Favorite python size to work with

[snakekid13]

6 feet and under
6 to 10 feet
10 feet to 20 feet
20 feet plus

[Irwin]

I like any snake, no matter how big or small. But I guess my favorite snake is a burm, so I guess im in the 10-20ft category, I know they can get over 20ft fairly easily, but none of mine are there, yet.

:cool:

[gamerjjt]

All of my burms have been a joy to work with til they hit about 10'. At this point they become a handful to handle. I love my big girls, but they are most fun to work with when they are about 8'.

[aikidophreak]

I like my ball pythons for ease when giving them a exam but my 7 foot BCI s are fun you can really get a handle on then without feeling the you might break em but still small enough to muscle easly -Jeff

[crazyscrewball]

10 to 20.

85% of my animals are over 10 feet.
have not yet been graced with a 20footer.
cant wait for the day though:D

[meretseger]

5-10. Carpets, bloods, and boas. Of course I still enjoy my small fry, like sand boas, you can just have more of them and it's not so much work. And smaller ratsnakes are cool. But 5-10 feet is the most fun to play with.

Erin B.

[TooManyBurmese]

Once my burms cross over the 10/11 ft mark they become dead weigh hee hee. I must have the arms of a lumberjack by now!

[CFoley]

Id say 6-10. my favorite python species are Leiopython sp, and Liasis sp, then of course carpets.

Gotta love the big guys tho!

[Omniherp]

I love my tiger retics, they can be wrapped around your arms, legs, waist and still visit a friend!! I think it is the challenge of getting them to do what I want them to do, instead of what they want to do. My IJ Carpets are cool too, and I don't have to get a friend to be my back-up with them in case they get a little ....uh...spunky. I just love those big snakes!!!!!:D
Trina

[rstymtlhd]

i would have to say 6-10 just because of weight factors and the comfort of the animal being handled, ie; the heavier they are the more un-comfortable for them it is, and if you hurt them, they may bite you.
I have some 7-9 footers that just sit there when you hold them, great for pics, and kids, of course they are handled almost daily, for fairly long periods of time, however my boid's over 10 while still tame, i only handle with another person around to assist me , safer for me, easier on the snake......... :cool:

[PaulSage]

I'd vote for under 6 feet. I would like to have big lug of a boa, ... but I like my dog too much :hehe:

[Jim O]

I'd vote for under 6 feet. I would like to have big lug of a boa, ... but I like my dog too much :hehe:Must be a small dog. :p

Even my biggest scrub (Brutus is about 12 feet or so) would probably have trouble consuming my smallest dog (George, a ~20 lb pug). I suppose though that George would make a nice meal for a retic or a burm. :bolt01:

[kzooherpetoculturist]

i like smaller snakes as their not so cumbersome... that's why i chose a spotted - that and they have the coolest markings IMO.

[sirenofthestorm]

I prefer under 10 ft. I love (normal) burms, but I don't want to have to be restricted to only handling the snake when someone else is present and able to pull a huge boid off of me if something were to go wrong.

Gimme an 8 ft argie or 7 ft carpet and I'm in heaven :)

Some 5 ft balls aren't bad though :)

[Southwick Herps]

anywhere 10ft and under is fine by me.
I love holding the snakes at the 6-10mark though, real fun to get out of the tank. I dont have anything that big yet, not til my 2 baby boas start growing. They eat great, and I excpect the colombian to be 4 feet by the year mark, she is only 1 month old, and pounding rat pups.

[redknee]

10ft and under for me , because thats all im used to so far.
My biggest snakes were a pair of Argentine Boa's (BCOccidentalis) my female was the biggest at 9.3 ft and a hell of a lot of girth to her , great fun they were. regrettably i had to sell them with the rest of my collection when i went travelling as noone would look after them :( :hot:

[esoteric-lizard]

10ft - 30ft!!!!!!!!!!!!

RETIC OWNERS UNITE!!! :reddevil:

[Jake The Snake]

I said 6-10' for 2 reasons.
1. my area allows no snake withthe potential to grow over 8'
2. A python that maxes out arund 10' for the most part won't be an escape artist and is easy to find when they do find a way out(and most of them do).

Just my oppinion on it. Looking forward to more peoples oppinions to be expressed

[hhmoore]

2. A python that maxes out arund 10' for the most part won't be an escape artist and is easy to find when they do find a way out(and most of them do).

Jake - I just have to ask: why do you think that a python that maxes out at around 10 ft won't be an escape artist? Why is it that most of them do find a way out (and wouldn't that make them escape artists)?

And just a side comment - how hard a snake is to find is related to a combination of the environment and how thoroughly you look. The only reason that the snakes size is a factor is that smaller ones can fit into smaller holes so there are more escape routes/hiding places for them. A 10 ft snake can hide just as effectively, and it is just that much more frustrating because you think it should be easy to find, lol

[Jake The Snake]

Jake - I just have to ask: why do you think that a python that maxes out at around 10 ft won't be an escape artist? Why is it that most of them do find a way out (and wouldn't that make them escape artists)?

And just a side comment - how hard a snake is to find is related to a combination of the environment and how thoroughly you look. The only reason that the snakes size is a factor is that smaller ones can fit into smaller holes so there are more escape routes/hiding places for them. A 10 ft snake can hide just as effectively, and it is just that much more frustrating because you think it should be easy to find, lol
Basically my reasoning is this, its easier to close off a room for a large python or boa than a small childrens python thats all. A large python needs a much sturdier cage but it can have a bigger gaps(1/4") on a large bodied snake, while a thin bodied snake you will have a problem with even the smallest openeing. Just my .02 cents. We all percive it differently. A 3' corn snake could fit through a tiny space while lets say a 3' blood would need a large hole. Maybe my idea in my head of a 6-10 foot snake is a heavy bodied boa or python. Again, just what I thought of in my head

[hhmoore]

I wasn't trying to give you a hard time...just to understand your thought a bit better. Thank you for clarifying it. My reasons for "sort of" disputing your initial statement, which was A python that maxes out arund 10' for the most part won't be an escape artist and is easy to find when they do find a way out(and most of them do).

include:
the adult size of a snake has nothing to do with its ability to get out of an enclosure at any time in its life, except (as you noted) that a larger adult is stronger and can use that strength. MY initial thought when I read your statement was not of an adult anything...my mind went to a juvenile (of any species that would max out at 10 ft). (I say this mainly to show the way different people think in different ways)

Also, the comment about most of them do find a way out, is less reflective on the snake than the keeper. Sure, we have all gotten lazy at times, but we can't blame the snake because we didn't secure things.
One of my lazy moments - I had an approximately 8-9ft retic fairly early in my history. I got lazy, didn't properly secure his cage and he got out. After a quick search, I decided that he was not in the room (fairly new construction house, no holes or gaps) - that meant that he had to have gone under the door, which seemed to have a gap of just under about 3/4 of an inch. Lesson numbers one and two: Where there's a will, there's a way; and carpet can be compressed. It didn't make a much larger space, but he did it. Upon coming back out of the room, my eyes settled on the washing machine. The lid was up. I checked inside - empty. I looked behind, under, and on both sides of the machines, then returned to the washer with a flashlight. Sure enough, there he was...wedged in between the washer tub and the outer walls of the machine. It was a great hiding spot; and if I had been less thorough, who knows how long it might have taken him to resurface.

[Jake The Snake]

I don't keep anything that gets huge. My biggest I have now is ruby. My rtb at about 4'. I think finding her would be a pretty easy task. When we get out house finished, I have a room for animals so I will make sure I never have a snake leave the room without me knowing, door sweeps, dutch style doors, screened in vents, ect. The only one I would worry about getting out is my leos, I have under estimated their ability to jump and climb and learned my leason.

[scalesnstuff]

Although we do have burms and retics I prefer the 6 - 10 feet. I also have kids that I need to worry about.

[akaangela]

I love to look at the larger pythons but I like my balls (that sounds bad LOL). I have never had a large 10+ snake but if I had room I would. As far as getting out I have had experence with that. Remember never fall asleep while holding your snake (DUUU). Of course my smallest is 2ft and I fell asleep holding her and when I woke up she was, of course gone, It took me 3 days to find her, and basicly I just laid things around on shelves and waited to see what was nocked off and it was not too hard to find her. Big boy got out, he is a 4ft ball, and it took us only 10 minutes to find him but 20 minutes to get him out of where he had lodged himself.

[NorthernRegius.com]

I like a snake that is easy for one person to handle & I want a snake that I can hold throughout it's lifetime. That's why I like the 6-10ft range best, it's a nice size yet not too big for a solitary keeper.

[Schlyne]

I like the 6 to 10 ft range myself, but I really prefer around 8 feet and under. I'm a fairly short woman, and I just don't feel comfortable working with anything over 8 feet by myself.

[garweft]

Ok so I actually had to think about this for a second. I answered 6' and under for a few reasons. I limit my self to snakes under 8-10' mostly due to cage size and feeding. However I don't really keep any of the pythons in the 6-10' range, only boas. I have eyed up a few moderate sized pythons, but my next pythons on my wish list are both under 6'.

[darkbloodwyvern]

I like the 6 to 10 ft range myself, but I really prefer around 8 feet and under. I'm a fairly short woman, and I just don't feel comfortable working with anything over 8 feet by myself.

I chose under 6', mostly due to practicality.

I am not terribly strong, so i wouldn't want to have to have a partner to handle my snakes. I also may end up moving a bit, and the smaller the animal, the more likely i can keep it in my next apartment :D I just don't have any friends i could have help me with a larger snake, but if i did get anything that would get bigger than 7' I would want something thinner.
On that note, what are the maximum sizes for bloods and white lips? I am really liking those two species as my "intermediate species" if i am still herping in a few years... ;)

[Petboy15]

definately 6-10, and balls. But their girth makes them feel bigger. Honestly, a little corn snake is so small and boring. A 20ft retic is cool, but I mean comeon, too much. 6-10's are great, you can handle by yourself(usually) they are big enought to be impressive yet not "dangerous" and still manageable.

[Paul Kent]

I used to think having this HUGE snake would be real cool when I was younger.... and then I added up the feeding bill, and the danger factor, and the caging expenses, and the daily wrestling match, and the NEW BORN (at the time), and came to the conclusion that it was time to down size. 6-10' is definately the most impresive, yet comfortable size. As much as I love the biggies, I would say that for most situations a 6-10' is just about right.

[kellysballs]

I answered 6-10. I love my ball pythons but my all time favorite snake is the Boa Constrictor. I have a 6.5ft male bci now and he is so much fun to handle and he looks really great in his corner cage in the living room!

[LadyViper]

I like the larger snakes, I enjoy being able to let them roam. The larger they get the slower mine seem to move. Sometimes I enjoy just watching TV with them stretched out on the sofa. It was hard to choose between 6-10 ft and 10-20ft. I chose the larger for the only reason that they are easier to keep an eye at that size. The best answer for me would have been 6-20 ft. LOL!

[Kaa needs a wife]

I was kind of at a loss sine I am closer to like 7-15 ft. That is my real fav's

[constrictorcrazi74]

my favorite are the monster retics and burms. I think they have better peronality just my oppinoin.

[lilkeezy]

10 to 20 feet i have a burmese and a ball python i once had a 15 foot burmese few years back my burm hasnt gotton 3 foot yet hopefully in 6 months she will lol

[snake5007]

I voted in the 6-10 foot range. All i have at the moment are carpets but i did have a 13 foot burm and she was an absolute joy to handle.