Red Tail and Handlers

royalfan94 · 03-30-20, 08:30 AM

It's been more than a decade and a half since I last worked with anything larger than six foot of snake. Are multiple handlers recommended for a red tail? It's just me and my service dog, and I'd really love to add a red tail to the family when the cons roll through in July and August, but safety is of the utmost importance of course!

craigafrechette · 03-30-20, 11:31 AM

Most red tails will remain easy to handle by a single adult, assuming the adult is healthy and doesn't have any health restrictions or otherwise that may change their ability.

You may want to look into some of the smaller locality boas if you're concerned about size. May top around around 4 -5 feet.

royalfan94 · 03-30-20, 05:50 PM

I previously had a super bad experience with Rosy Boas (which involved one hanging from nose), and I've been after something a bit larger. It's one thing to have several royal pythons who are all around four foot/1.3m long, but another entirely to just double in size.

bigsnakegirl785 · 03-30-20, 07:22 PM

My biggest boas are only 6.5' and 7'. Both are quite easy to handle on my own. I might consider another person around the 8' mark, but sizes at 8' aren't quite as common, and you're even less likely to find one bigger than that.

Keeping them at a healthy weight also really helps, many boas are obese, making them seem much larger than they really are, and being way heavier than they should be.