As gentle as a Ball Python. Who said AfRock's have a bad temper?

[beavermatic]

Finally posting my pics of my juvenile Afrock I purchased from BrandonBalls back in last week on November. There was a couple weeks of hissing, but that was about it. Let him warm up all through december to his new environment, he came crawling right out 2nd week in december like no issue whatsoever, friendly as could be

And who said the African Rock Python had a bad temper? Lets go to show otherwise folks

[2kdime]

How old is it?

It's my understanding Rocks develop the temper after a year or so.

I hope he stays docile!

[beavermatic]

I beleive BrandonBalls said about a year when I bought him.

He was very hissy and snappy his first two weeks here.... mainly hissed, but did snap when he smelled food. After the first two weeks, its like he's been on prozac, all cool and calm, not a worry in the world.

I've read as liong as you keep handling and give them their space when needed, keep right temps, keep them fed reguarly... they are as calm a burmese.

Literally no aggression outside the settle-in period of his new home. Cant blame him for being jumpy the first two weeks, any animal would be.

[beavermatic]

Let me reitirate for a moment,

Of course, I did alot of homework on these African Rock pythons before I purchased one. ALOT of internet research, opinions, videos, etc etc etc.

Out the door, the python itself is relatively inexpensive, but alot of the equipment and space need to keep him cost around $400 alltogether... I built a nice sized cage 7x3, from melamine board and plexiglass, and reinforced, modified it with a slide in/out water tub, Reptile Basics Heat panel of a nice size... so none of this was cheap... it literally costs about $400 to build the box, and a good few days working on it with others, and melamine, while durable once a fram is constructred (as is plexiglass), needs extra special care when drilling and working with, or you may end up flubbing up a $50 8x4 sheet of melamine port real easy, same with the 3/4 inch plexiglass... not cheap for errors.

And you have to make it water proof, seal at corners, make sure its reinforced at mid sections, corners. Takes patience.

Thus far, with price of snake, about $550 total initially.

Doesnt sound AWFULLY bad, until you consider this guy is going to triple his current size within the next few years, and I'll have to build a 8x6 cage, and do that all over again, which requires a bigger heat panel, all new board, plexiglass, etc etc. So the overall cost of housing and animal in the long haul will exceed like $1100... thats not including potential vet visits and feed.


And though what ive researched states they are no where near as temepermental as what people make them out to be, they do have a learning curve and require more interaction than a burmese or boa, because they can build up a lack of trust with their owner quickly (not so much as a temper issue per se, but more of a trust issue). You have to baby them, and treat them with respect, test their thoughts that day if you plan to handle, watch that tail for a wag (a clear sign of 'leave me alone').

Simply said, they are not so quick to forgive if you upset them. They will hold a grudge that can gradually be reduced with the right interaction. They are more defensive than other pythons or boas because of their trust dependcy, more cautious. They also have a HUGE appetite, and will not hesitate to eat at every oppurtunity, thus meaning if you plan on handling, make absolutely sure your hands are free of any scent, or they'll think "BIG MAC!!!! WOOO!" if you go sticking unwashed hands around them.

I've read that the success rate for taming them to be alike the burmese and boas is extremely high, well beyond 85% with the owner willing to give it time and effort. I've also heard of Afrocks being tame right out of the box, as gentle as a ball python.

Unfrotuantely, I've also heard theres the unfortunate 10% that just dont want to be friends, they wont build a trust relationship with a owner (typically wild caught, or moved around alot, or interacted with too late in life) and will be snippy all their life. But even then, they said wih alot of practice and patience, even this small minority have a great chance to still be tamed to a manageable level. They say this is also were bragging rights come in, for a rewarding experience, and a true snake "charmer".

Course I cant brag (i didnt have to worry about it being defensive thus far), mine's as peaceful as could be out of the box, but everything i said is everything i reasearched about them, and they are typically just as safe as any other constrictor, just in some cases, takes a little extra effort to get them there, lol.

They are a bit cheaper than the burms because of this general stereotype, but they are larger in most cases, and last just as long, and can be just as freindly.

[bearhart]

afrocks are beautiful I think. I personally would need pretty solid assurance that a snake that was going to get that big was going to be tame before I got one. I've got 3 olives, a female 02 and 1.1 09s. The 02 is a teddy bear with scales. The two 09s chew on me any chance they get. "nippy" is an understatement. But, I know the chances are 99% they'll grow out of it. And, if one of them doesn't, I feel confident that I could care for a 10' to 12' aggressive snake. I was just thinking (and shuddering) today while thinking about what it would be like to try to care for a 16+' snake that acted like those little guys.

[beavermatic]

The two 09s chew on me any chance they get. "nippy" is an understatement. .

Unless of course you've been bit in the leg by a spotted hyena... any bite from a python after that just seems like a slap on the wrist

[bearhart]

well true, the bites from these little guys don't really hurt. But, this brings up something I've always been unsure about - do pythons constrict in self defense? "Nipping" from even a large snake doesn't really pose a serious health risk. But, even though pythons tend to be pretty docile unless they are eating, I don't get the impression their combat arsenal is limited to the quick bite.

[AjBalls]

Can tell you one thing, one of my buddies deals with imports and sometimes gets rock pythons. I've never been bitten by one so far. The snakes I've been bitten by most are... ball pythons.

[jonnydanger]

Is there anyway I could get a pic of your set up that you built? I am thinking about building a nice one for my Retic.