how are spotted's

[Bartman]

Okay well im can get a pair of spotted sub adults. I did some research on them about a month ago when they first sparked my interest but I still need some things cleared out that seem to always only come out from experience or just personal knowledge of the species. Before I buy this pair of snakes I really want to know exactly what to expect.

I already know how to house them, the temps, humidity and cage sizes (the basics) but I want to know things like temperment, feeding response etc.

Here is a couple questions I can think of now that I want to know. Even if your reply isnt an answer to a question I would like to know your good and bad experiences with this type of snake.

1) Im not big in breeding so I wanted to know the difficulty of breeding them. Do you just put them together, do they need cooling, are they aggressive toward eachother, etc.

2) How are their feeding response. Are they like corns or balls. Are they hard to switch to different meals, rats or mice. Do they take dead f.t with no problems or do they need dangling. (the other option is just to throw it in the tank)

3) When are they most active. I know they are nocturnal (so ive read) but do they hide 24/7, do they burrow a lot, etc.

4) Can a "sub-adult" pair be housed comfortably in a 20 gallon tank? (long) If not what is more necessary


5) Do females get bigger then males like most snake species?

6) Can they be kept together all year round.

7) If the answer to above is no, do they do well in a rack system or rubbermaids. (i would assume so but just wondering :))

8) Ive read to many X-X guesses so to say on adult sizes. They vary to much from the different sites ive read as their is not to many great ones out their that I can find (anyone have one) so what would be the adult size that you have noticed for males and females.

Hmm..i know its a lot but as I said I really want to know what im buying before I do. Thanks for all and any answers/replies. That, for now :), is all I can think of.

[Invictus]

First off, do NOT house them together until they are adults, or they will breed prematurely.

1) I've never bred them myself, but we do have a pair in the house. From what I hear, breeding them is NOTHING. You put 'em together, they breed.

2) Feeding response is variable. We have 2 from the same clutch. Male is an absolutely VICIOUS feeder, female needs to be coerced a bit. Depends on the snake.

3) Night time.

4) No. House them separately.

5) Females do tend to be larger, but not much.

6) No. House them separately.

7) They can comfortably live in rubbermaids their whole lives.

8) The guesses are right... adult sizes are anywhere from 3 to 5 feet, with 4 feet being average. Very small species to work with.

Hope this helps.

[Bartman]

Thats great...thank you very much. Any more input is welcome.


Also do these make good pets. Are they easily handled and do they tollerate it well?

[672]

House them together all year round? I think I've seen you recommend other people no to do that, I thought you knew better...:D

[Invictus]

Most spotteds are as docile as corns. Our male has turned into an A-hole lately, but we're working on him. He's still young. I've never personally seen an agressive adult, but I'm sure they exist.

[Bartman]

Lol i know, thought maybe I could escape the need to build a rack :p

Well the deal for the pair fell through, but im still looking to get one. I was going to get one from the reptile store near me as I know when I get something from their, I get quality. I still need to read more and get some more cash!

As for now, figuring out what the next animal im looking for is.

[thunder]

i think henry piorun may have some available. i know he breeds several antaresia species including children's and anthill.

[capsicum]

Well, my first pet snake was a female spotted. I still have her (she's nearly 2 now, I think anyways).

I don't know about other people, but I personally LOVE these snakes! I am looking to get a male later on, hopefully to breed.

My little girl loves to be handled. She will sit (for lack of a better word) at the front of her tank, and watch me until I open her tank and take her out. She will climb right up into my hand and just sit there calmly. She loves to explore (her favorite place to relax is on top of my glasses :p

They are escape artists ;) My little one has found all sorts of faults in her habitat (thankfully she hasn't ever gotten out, she just finds the weak spots lol). But if she knows there isn't anything to get out of, she will curl up and watch what goes on around her.

I found that she becomes very active once I turn the lights out. She climbs all over and checks everything out.

As for feeding, mine has a good response, provided it is the kind of food she wants :p Sometimes she strikes quite hard (I use tongs or tweazers when she seems more aggitated than usuall), but normally I can just drop in her food, and she will take it very gently.

Anyways, this is all I really know about them (from experience). I chose this particular python as she was a tiny little baby, plus she seemed to have the most interesting personality. Since then I have added more snakes, and love them all, but I wouldn't trade my girl for anything (I recently had a close friend ask me for her in a trade, he nearly lost his knackers if ya know what I mean lol :p ).

Good luck in finding a great pair, and have fun when you do!

TK