Preparing for a big snake

Im bound to get a burm, retic, or annie sooner or later (biggest snake iv handled is 5ft) and i would like to hear the opinions from the pros.

Handling
Enclosure
Care
Feeding
Maintnence
etc.

I dont trust google searches which is why im asking, all opinions are welcome. Hopefully the opinions in this thread will help other future "big snake" owners as well.

You might consider a Jampea dwarf retic. They dont get as huge as a mainland but not as small as a super dwarf. Here's a video to give you a good size on what appears to be an adult.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBaSo...feature=relmfu

If I had a monster snake I would just let it have free range in my living room and just put heat lamps in the entryway so the snake would chill there most of the time. Then if anyone ever breaks in... most people will brave a dog, but how many people would brave a 20 foot snake?


Now to be serious. I have seen people convert walk in closets into "walk in enclosures" and thats about all the help I can offer lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Twist

You might consider a Jampea dwarf retic. They dont get as huge as a mainland but not as small as a super dwarf. Here's a video to give you a good size on what appears to be an adult.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBaSouEa3ws&feature=relmfu

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What a beauty!! :O

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

If I had a monster snake I would just let it have free range in my living room and just put heat lamps in the entryway so the snake would chill there most of the time. Then if anyone ever breaks in... most people will brave a dog, but how many people would brave a 20 foot snake?


Now to be serious. I have seen people convert walk in closets into "walk in enclosures" and thats about all the help I can offer lol

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Lol thats epic haha

Im bound and determined to get a Green Anaconda some day but the thought of handling a 10ft+ snake seems overwhelming, same with maintnence and feeding.

Man thats a pretty snake. I think when my wife finishes school, when I dont live in a 2 bedroom apt and when my son is perhaps 4 years older...oh and if they dont get banned by then...I am so getting a Jampea!

Stepping up to a giant is a big step. Handling an adult giant is nothing like handling a 5 foot snake. Even a 10 ft 'tic or burm may only be twice as long but will be exponetially larger in weight. Right now I have a 9ft dwarf albino retic who is about 18 pounds but when you hold him he seems to be about 50 with him tugging and trying to explore everywhere.

Maintainence is also a lot more work. First you have to deal with putting your snake somewhere, hopefully you have an extra holding cage. Then cleaning up after them is a whole different story! Big snakes means big mess, especially with my 'tic who seems to make a mess out of his cage EVERY time.

You're going to have to consider where you are getting your feeders, local or will shipping be required? Shipping large feeders is usually pretty expensive along with the initial cost of the actual feeders. Also with a big annie you'll probably need a seperate freezer to keep the feeders unless you have a good amount of extra room in the one you currently have.

As far as an enclosure either building one or converting an extra room will be best. Unless you have the extra cash to buy one but why not try and save some cash? Boamaster I know makes a big 10 footer which would be good for most giants, though a female green annie, and possibly a huge female 'tic would be best in an extra room. The initial enclosure will be expensive along with a larger electric bill since you have to heat a huge amount of cubic space.

Then you have to consider your safety when feeding, handling, cleaning etc. You can't handle a 18' annie, tic or burm alone, 10 ft is getting up there where having two people would be nice. Do you have anyone willing to help you with moving your snake to another enclosure if need be?

These are all big considerations to take in and the choice to get a giant should not be taken lightly. The irresponsibility of so many others taking such a giant lightly is what has put our community in the situation it is in. Do as much research as you can, try finding someone local who could let you handle their giant.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

If I had a monster snake I would just let it have free range in my living room and just put heat lamps in the entryway so the snake would chill there most of the time. Then if anyone ever breaks in... most people will brave a dog, but how many people would brave a 20 foot snake?

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When I moved into my apartment complex, my landlady informed me that someone tried this. She had an appointment with them to bring someone in to fix the sink. They let her and the repair guy in and she said there was about a 15 foot (I am assuming a burm, but she had no idea) snake just loose in the living room. Now, these apartments are 550 square feet, which is indeed as small as it sounds, so that snake would have looked far bigger than it was in that little living room! They allow pets that are not cats or dogs, but after that incident, they do not look kindly on snakes. Soooooo... I just didn't tell them I had one. Doubt my little BP will be any trouble.:D hahaha!

Moral of the story, snake people are hilarious.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by redstormlax12

Stepping up to a giant is a big step. Handling an adult giant is nothing like handling a 5 foot snake. Even a 10 ft 'tic or burm may only be twice as long but will be exponetially larger in weight. Right now I have a 9ft dwarf albino retic who is about 18 pounds but when you hold him he seems to be about 50 with him tugging and trying to explore everywhere.

Maintainence is also a lot more work. First you have to deal with putting your snake somewhere, hopefully you have an extra holding cage. Then cleaning up after them is a whole different story! Big snakes means big mess, especially with my 'tic who seems to make a mess out of his cage EVERY time.

You're going to have to consider where you are getting your feeders, local or will shipping be required? Shipping large feeders is usually pretty expensive along with the initial cost of the actual feeders. Also with a big annie you'll probably need a seperate freezer to keep the feeders unless you have a good amount of extra room in the one you currently have.

As far as an enclosure either building one or converting an extra room will be best. Unless you have the extra cash to buy one but why not try and save some cash? Boamaster I know makes a big 10 footer which would be good for most giants, though a female green annie, and possibly a huge female 'tic would be best in an extra room. The initial enclosure will be expensive along with a larger electric bill since you have to heat a huge amount of cubic space.

Then you have to consider your safety when feeding, handling, cleaning etc. You can't handle a 18' annie, tic or burm alone, 10 ft is getting up there where having two people would be nice. Do you have anyone willing to help you with moving your snake to another enclosure if need be?

These are all big considerations to take in and the choice to get a giant should not be taken lightly. The irresponsibility of so many others taking such a giant lightly is what has put our community in the situation it is in. Do as much research as you can, try finding someone local who could let you handle their giant.

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Thank you a bunch, this was EXACTLY the kind of information i was seeking. Iv been considering a green annie for awhile now, but like you said i have been trying to plan everything out...enclosure, feeding, help with handling, ect. I still feel that i need a few more years of experience, and maby find a someone near by who has one that i can try and handle to see if its something i even want to invest in. Im friends with a few reptile shop owners that have 8-10ft burms and retics that are as docile as a pup, iv considered asking them if they could train me to hold one and also maby get some info from them as well.

I know its a big step but iv always wanted a green annie every since i was a kid, i guess as long as i have the determination, time, and money i should be ok lol :gj:

Such a good Ideas! big snake in a door.
I think that is really cool.

I am still confused to this day why people still refer to jamps as dwarfs? Ive seen them well up in the 15 16 foot range and theres nothing dwarf about a 15 foot retic. All three snakes you listed are all very different from each other. Out of the three I think the burmese are the best "starter" giant if there were such a thing. There alot more relaxed then retics and anacondas. Retics are always on the move and the pure power anacondas have are insane. Sometimes we struggle to get our anacondas back into there cages. My female green likes to wrap the end of tail right around your hand and just hold on. Shes 7 feet and feels more powerful then our adult male retics.

Now, I'm no expert on large constrictors, but I have read about the various types, and I think the perfect snake for you right now is a boa constrictor. It may seem a little common, but it is a much more reasonable size jump, will save you lots of money, and give you an overall more handleable snake. Most of the boa constrictors that I have seen are puppy dog tame, and while most burmese are the same, an odd incident with a burm could be potentially life threatening.

Good luck, and have fun with whatever you end up getting.

As for a starter big snake i got a dumeril, shes about 3 ft and very tame. Im using her as my practice snake before i get a burm, conda, retic, etc.

I also have a 5 ft very aggressive rat snake i practice handling with my hands and a snake hook.

I'll have to agree with Daniel on the annie's strength... to a degree. Yes they feel as if they're about a hundred times stronger than a similar sized retic, but there are behavioral differences explaining this.

While retics are at least semi-arboreal, anaconda's are not and usually have every inch of their body either touching ground or water. When we hold our snakes, the retics are at ease because of their semi-arboreal habits and are assured that if they feel they will fall a quick flex of their muscles will keep them in place. An anaconda gets picked up and feels very insecure, at least until they learn this ritual.

I had at least 10 years of experience with burms and retics before I acquired a green. Definitely wonderful snakes, but I'm not so sure I would say go ahead and start with one.

If you can confidently acquire trust with your rat snake, and are able to "read" its intentions when you open its enclosure, then you're acquiring some of the skills you'll need to be a good giant owner.

Establishing trust with your Ornate will be similar, but a lot more patience is required with monitors.

Chris

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Originally Posted by mumps

I'll have to agree with Daniel on the annie's strength... to a degree. Yes they feel as if they're about a hundred times stronger than a similar sized retic, but there are behavioral differences explaining this.

While retics are at least semi-arboreal, anaconda's are not and usually have every inch of their body either touching ground or water. When we hold our snakes, the retics are at ease because of their semi-arboreal habits and are assured that if they feel they will fall a quick flex of their muscles will keep them in place. An anaconda gets picked up and feels very insecure, at least until they learn this ritual.

I had at least 10 years of experience with burms and retics before I acquired a green. Definitely wonderful snakes, but I'm not so sure I would say go ahead and start with one.

If you can confidently acquire trust with your rat snake, and are able to "read" its intentions when you open its enclosure, then you're acquiring some of the skills you'll need to be a good giant owner.

Establishing trust with your Ornate will be similar, but a lot more patience is required with monitors.

Chris

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Thanks for the info mumps. Iv decided to hold off on the conda for awhile and maby start with a burm when i'm ready. Even training with this satan spawn rat snake is a tough challenge, but in time it will teach me to have quick reflexes and actually read a snakes body language, which i'm getting pretty good at, rat snakes are slick little biters.

And yeah i don't handle my monitor, hes just the center piece of my home for guests to look at. He has a giant enclosure all to himself and is fed like a king lol but whenever i do handle him to change his enclosure he never bites....weird. I just got that 1 lucky nile outta the bunch lol.

There some good info in this thread, i really hope its helping others before considering a big snake.

Thanks again guys!