Identity crisis!

[Salamander Rising]

So, the wonderful little slithery dude I fell in love with 2 weeks ago turns out to be a dudette!

Total paradigm shift....my reality is forever altered...I've been head faked...shell shocked...freaked out!

Anyway, gender-bending psychological parameter shifts aside, what can I expect from having a python princess?

I've read that they get somewhat larger than males but what about the whole ovulation deal?

If not bred, will they simply reabsorb?

Temperament differences, if any?

[Should I remove the skull and put lacy curtains and doilies in her habitat?]



The snake shop guy also said she's about 6-8 months old, has not been fed large enough food for her whole life and even though she'd already eaten 2 fuzzy mice last night, he whacked a grown mouse which she promptly inhaled as though she'd been on a year long fast.

[I had no idea she could gag down anything that big]

He only feeds live due to a bad supplier ruining his business with contaminated mice years ago but will pre-whack and pack frozen mice for me.

He will not sell me rats yet...says he will tell me when she's ready and expressed an opinion that 'scaring' her with a rat might make her a classic non-eater python.

[which I personally can't fathom happening, given her current gluttonous ways but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for her sake]

He let me hold a gorgeous adult pastel.

[I never wanted to let go but I didn't have $400 bucks to let go of, either]......


What are the odds of getting a gal python at PetCo?

Whatever they are, I reckon I beat them.

I really can't get used to saying "she", yet.

He had some really huge "not for sale" snakes in that place.

A 16 foot Burmese.

OMG.

It looked like a fire hose coiled up....I couldn't see where it ended.