I Want a Big Snake!

Right You probably see a lot of threads similar to this one, and I want a reticulated or burmese python (both beautiful in my opinion) but from my own research it seems like these two snakes aren't ideal for my first 'BIG' snake, so I was wondering if anyone had any of their own experiences with having these as their first big snake? or if anyone had any reasonable substitutes for these? Thanks.

The Burm was my first Big Snake.
I think they make great firsts as long as you have done your research.

If I ever move away from Florida, I will keep them again.

You could always give a red-tail boa a try for your first 'big' snake also. It should give you a little insight into whether or not you'd really enjoy a bigger snake without leaving you stuck with a giant that might be hard to get rid of if it ended up being too much for you.

I had a nice long paragraph for you but when i went to preview it, it logged me off so you get the short version.
-I went from ball to burm for my first big snake
-there are alot more choices now for keepers
-burms are awesome:D
-browse the classifieds, pythons and boa sections(kingsnake/fauna etc..)
-pick out a couple snakes that appeal to you
-do reasearch on snakes you picked/see if you can manage the care required for them.
- once narrowed down, check state/local laws to see if you can keep them.
-make another post/poll with the same question and list of snakes
-get feedback from forum
-once you choose a snake, do more research, and pick out the proper caging
-pick out the perfect snake and enjoy:D

I've only started keeping snakes since October 2010, I started with a ball, who is doing great, month later I got a baby red tail, in December I was like I'm getting a burm so I got one that was about 7 or so months about 4 foot. If u want a big snake, do it the only way ur gonna know if u like keeping bigger snakes is by doing it, I know mine aren't big yet, but they don't get 14 foot overnight, just do ur research and make sure ur gonna have the space, and resources for a bigger snake you can Both grow together, no homo, it will get big and u can learn if u really made the right choice, btw I can't wait for mine to get bigger!

Thanks Everyone!! That really wasn't the answer that I'd been expecting but nontheless it was a pretty nice surprise :D to be honest I don't know how (musta picked my moment really well) but I managed to convince my mum to let me have whatever snake I want which I thought was impossible lol.

At the local shop I go to I always see fairly big snakes for example a 12 ft retic, but never any baby retics or burms, so I'm going up this weekend with my girlfriend and will enquire about them possibly getting hold of a baby one if I set my mind on it, I'm definitely going to do my research though, but just wanted to say thanks again.

If you want a big snake, you could get an olive python, or maybe a dwarf retic even? They still get pretty big but not massive.

If ur thinking about a burm vs retic, hold both before u decide! Some say retina are flighty and Burma are lazy but my burm moves around when I get him out!!!

Maybe a bredili ,slender body ,but a nice long snake.mayb

my first big girl is a yellow anaconda... shes fun but alot of work. you totally have to be sure to seperate feeding time from any other time... more important than any other smaller snake :)

I have to admit a yellow anaconda is something that I've definitely been considering, are they difficult to keep with humidity levels and that sort of stuff?

How much experience do you have with large snakes? My suggestion would be to start with a RTB, when you get into the really large ones it is a good idea to have a "spotter/helper" when caring for them, do you have someone to help with them?

I dont have much experience with really big snakes but yeah I do have people that can help me with large snakes :D

Then if I were you, I'd go with a RTB, I have one that's about 8ft, and let me tell you there's a world a difference between them and a BP, don't get me wrong she is probably the most docile snake in my collection, but she can & does have her moods.......let me put like this.. imagine an earth worm when you pick it up squirming all over.....now imagine a 8ft + snake doing that, I'm not saying it happens all the time, but certain cautions have to be taken when caring for the larger snakes.

There are smaller locality RTB boas also. Like tarahumara mountain boa's, sabogae boa's, hog island boas etc..

Anacondas are not the best snake species to start with. There very rewarding to keep but can also be a handful. Burmese pythons are not going to be as active as reticulated pythons. The bigger burms get the lazier they get. Retics on the other hand dont seem to calm down. Burms do not push as bad as retics and thats another thing to look into. Some retics will push the glass of there cage until they tear there nose up and some are hard headed and will do this every year. Ive never had a burm that pushes although im sure there are some out there that will

Thanks, So about RTB's, anyone with much experience keeping them? This or a Bredili is probably a more suitable choice for me for now (to get all important experience too) Looking forward to getting one and growing my collection though :D

I have 3 RTB's, I acquired my 2 females from a friend who could no longer keep them, & my male from a guy who was afraid of him, he had really bad cage aggression. What would you like to know? :)

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Originally Posted by llovelace

I have 3 RTB's, I acquired my 2 females from a friend who could no longer keep them, & my male from a guy who was afraid of him, he had really bad cage aggression. What would you like to know? :)

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Well what sizes are they? and what do you currently feed them on? and how big are the cages that you keep them in? I just want to make sure I have the money to keep them and feed them if I'm honest, Thanks :)

Red tail boas can get big but they grow pretty slow. Both mine are roughly 3 years old and the male is 5ft and the female is 6ft. It's probably going to take another couple years to reach 8ft. The yellow anaconda seems to be growing faster than the red tails at least for now. They require gentle handling as a baby to be a calm snake. I love my anaconda but the only thing I hate is I have to clean it's cage everyday. They go to the bathroom daily unlike red tails or the pythons. Luckily mine has been pretty good at not going to the bathroom in his water bowl. He seems to always get out when he has to go. But I always give fresh water to him daily or every other day.

I keep my boas in 4'x2'x18" cages. Probably go to a 6' cage if the female reaches 8ft. My male eats a medium rat every other week. The female eats a large rat every other week. When red tails get into adulthood they can get obese fairly easy so you have to space out feedings. When she gets bigger I'd like to switch her to a small rabbit every other week to a month.

One thing you'll want to really consider:

Do you want a BIG snake, or do you want a GIANT snake? The answer is very important. I don't think I ever want a giant snake, I just don't have fun handling them. However, a 50lb snake? Yeah that'd be cool.

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Originally Posted by The-Jame

I have to admit a yellow anaconda is something that I've definitely been considering, are they difficult to keep with humidity levels and that sort of stuff?

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I have a custom enclosure built for her... They def need high humidity and the repto vision cages made of PVC i find work best... the ONLY downside to owning a yellow Conda is they are ALOT of work when it comes to husbandry... they are smelly. i change out her enclosure completely at least every other day. She is totally worth it though :) like i said though... DEF SEPERATE FEEDING times between handling and cleaning. i have her hook trained and i tap on her enclosure softly before i introduce a rat so she knows :)

Burms and Retics may be a little too big for a starter,

BUT, you could go with a BCI (boa constrictor), Dumeril's boa, or a smaller species of Anaconda? There are two other smaller species besides Greens and Yellows that I forget the names of.

Do your research, There are a lot of snakes out there that will fit what you are looking for. I have retics and burms. But if you want large, but not giant then go with something else, as stated above there are dwarf forms of both and super dwarf retics that look and act like a retic yet they are still a manageable size some never get bigger thatn 6 to 8 foot.

I definitely want a large snake, my previous post where I said a retic or burm was probably a bit silly of me but it's nice to have dreams, I think I'm definitely set on having an RTB at the moment, a snake with the potential to grow to 14 feet is definitely enough for me (atleast for now). Thanks to everyone who's posted and given me an insight into their experiences, more posts will follow when I eventually find the one for me. :D

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Originally Posted by The-Jame

Well what sizes are they? and what do you currently feed them on? and how big are the cages that you keep them in? I just want to make sure I have the money to keep them and feed them if I'm honest, Thanks :)

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Oscar, male, is in a vivarium (30gal I think), was 3 yrs old, less than 500g and a picky eater when I acquired him in July '09, he now sits at around 1200g and approx 4ft in length. he eats 1 (80g range) rat every 10 days now.

Jynx, female #1, is in a tub, she's 2 1/2 yrs old, she does better in the tub, she gets a (60g range rat every 10 days).

Akita female #2, is in a 6ft boaphile. she is approx 8ft, and gets a XXXL f/t rat every 10 days.

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Originally Posted by llovelace

Oscar, male, is in a vivarium (30gal I think), was 3 yrs old, less than 500g and a picky eater when I acquired him in July '09, he now sits at around 1200g and approx 4ft in length. he eats 1 (80g range) rat every 10 days now.

Jynx, female #1, is in a tub, she's 2 1/2 yrs old, she does better in the tub, she gets a (60g range rat every 10 days).

Akita female #2, is in a 6ft boaphile. she is approx 8ft, and gets a XXXL f/t rat every 10 days.

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Thank's, how fast do they grow? :D I'm definitely going to get a RTB, I think they're going to be the best choice for me for sure (atleast for now) thanks.

Red tails grow slow. They take many years to get to a large size (8ft and 4" in diameter). Retics seem to grow mainly off what you feed them. Get them on rabbits at a early age and you could see 10+ft in the first year. Burms grow slower than retics but stay heavier. Think my friend told me his burms get roughly 6-8ft the first year. And slow down from there. He has a 4 or 5 year old male that is around 12ft. His females are upwards of 15-17ft though by this time. Im personally going for a Burm cause i want a large relaxed snake. One i can hold on the couch and not worry about moving all over the place.

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Originally Posted by SnakeKB

Red tails grow slow. They take many years to get to a large size (8ft and 4" in diameter). Retics seem to grow mainly off what you feed them. Get them on rabbits at a early age and you could see 10+ft in the first year. Burms grow slower than retics but stay heavier. Think my friend told me his burms get roughly 6-8ft the first year. And slow down from there. He has a 4 or 5 year old male that is around 12ft. His females are upwards of 15-17ft though by this time. Im personally going for a Burm cause i want a large relaxed snake. One i can hold on the couch and not worry about moving all over the place.

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Thanks, just so many snakes its definitely so hard to choose, the thing which may sway me away from pythons though is that they don't stop growing (or so I've heard, maybe someone with more knowledge could chime in and put me right) I'm going to go to the shop where i got my bp from and speak to the guy there (he's got burms, retics, a king cobra and even a crocodile!) I'll see from his experience and also take a look at his big girls and see where to go from there, thanks :D

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Carpet Pythons.

do you have any carpet python's at all? I did think about these a while back but haven't had much info about them.

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Originally Posted by llovelace

How much experience do you have with large snakes? My suggestion would be to start with a RTB, when you get into the really large ones it is a good idea to have a "spotter/helper" when caring for them, do you have someone to help with them?

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Wow, I can't believe it took two pages before some one asked this question.........

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Originally Posted by The-Jame

I dont have much experience with really big snakes but yeah I do have people that can help me with large snakes :D

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Learn on their large snakes before you even contemplate buying your own.

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Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

Burms and Retics may be a little too big for a starter,

BUT, you could go with a BCI (boa constrictor), Dumeril's boa, or a smaller species of Anaconda? There are two other smaller species besides Greens and Yellows that I forget the names of.

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Those two species of anaconda aren't readily available.............and yes, burms and retics are too big for a starter..again, I'm glad someone had the common sense to point this out.

Really people, no offense to the OP, but when did we start urging people to go out and buy giant pythons without first asking what their experience level is?

To the OP: before deciding that you want something - like a RTB for example - make sure you already know the answer to the basic questions - cage size, rate of growth, outlay for food, etc, etc. How can you decide you want anything before you even know what wanting that entails?

This is a great place to opinion shop, but you are not going to get much on this thread other than opinions. Most stores aren't going to do anything but sell you what you want. What you really should do is hook up with someone, face to face, who keeps the animals you are potentially interested in but isn't trying to sell you anything. See if that person would allow you to come over and witness first hand his feeding, handling and cleaning regimen. After you've done all the research, after you've picked the brain of someone who really keep large snakes and has done so after the "coolness" factor wears off, take a couple of weeks and contemplate on whether or not (1) a big snake would be something you think you could handle and (2) whether you even want a big snake anymore.

Big snake experience comes from time. You get a baby and raise it from there handling each day getting use to it's growth as it goes. But you have to be informed of how there temperament could be, feeding response, husbandry needs, length, girth, weight. Experience comes in time but the knowledge of the species gets you the experience without making so many mistakes. Another thing to consider is how strong you are? You will not be able to out muscle the snake but you still need to be able to move something that is 100lbs or possibly more. I honestly dont think someone who isn't athletic or just simply out of shape should get a large constrictor, that includes red tails. Without the proper stability muscles in your body will make the snake feel very insecure during handling. That will create the snake to wrap tight to hold on.

I'm pretty sure all snakes keep growing through there entire life. BCI red tails can reach 10ft but 8ft is more common for females. BCC boas reach 12ft but 10ft is more common. Male burms stay similar in length to the BCC but have a faster growth and weigh more. The weight of the snake is really what makes it harder to handle. 50lbs moving compared to 100lbs moving makes a huge difference. Carpet pythons would be a good choice for a long medium build snake or even a super dwarf/mainland cross retic. Males stay under 10ft and females stay under 14ft.

Thanks to both of you for what you've put and believe me this isnt something that I'm going to jump straight into if that's what you thought, I've always been fascinated by snakes and there is no "coolness" factor for me personally, I just love them. I'm quite athletic & strong, really I'm just looking to move up in size (in my first post I later conceded that I was being silly to think of such large snakes) I think the growth of a baby RTB or Carpet Python would give me the chance to get used to the snake also, but as I say I just wanted to get peoples experiences with large snakes. But I'm looking at getting a snake which can grow bigger, probably within the next ten months to a year.

Sounds good. Whatever you decide on getting will be fun nonetheless.

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Originally Posted by SnakeKB

Sounds good. Whatever you decide on getting will be fun nonetheless.

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True, I mean you really don't appreciate how much beautiful snakes are out there until you really start looking, I'm never gonna claim to be the biggest snake expert but I am just starting out and I'm going to get the biggest collection of snakes that I can possibly manage haha :D

im one of the silly few who believe a HEALTHY male burm shouldent be out of the question, theres no reason for your 10 ft snake to weigh 120lbs.. a helathy male burm should be roughly 10ft and 60-80lbs i never understand why they are precieved to be so much bigger.

that being said tho if you havent even had a boa, go with something similar to what your looking for. for example a coastal carpet female should be between 9-11ft and around 20lbs of active intelligent snake so thatd be a good step tword a retic or a bci if your loooking for a burm because the attitudes line up for the most part. that being said though, thats only because u said u loved snakes i never suggest starter or begginer snakes because more often the case those are the ones who end up in rescues and on craigslist.. im a strong believer in get what you want and love it and learn with it but if your looking to expand your collection into giants you cant go wrong with a carpet or boa, my carpet is still a little spitfire and i love handling her soo much diffrent then my retic who tends to just veg on my shoulders

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Originally Posted by Muddyredneck

im one of the silly few who believe a HEALTHY male burm shouldent be out of the question, theres no reason for your 10 ft snake to weigh 120lbs.. a helathy male burm should be roughly 10ft and 60-80lbs i never understand why they are precieved to be so much bigger.

that being said tho if you havent even had a boa, go with something similar to what your looking for. for example a coastal carpet female should be between 9-11ft and around 20lbs of active intelligent snake so thatd be a good step tword a retic or a bci if your loooking for a burm because the attitudes line up for the most part. that being said though, thats only because u said u loved snakes i never suggest starter or begginer snakes because more often the case those are the ones who end up in rescues and on craigslist.. im a strong believer in get what you want and love it and learn with it but if your looking to expand your collection into giants you cant go wrong with a carpet or boa, my carpet is still a little spitfire and i love handling her soo much diffrent then my retic who tends to just veg on my shoulders

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Thanks, and that's pretty much the same way I think if I'm honest, plus I still live at home and my mom doesn't want too many snakes haha :P, but for me I've been around snakes that are 6foot+ (my uncle has a king and rat snake) and my friend looked after his cousin's 7 foot rainbow boa for about a year so i can get plenty of help if it would be needed, but I'm sure I'll be alright aslong as I do the research before :D

If you want to keep a large constrictor you need to adhere to a strict set of rules. When you stray from this ruleset you put yourself at risk. Getting lit up by a 14-18 foot snake can require a hell of a lot of stitches.

These are just some of the basics that new owners should look into.

-You will do better if you get your first one as a baby. You will have more time to work with the snake before it gets too large and difficult to manage by yourself. Never handle the big guys when you are alone.

-Hook train your snake, let it know when it isn't feeding time.

-Read their body language, know when to back off. Sometimes they just aren't in the mood.

-When they get big you will generally want to keep their head facing away from you.

-Get a cage that you can easily maintain and will support a heavy constrictor. Some cages come equipped with a divider that allows you to partition off the enclosure without removing the snake. This is a great way for one person to maintain a large snakes enclosure, you just work them over to the other side and slide in the divider from the front.

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Originally Posted by Slyther83

If you want to keep a large constrictor you need to adhere to a strict set of rules. When you stray from this ruleset you put yourself at risk. Getting lit up by a 14-18 foot snake can require a hell of a lot of stitches.

These are just some of the basics that new owners should look into.

-You will do better if you get your first one as a baby. You will have more time to work with the snake before it gets too large and difficult to manage by yourself. Never handle the big guys when you are alone.

-Hook train your snake, let it know when it isn't feeding time.

-Read their body language, know when to back off. Sometimes they just aren't in the mood.

-When they get big you will generally want to keep their head facing away from you.

-Get a cage that you can easily maintain and will support a heavy constrictor. Some cages come equipped with a divider that allows you to partition off the enclosure without removing the snake. This is a great way for one person to maintain a large snakes enclosure, you just work them over to the other side and slide in the divider from the front.

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Thanks, I know what your saying, I don't know where to get a snake hook though around here, none of the reptile shops around here seem to have them I'll have to go in and ask about it when i do get a bigger snake. The plan has always been to get a baby, I love watching them grow, you feel like a proper little daddy :P I must admit I don't want kid, just give me some snakes ;) haha thanks again.

Like every one else has said, I recomend a RTB. Also if you have some one willing to help you take advantage of it. Have them teach you what they can. While the net is great remember that its not always correct. Besides I believe that hands on training with some one who know what they are doing is ALOT better then reading how to do something. Heres a little story for ya to think about tho. A friend of mine has a 17 ft retic thats about 6 years old. When he got her she wasnt as friendly as she could be since the previouse owner didnt spend the time with her that he should. Now because of this, IF he has to go into her cage by himself he takes his .45 cal handgun for safty. You need to relize the work it takes to tame out these snakes so you dont find yourself in a situation like this. Take advantage of the help around you and learn all you can BEFORE you get a monster snake. There are enough snakes that are turned over to rescues, abandoned or set free becouse people dont relise the work they take and the true size they can get. Also since you live with your mom before you get a large snake, explain how big the snake will get so she doesnt force you to rehome it simply because she didnt know how big it might get. Take her to see one in person. Telling some one about a 15ft snake and seeing one in person are two compleatly diff things. The last thing any one on this board wants is to make another person resent the reptile community because of misinformation and things like that

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Originally Posted by Raverthug

Like every one else has said, I recomend a RTB. Also if you have some one willing to help you take advantage of it. Have them teach you what they can. While the net is great remember that its not always correct. Besides I believe that hands on training with some one who know what they are doing is ALOT better then reading how to do something. Heres a little story for ya to think about tho. A friend of mine has a 17 ft retic thats about 6 years old. When he got her she wasnt as friendly as she could be since the previouse owner didnt spend the time with her that he should. Now because of this, IF he has to go into her cage by himself he takes his .45 cal handgun for safty. You need to relize the work it takes to tame out these snakes so you dont find yourself in a situation like this. Take advantage of the help around you and learn all you can BEFORE you get a monster snake. There are enough snakes that are turned over to rescues, abandoned or set free becouse people dont relise the work they take and the true size they can get. Also since you live with your mom before you get a large snake, explain how big the snake will get so she doesnt force you to rehome it simply because she didnt know how big it might get. Take her to see one in person. Telling some one about a 15ft snake and seeing one in person are two compleatly diff things. The last thing any one on this board wants is to make another person resent the reptile community because of misinformation and things like that

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If someone has to go in a snake cage with a weapon they shouldn't own that snake. Previous owner or not, most retics are cage defensive and they need to be removed before you clean it out. If that guy doesn't have a way to facilitate that situation he shouldn't own one.

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Originally Posted by Slyther83

If someone has to go in a snake cage with a weapon they shouldn't own that snake. Previous owner or not, most retics are cage defensive and they need to be removed before you clean it out. If that guy doesn't have a way to facilitate that situation he shouldn't own one.

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Actually he has her in a cage that is 15ft x 5 ft x 5ft with a built in hide that he can lock her into. She is NORMALY decent but he does it in the off shot that shes in a bad mood. Heres some pics of her cage while we were building it.

http://i926.photobucket.com/albums/a.../CIMG00013.jpg
http://i926.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/CIMG0007.jpg

That is quite an impressive cage!

thanks. It used to be a turtle aquarium that that was fiber glassed. We had to cut it in half to get it through the door. the hide has a slide door that can be open and closed from outside the enclosure (that seperates the hide from the main area) with a door on each end that has 2 bolt locks and a paddle lock on each door. Like I said. He is safe but the 45 is for worst case kinda thing

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Originally Posted by Raverthug

thanks. It used to be a turtle aquarium that that was fiber glassed. We had to cut it in half to get it through the door. the hide has a slide door that can be open and closed from outside the enclosure (that seperates the hide from the main area) with a door on each end that has 2 bolt locks and a paddle lock on each door. Like I said. He is safe but the 45 is for worst case kinda thing

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Thanks raver,


I am said owner of this retic, first off 30 years experience with reptiles, to include venomous, gives me every right to own this snake. Bertha is the pride and joy of my collection, She is a fluffy baby, and an awesome snake, I have worked with her over the last few years since I got her to get her to calm down,(Had I not taken her she would have been put down). When I clean her enclosure she is blocked off in the hide to keep her from getting to me on one side or the other. I have used her in educational shows with plenty of ppl around for help. When I have to get into the enclosure I have a few items besides the gun to go in with me (and let me say that if someone is with me I NEVE TAKE THE GUN IN, it is only done when I am ith myself.) Anyways these items are, Listerine, Hand Sanitizer, a poke stick, and tongs, Then my gun, the gun is a last resort, She gets a hold of me then I have but a little bit of time to decide if its her or me. I do use all other things before the gun. I own this snake because I am the guy who gets called to take in aggressive snakes, and believe me when the snakes are born in captivity, and become aggressive due to lack of knowledge or just being plain scared, then most would be put down, I take these snakes in rehabilitate then give a new home. There are ppl on this site who know me personally, and know I know how to work with the large snakes, know how to house them and also know that if they don't pass the test to be allowed to move on to someone else to live out their life then they stay with me and I care for them, By the way she is the biggest snake i own but not the most aggressive. I do what I can to care for these animals, and hopefully find them knew homes. Bertha won't find that home b/c she is staying with me because of her size, strength and my dis-trust for mst ppl to be able to house her properly. As stated above her enclosure is 12 ft x 5 ft x5 ft, RAVERTHUG helped me build it, it has turned out minus size to be perfect, for her and me. It allows me to have a safe area to house her in and also contains the hide 3 ftx5 ft, to put her in with the slide down door to keep all safe. Bertha has come along way from when I first got her, to now actually letting ppl touch her and pet her compared to a few years ago, waiting to not be touched and just left alone.


So in lighter things, I do what I can, I still ask questions when I need help, she is locked up in this enclosure with padlocks as stated above. I do ask for help when handling her and moving her from enclosure to soaking tub or to a educational show. Raver knows this. THE GUN IS A LAST RESORT, A last resort for me just as it was in Afghanistan and Iraq, Didn't wanna use them but did, when it was either me or them.

Thanks raver for your help with all of it


I am said owner of this retic

Jay, Thanks for comming in and clearing up.

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Originally Posted by Jadonh

Thanks raver,


I am said owner of this retic, first off 30 years experience with reptiles, to include venomous, gives me every right to own this snake. Bertha is the pride and joy of my collection, She is a fluffy baby, and an awesome snake, I have worked with her over the last few years since I got her to get her to calm down,(Had I not taken her she would have been put down). When I clean her enclosure she is blocked off in the hide to keep her from getting to me on one side or the other. I have used her in educational shows with plenty of ppl around for help. When I have to get into the enclosure I have a few items besides the gun to go in with me (and let me say that if someone is with me I NEVE TAKE THE GUN IN, it is only done when I am ith myself.) Anyways these items are, Listerine, Hand Sanitizer, a poke stick, and tongs, Then my gun, the gun is a last resort, She gets a hold of me then I have but a little bit of time to decide if its her or me. I do use all other things before the gun. I own this snake because I am the guy who gets called to take in aggressive snakes, and believe me when the snakes are born in captivity, and become aggressive due to lack of knowledge or just being plain scared, then most would be put down, I take these snakes in rehabilitate then give a new home. There are ppl on this site who know me personally, and know I know how to work with the large snakes, know how to house them and also know that if they don't pass the test to be allowed to move on to someone else to live out their life then they stay with me and I care for them, By the way she is the biggest snake i own but not the most aggressive. I do what I can to care for these animals, and hopefully find them knew homes. Bertha won't find that home b/c she is staying with me because of her size, strength and my dis-trust for mst ppl to be able to house her properly. As stated above her enclosure is 12 ft x 5 ft x5 ft, RAVERTHUG helped me build it, it has turned out minus size to be perfect, for her and me. It allows me to have a safe area to house her in and also contains the hide 3 ftx5 ft, to put her in with the slide down door to keep all safe. Bertha has come along way from when I first got her, to now actually letting ppl touch her and pet her compared to a few years ago, waiting to not be touched and just left alone.


So in lighter things, I do what I can, I still ask questions when I need help, she is locked up in this enclosure with padlocks as stated above. I do ask for help when handling her and moving her from enclosure to soaking tub or to a educational show. Raver knows this. THE GUN IS A LAST RESORT, A last resort for me just as it was in Afghanistan and Iraq, Didn't wanna use them but did, when it was either me or them.

Thanks raver for your help with all of it


I am said owner of this retic

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Fair play to you mate, one day I'd love a retic and that's something else when it comes to housing that one, what an enclosure.

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Originally Posted by Slyther83

-Read their body language, know when to back off. Sometimes they just aren't in the mood.

-When they get big you will generally want to keep their head facing away from you.

-Get a cage that you can easily maintain and will support a heavy constrictor. Some cages come equipped with a divider that allows you to partition off the enclosure without removing the snake. This is a great way for one person to maintain a large snakes enclosure, you just work them over to the other side and slide in the divider from the front.

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this is great advice, the only thing i would have changed is when talking about retics u really cant let a babys mood define wether it comes out or it will remmmember that and be even harder to handle as an adult, in most cases however a cbb baby wont have these problems and as long as you hold it enough as a baby it shouldent have any problems (shed mood aside) when its an adult

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Originally Posted by Raverthug

, IF he has to go into her cage by himself he takes his .45 cal handgun for safty. You need to relize the work it takes to tame out these snakes so you dont find yourself in a situation like this.

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this is seriously scarey, does your friend realise that if the snake where to attack him he wouldent have time to pull the 45? it would coil him long before the thought ever crossed his mind. now i say this having lemon juice and a pocket knife within arms reach when i have out my giant but seriously a .45? sounds to me like an excuse to hold a gun especially when any alchohol or lemon juice or god forbid that didnt work a knife would do just fine and not have the publicity of "man attacked by 17ft pet snake, resulting in hail of gunfire and endangerment of loved ones"