what do you think of large snakes as pets?

[gozetec02]

I say go for it if you are up to the challenge but be prepared to have that snake for a long.........long time burms can live up to 25 years and the females can get around 18'.

I took a burm that was only 4' from a friend because he did not want it anymore but i did my research and decided i didnt want it either so i took it to a reptile shop and they traded me some tank furniture and a Ball Python (Jojo) and the rest is history. I had named the burm Lucy and she is in a happy home and she gets plenty room in her enclosure this was a year ago and she is around 8' now.

I say if your thinking about getting one of these snakes dont do it. LOL

[beaglegod]

With the giant boids come one extra set of requirements,besides being able to feed,house,handle,monitor temps/humidity etc. Wich one should be doing for any species,there is also the fact of handling say a 10-15 foot snake with a spotter. That means another experienced person who could assist should the PET wanna wrastle a little.

[MacWin]

Me and the Mrs. were at one of our local reptile shops yesterday, actually it's the one where I got Nanners from. They have there a green and a yellow anaconda. They have both of them in the same tank but both of them are smaller than Bob and he's not even full grown yet.

I would never even think about a green from everything I have read they are too aggressive and just get to darn big. But from other info I have seen a male yellow only gets up to 6'' - 8'' tops and that peaked my curiousity.

I think the yellows are beautiful animals and 8'' would be my absolute max length on a snake but those guys are very heavy bodied as well. If I was ever to have the room and the time I would consider a male yellow.

[EyeLashViper]

I have to admit a certain fascination with the Green Anaconda - I have seen several juvenile specimens at my Reptile shop and they possess a sort of malignant menacing aura...it is too bad that there is not a dwarf variant as I would love to have one...say an E.murinus that topped out at about 6 to 8 feet...that would be a cool snake. As it is though I am content to just read about them as they are simply to huge for anybody but a highly experienced sort of specialist with the facilities for maintaining such an enormous snake.
EyeLashViper

[Brandon.O]

yeah me too i have this fasination with burms. everytime im in the pet store i volunteer at i always sneak away and take them out of thier cages, they are soo awesome

[wendy]

Big snake......BIGGER responsibility. I fancy them too ;0) Thats an awfully big mouth to feed, if you are ever between jobs, could you afford to feed it? If you ever need to move, are you 100% sure you are able to take it with you? If you rent, would your landlord approve? Does your city require special exotic animal permits or licenses?Do you have small children or plan to? Does anyone who visits you have small children? If it gets loose, do you have dogs or cats it may harm? Do you have an experienced "spotter", as stated above, that will be with you every time you feed/clean/handle your snake? Will you have the room for an adult annie? If it gets loose, are you willing to accept the responsibility for it if it harms others? Just something to put in your pipe to smoke..........
They are goergous though. I have contimplated the idea myself, and thought better of it. I have also seen a tame 6 footer @ a Syracuse, N.Y. show and was completely fascinated. Thought I had to have one.....but like I said.
As stated above,"private science project" or something along those lines would be more appropriate.
Life is full of choices, it's up to you to make the right one...
just my 2 cents...

[sophie42204]

Gin, what was the name of the petstore if you remember? Just curious to know if I'm familiar w/it.

[Ginevive]

it's called Blue Lagoon. I hate it.

[Royal Python]

I personally think that too many snake enthuiasts go out and get a corn snake or ball python and decide that they are ready for a burm, retic, or even an anaconda right after that. This is not true. Both retics and anacondas can be somewhat unpredictable compared to RTB's or Burms. As a person who has not handled large snakes or taken care of them, I know my limits. Even though I have handled boas, ball pythons, and corn snakes, I would never jump into taking care of a 12-25 foot snake. I am getting my first pet snake in about two weeks. It is a snow corn and I would love to keep a giant snake about 10-12 years in the future. But, I know my limits with experience, space, time, and money. The general order should be: corn snake, ball python, red-tail boa or subspecies, and burmese python. If you have enough experience with burms, go with a retic, then yellow anaconda, then green anaconda. Too many people are dropping off their burms, retic, and anacondas becuase they suddenly find out that it is a whole different ball game than a boa or ball python.

[Python-77]

Giants are not for everyone period. That being said I get my burm this week. I have done the research, have the means to care for him, have the space to house him, have the hands one exp with them, can afford to feed him. I have a small child in the house a 4 y/o daughter am I worried that snake will hurt her, no I have taken the steps to ensure even if it did get out of the enclosure it can't get out of the room the door is closed when ever I'm not in there. and locked. To decide if a large boid is for you, you must do your research, and take a long hard look mirror and ask yourself are you ready.