Bigger Snakes

[keg_1981]

I have owned 2 Ball pythons for several years and they are great snakes ( but picky eaters). I bought a red tail about a year ago and she is catching up on there size real quick. I'v read they get to be about 8 ft. I feed her out side of her cage, as is suggested. I was wondering though, when she gets older and bigger do I need help taking her out of her cage and handling
her? With the ball's I have never been bitten (I had a corn snake bite me once bit that does not count). Do you think the red tail is a risk?

[juggalo]

i use to move all my burms while feeding and as my burms and my collection grew it got out of hand lugging a 120 pound burm out to feed it then lugging a 135-140 pound burm back(15-20 pounds of food) so i started doing two things number one every time i went in their cage for cleaning or handling i would gently tap their nose with either a hook or a piece of rolled up newspaper to let them know it was not time to eat doing this everytime without fail has worked for me even with my retic we feed everyone in their enclosure and it seems to work just fine but the tapping thing has to be done every time you go in without food for it to work that let's them know it is not time to eat but time to play or have their cage cleaned.. hope this helps a little..this is just how i do it.it may not work for everyone but i thought it had to be pretty stressfull being dragged around after a big meal so i had to do something...

[ToddBecker]

I completely agree. I strongly believe that feedig inside the enclosure is the only way to care for any of the large boids (even the BCI is not large they can still theoretically kill you if you have a large specimen you are dealing with alone). Feeding outside their enclosure creates a lot of unnecassary stress on the snake. More importantly it puts the caregiver in unnecassary danger. Most large boids will stay in feeding mode for quite a while after they eat. Sometimes several hours. If you go to relocate the snake back into its permanent enclosure and the snake is still in feeding mode it could easily misinterpret your hand (or any part of you) for its next meal and then you have a large snake that if you are alone could very easily overpower you. Conditioning with a hook or other simuliar object is very effective. Always use the hook whenever the cage is opened for any reason other then feeding. WHen its feeding time do not use the hook. Another method I have found to be very effective, is that most cages have two doors. I used one door for strictly feeding. The other door was used for every other aspect. Removing the snake, cleaning cage and so on. It did not take long for the snake to become conditioned to the feeding door. Hope this helps a little, Todd

[bassteck76]

Agreed.

I "hook train" all my snakes..........boids, colubrids, all...........If a hook touches them it is not feeding time. No hook, means food is coming.

[DOMI]

I can see what you are all saying about the hook training but with my Burm when I open the door he put's his head towards the door to see what's going on and I just hold my hand out towards him he tastes it then usally puts hes head on my hand then he knows it's time to come out and play. but feeding time, open door put in rabbit, strike , close door (usally as quick at it took to read the last sentance)
I know my Berm is only 9 feet long right now and maybe I will wish I used the hook training when he's 18 feet but i guess we seem to have an understanding right now lol

[juggalo]

I used one door for strictly feeding. The other door was used for every other aspect

todd that is a great thought i never even thought of that truely a great idea.

domi i had the same kind of thing with my big girl she was a real prize never an agressive eater just the sweetest thing on the planet i would set her food in her cage and she would slow cral over to it and sniff it for a few minutes then eat it well last year she hit 17 feet and also scared me half to death... i had an 8X4X4 foot cage i built for her and it had a door on one end and she was on the other end under her hide 8 feet away from me and just like every other time i opened the door and went to put the rabbit in the cage and within a second before i could even drop the rabbit 120 pounds of burms had just wrapped the rabbit i mean i did not have time to even blink or react nothing she move out of her hide and eight feet in one second. my wife was out there because i never work with the snakes alone and she thought i was done for it was crazy.that day i ordered hooks and well she has the nasty feed response till this day..but she is still a sweety till there is food around

[DOMI]

Thanks Juggalo, Guess it wouldn't hurt to get a hook to be on the safe side.

[bassteck76]

Just have to hope she doesn't "taste" your hand with more then her tongue one day..........LOL

[DOMI]

Well when you keep snakes, bites are all part of the learning cycle. lol

[ffollett]

Thanks Juggalo, Guess it wouldn't hurt to get a hook to be on the safe side.

Check out The Snake Guru.com (http://www.thesnakeguru.com/) he makes some killer hooks.

[DOMI]

Thanks ffollet for the link but I'm a fabricator welder by trade so will probably make one myself, hang on there's an idea I could make them and sell them on here lol

[juggalo]

you should man but if you are like me and way to busy doing other stuff guru has the most awesome monster hooks for real i have three and they are top notch not plugging him but his hools are no joke