distaff,

Thank you for sharing.

Quote Originally Posted by distaff View Post
My biggest snake so far, is an adult Sonoran Gopher. Would love to go bigger with a BCC, or a male dwarf Burm...someday. Unfortunately, I don't think BF would have anything that large in the house, and our home is really too small for much more in the way of ANY enclosures as it is. At some point, I'll probably build a good shed.

I find the gopher to be very calming. I like the feel of the weight of her when I have her draped on my shoulders. She moves slowly. The cornsnake, in contrast is always a bit restless.
Snakeboyaz,

I agree that their methods of communication are very alien to most people who don't take the time to learn their language. I also am in love with Reticulated Pythons. As you said, RESPECT is huge for these guys. Humility is also something they teach you.

Thanks for sharing.


Quote Originally Posted by Snakeboyaz View Post
I've been thinking about starting a thread similar to this recently. I've been around animals fo as long as I can remember, my 5th grade teacher had a red tail boa in the classroom and I got hooked on reptiles. I think what's always drawn me to reptiles and snakes in particular is how different they are to us. Mammals and birds for the most part seem to express emotion through facial expressions, body language and vocalizations in ways we find familiar and understand. Reptiles are kind of like visiting with an alien species, it takes a lot of effort to understand their bahaviour, the challenge of understanding them is something I've always enjoyed.
As far as retics go, from the first picture I saw of one as a 5th grader I was hooked. I would read everything I could find on them, stare at every picture of one mesmerized. Every time I got to see or hold one I became more passionate about them. I never got one as a kid, probably not a bad thing but always knew one day I would. Now that I have my two they're are even better than I ever imagined, no other animals I've kept can compare and I have zero desire to keep any other species of snake.

Things ive learned from them? The best things in life are worth the wait haha. I think for me working with animals that have a real capacity to harm you teaches you some humility, you have to work within the parameters they'll let you. Having them now also makes me a little sad thinking about how many large constrictors have been in the pet trade that you know have suffered Ill fates because of how accessible and inexpensive they have been to buy. Since I've had mine I've gone from the 6x3 cage is suitable for all but the biggest females to planning on 7x3x3 2story cagesfor their forever homes and racking my brain on how I could fit even bigger.