what is best first giant?

[Tripppysmurf]

Well first off hello to everyone here as I am your newest member heh. Well I was wondering what type of giant python would be best for someone who has only limited giant experience but tons of BP experience? I am doing my research as much as I can but the opinion of owners would be much appreciated and listened to :)

[Reptile_Reptile]

columbian red tail boas are a good start i would think. but you should wait for more veteran experience input before deciding although i know you dont want a burm or a retic yet diffidently

[will5185]

i personally like short tail pythons they dont get very long but still get to a impressive size

[Freebody]

I love retics, the retic was my first giant snake, it was actually my second snake i ever personally owned. but then again i dont consider red tails as giant snakes,which was actually my first snake ever, they are more large snakes. burms are suposed to be like big dangerous pushovers, can poke and prod them and they will most likley never hurt anyone,But they can easilly turn and its over. Retics are my fav, they are the smartest snake and its shows, i dont know about african rock pythons but im told they can be scary so i would stay away from them, anacondad like the yellow as marvelfreak has said they are either real calm or evil, not much middle growned so find a nice calm one and you should be ok, green anacondas i read are pretty dolice, more calm than the yellow but i never known anyone to own one for personal experience. My advice is if you want a giant snake thats larger than red tails at 8-10 feet, and smaller than the others mentioned at 15-20, get a yellow anaconda they get 10 or so, same as dwarf retics, super dwarf are around 8 feet. Retics ftw :) GL

[Reptile_Reptile]

wow i might look into a dwarf retic (its what i wanted originally just not dwarf) maybe a super

[presspirate]

I have heard that burms are the best, but ask 100 people get 100 different opinions. IMO the best thing to do is to get to know the species of giants you are interested in. Find someone in your area that has them and handle them, talk to the owners etc. etc. Hope this helps you out. Welcome aboard!

[shaunyboy]

working carpet pythons imo would be a good next step.girth wise roughly that of a coke can and depending on the sub species anything up to and slightly over 10 feet.

carpets are also very active and can be fiesty.you learn to read the individuall snake the longer you work with them.imo this would give you good practice for stepping up to the giants of the snake world.

i am a tiny bit biased though as its only carpets i keep :yes:

cheers shaun

[Freebody]

i agree carpets are awsome snakes to work with , im loving mine :) but m retic is my favorite, she is such a sweet heart and so calm. Presspirte i have heard and seen burms and imho they are the most docile snake their is. i have watched videos of kids crawling all over them and nothing, my neigboor got one last year already about 10+ plus maybe the size of a 1 liter bottle around and the kids would spook the snake and poke and prod the thing, grab the snake and pull its head over this way and that, run up fast with out warning...basically everything you could do wrong while handling a snake, and all the snake would do is just chill or slowly get out of the way if it decided to move at all.an absolute puppy dog of a snake. i so want to get one one day. if they did that to even my most friendly snake which is bella my retic, which has never shown any sign of aggression ever, i would not be the slightest bit surprised if they tagged on of them over thier. nor would i blame her lol

[MacAdder]

Red tailed boas are a pleasure on the eyes and have good temperaments thus making great pets.

Boa Constrictors As Pets - Red Tailed Boas (http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/snakes/a/boaconstrictors.htm)

[Will0W783]

Dwarf and super dwarf retics are a nice intro to the larger pythons, as are red-tailed boas. Burms are reportedly generally tamer than retics, but in most cases it is an individual basis and how you bring the snake up. I own a supposed super dwarf retic (I don't think she's pure SD though...too big) who is about 8.5 feet long and 20lbs. She is a wonderful, sweet snake..except when there is food around. Then she has the typical retic feeding response of going crazy. I am also snake sitting two full size retics for a friend...and they are great, but they are serious business. Nothing can really prepare you for the reality of a 15-foot, 100lb snake until you are dealing with it. Both are very well-mannered and generally cooperative, but they are MASSIVE and definitely not for a beginner.

[Freebody]

ya kim its somthing else when your holding a snake and its wrapped around your body and has your arm and its nice and loose, then it goes to move and it crams your arm into your side and give you a slight squeeze and you can move your limbs in the slightest, thats what did it for me while holding my neigboors burm, it was like all of a sudden this snake im thinking im holding, i realize that he is holding me and im now along for the ride. its a cool feeling but still its a little scarry knowing your 100% at its mercy.

[marvelfreak]

Hello and welcome. I have owned 4 RTB, 5 burms, a Retic, and 2 yellow anacondas over the years. I been bit by all, but the yellow anacondas. With yellow they are either friendly or have a mouth like a chainsaw. I lucked out my old one and the one i have now are really mellow. I would have to say burm are the most layed back of the bunch. If you want more info on yellow i have athread on here called "My yellow anaconda" They now have dwarf burms. if you have any questions just ask.

[MacAdder]

... "My yellow anaconda" ...

My experience with a yellow anaconda is that if they don’t bite you they crap on you. The bite is not a snap or a bite to hold but like a door slamming on your hand a couple of times but with razor sharp teeth:no:

[marvelfreak]

My experience with a yellow anaconda is that if they don’t bite you they crap on you. The bite is not a snap or a bite to hold but like a door slamming on your hand a couple of times but with razor sharp teeth:no:
I lucked out on the crapping on me part to so far anyway. My new yellow did bite my neighbor two weeks ago. Just a quick nip. I felt really bad, because it was the first time he ever held a snake. Most likely the last to. Has so as i handed him the snake is hand started shaking, then my youngest ran into the room spooking it i think.

My worst bite i ever got was by a 8 & 1/2 foot burm. Feed response latched on and held on for 15 minutes. The baby retic i had just flat out hated me. I had to use leather gloves to handle it, but everyone else could pick it right up and he never strike or hiss at them like me. Bit me twice on the nose. Always went for my face. :eek:

[morelia4life]

Carpets are my favorite but I would hope that no one considers a carpet a "giant". Even the Coastal Carpet which gets 9 to 10 feet with the largest female ever caught being 14 feet (I believe), still isn't a giant. To me there are only 4 snakes that I consider giant. Number 1 would be the Green Anaconda. Nothing gets heavier and scarier then a fully grown pissed off female Green Anaconda. Number 2 would be the reticulated python. Even though they are longer then the G.A. they are thin and built to be arboreal. Number 3 would be the African Rock Python. I have heard that they can have a really bad attitude so they are not recommended for beginners. Number 4 would be the Burmese Python. I hear they are either like puppies or they are evil. The only Morelia species that I might consider to be giant would be Morelia kinghorni.

[percey39]

You guys keep forgetting that the morelia kinghorni or australian scrub python is a carpet species. They have been recorded at lengths of over 8m, but in captivity a 6m snake would be rare. Also the 8m specimen is a very old recording. They have no where near the girth of your big 4 but can still weigh up to and over 40kg's.

[bighog85]

Obviously there is no hard and fast rule on different species personalities but I keep all of the giants except the scrubs so I can give you some insight. Burms typically are the calmest. My largest is 17' and about 210 pounds and she is a puppy. I take her to schools with kids all over and she is totally chill. On the other hand, another burm that I have is absolutely the nastiest snake I have. Strikes the glass whenever I walk up to her cage and only the best handlers can do anything with her or she will tag you bad. My retics are the same way. My biggest girl is awesome, super calm just very active and curious. But I have another about 12' female that I don't quite trust yet. My rock python is still pretty young but really calm so far but my buddy has one that is absolutely evil. However, I would not really recommend these guys after only having dealt with ball pythons. The chances of something happening is still very much there and you really need to have experience with the giants before you get one. I always recommend that people find a local herp society and chances are someone there will keep a big one that you can maybe get some experience with. But, with all that said, if you are insistent on getting one I would have to probably say get a burm. They usually turn out ok and out of the five that I have, only one is mean.

[Will0W783]

Trippysmurf, check out my thread on the Giant Pythons forum about "the importance of secure caging and double-checking your routine". I have been keeping snakes for over 6 year, and this bugger still got loose on me. It took me and my very strong fiance over 10 minutes to get him down and we both threw our backs out. These guys are neat snakes, and very impressive, but no joke. If you've only kept BPs before, I would suggest moving up slowly, such as with a coastal carpet python (6-8 feet) or a super dwarf retic (6-8 feet).