, realistically, just asking, not really scared, but just thought I'd ask since I am gonna be owning such a big animal, and I do fully understand the danger it may hold, but in reality, how big would a snake have to be to try and constrict/kill/eat me? I'm 6'1' and about 220 pounds.

If that snake eats every 2 weeks then it WILL exceed 10 feet as it should. That is normal. Some people feed them every week until they reach a certain size and their metabolism slows. Male burms can reach 12-15 feet EASILY depending on genetics. Feeding plays some role, but it doesn't outweigh genetics at all. If you feed it LESS than that, you are probably UNDERFEEDING him and that's no bueno.

	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

	Ball Python The Ball Python (Python regius), also known as the Royal Python, is a ground dwelling snake native to the savannahs and rain forests in western Africa, predominatly the countries of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

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[Sakara]

please don't take this as an insult... but if you are asking advice on temps and humidity for a ball and boa, you aren't ready for a burm... you MUST know the proper requirements BEFORE you own a giant... or you will end up with a sick, possibly dead snake...

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[Rachel SS]

Originally Posted by Sakara

please don't take this as an insult... but if you are asking advice on temps and humidity for a ball and boa, you aren't ready for a burm... you MUST know the proper requirements BEFORE you own a giant... or you will end up with a sick, possibly dead snake...

Agreed. You JUST got a starved looking RTB and don't know what to feed it, what to do with it, etc.

A burmese python is going to be a HECK of a lot more expensive to care for than a RTB!

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[RayRay]

Originally Posted by Sakara

please don't take this as an insult... but if you are asking advice on temps and humidity for a ball and boa, you aren't ready for a burm... you MUST know the proper requirements BEFORE you own a giant... or you will end up with a sick, possibly dead snake...

OR an uncomfortable, underfed, aggressive one that could do some serious damage. These guys don't take kindly to husbandry errors- the kind that can kill/hurt them or even you.

I can't read you the riot act because you already have the snake, but snakes really aren't "collector's items", so to speak. If you are new to keeping and do not know the basics of "beginner" species, you don't get an "advanced" one or any more snakes until you have your first ones squared away and off to a good start.

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[Sakara]

^ that too

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