You got the name right. It's Shikara. Don't know if it's a he or she yet so I just call him a he. His midsection is about the size of my fist. When he was given to me, I was told that he was approx. 5 yrs old but I don't know for sure. The person my friend got him from was not taking good care of him so she said that he is smaller than he should be. I haven't been able to actually measure him so I had to guesstimate. The tank he's in is 36" long. His body is about 4-5" longer. So I figure 40-41". I'm doing some checking on local snake vets. When I find a good one I'll be taking him in to be checked out and sexed and all that good stuff. I wonder if the vet could tell how old he is? Also, while it's on my mind, is there anyone on this forum that's from the Tucson, Arizona area? If there are contact me please. I'd like to ask you about vets in the area.