question on feeding big snakes

[creepiecrawlie]

okay... I am getting a large species of snake but the thing is ( this might sound real wierd) but I don't mind feeding rats, mice, etc. but I have a special thing for rabbits so is there any like frozen rabbits or does anybody feed huge mice and just more of them to get him (the snake) full? that is not saying I won't feed them rabbits






thanks

[Ben_Renick]

Well what kind of snake are you getting? Sex would be a nice thing to include also, because that would give a good size reference. Also, you should never feed live anything in the first place, there are frozen rabbits.:)
~Ben

[creepiecrawlie]

well I was deciding between a hybrid anaconda I believe it is a yellow*green and a jampea dwarf reticulated python... I am not sure on the sex though..

[Ben_Renick]

Well... The dwarf retic might not even need rabbits if you can find a strong enough supply of collosal rats, I have heard of some dwarfs getting pretty large, but not as many...

To be honest, I wouldn't suggest the hybrid Anaconda at all... I can tell you from my own experience (I also have 4 anacondas at the moment), that a hybrid anaconda is NOT a fun thing to deal with, and can be a VERY dangerous thing if you have not had A LOT of experience with Anacondas.

I don't know you or anything, and I'm not trying to pass judgments on you, but how much experience can you have with Anacondas if you are only 13 years old? You mentioned you had a yellow anaconda that passed away awhile ago, but there is a big difference between a yellow anaconda and a hybrid anaconda, especially if you aren't 100% postive if it's a Yellow x Green or a Green x Yellow. This deffidently isn't a spontanous buy type of thing, think about what you are going to get yourself into before you buy it.:)

Also, I'm just curious to where you are finding the conda? Maybe who bred it out?

~Ben

[spiritcatcher]

IMHO creepie - you should wait till your out of the house, and have a good paying, stable job before you take on a large boid.

i could just see it now - in five years you go off to college and leave your parents with this monster sized snake to care for - which eventually would end up being adopted, or put down.

if your talking about getting an anaconda, your talking about eventually needing to feed this animal pig-sized prey items - or 4-5 rabbits per feeding ($$$$).

i wouldn't recommend getting a ltc/wc dwarf retic either - they have a high mortality rate adjusting to captivity.

captive bred of anything is the way to go - but remember that cb dwarf retics cost bookoo buck for a 13yr old, and even cb jamps are growing over 13ft+ (not so dwarf when compared to bali yellowheads(which arent classified as dwarf)).

i suggest you getting a taiwanese beauty snake or something.

[creepiecrawlie]

right... I have kept snakes since about 3 and have had kept 1 anaconda and do not want a big snake (green or big retic and african rocks) I have kept 3 alligators and dwarf caimans but I am only thinking.. I have been thinking about this sort of thing for about a year... it was at a local reptile show it was riverbend reptiles...

[spiritcatcher]

great! its good to know your putting some thought into this idea.

i feel that these animals (retics, particularly for me) are very rewarding.

i buy my rabbits from a rabbit breeder (i put a want ad in the paper, and the phone calls kept coming) who sells the pelts and meat - these rabbits arent bred to be pets. i use carbon dioxide to put the rabbits down - then freeze them.

i feel that these animals (retics & burms) have a different attitude when HAND RAISED FROM A BABY.... doing this conditions the snake at a very young age - and they actually learn to recognize, and "like" you. the only thing i am careful of is their feeding habits - this can be controlled to a certian extent by hook training - but there is no conditioning you can do to completely suppress their feeding instincts (response).

i'm sure your pocket book wont allow you to purchase endless amount of rats and mice - it is much more pennywise to buy rabbits. there is really no way around it - if you want a healthy FULL snake, you must feed rabbits.

remember, a FULL snake - is HAPPY SNAKE. :sun:

likewise, a HUNGRY snake - is a REAL PREDETOR. :medteeths

[Ben_Renick]

It is deffidently good to know you are putting a lot of thought into it before getting into a snake like that... But if you aren't looking for a large snake, I would still shy away from the Hybrid, if you could tell me kinda what it looks like I can try and tell you whether it's a green x yellow or a yellow x green.:) But yes, $ is deffidently an issue, not only in feeding, but in housing. I have about $5000 tied up in housing alone. If you do decide to get the Anaconda though, please email me at: blue_note37@hotmail.com, and I will tell you a bunch of stuff that you might need to know.:)
~Ben

[creepiecrawlie]

I am leaning (well deciding on the retic) because they are babys and have good temperments... I will most likely feed them rabbits when it is an adult... a friend of ours breeds mice/rats for his boas and alligators.. he doesn't feed rodents as a main food for the gators... I have to say a good thing is we live on 80 acres instead of a neighborhood of freaked out grandmas :p I have a spare 220 that the retic can grow out of... I will never mess with the snake by myself.. I will always have an adult with me... well I make good money working and every birthday (instead of having stupid partys) my parents decided to give us the money they would spend on a birthday so we get 300$ (we are not spoiled though) I am wanting to become a herpatologist and osu and ou have good biology schools... so I won't have to be to far away... I am probably going to raise money to maybe rent a house by the school and keep the snake there (just a thought) the snakes are captive bred.. but the only thing I was worrying about with the anacondas was the temperment but a yellow gets 10-14ft (at least in the wild) but it is different than a 14ft retic being weight.. that would be one heavy snake... I actually believe the conda is a green*yellow because coloration and pattern was like a green anaconda...

[creepiecrawlie]

if or when the retic gets to big for the 220 I will construct a terrarium with my father because we have a whole empty floor above our garage because the garage is a seperate building.. the place is always warm but not HOT or COLD..or we have a 12*16ft shed...

[spiritcatcher]

its a breath of fresh air to here of someone 13yrs old talking of going to college to study biology (then herpetology)... not much money to be had. but if money is not your main objective - your on the right track. i hope you love science.

i am in my senior year as a biology student - i have plans on getting my masters in science (and beyond), majoring in reproductive endocrinology.

what will i do with this - teach, do independent research, and breed my snakes.

...what else could a kid at heart want?

[creepiecrawlie]

well I have wanted to become a herpatologist since 2nd grade... as long as I work with animals I am good.. I don't want poor money but not like bill gates money... I read everyday about snakes and other reptiles/amphibians... I was offered to be the tourguide of our safaris reptile section.... whenever somebody asks me what I want to do I tell them be a herpatologist and they look at me weird and ask what it is :p .... I don't like going to local stores because they go oh look a 13 yr old kid who doesn't know a thing abou reptiles... (not like you guys did earlier) but then I end up knowing more then they do... :p I have know reason why I said that but oh well

[spiritcatcher]

well I have wanted to become a herpatologist since 2nd grade... as long as I work with animals I am good.. I don't want poor money but not like bill gates money... I read everyday about snakes and other reptiles/amphibians... I was offered to be the tourguide of our safaris reptile section.... whenever somebody asks me what I want to do I tell them be a herpatologist and they look at me weird and ask what it is :p .... I don't like going to local stores because they go oh look a 13 yr old kid who doesn't know a thing abou reptiles... (not like you guys did earlier) but then I end up knowing more then they do... :p I have know reason why I said that but oh well

you want to really learn about reptiles?

...learn as much as you can about reptile anatomy & physiology - this is the gateway into understanding their behavior. :thumbsup:

for example - how many lungs do snakes have?

...or, how does temperature relate to enzyme activity - or hormone production in pythons? (do you know what enzymes do, or what they are made of?)

how does sunlight help in the metabolism of calcium in frilled dragons?

.... you dont have to answer these questions to me, but look up the answers for you own personal knowledge. :cool:

educate yourself brotha.... the money will follow.... graduate high school first though. :thumbsup:

[creepiecrawlie]

thanks... well just for m own knowledge snakes mainly have 1 main lung and some have one smaller one..

[pxtyson]

The one thing i can't understand is that you HAD KEPT 3 gators, caimons, and an anaconda.
What happened to those and why dont you have them today? do you aquire animals and then get rid of them when you are bored or is there a logical reason? These animals you have listed live long over 10 years.

[creepiecrawlie]

okay... caiman was killed by one of codys friends while I was on the computer downstairs... he somehow wondered in the room and quote from my bros friend "was stabbing or "poking" it very roughly" I am still real mad at the stupid kid for doing it... and it was in my room because it was the middle of winter.... I kept the alligators temporarilly for a friend (ricky) so he could get his setup ready for breeding.... (I already knew how to keep them... but it was illegal to get one without have gotten a liscence to obtain one... (I kept them temporarlily so it wasn't illegal)... anaconda was my fault on ventilation... it got to humid and when he shed he didn't shed an eyecap and it got infected and we treated it for wks but he didn't make it... it sounds as if all my animals die but those were the few that happened to... the anaconda was the only one that was my fault out of every reptile I have ever kept...

[spiritcatcher]

i respect your honesty - hopefully you have learned your lesson. dont let your kindness cloud your judgment!!

some advice... only keep and breed ONE species, you should be put on restriction for awhile though.

whatever happens to those animals is your fault - you cant put the blame on anybody else. that is just a simple fact... just keep your head up and move foward. (and dont repeat the same mistakes).

everybody at sometime has had an accident...

btw - you best keep you animals away from small children - if someone gets seriously hurt - you (or your parents) could be charged with involuntary manslaughter, or worse (NO KIDDING).

this is why i wont sell any animals to minors - without parental consent.

[creepiecrawlie]

right... I will never get a big snake near any of my cousins... I won't mess with a large snake without an adult around... Thank goodness the snake will be in another building away from everybody that comes in the house... I don't think I will be breeding (honestly) but I am also no collector so I will most likely have this one snake...