Question to people who own Snakes 6 feet long or bigger

[ReclusiveDemon]

Do you usually have somebody else around when you're handling your big snakes? Is there anybody that regularly helps you when you handle your Boa or Python?

[mainbutter]

Usually? Yes, but it is immaterial to my safety, and more just because my girlfriend is often around, and not because I asked someone in particular to be around while I handle one of the larger snakes in my collection.

I have zero safety issues with my 6+ foot carpet python, but then again he's still under 10lbs, so he really isn't that big of a snake.

There is a threshold where I don't feel comfortable handling a snake by myself, and 100lbs is certainly past that threshold, but I don't know what my threshold exactly is.

[purplemuffin]

My boa isn't six feet, still a baby...but when she does reach six feet I KNOW there will always be someone around..Just because she is SO STRONG... and strong willed. With her current strength to size ratio, picturing her at the 7+ range...Nagini could easily overpower me. Not that she would, but it is very possible! She will not be handled alone.

We want to take as few risks as possible, wouldn't want to be just another statistic that could have been avoided, you know? Nagini is a sweet girl but she could accidentally do some real damage when she gets big enough.

[Sarin]

I suppose it really depends on the individual owner and the species of snake. When my Bredli gets to her adult 8-9 feet, I would feel comfortable handling her on my own. However, if I had a burmese, for example, that was the same length, I would make sure I had someone with me at all times.

[MikeV]

My macklots python is about 6 - 7, maybe 8 feet long. hes absolutely vicious and I would LOVE a second person to help with him but its not really needed.

I have only had one problem with him, where I put him around my neck and he was still in his "Kill mode" he started tightening very hard and actually made me light headed and dizzy. But it was very easy to remove him once I calmed down and found his tail.

Needless to say, I dont put him around my neck anymore. just because he is so aggressive I would rather avoid being choked or bit in the face.

Now, onto my boa

Powder is very small for what she can grow up to be. she is currently 480 grams (maybe more) and when she grows up I will have NO fear of handling her alone or even putting her around my neck sometimes.

I feel this way with her because she has only bitten me once and it was 200% my fault. feeding time, nuff said. Besides that bite she has NEVER hissed or even gotten into an aggressive/defensive posture with me.

she is a total sweet heart and I trust her 100%.

This brings me to my ultimate point:

you have to know your snake. Ofcourse they are all unpredictable but you can read some better than others. If you have a snake that has never done a nefarious thing in its life, you can handle it with mroe relaxation and trust.

if you have a snake that is as ruthless and unpredictable as my Macklots python, you may want assistance with the snake or you may want to handle it more carefully than you usually would. Just to avoid a bite or any mistaken strangulation

And as Sarin said, it depends on the species. Shaka Zulu (my macklots ofcourse) can be as vicious as he wants but im probably never going to have to ask others for helpv while handling him.

but if you had a burm or retic or something, they can be as gentle as they want and you may still want other people to help you handle them

And then I have my final piont. no snake needs a set amount of people to handle them.

Can you handle a 20 foot retic alone? Yes.. would it be easy? no. Would it be safe? Maybe... maybe not. you have to take a calculated risk when you handle big animals like this.

Rant over

[cecilbturtle]

i agree with most of the above. i personally would never trust any snake completely. i worked for a reptile breeder years ago. he had a fairly large carpet python that was puppy dog tame. he used her in educational demonstrations. we were always told to NEVER do any enclosure maintenance without securing the snake. she pooped and i pulled her out to spot clean and to give her fresh water. i draped her around my neck like i have done dozens of times before. i must have bumped her because she bit me. she grabbed on to the inside of my elbow and didnt let go. not very easy to pull her off with one hand.

i 100% trusted this animal. i got too relaxed with her and made a mistake. i paid for it but learned a valuable lesson.

so my advice to you is if you dont feel comfortable handling your snake alone find someone else to help you. you can never be too safe.

[Anatopism]

The only snakes I have currently that I ever feel the need to be extra cautious with are the burms, and this is only when getting them out of their cages. My coastal carpet will likely get large enough to potentially be an issue, but as others have stated... a 10+ foot carpet is nothing compared to a 10+ foot burm. When getting the burms out, we have a hook, or a towel to drop onto their heads (since they haven't ever actually struck in the cage, they just get huffy and hissy, and it makes me nervous.. .why risk it?)

While feeding, even the smaller female burm that is only around 6 feet right now, one of us will handle the food/rats, and the other will get the snake (we feed in the bathtub) , so there is less risk of her smelling it on one of us and chomping down.

Even with my boyfriend's 5.5ft 8 year old dumerils, who has never bit or struck anybody, I don't let her around my neck without an arm in between like a sash. Even if they aren't trying to be aggressive, it's reflexive to hold on tight, and it is something that is easy enough to avoid and pay attention to.

How many people have even died from their large constrictors in the history of snake keeping honestly? Very few.. and most I've heard of have been stupid accidents, or people getting careless (like climbing halfway into an enclosure and compromising leverage, or smelling like prey and not using proper tools, etc).