General questions about *giants*

[TheaN526]

Hello,
I am really curious about these giants you are all talking about. I read a little on the site and checked out all your photos and they look really cool. I don't think I'll ever want to own a giant though..

So a few questions...
How big is the biggest giant here? Can you show me your photos? I think I've seen 10 ft ones, and some 14 ft ones here. I would love to see more. How does their handling differ from a smaller snake? I know you definitely have to be more careful with them.

Is there any myths about giants that you would like to dispel for me? They look kind of terrifying. I did meet the 8 footer and he wasn't that bad. I think a snake larger than that would definitely be intimidating.

Do you all get them as babies so they are more "handleable"? What is feeding time like?

Anything else you would all like to tell me about your giants would be great. I'm just trying to get a feel for a bunch of different snakes.

Thanks,
Thea

[AjBalls]

Biggest one I know of in captivity at the moment is some 24'+.

I'll post some photos of a girl I had who was just over 10'.

Handling varies. Burms are generally 'lazy', while retics are much more active. It is highly recommended that you have at least 1 person for every 5'-6' of the snake because they are so powerful.

Myths. Hmm. A 49' retic was caught in Asia which turned out to be less than half of that. They can eat humans. Anyone care to share more?

I've owned three. One I got that was supposedly a year old and about 4'-5'. Another I got at a month or so old. And my latest one I got when she was about 7'. Usually myself and buddies recommend you try to get them as soon as possible. Some even right out of the egg. That way you wont have to stress out a baby by moving it to a brand new home.

Feeding time is generally crazy. I always recommend to hook train your giant snake. Start as early as possible. When the snake is not being fed, open the cage and gently rub your snake on the head and grab it. Eventually it will condition your snake that when it's head is not being rubbed when the cage is being opened, that it is feeding time. And when its head is being rubbed, it is not feeding time.

Additional info. A lot of people, myself included, consider retics to be semi-arboreal. They love to climb up in trees. Giant snakes are more than capable of eating larger meals. As with smaller snakes people would suggest the food item has to be the largest part of the snakes body, that rule is not pressured with retics, african rock pythons, and burms. They are capable of eating rodents that weigh just as much as them without regurgitation. Retics are also known for changing colors at certain parts of the day (see pictures).

Pictures...

This was my first retic





This is my latest retic

[shaggie]

With your gaint snakes you ALWAYS want another person there with you when they are bigger so you don't get into trouble. A lady a month or two back was killed while giving here retic meds and I think the retic was around the 10 foot range. When I was younger and not following the rule (to have someone there) my 12 burm bit and wraped my arm it took about 30min to get him off and there was alot of bruising and teeth marks all over my hand. Now I don't own any gaints, not to say I won't ever again but even now I am more watchful over my rtb and brb than the balls.

[DutchHerp]

RKO, how did you get that retic out of the tree????

[AjBalls]

RKO, how did you get that retic out of the tree????

Scented myself with rats and she came chasing after me.

J/K

She wasn't all that high up. About 6 feet off the ground. Didn't put up much of a fight to get down.

[TheresaBearden]

We have quite a few burms (ranging from hatchlings to 18 feet).
They are lazy for the most part-until its time to eat then the feeding franzy begins-burms are garbage disposals-they will eat and eat.
As babies, burms tend to be nippy and hissy but with consistent handling they tend to calm down rather quickly. Make sure you have a reliable food source. Caging is also important-make sure the cage can hold temps and humidity and has secure locks.
RKO is 100% correct-hook train!!!!
The bet bit of advice I can give is never ever let your guard down.

Here are some pics of my husband with some of our larger burms-

[Purrrfect9]

At my job we rescued a 10 foot albino burm that weighed only 8 lbs a year ago this month. She had mouth rot, mites, and stuck shed all over her, chewed up by rats, and we honestly didn't think that she would survive the hour drive away from her old owner to our reptile vet. Like I said, a year later, she weighs about 40 lbs now and has made a miraculous recovery, and she's sooo sweet. We use her for our educational programs. This is Gwen as of a few weeks ago.

[Sugr]

Wow, this ended up being a great thread. Killer pics everybody!!!

[TheaN526]

Wow. Thank you everyone. I really appreciate your kind responses. That large snake up above is hugely intimidating. I am not sure if I would be brave enough to get near it. I've only graduated to 8 footers. LOL. I'd love to actually come and see some larger ones up close though. Does anyone in Seattle have one I can check out? I'd love to come out there and get some information from you all.

There was a program on Giants on Animal Planet but I missed it. Does anyone have a copy of it they can send me? I'd be more than happy to pay for shipping. If there are any other snake programs you have let me know. There has been a lot on but I missed them all. The one on Giants I only saw the end it and it was about a guy who almost was killed by it.

I know that these snakes are strong and have a prey drive. On this show called "Peculiar Pets" there was a little boy who had a 15 footer. She wouldn't leave the compound even though the dad tried to place her back in the forest. It was really interesting to see.

Anyways, I loved your photos. Very cool!
Thanks so much!
Thea

[cassandra]

Our burmy boy is a delight...I just love him to bits. =) Very inquisitive and he really seems to enjoy exploring (or he's just hungry and looking for MORE FOOD! most likely, hehe).


This picture is over a year old (sorry =P), but he looks the same...just a bit longer and a bit heavier.

My boy was a few years ago when I got him and not hook trained; I never thought about trying to train him...dunno if it would stick at this point (well his teethys would definitely stick in my hand as I tried to rub his head). But he knows when it's feeding time. When it isn't feeding time, we let him just slither out of his cage and he knows it's "no fuzzies" time.