Red Tail over African Rock?

I am thinking about getting a pair of Red tails but I was also thinking about getting a pair of African rock pytons which should I get? Can anyone give me any advice? Also can Red Tails live together? These are babys that I am thinking about getting 12" - 16"

Well that all depends on how big of a snake you think you can handle. A BCI typically doesnt get much longer than 9 feet depending on sex ( females being typically larger ). Afrocks, on the other hand, have the potential to get over 20 ft and over 200lbs and generally have a much nastier disposition. BCI's have a much nicer disposition and dont require such a big enclosure.

As far as two snakes living together, its a bad idea in my opinion. You have no way of telling which snake poo'd, if you get two males in the same cage you can have fighting and potential death, and if you have a male and a female you can end up with unwanted babies. My rule of thumb is .. two snakes = two enclosures. You dont have to worry about sharing potential diseases, and competition over food/living space with two seperate enclosures.

Thanks, So I will just prolly get a Red Tail. But I was also wondering about Burmese pythons. Also is there any big difference between Colombian Red Tail, Bolivian Red Tail, Suriname Red Tail and Guyana Red Tail. The only difference I noticed was their prices. If any can help me on that it would be great also!

Bolivian, Suriname, and Guyanan are what are called BCC's or true red tails. Columbian's are BCI's which are the ones that stay in the 6-9 feet range. BCC's are larger and tend to be more agressive. They range in the 9-13 feet range.

As for Burms, they are a giant python similar in size to the afrock but generally not as agressive.

Well I think I might just get a Colombian Red Tail. Because I do want a snake that I can sorta handle and not be afraid of. Also there is this pet store near me that keeps an Afrock and a Burmese and some thing else all in one cage. So I dk. But I really was planning on getting more that one snake so I will prolly end up getting to red tails or a red tail and a Burmese. The snakes that I will get will be babys only 13" - 17". I am prolly going to put them in a 55 gallon that I have my balls in right now because I have a new setup for my balls. Thanks for all your help!

Before you go and put two snakes in a cage together .. please read this sticky: http://www.ball-pythons.net/index.ph...ewtopic&t=1771 .

Make sure you look at the link in the very last post. This is definitely the reason i wouldnt keep two of any snakes in a cage together.

2 snakes + 1 cage = big trouble

No NO NO NO, Im sorry I typed that wrong, I didnt mean I was going to put the two in the same tank together. I have my Bps in the same tank together and thats only because they have been together since babys. So i figured that Im not going to split them up. because they have been together for 4 years now. The RTB will get his own tank and so will they Burmese.

Ok man .. sorry to get so antsy. I was just making sure you had all the info you could before you got your new guys/girls. You might wanna consider splitting up the bp's tho ( just my opinion ). Good luck with them!

Holy ****! Those pictures of the Boa eating the BP made me sick. I felt bad for the BP. I totally understand where you are coming from. Don't worry I am going to split my BPs up I got a new setup already I can just put together another one. Ill just give everyone their own space. I just cant wait to get my new babys. Sorry, bout the whole thing with saying that I am right about my snakes or whatever. I only have experinece with my Tarantulas and even with those Im not an expert. I hope to learn from my new babys also. Thanks for everones input!

Yea ... striking and scary isnt it. Good luck with your new guys! Cant wait to see some pics :)

As soon as I get the new kids set in their new homes I will start to snap pictures! Also my cam is in the shop. :cry:

wow, i admire you for looking into getting a burmese. they are such beautiful snakes but i could never handle one because they get so big! maybe a male would be ok, but still.

Thanks, the main reason I want a Burmese is because I have always admired them and thought they were beatiful. I don't care how big it gets because I have the room, but I know what you mean its not good to get animals if you can't provide them with their proper needs. Then the reason I want the RTB is because I think they are beautiful. But, my favorites will always be my BPs.

A Burmese is a two-person snake. Unless you can count on having a second person handy when the Burmese gets larger, I would not even consider getting one.

Well, I have my girlfriend and my brother. So yea I will have someone around. Also it wont be awhile till she gets really big because she is only about 15".

But I also know they grow super big lol.
I have the space for one tho thats why I want one. My whole basement is reserved for my animals.

podo, Burms grow fast

yeah htats what i heard too, How big do they get within a year?? (if fed properly)

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Originally Posted by Brandon.O

yeah htats what i heard too, How big do they get within a year?? (if fed properly)

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A Burmese Python can grow ten feet in one year

Not too sure where you found your information Blink, but i wouldnt think they would grow 10 feet in a year. I found this at the Fort Worth Zoo website:

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Hatchling Burmese pythons measure between 18 inches (runts) and 29 inches. Breeders indicate an average length of 22 inches among captive-bred animals. The average weight of the hatchlings will be around 4oz (115g). Female Burmese pythons can grow to between 13 and 18 feet and there are records of animals over 19 feet but no authenticated records of animals over 20 feet. Males are typically smaller and their range from 8 to 14 feet though occasionally a male will grow to a length of 16-17 feet. For their size, Burmese pythons are among the heaviest of the giant snakes with 17-18 foot animals achieving weights of over 200 lbs.

Under captive conditions, Burmese pythons will grow to sexual maturity at an amazing rate. Growth rates achieved with females by herpetoculturists under optimal feeding conditions typically show the following growth pattern. By the end of 12 months, growth to a length of 6 to 9 1/2 feet. By 18 months, growth to between 9 1/2 to 10 1/2 feet.

Breeding is initiated soon after this time and the growth rate from there on slows down considerably. Breeders mention growth rates of 12 to 18 inches a year for the first 2-3 years following the 10 foot mark (and thus first breeding). Thereafter, the growth rate will continue to decline with the age though there are reports of older animals entering a period of accelerated growth following several years of typically reduced growth. There can be a wide range of variation in the growth and length of captive-raised specimens depending on the genetic background, feeding and breeding regimens

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That growth rate is in a female and females are usually bigger than males. I guess you could power feed your snake to get it to about 10 feet in a year, but then you would have to worry about other health concerns as well as a 10 footer. I would be interested to see the data behind the information i found, but thats the typical answer i was finding.

EDIT: I forgot to paste the link: http://www.whozoo.org/students/stamoo/burminfo1.htm

I thought that was weird cause my friend has had his for about 5 years and he is only about 9-11 feet
I dont know Im thinking it differs from snake to snake how big they get aand how fast........just like people. Well, my Burm just came today in the mail...well not the mall UPS but yeah, Can anyone suggest a setup she is only about 2'

how much and how often has your friend been feeding his snake and what kind of food item ??

a two foot snake would fit nicely in a 30 or 40 gal should be enough room

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Originally Posted by Podo

Well, my Burm just came today in the mail...well not the mall UPS but yeah, Can anyone suggest a setup she is only about 2'

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i'm sure that what you mean by this is that you have already researched and had the setup ready to go for your burm when she arrived and now you just want some extra tips? maybe you could post some pics of what you have so we can take a look and help out from there.

yeah the way you explained it it sounds like you got your snake and then you dont have a tank for it..............

I have a 15 gallon high, 20gallon and a 55 gallon.......Which one would be the best I was thinking the 20 would be since he is still just a little guy. I was just wondering what type of setup I should give him like a desert setup a forest setup.........like what type of substrate I mean and hides and that type of stuff.

i wouldent do dessert if you mean that you will be using sand for substate, it will get under the snakes scales and cause irritation, as far as what kind of setup, ummm you can do wahtever you want it really doesnt matter, as long as there is hides the baby should feel comfortable in any kind of set up

Anything you are gonna use right now is a temporary solution. You are gonna need a large cage for him in about 8 - 10 months. The growth rate of burms is amazing if you can keep them on a regular feeding schedule ( which shouldnt be hard seeing as they are garbage disposals ;) ). I would probably stick him in the 55 now ( if you are going to be using a tank ), it will give you enough time to find or build something else for when he's about 7 or 8 feet in about 10 months or so.

And seeing as how this thread is now about a giant python .. i've moved it to that forum :)

I used repti bark in my baby burms cage. I have hides in there but he doesnt use them.. He curls up next to them. The set up doesnt have to be anything fancy, just make sure you have at least 2 hides, a proper temp range and humidity.

As far as hides, you can use the half logs, or find an appropriate sized box.

Hmm, no offense, but I think it's kinda scary that someone would buy a burm then ask about how to put together it's setup. Even with a ball python I researched 3 months beforehand just to make sure I knew what I was getting into and had everything ready. So with a burmese python, I'd definitely research beforehand for months and months and have everything set up before I even thought of purchasing one. If you ask me, sounds like you rushed into it podo. :(

But oh well. You came to the right place for help atleast. :)

i agree.

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Originally Posted by led4urhead

Not too sure where you found your information Blink, but i wouldnt think they would grow 10 feet in a year. I found this at the Fort Worth Zoo website:

Quote:

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Hatchling Burmese pythons measure between 18 inches (runts) and 29 inches. Breeders indicate an average length of 22 inches among captive-bred animals. The average weight of the hatchlings will be around 4oz (115g). Female Burmese pythons can grow to between 13 and 18 feet and there are records of animals over 19 feet but no authenticated records of animals over 20 feet. Males are typically smaller and their range from 8 to 14 feet though occasionally a male will grow to a length of 16-17 feet. For their size, Burmese pythons are among the heaviest of the giant snakes with 17-18 foot animals achieving weights of over 200 lbs.

Under captive conditions, Burmese pythons will grow to sexual maturity at an amazing rate. Growth rates achieved with females by herpetoculturists under optimal feeding conditions typically show the following growth pattern. By the end of 12 months, growth to a length of 6 to 9 1/2 feet. By 18 months, growth to between 9 1/2 to 10 1/2 feet.

Breeding is initiated soon after this time and the growth rate from there on slows down considerably. Breeders mention growth rates of 12 to 18 inches a year for the first 2-3 years following the 10 foot mark (and thus first breeding). Thereafter, the growth rate will continue to decline with the age though there are reports of older animals entering a period of accelerated growth following several years of typically reduced growth. There can be a wide range of variation in the growth and length of captive-raised specimens depending on the genetic background, feeding and breeding regimens

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That growth rate is in a female and females are usually bigger than males. I guess you could power feed your snake to get it to about 10 feet in a year, but then you would have to worry about other health concerns as well as a 10 footer. I would be interested to see the data behind the information i found, but thats the typical answer i was finding.

EDIT: I forgot to paste the link: http://www.whozoo.org/students/stamoo/burminfo1.htm

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I actually googled "How fast does a Burmese Python grow"

First link - http://www.geocities.com/shavano08/burm.html