Taiwan Beauty Snake

[jjspirko]

That "baby" ate two small adult mice this evening and he would have ate another I am sure if I would have offered it to him. In fact I think the stinker would eat himself to death if I alloweed it.

I have never seen a snake grow this fast, God only knows what he will be like in a year or two. I am hoping this one tops 9 his daddy was 9.5 and mom was 8 acording to the breeder so the genes are right, one can hope for a big boy here. Wish me luck,

[MedusasOwl]

Good luck with that big boy!

Man, I can't wait to raise one of Ma-tsu's daughters up! Not sure how big my VBBs are, I think around 8 ft but I know for sure they're around 3lbs. Asian rats are some nice big colubrids! Great personalities too!

[jjspirko]

Medusa,

Guess you are my long lost sister or something there are just not that many beauty snake fans out there and I just don't know why there is not much more a herper could ask for.

Easy to care for

Beautiful

Gentle

Fast Growing

Easy to breed

The get really big with out getting to big (like Red Tails and Big Pythons)

Active and good attitudes

One wonders why there are not more of us.

may be we are just crazy who knows,

[MedusasOwl]

I know we're not crazy! Everybody who meets Ma-tsu falls in love with her, so it's not just us! (How can anybody not love this face?) And she's so gentle that she even gingerly takes the rat out of the tongs when I feed her, all lady like!

I think part of it through is that they have a reputation for being "nervous" and photos rarely do them justice. I'm really set on spreading the beauty love with Blue Gorgon! We just need to get the word out there on how awesome they are and dispell the spazzy myths!

I think the reason they have that rep is largely because of wild caught individuals, and snakes that weren't handled enough when they were growing up like my boy Neptune. He's a very nervous snake, but he was bullied a lot sharing a cage with Ma-tsu before I got them (she always sat on his head) and separated them plus their previous owners told me he was a sweetheart before they stopped handling him and left him in with the diva all the time.

I definitely want more Asian rats. Spectacular snakes. The size, personality, colors, good appitites, all the things you mentioned! We just gotta spread the word and spread the love.

[snake_lady83]

I loved the video of your snake that was too cute. I couldn't help but giggle. Curious like every other snake I know.


-Hannah

[MedusasOwl]

Hehe, thanks, she was trying to sit on my head, such a cutie!

[jjspirko]

Yea I have heard qutie a few people claim they bite, are nippy or are nervous etc. The reality though is I have worked with a lot of them over the years and have never been bit. Heck, I can't even say that about corns or bulls!

I think pehaps that these snakes need to be handled often as babies or they tend to behave a bit more agressively and since most breeders don't handle there snakes often (due to the simple legistics of keeping hundreds of snakes) that breeders are the source of this belief.

I know this is the case with African House snakes because of my 30 plus breeders none of them bite but most large scale breeders say AHS are prone to bite.

Who knows where this comes from all I know as my three are gentle as any corn or other captive bred rat snake,

[MedusasOwl]

I agree 100% that it's a handling issue. There seems to be a development period where they really need attention in order to remain docile. They just need some extra TLC as youngins. I keep wondering if that's true of radiated rats too, but I've yet to hear of a really well socialized radiated like I have all these sweet and darling beauties. Someday I'll be known as the crazy Blue Beauty lady, lol, and I'll love it. I'm obsessed. Totally in love with these snakes.

[piranhaking]

Wow, one of theses days I will definitely have one of those. Beautiful snake, and like was said earlier, big with out being too big. One question though. I know that with boas and pythons at around 8 feet or so (i think it is) they suggest you don't handle them alone, but since these seem to be a much smaller diameter and all, would that still apply or are they still manageable as adults?

[jjspirko]

I would have no fear at all of self handling a 10 foot beauty snake because it is a GIRTH issue. A 8 foot boa could constrict you it is possible and a 12 foot python will if it chooses to and you are alone. But a 8-10 foot beauty is no where near the same size as a 10 foot python.

Honestly you are talking 1/5th the weight in the same length or less. A big beauty will have the girth at his thickest of say a coke can, it is big and impressive but not like a 50 pound boid in any way at all.

Now I think a small child should not be left alone with such a snake but any adult in good condition should be able to handle a big asian beauty no matter what happens.

It is also important to note that

There have been very rare incidences of constriction by big boas not many but a few so it can happen.

There have been too many deaths by pythons, mostly burms, retics and rocks. So we know this can occur all to painfully. I will put condas in this group too because when people say a boa this is not genneraly what they are talking about.

As far as I know there have been zero incidences of death or bad injury by any rat snake from any species. I could be wrong but I have been doing this stuff for 25 years and have never heard of anyone being hurt or killed by a rat, bull, etc.

Last Cribos (Indigos, Black Tails, Yellow Tails) are a lot more massive then any rat snake and I have neve heard of a serious injury from any one of them either.