# Site General > General Herp >  Largest snake that you can safely handle alone

## MikeV

Hey guys. Well i dont think this belongs in giant snakes forums, and you'll see why in the poll  :Smile: 

Anyway

I have heard several things, dont handle snakes over 7 foot alone, dont handle snaks over 8 foot alone, only handle snakes up to 10 - 11 foot alone, above that is dangerous ect

I was wondering what rule YOU GUYS go by? 

I personally go by the 10 foot rule

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MJ_Bosley (07-21-2017)

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## grits

I worry more about the weight than the length. I had a 10' male burm that I could easly handle by myself. We now have a 14' female that ways over 100 pounds that I cant handle myself even if I wanted to.  :Very Happy:

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MJ_Bosley (07-21-2017)

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## MikeV

> I worry more about the weight than the length. I had a 10' male burm that I could easly handle by myself. We now have a 14' female that ways over 100 pounds that I cant handle myself even if I wanted to.


Yeah thats a bg part of it too, the weight ect. a lot of factors go into it

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MJ_Bosley (07-21-2017)

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## grits

Yea a 10' female burm will be heavier and stronger than a 10' male retic.

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MJ_Bosley (07-21-2017)

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## Alexandra V

Personally, I wouldn't handle anything over 8 ft. alone, just in case, because I don't have a lot of experience with anything over 8 ft, so even if it couldn't really do much damage to me, I don't think I would be able to control it if it got worked up.

I guess its a matter of experience, but when dealing with giants you should obviously always have someone with you.

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MJ_Bosley (07-21-2017)

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## OhhWatALoser

think it also depends on the person, imagine worse case and the snake honestly tries to kill you (i said worse case) can you maintain control of the snake? I'm 130 pounds and 5 foot 8, i probally shouldn't be handling my 7 foot carpet python alone lol.

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## Lupe

I would go by weight. If my female blue beauty rat snake hits the 10+ mark I'm not going to worry about having someone else to help me with her :] A 10 foot python is another story though.

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## mainbutter

You could safely handle a 15' scrub python by yourself

..but then there was recently (a few months ago?) someone killed by their 7-8 foot colombian BCI.  Apparently he let the snake coil around his neck, and it began to squeeze pretty hard (as if it felt it was falling off) and strangled the guy to death.  The worst part was his girlfriend was there too, but was too shocked to move.  A totally preventable situation with two stupid people.

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## Stubean15

i wouldnt even think about anything bigger than 7' its not worth it lol..

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## mainbutter

> i wouldnt even think about anything bigger than 7' its not worth it lol..


You obviously don't realize how small 7' can be.

My carpet python is 7' and probably around 5lbs, a 10 year old could handle Kitty with ease.

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## dembonez

longest snake for me is my corn TYVM!  :Smile:

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## kitedemon

OhhWatALoser hit that one right it depends on the handler I am 6'4" and 240 lbs I can handle a friends retics that are  10 foot and I am not sure but 50-70 pounds (I am a terrible judge of weight I am guessing what it felt like then doubled... :Embarassed:  ) I have helped handle rocks that were only 8-9 foot but I'd not even think to do so alone! Weight (leverage?) of handler and size of snake makes a big difference.

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## MikeV

Yeah i think the biggest id ever handle alone would be an 11 foot, maybe 60 - 70 pounds. Anything longer / heavier than that and it wouldnt touch it alone LOL

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## Muddyredneck

i think there are to many factors to follow one strict rule.. i know people who swear by everything from a 6-10 foot rule and i see to many things that vary like for instance

1)species.. a python is obviously alot stronger then a colubrid but both can make 10 ft lol
2)temperment of said snake, some snakes are mean and need others incase they do get the better, my tic is probly goin on 7.5 ft and i handle him alone and control him with one arm and im only 5'6 maby 135lbs.
3)level of comfort, i have a level of comfort with my tic because iv had him since he was 3ft and have got to know his attitudes and moods and know when i shouldent be handling him period
4) how you handle it, as said a 6ft boa killed a man because it wrapped him neck.. i Never let my tic get a coil on my throat i let him drape over my neck but never around my throat simple because of how strong he is should something set him off.
5)how well you know said snake/what you know about the species.. untill a few days ago i thought scrubs were gonna be my next snake but have seen what a 10ft female can do and with there attitude iv decided ima wait till i have my own house and a person who is around more often.

i mean these are just a few oth the things i take into account when working with snakes and try not to set a *rule* persay but more what i can answer with these questions. plus i mean in all reality like a previous poster said a 7ft carpet can be handled by a 10 year old with ease when u say 6ft snake for the most part its still hanging around your arm without much trouble (not taking giants into account really burms inperticular)

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## MikeV

> i think there are to many factors to follow one strict rule.. i know people who swear by everything from a 6-10 foot rule and i see to many things that vary like for instance
> 
> 1)species.. a python is obviously alot stronger then a colubrid but both can make 10 ft lol
> 2)temperment of said snake, some snakes are mean and need others incase they do get the better, my tic is probly goin on 7.5 ft and i handle him alone and control him with one arm and im only 5'6 maby 135lbs.
> 3)level of comfort, i have a level of comfort with my tic because iv had him since he was 3ft and have got to know his attitudes and moods and know when i shouldent be handling him period
> 4) how you handle it, as said a 6ft boa killed a man because it wrapped him neck.. i Never let my tic get a coil on my throat i let him drape over my neck but never around my throat simple because of how strong he is should something set him off.
> 5)how well you know said snake/what you know about the species.. untill a few days ago i thought scrubs were gonna be my next snake but have seen what a 10ft female can do and with there attitude iv decided ima wait till i have my own house and a person who is around more often.
> 
> i mean these are just a few oth the things i take into account when working with snakes and try not to set a *rule* persay but more what i can answer with these questions. plus i mean in all reality like a previous poster said a 7ft carpet can be handled by a 10 year old with ease when u say 6ft snake for the most part its still hanging around your arm without much trouble (not taking giants into account really burms inperticular)



Great post, you said it perfectly,

The biggest factor that i think out of the ones you mentioned is the attitude issue. 

Like if you have a female Yellow Anaconda, and shes 10 foot 50 pounds and is a chainsaw you dont want to handle her alone. if you have a male burm thats 11 foot, 60 - 80 pounds but tame as a kitten and whom you trust a lot, i think you could handle it alone


And like you said, letting any large snake coil around your neck is a terrible idea. Draping them over you next as you said is fine, but when they coil around completely i think thats where you take the animal off you

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## Denial

When you work with the animals everyday you start to be able to read them . If there having a bad day then its going to be harder to move them and clean. I have always handled mine alone unless I was very lucky and had someone over willing to help me clean snake cages but that doesent happen to often lol. But I always have someone in the house with me so if something ever did occur then I could yell for help. With the bigs though sometimes its easier to coax them into going where you want them to instead of actually trying to move them where you want them. Ive never worried once about one of my animals killing me but I have worried about the damage being done to my back working with them everyday lol. Im going to hate myself when Im 60

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## Utta

> You could safely handle a 15' scrub python by yourself
> 
> ..but then there was recently (a few months ago?) someone killed by their 7-8 foot colombian BCI.  Apparently he let the snake coil around his neck, and it began to squeeze pretty hard (as if it felt it was falling off) and strangled the guy to death.  The worst part was his girlfriend was there too, but was too shocked to move.  A totally preventable situation with two stupid people.


What you don't read is how drunk they were. Just sayin. 

I personally think its all about expierence and knowing the animal. Let's get away from the constrictors, would you handle a king cobra by yourself? Even with a hook? If you know what you're doing, and have worked with the animal all its life, you probably wouldn't have a problem moving it into a bin or whatever. But I sure as *beep*  wouldn't do it. And what constitutes "handeling" them? Id let a 20ft few 100lb retic roam on the grass by myself.

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## kitedemon

I agree and disagree, I have a snake I completely trust He is just a ball and not at all what the discussion is about. In a small set of stupid events I got tagged by him last week. My point is the snakes that are aggressive you are very careful around the 'safe trustworthy' snakes not so careful around and when you are not paying attention because it is 'safe' is when I personally get in trouble. I'd say a snake that you the handler has enough power to 'manhandle' is ok to manage alone.

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## OhhWatALoser

> 2)temperment of said snake, some snakes are mean and need others incase they do get the better, my tic is probly goin on 7.5 ft and i handle him alone and control him with one arm and im only 5'6 maby 135lbs.
> 3)level of comfort, i have a level of comfort with my tic because iv had him since he was 3ft and have got to know his attitudes and moods and know when i shouldent be handling him period
> 5)how well you know said snake/what you know about the species.. untill a few days ago i thought scrubs were gonna be my next snake but have seen what a 10ft female can do and with there attitude iv decided ima wait till i have my own house and a person who is around more often.


I have to disagree with these, I mean the extra person is there in a "just in case" situation. snakes attitude shouldn't be a factor, because they are still not domesticated animals and one trigger can set them off. If you have a aggressive snake it easy to see what can be done, Its the tame ones you gotta think about the "what if"

I used to know a guy who has a 15 foot+ burm that i think weighs more than I do. The thing is puppy dog tame. I'm was confortable as can be handling it (besides my body acheing after) but wouldn't you call me stupid doing it alone? even if I was 7 foot and 300 pounds of pure muscle?

OP asking for a safely handling alone, I'm sure plenty of people handle their big snakes alone, and in worse case senerio they'd be a goner. But they feel confortable with their snakes, their snakes are confortable with them and nothing happens ever. Personally I'd probally do that same thing if I had a big snake I was confortable with, but would I call it safe? would i suggest others to do it?...no

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## wolfy-hound

I think it's going to depend on the individual and the species/individual snake.

I wouldn't want to handle a 80+ lb snake by myself because simply put it's like trying to wrestle a 80 lb bag of water. If it doesn't WANT to go into a bin or cage, it's difficult to deal with.

But I wouldn't feel like I was in "danger" from a larger snake neccasarily.  It would depend on the snake.

For a general rule, if the animal outweighs you, you might want to be wary of handling alone.  Any snake over 8 ft(in the boid family, not colubrids or venomous) should be considered a possible risk and evaluated with that in mind.  After all, if you do suffer a lapse in judgement just once, you might not get a chance to learn from that single mistake.

I wouldn't call ANYone foolish or stupid for handling a large snake on their own IF they have sufficient experaince with that species and preferably that particular snake.

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_Denial_ (11-10-2010)

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## bsavage

> You could safely handle a 15' scrub python by yourself
> 
> ..but then there was recently (a few months ago?) someone killed by their 7-8 foot colombian BCI.  Apparently he let the snake coil around his neck, and it began to squeeze pretty hard (as if it felt it was falling off) and strangled the guy to death.  The worst part was his girlfriend was there too, but was too shocked to move.  A totally preventable situation with two stupid people.


Agreed. Idiots, of the umpteenth degree

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## Jay_Bunny

I see a lot of people calling their giants, puppy dog tame, and I feel I must remind people. These animals are never tame. Calm, sure. Tame, no. At any moment, they can decide you are a threat and strike. It doesn't happen often, but it can happen and it will probably happen when are the most relaxed and comfortable with your snake. 

I have had thoughts of getting a larger snake, but I would have strict rules in place about handling and care. My personal rules are to never handle a snake that is over 7ft (that is of a species that grows large girth-wise in addition to its length, not like a slender colubrid) alone. If I am handling a snake that large, another person has to be in the same room. If a snake wraps hard around your neck, I don't think it would be very easy to shout for help. So, the 2nd person must be in the room from the time the cage is opened, to the time it is closed again. 

I just don't trust an animal that has the potential to kill me. There is no "Oh I've raised him from a baby." "I know how to read my snake.". At least not with me. It just takes one slip up, one moment of not paying attention to what your snake is doing, and you can end up seriously injured or worse, dead. The last thing this hobby needs is more people being injured because they handled a snake too large for them, alone. 

My $0.02

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## Muddyredneck

> I have to disagree with these, I mean the extra person is there in a "just in case" situation. snakes attitude shouldn't be a factor, because they are still not domesticated animals and one trigger can set them off. If you have a aggressive snake it easy to see what can be done, Its the tame ones you gotta think about the "what if"
> 
> I used to know a guy who has a 15 foot+ burm that i think weighs more than I do. The thing is puppy dog tame. I'm was confortable as can be handling it (besides my body acheing after) but wouldn't you call me stupid doing it alone? even if I was 7 foot and 300 pounds of pure muscle?
> 
> OP asking for a safely handling alone, I'm sure plenty of people handle their big snakes alone, and in worse case senerio they'd be a goner. But they feel confortable with their snakes, their snakes are confortable with them and nothing happens ever. Personally I'd probally do that same thing if I had a big snake I was confortable with, but would I call it safe? would i suggest others to do it?...no


im sorry i probly should have specified my rules work best for me, i would never tell a newer herp keeper to follow em they are more a guideline then a rule book, and i also should have probly stated that i am always aware of where my snake is and what its doing i dont walk around the house with a 7.5 ft retic coiled around my throat




> I see a lot of people calling their giants, puppy dog tame, and I feel I must remind people. These animals are never tame. Calm, sure. Tame, no. At any moment, they can decide you are a threat and strike. It doesn't happen often, but it can happen and it will probably happen when are the most relaxed and comfortable with your snake. 
> 
> I have had thoughts of getting a larger snake, but I would have strict rules in place about handling and care. My personal rules are to never handle a snake that is over 7ft (that is of a species that grows large girth-wise in addition to its length, not like a slender colubrid) alone. If I am handling a snake that large, another person has to be in the same room. If a snake wraps hard around your neck, I don't think it would be very easy to shout for help. So, the 2nd person must be in the room from the time the cage is opened, to the time it is closed again. 
> 
> I just don't trust an animal that has the potential to kill me. There is no "Oh I've raised him from a baby." "I know how to read my snake.". At least not with me. It just takes one slip up, one moment of not paying attention to what your snake is doing, and you can end up seriously injured or worse, dead. The last thing this hobby needs is more people being injured because they handled a snake too large for them, alone. 
> 
> My $0.02


im sorry ima have to disagree with alot of what you said, simply because i dont see it the same way.. a lab has the potential to kill you or a small child.. if it pulls its tail wrong or sticks a finger where its not suppose to  :Wink: .. yet we all love and cherish and tell people how well behaved our dogs are

and im glad u found a rule that works for you and makes you feel comfortable with handling your snakes we all need to find em wether other people agree or not its what works best for you in the end

almost every reputable breeder i have talked to also from experience with both species and specimen refers to a level of trust because they know the animal which is aquired over a time period not over night.

and to be honest im so sick of hearing about people hurting the hobby... what hurts the hobby is the attitude alot of people in the hobby have tword new comers if they want anything bigger then a corn snake or bp to start off with.. ill admit i get annoyed with constant posts but there from diffrent people who im educating so i answer kindly and respectfully.. alot of people do not and that is what hurts us the most scaring new people away.. you didnt just jump into a forum u trolled it for awhile read posts and gained a general idea of the people.. i have two forums i frequent which shall remain nameless.. but one is all for giant snakes for example and the other hangs anyone who even askes questions with comments such as (your sig show me your not ready) and (these are a huge responsabilty make sure you can afford it). thats what kills a hobby.. when it cant grow and attract new hobbiest then it will eventually die because like it or not there are only so many people who will fight for the right to keep the species we all love so much

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## grits

There are times I have to move ours around by myself. I dont say "handle" because she is to big to really handle her like a smaller snake. When I am by myself I am just more aware of her attitude, where she is at all times, and I NEVER  put myself in a position to be over powered by her even by accident. And for some reason if something does happen either by myself of with someone else there I always have my knife on me.

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## Muddyredneck

> And for some reason if something does happen either by myself of with someone else there I always have my knife on me.


wasnt gonna say it myself but i to make sure to always have a knife.

its a good practice to just keep a bottle of whisky or lemon juice near the cage incase, that way you can save the life. my knife is always a last resort, i am lucky enough to have a shower in the rooom i keep my snakes in aswell incase a fiesty one grabs on (hasnt happened yet knock on wood)

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## grits

> wasnt gonna say it myself but i to make sure to always have a knife.
> 
> its a good practice to just keep a bottle of whisky or lemon juice near the cage incase, that way you can save the life. my knife is always a last resort, i am lucky enough to have a shower in the rooom i keep my snakes in aswell incase a fiesty one grabs on (hasnt happened yet knock on wood)


Been there done that. In my case lemon juice and rubbing alcohol and neither worked. BTW it was only a 7' and 9' nothing life threating

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## anatess

> im sorry ima have to disagree with alot of what you said, simply because i dont see it the same way.. a lab has the potential to kill you or a small child.. if it pulls its tail wrong or sticks a finger where its not suppose to .. yet we all love and cherish and tell people how well behaved our dogs are


Dogs are domesticated, the snakes are not.  My doberman is a pack animal with my husband as his pack leader.  By instinct, he will follow my husband's commands or risk (in the dog's mind) getting "voted off the island".  I am a higher rank than the dog in the pack as well (when we open the door to go out, my husband goes out first, I go next, the dog goes after me).  With proper training in place, we can control the dog's behavior.

This is not true with any snake - whether a teeny western hognose or a giant burmese.




> and to be honest im so sick of hearing about people hurting the hobby... what hurts the hobby is the attitude alot of people in the hobby have tword new comers if they want anything bigger then a corn snake or bp to start off with.. ill admit i get annoyed with constant posts but there from diffrent people who im educating so i answer kindly and respectfully.. alot of people do not and that is what hurts us the most scaring new people away.. you didnt just jump into a forum u trolled it for awhile read posts and gained a general idea of the people.. i have two forums i frequent which shall remain nameless.. but one is all for giant snakes for example and the other hangs anyone who even askes questions with comments such as (your sig show me your not ready) and (these are a huge responsabilty make sure you can afford it). thats what kills a hobby.. when it cant grow and attract new hobbiest then it will eventually die because like it or not there are only so many people who will fight for the right to keep the species we all love so much


Actually, there are A LOT MORE people who do not own snakes, have no intention of owning snakes, and may even have snake phobia than there are people who are interested in entering the hobby.

These people who do not see snakes as "pets" are the deciding vote on whether our hobby can live on in peace or not (refer to Ohio and even Florida as a "case in point").  They have preconceived notions of what a snake is and anything on the news that validates that notion makes it much harder for them to get educated on the hobby.  And let's face it - anytime somebody gets killed by their pet python, it is national news, and more often than not, mis-reported.

These guys then support legislation that limits our hobby.  Democracy is a double-edged sword - in a group of 5 wolves and a sheep, democracy is great, unless you're the sheep.

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_Jay_Bunny_ (11-11-2010)

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## Lolo76

This BCI shown below is the largest snake I've _held_ alone, but her owner (Brian Gundy) did help me to lift her. As a 5'5" woman, with a bad back nonetheless, she probably would be my limit for handling alone... a man my size could go larger, but "most" women lack the upper-body strength to control much more.

That being said, I probably could handle something a bit longer but lighter. My JCP will eventually reach 6-7ft long, but I doubt he'll get as fat as this BCI.  :Very Happy:  So I'm not worried about him, especially since I've raised him from a worm.

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## Muddyredneck

> Dogs are domesticated, the snakes are not.  My doberman is a pack animal with my husband as his pack leader.  By instinct, he will follow my husband's commands or risk (in the dog's mind) getting "voted off the island".  I am a higher rank than the dog in the pack as well (when we open the door to go out, my husband goes out first, I go next, the dog goes after me).  With proper training in place, we can control the dog's behavior.
> 
> This is not true with any snake - whether a teeny western hognose or a giant burmese.
> 
> Actually, there are A LOT MORE people who do not own snakes, have no intention of owning snakes, and may even have snake phobia than there are people who are interested in entering the hobby.
> 
> These people who do not see snakes as "pets" are the deciding vote on whether our hobby can live on in peace or not (refer to Ohio and even Florida as a "case in point").  They have preconceived notions of what a snake is and anything on the news that validates that notion makes it much harder for them to get educated on the hobby.  And let's face it - anytime somebody gets killed by their pet python, it is national news, and more often than not, mis-reported.
> 
> These guys then support legislation that limits our hobby.  Democracy is a double-edged sword - in a group of 5 wolves and a sheep, democracy is great, unless you're the sheep.


i never said dogs arnt domesticated or tameable.. but they do still have the abilty (and arguably just as dangerous as any large boid) to hurt you.. if they didnt we wouldent use them as.. ohh i dunno guard dogs or attack dogs.. lol i just saw in the news not to long ago that a POLICE dog.. a sheperd snapped on the job mind u and would not let go of an assaliant and actually tore his leg up pretty good. now if we where talking pittbulls or rotties a breed almost hard wired to snap then i would understand but i feel its ignorance to believe a 70-100lb lab couldent just snap and do some serious damage. i hate when people compare snakes and dogs i really do and understand a dog would be easier to distract for the most part but they are still as dangerous.

and as for the hobby i see countless new comers getting attacked wether you personally notice or not the attitude of the herp community is not always a nice one and does not attract newer members.

but lets get back to the op lol another thread another time :Wink:

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Valyrian (02-27-2018)

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## MikeV

> There are times I have to move ours around by myself. I dont say "handle" because she is to big to really handle her like a smaller snake. When I am by myself I am just more aware of her attitude, where she is at all times, and I NEVER  put myself in a position to be over powered by her even by accident. And for some reason if something does happen either by myself of with someone else there I always have my knife on me.


Wow shes huge, how big is she? gotta be over 12 foot right

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## grits

> Wow shes huge, how big is she? gotta be over 12 foot right


Its hard as hell to get a good measurement. In the grass where i cant keep her straight I get 13' 9". When she follows something straight like a wall I get 14' 3". She weighed 125 pounds last month and she is 22" in circumference. My 7 year old daughter, at her shoulders, is 21".  :Very Happy:

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## Mallory

I agree with what everybody said about the type of snake. I think it also depends on how big you are, too. I'm pretty tiny, so a large boa or python could overpower me, but a beauty snake like Lupe has would be ok for me. By the way Lupe, I'm jealous. I LOVE beauty snakes.

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## blue roses

My limit is 6 to 7 ft. I'm older and not as agile as i used to be, so that is my limit. My BPs are big enough for me.

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## todd_v

*10 feet plus. That's for me as an adult and someone with plenty of experience in the handling of large snakes. Also I keep several large boas, females with weights anywhere from 25lbs to approximately 50lbs.And hey, even at those weights, they are very respectable and quite heavy and could certainly get you into trouble pretty damn quickly. I've handled and kept very large burms and retics (up into the100 plus range) and especially if docile, never experienced any issue. NEVER forget all herps are wild and must always be handled safely and for really large ones, it never hurts to play it safe and have another person as back up. Thanks.*

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## MasonC2K

Todd_v casts Thread Resurrection.



Skill is the Dark Arts has increased by 5 points.

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*bcr229* (07-21-2017),_DLena_ (07-31-2017),John1982 (07-21-2017)

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## cynthiarose

I had a 10ft red tail boa I handled alone many many times when I was a lot younger, I feel that it is a personal preference on what you go by. I would definitely make sure that you do trust the snake if it is a larger one, before you do handle it alone. The female I had, never bit any one all her life except for the lively rabbits that she claimed as dinner. 

If you feel uncomfortable working with a snake of any size alone I advise making sure someone else is there, snakes can pick up on your uneasiness and sometimes it can and will make the snake more agitated and irritable. Even the most docile snake can ball up and go into "defense mode" if it starts to feel uncomfortable at all. 

I wish you luck on handling any large pets that you have or get!

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## DLena

Right now the largest I've got is a female Dumerils, 7 feet and around 25 pounds? I'm growing out a few boa constrictors, a couple 25%SDs, and a full dwarf F2. I'm actually going to the gym and getting into shape. I kid you not.

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