How hard is it to deal with large snakes?

My fiance and I have been toying with the idea of getting a larger snake years down the road so I was wondering if anyone could give us any insight to what its like to care for these giant snakes.

In all reality, it is what you make of it. I'm not going to lie, or make it seem like a cake walk. Caring for these animals is a somewhat difficult task when first starting out with them....but after a while, you get somewhat used to what needs done, and what there is to do, and things become a little more relaxed. The most important thing to remember is to give giants the respect they demand and deserve; whether it be a Burmese Python, a Retic, or African Rock. Never drop your gaurd! Your calmest snake could turn on you as quickly as an aggressive one would! Anything could set them off....scent in the air, quick movement, sudden environmental changes... Just be aware of what your snake is doing, how its moving, and how its reacting. I hope this helps!

Andrew

Thanks for the reply. Would it be a good idea to gradually go up in size as far as snakes? Right now the largest snake we have will only grow to 4 or 5 feet long. So would it be a good get species of increasing size to get used to the demands of a large snake?

I don't think of it as a good idea. No species compares with one another...

Personally, just study up on which snake you'd like, do your homework, and prepare. Try and get some hands on with the species before buying it...and then when your ready, go out and pick the one you want..

I agree with Andrew 100%-never ever let your guard down-they can become aggressive-I would definitely try and find someone who has larger snakes and see what you think. You can get to know your snake but you never truly know what they're going to do. Remember-they will be eating rabbits and larger meals(we just went through 98 lbs. of rabbit today), their feces is sooooo much bigger and you will need larger housing for them. Our largest at 17 feet was only 22 inches when we bought her 7 years ago-burms grow fast.
If you're ever in the Charleston area send me a message you can come check out our facility.

I'd love to but I almost never get out of Richmond. :D That is what I am mostly worried about. The fact that these snakes are unpredictable. I mean, its one thing if a corn snake or a ball python bites you, but I've seen how fast and how hard they can wrap around you. I'm a small person, so maybe big snakes are a little out of my league. I must say though, they are beautiful. I'll do a little more research and see what I can find.

I know burms and retics get big but are there any smaller species? I once had a red-tailed boa as a kid (was technically my fathers) but I helped out in feedings. We only had her as a baby and had to find a new home for her before she reached full size (we had to move in with my grandmother and at the time snakes were an absolute no)

Well you've got some goods things going for you.

One you have a partner in crime (your fiance) who can help you deal with a big snake in case something were to go wrong, and could def. make cleaning up pee/poo seem a lot easier.

Two you have an opened mind and have herp experience.

I say if you feel in your hear you are ready then go for it. I did and was very happy I made the choice.

Just a suggestion....I would start off with a younger burm/retic/afrock. That way you don't have an angry 10-12 foot snake mailed to you and are overwhelmed. This way you can also grow with it and make mistakes with a 3-4 foot burm/retic/afrock that could be very costly if it were a full grow snake. Also growing with a younger snake will help to ensure that you know the snakes personality better than anyone, and have a better chance of it being a "tame" adult.

Just my .02

Good luck!!


Mike

Thanks for the input. I did talk to my fiance about if we ever got a large snake that neither of us would handle or interact with the snake in any way alone. There would always have to be the two of us present. Well I don't think we'll be getting anything very big right now as A. We don't have enough experience with large snakes. B. We don't have the space. and C. We don't have the money. So we will probably wait until we get a house in a few years. That will give us enough time to go out and actually experience large snakes before deciding to get one. Not to mention we'll have more room. My fiance has already promised that when we get a house, it will have a basement, so that I can have my snake room. :banana:

I personally dont see the point in owning a large snake... I dont want to offend anyone with a large snake bc thats your own business but to see the power of a small ball and just imagin that times like 30 and thats a retic/burm/rock... I would even want something more than my female fiance around to help you as well... Trying to move a 100lb snake is not easy and if something goes wrong no offense but its going to take a lot more than a girl to help get the snake off... my honest opinion is go with a rtb... still dangerouse and getting pretty big but still managable....

For those who do own big snakes... props to you guys... I saw a retic at the toronto zoo and the guy said it was 16-18ft and eats rabbits and this snake was huuuuge... Couldnt imagine what that thing could do to a human... On National Geographic channel i watched a show on anacondas and they showed how they have the ability to exert 2900lbs of pressure on an animal during an attack.... thats as much as a full sized school bus!... impressive... and scary.

I kind of agree with you Josh. Big snakes just aren't for some people. The ability to kill you at any moment kind of turns me off. My girlfriend could never help me with a huge snake. She is like 5' and not very strong. Im not to sure if I will ever own big snakes, but I definitely love looking at them and admiring them.

Props to all of you who take care of giants.