olive pythons

[operation_sssss]

Hey all just wondering if anyone on here owns (or has in the past) olive pythons??? Is there temperament as bad as most books makes it out to be ???? cheers Will

[Invictus]

Well, I do know people who have had them. I have every intention of getting them, because I think they are beautiful, nasty attitude or not.

They are the same family as white-lips and macklotts, both of which are recognized as a pretty aggressive species. Then again, blood pythons have a reputation for being incredibly nasty, and I'll bet every blood owner on this board has at least one calm one. :)

Yes, Olives are more likely to be complete nasties. But increased likelihood does not guarantee anything. If you do get a nasty one though, remember - they get to be 10-12 feet. Do you want that attacking you? As long as you're prepared to deal with this possibility, get the python. They are super nice to look at, even if they aren't "lap snakes".

[marisa]

I LOVE Olive Pythons and I am literally DYING to own a pair. Or even one. I think they are one of the most beautiful pythons, if not most beautiful snakes, in the world!!! Amazing creatures.

With any snake you get, you can get a nasty one. Like Invictus said it all depends really. Although cornsnakes have a great reputation you can get a mean as hell corn. And same with the Olives. You may get the exception to the rule and have a laid back one. Also all things can be worked out and with, with time in most cases.

Marisa

[operation_sssss]

Sounds good, yeah i understand wat u mean about different personality's with snakes i own a borneo short tail which is good as gold and used to handling as i have had her from around 8 months old, however my friend has an adult that will strike at anything, so a young olive is defintely the way to go, cant wait to find one now lol :) cheers

[Invictus]

And, I just got a Vietnamese Blue Beauty, a species known to be mean a bitey, that is almost puppy dog tame.... as long as she's handled for short periods of time. :)

[ReptileHQ]

Actually, Olive pythons are usually very placid, deliberate snakes as adults and make an excellent choice for a tame captive.

I'm not sure where you people track down your information from, because Olives are well documented to have very good temperments. Many "books" have outdated information.

A friend of mine has 8 of them, none have ever given me any reason to not trust them when I've picked them up.

They can however be a little nippy when young.

Chris

[Jeff_Favelle]

Totally. Olives are supposed to be quite docile. Not sure where you guys are reading that they are "bitey".

[operation_sssss]

|Hi guys thanks for the advice apir of this years has just come up for sale near me so i'm getting now that i'm pretty happy they aint got the reputation as i have read, i'll try and find the name of the books i got it from cheers

[burmer]

I'd love to have a pair myself. I did get to handle them before. A friend had a pair a few years ago. The male was as docile as can be. The female on the other hand was more of a handfull. She tagged me several times. I think it all goes by the individual snake though.

[Simon R. Sansom]

No kiddin', eh Jeff, LOL!

Hi Invictus,
Just for your information, the Australian Olive Python is "Liasis olivaceous olivaceous". There is also another sub-species, "L. o. barroni". The White-Lipped Python is "Leiopython albertisii".

I have owned several Macklott's and would certainly not characterise them as aggressive. Mine were deliberate in their movements and a joy to handle.

The bad reputation that Blood Pythons have comes from the "old days" when the ones available were wild-caught and ornery as hell. However, it is now universally accepted by the herping community that captive-bred Blood Pythons are docile and easy to deal with. hence their recent surge in popularity.

Now, according to everything I've heard and read, the Australian Olive Python traditionally tends to be quite tractable. As a matter of fact, in their book about Aussie pythons, the Barkers recommend L. olivaceous as an excellent choice for someone wanting a fairly large and impressive snake with a great temperament. I have never heard of anyone complaining about Olive Pythons being aggressive.

And yes, they are beautiful.
There was a trio of youngsters floating around the T.O. area a year or so ago, and I think Scotty Allen has them now.

I believe Henry Piorun still has a pair for sale.

Cheers,

Smon