I'm Doomed..

[Kayla90]

I don't even own a snake yet and I'm already planning for more XD
I want them all. Well mostly, eventually, a long time from now I hope to acquire a green tree python; however, I've also become interested in the Reticulated python.

Now I know retic. pythons are huge snakes once they reach adulthood, and not recommend for inexperience snake owners, but the past couple of weeks I've been reading up on pythons and what broke my heart was that so many people just release their retic. pythons into the wild simply because they weren't prepared for the size. I think, if you are going to get an animal you should be prepared and have the knowledge you need on them before you buy them and decide to just throw them away.

Anyways, back to the question.
Obviously they need a lot of room, and I was just wondering where/what do you keep them? I'm pretty sure they don't make aquarium's that big.
I kept trying to think of idea's, and honestly the best I could come up with was turn a bedroom into the cage. Would that even be big enough?
Or what about allowing them free-range? Bad idea?

[marionsclan]

Free range is definitely a bad idea and I wouldn't use the whole room as a habitat because you want control over the heat, humidity, etc, and you don't want the snake to think of you as food when you come into its territory. There are lots of links in the Retic forums showing you how to make bigger habitats for them.

[stephanbakir]

You can keep adult makes in 6X3X2 foot enclosures, and adult females in either 8 for 10X3X2 enclosures.
Free range is a TERRIBLE idea.
A room is too big unless you pour a ton of money into it to turn it into a vivarium.
I'll answer any question you may have but as a retic owner (I don't currently own any but I used to, and I plan on getting more again) I can tell you that you don't want to get one as your first snake.
They are scary at times, and babies at time :)

[Kayla90]

Oh yeaa definitely will not be my first snake lol
I'm thinking waaaay into the future here, I just can't stop wanting to know everything right this minute XD
I'll eventually end up becoming a breeder myself just because I want so many. Or instead of being the crazy old cat lady, I'll turn into the crazy old snake lady lmao
I honestly would love to work with snakes, all kinds, but I also don't know the first thing about doing that... yet.

[TeaNinja]

baby steps lol. sounds like your mind is racing :)

[stephanbakir]

Keep in mind that I'm also advising against even getting a super dwarf retic as your first snake. Even though makes cap off at 5-6 feet, they can still be scary at times.

[Kayla90]

Oh I fully intend to get a ball python as my first snake. Later followed by a green tree python, and we'll see from there what else I want.. For a retic. I wouldn't go about getting one until I was completely confident in handling and caring for snakes. I'd also need a big place, so this wouldn't happen for a really long time, so I'm sure I'll have lots of experience by the time I even start looking into finding one. Though snakes have never been scary to me, well the poisonous are, but ever since I was a kid the only thing I could ever remember thinking about snakes was how beautiful they were... I'm actually looking forward to the first time I get bitten so I can see my own reaction. I know some people say that it doesn't really hurt, but I still find myself thinking that when it happens it won't like be anything I thought.

[stephanbakir]

Poison is ingested, venom is injected.
Keep in mind that GTPs are not a snake that should be handled, one of our members has only touched his GTP a handfull of times in its whole life, and thats the way it should be done for that species.
I'm not "afraid" of any reptile, I've worked with both venomous and non venomous snakes and lizards, large and small. I can tell you that even I came close to crapping my pants quite a few times over the years.

Every reptile has different needs, and if you stay within those needs and requirements you can enoy their company for 15-25 years instead of 3-4...

[Kayla90]

Makes sense. lol
I just loooove the colouring, especially the really green ones. I would be happy just being able to see it everyday.
Oh man, really? Would you mind sharing any experiences?

@TeaNinja That's probably because it is lol. Until recently the thought of owning a snake never even crossed my mind, everyone in my family would have straight out told me "hell no!" So it stopped being something I thought about, then this summer I happened to see a man with a gorgeous Burmese python and I realized how much I loved snakes again. Then at a pet store, I got to hold a baby ball python and since that day I can't stop thinking about how much I want one. lol

[KD35WIN.AS.ONE]

I just can't stop wanting to know everything right this minute XD


Keep asking questions, spend your time with people who can mentor you. Dont let your wants out way common logic... If i hadnt taken this advice, there's a chance i wouldn't be here right now... alive that is. Its taken me so long to get to where i am knowledge wise. I have so much more to learn and so much more experience to gain.

[vendettaseve]

Starting big isnt a great idea, Why not get yourself a nice corn snake that you can mess with till you learn the basics.... then upgrade... then upgrade again... till your house is filled :3


Edit: Oh your in Toronto too :) Mykee has some Ball Pythons happening at some point I think, you should check with him if thats something your interested in.

[TeaNinja]

i am very impulsive and all about immediate gratification myself lol. i have to tell myself to chill out sometimes. i got my first male dumerils from a guy on craigslist for free, then after 6 months or something i bought my BP from petco because they are terrible with their husbandry and i wanted to not only take one out of the cage full of them so they'd be more healthy and have more room, but i wanted to give one a better life lol. then i emailed someone about the female dumerils they were selling like 5 months ago and told them if they needed to just rehome her to let me know and i'd give a great home. they emailed me a month or two ago and said he was getting married and i could just come get her and all her stuff for free. so i got 2 out of the 3 snakes i have and their setups for free lol. i had to buy nigma (my male dum) a new 4x2x2 viv when i got him because he was in a 40 gallon, but my friend had to buy a tank for her red eared slider anyway, so i gave her the 40 gallon and she bought the 4x2x2 for me, so i got everything for free anyway lol.

now that i think about it she ended up rehoming the turtle, so it was kind of pointless lol.

[KD35WIN.AS.ONE]

i am very impulsive and all about immediate gratification myself lol.

I am extremely glad i am not hahaha, if that was the case i would be currently owning a Elapid. Its been such a long process to get one responsibly (in a sense as if owning something that can kill you within the hour it strikes is responsible lol) Im still waiting on a response for my FDA-1572. So I can legally keep, store and have FDA approved to administer, (FDA doesn't approve exotic anti venom, and MD's cant legally administer it without the right forms) Anti-venom onsite. FDA-1571 is the easy one to get, but unfortunately you need one from a licensed physician as well (1572).

[TeaNinja]

in cases like that restraint is necesary ;)

[Kayla90]

Ugh yes, pet stores are horrible. While I get it to some point that it's what people want when looking for animals, put them on display, so we can walk around and choose our favourite. But it's really sad when they don't take care of them properly.

I am extremely glad i am not hahaha, if that was the case i would be currently owning a Elapid.
Ahaha Oh I would definitely not be that impulsive. I think venomous snakes are beautiful but I wouldn't even think of getting one till I had major experience with other snakes. XD

in cases like that restraint is necesary
Lol I know, but the funny thing is, even though I feel so impulsive, because I want them so much I find that I actually am willing to wait for it. When I was at PJ'S Pet store a while back baby BP were on sale, and usually when I walk into a pet store I end up walking out with something, but I didn't because I know that I don't have any of the proper equipment to take care of them.
I actually am hoping to be accepted into an Animal Care Program at Sheridan Tech this winter because I love animals so much and I want to work with them as much as possible. Hopefully I can find a job around snakes, so I can learn more.

Oh your in Toronto too Mykee has some Ball Pythons happening at some point I think, you should check with him if thats something your interested in.
Yup :) It's nice to meet you. Yes, I got a comment from him yesterday in another thread about being close to Toronto. So that's awesome :)

[Uncle_Rev]

I met a person quite a few years back (when I was volunteering at the SPCA Texas) that had brought in an 8 foot reticulated in a plastic drum. The moment our super started to crack the lid the lady bailed.

It was underfed, majorly pissed and was striking out like there was no tomorrow. We had to call in a herp because no one on site had any experience with snakes.

It was so beautiful and crazy and all over the place. I completely understand your love of the retic. I hope in time you find one perfect for you!

[NennaMeerkat]

Hey Kayla I was just wondering...what do you think will be your first snake? And sorry if this has been answered/asked in this thread already :)

[lpbldg18]

ever look into the carpet pythons instead of GTP? my jungle carpet very very rarley leaves his tree, plus coloring is amazing bright yellow and black. plus you can handle them more. just a suggestion :D

[marionsclan]

ever look into the carpet pythons instead of GTP? my jungle carpet very very rarley leaves his tree, plus coloring is amazing bright yellow and black. plus you can handle them more. just a suggestion :D

How big do the jungle carpets usually get and is it because they're friendlier that you can handle them more often?

[Lankyrob]

GTPs are very fragile and dont do well with handling at all however Carpets are much hardier and easier to care for.

[Kayla90]

Hey Kayla I was just wondering...what do you think will be your first snake? And sorry if this has been answered/asked in this thread already :)

For my first I'll be getting a ball python :D
I'm not sure which morph I'll be getting yet though, but I may also go for a normal.. It depends on what happens in the moment when I finally am able to get it I guess :P


ever look into the carpet pythons instead of GTP? my jungle carpet very very rarley leaves his tree, plus coloring is amazing bright yellow and black. plus you can handle them more. just a suggestion :D

Mmm they are also quite beautiful, but I love the gtp for they're colouring, green is my favourite colour :D lmao.. But eventually I hope to have a wide variety of snakes, which will hopefully include both a gtp and a carpet python..

It was so beautiful and crazy and all over the place. I completely understand your love of the retic. I hope in time you find one perfect for you!

:D Exactly! I hope so too, though I will probably have to move from toronto before I'm able to get one... in that case I might end up moving to quebec/ottawa since stephan says there aren't any/minimum restrictions on snakes there.. and he's the giant snake whisperer so I have a feeling I may be able to find the perfect one for me :D Do you have any retics of your own?

[Jenn_06]

Im happy your very open minded and asking questions and not running to a pet store and getting a retic or another large snake they are beautiful but a lot of work.

[Will0W783]

Hello and welcome Kayla- it sounds like you're a lot like I was when I first started. :) Wanting it all.

I got my first snake- a ball python, seven years ago. A year and a half later I bought my second- a milksnake and my fiance bought a house snake. Several months later, we both got one more snake. Then we discovered reptile shows and it snowballed. I always researched each species I wanted before I got it, but in hindsight I would have been much better off moving more slowly. I went from 5 snakes to 25 snakes in a year. With that many it was hard to quarantine for longer than 2 months each, and some snake was always not quite right because I had too much variety. At the high point, there were 39 snakes. Every animal got proper care, but I was drowning myself in food bills, vet bills and tripled the electricity bill for the house. Also with that many and a full-time school load, caring for them was becoming more of a chore than a relaxing hobby, so I knew something had to change.
A year ago, I decided I needed to choose which species I really couldn't be without, and that had similar keeping requirements, and just stick with them. I'm now back down under 20 snakes, and haven't had health problems with any of them in over 6 months. I still have a few that are for sale to proper homes, but it's back to being enjoyable to care for them again and not a daunting task.
So the best advice I can give you is that, no matter how hard it is to restrain yourself, do it for the animals. It's so easy to get carried away and amass more snakes than you can handle and give individualized care for easily.

As for good first species- I really don't recommend ball pythons as first snakes. They are very picky eaters in a lot of cases, and do not tolerate lapses in humidity or temperature well. There are a lot of people that keep them with no problems ever, but they can be tricky to set up properly if you've never had a snake before. They also can be finicky about cage size. At first I kept my BP (3-foot male when I got him) in a 55-gallon aquarium. He would only eat 2 white live mice every other week. He wouldn't touch rats, wouldn't eat more often, wouldn't eat mice that weren't all white. He was a terrible pain in my butt. That winter, the radiant heat in my apartment dried things out badly and the snake was having stuck eyecaps. After two months of struggling with low humidity, I let my fiance take him to his brand-new townhouse and we moved him into a 30-gallon breeder tank. Within a month he was chowing down frozen/thawed rats, and the smaller cage was much easier to humidify. I now keep all my snakes in melamine or ABS plastic cages.

What I would personally say are the best first snakes would be things like the corn snake (come in many beautiful colors, are usually docile, handle cooler climates well, and eat well), milksnakes (similar care to corns but can be shy), and if you really love pythons/boas- things like Children's pythons or Carpets.
Carpet pythons are probably the best first python IMO- they are hardy as heck, eat like horses, are very active but usually very docile and have similar face structure to the GTP. Carpets are also semi-arboreal, so they can teach you a lot about what to expect from a GTP. I have a very old male GTP who is a very docile snake, and two male Emerald tree boas who are tamer than a lot of ball pythons I know. They are great snakes, but it's very tricky to get their setup perfect...and if it's not perfect they dont' do well.

Like Stephan said, take your time getting into giants. I had a superdwarf retic for 3 and a half years and she was wonderful- very tame. But when you opened her cage door, she flew out for food- every single time. It could be scary and you had to expect it. Retics are usually consistent if you give them a routine; they are very smart for snakes and can learn a routine. But they have INSANE feeding responses and always want to eat. So they can be terrifying. I got bitten by a 9.5-foot female and needed stitches. They are not snakes to be taken lightly, but if raised right and given respect they require, they can be some of the most rewarding snakes to keep. There's nothing quite like a 16-foot tame python.
I recommend getting a Burmese python before a retic- it will give you experience with a giant python, but Burms tend to be far more docile and lazier than retics. Also, if you ever visit the states, my door is open for you to come and see me work with my big ones.

[Kayla90]

:O 25 snakes in a year... I don't think I could handle that many at once on my own yet.. lmao I think you're addicted to snake shopping... :|


So the best advice I can give you is that, no matter how hard it is to restrain yourself, do it for the animals. It's so easy to get carried away and amass more snakes than you can handle and give individualized care for easily.

Yea I get that.. see the best thing about me is that even if I wanted to continuously buy them I know for sure I wouldn't be able to afford them lmao.. I can't afford one right now which is why I'm waiting till I can make sure I can properly care for it.. cause I would hate myself if my snake suffered cause I was impatient.. :(

As for good first species- I really don't recommend ball pythons as first snakes.

Well basically I went from wanting a gtp for a first, reading about how that's a horrible idea for a first time snake.. cause they need soo much care with humidity and such..
Thank you for the advice, but while I've never owned a snake before I am taking the time to learn about them before hand.. Not that I have anything against corn snakes or milk snakes .. I think they are absolutely adorable, but I just want a bigger snake.. some that when I hold it I'm not afraid I'm going to crush it... Even ball python babies are waay bigger than corn snake babies lmao. I've always loved pythons because of how big they are.

Like Stephan said, take your time getting into giants
Lol ohh most definitely.. I can't even own anything bigger than a ball python where I live right now.. So I'd have to move first.. and they also aren't on my "want want want NOW" list lmao they're just on my "a snake I would loove to own at least once in my life" list..

[shaunyboy]

ever look into the carpet pythons instead of GTP? my jungle carpet very very rarley leaves his tree, plus coloring is amazing bright yellow and black. plus you can handle them more. just a suggestion :D

^^^^^
this

carpet pythons are easy to keep,very forgiving if mistakes are made

an all round hardy species

they are out hanging off a branch most days

great feeding responce's

come in all sorts of colours and patterns

if you get a hatchling you will learn as it grows and it will get you used to larger snakes

carpets grow anything from 4 to 10 feet depending on which carpet you go for (there are exceptions that can get bigger)

they are roughly the girth of a coke can

cheers shaun

[stephanbakir]

Shaun cant tell people to get carpets without being severely biased.

[Will0W783]

Lol, but you gotta admit- if you're going to be biased towards something, carpets are a great species to go for! :)

[shaunyboy]

Shaun cant tell people to get carpets without being severely biased.


me and chuck are trying to convert ALL snake keepers into CARPET keepers :yes:

every home should have at least one room full of carpets mate ;)

cheers shaun

[SkYyaMe1623]

Shaun if I ever get another snake it will certainly be a carpet python. I saw a few at a reptile expo a few weeks ago. What prevented me from getting one is that as soon as the breeder opened the top lid of a case holding a few babies, all of them went right into strike mode. Also, I saw a HUGE adult black and white diamond python that upon first glance I said to myself "if that thing were in my room I'd be in wayyyy over my head' lol

I ended up grabbing a designer ball python for good looks without the edgy temperament. Either way I do have a liking for carpets, and I'm sure thier personality makes them fun to keep.

[lpbldg18]

every home should have at least one room full of carpets mate ;)

cheers shaun[/quote]

Couldnt agree more! :yes: