I think I want a BIG snake...

So I love all snakes, am mostly into ball pythons, but am truly fascinated by HUGE snakes. I have a 9 foot female red tail and she's a good 40+ pounds, but I am more and more wanting to get a bigger snake. Of course I'll pick one up as a baby and raise it on my own.

I guess I'm looking for advice on how to prepare for this...feeding, upgrades in caging, suitable habitat, etc...aren't an issue. Would it be a good idea for me to try to hook up with someone local with BIG snakes to get a feel for the handling of them?

Also, what are the pros and cons of owning such a large animal? And what are the pros and cons of particular species...retics, burms, rocks, amethystines?

youre gonna get a thousand different opinions and thoughts on this subject.

in my opinion, as long as you are on your own, know you will be dedicated to this animal for 20-30 years, provide it a close to perfect as possible microenvironment, always have regular availability to food (particularly big prey items later in life), you buy cbb, you buy a baby, buy from a very reputable breeder directly, and handle frequently, any snake is fine, be it a corn snake, ball python, or retic.

Thanks Ryan! I will definitely spend a lot of time researching before I commit to anything. And I definitely will not be looking for any $50 albino burm on Craigslist...an experienced, reputable dealer is the only way to go for me.

Common advice I've come across is to only have BIG snakes if you will normally have more than one person around during handling.... just in case.....

Originally Posted by Helenthereef

Common advice I've come across is to only have BIG snakes if you will normally have more than one person around during handling.... just in case.....

this is the main reason I will never own one.

great thread! I'm looking forward to more responses!

Originally Posted by Helenthereef

Common advice I've come across is to only have BIG snakes if you will normally have more than one person around during handling.... just in case.....

That is for sure...I think of all things, that is one of the easier ones for me to cover.

Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

this is the main reason I will never own one.

great thread! I'm looking forward to more responses!

Me too! Any advice/info to come along would be so valuable to me.

one tip I heard from some retic keepers years ago was having a feeding door/slot on the side of the cage separate from the opening of the cage; then drop the f/t prey in through the side that way it really helps them learn not to associate you with food.

I always like retics. I've heard they show the most intelligence out of all non-venomous snakes.

I have all small snakes right now.....most of my snakes are under a year old. Brazilian Rainbow and all Ijs and jcps.....I own two 4 foot jcps.....the other day i ordered a Male JCP.....around 6 foot, abit longer and a heavy weight. I see some of these 10 plus footers and im awe stricken. Theres some big boy owners on here....they will surely help you...good luck. But im with April. If i need 2 people just in case? Definitely not for me.

Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

one tip I heard from some retic keepers years ago was having a feeding door/slot on the side of the cage separate from the opening of the cage; then drop the f/t prey in through the side that way it really helps them learn not to associate you with food.
.

I'm sure it's an urban myth, but too many times have I heard the one about the guy who walks in to his retic's room holding a rabbit and ends up with the snake attached to his own head.....

So I'm SURE that the feeding slot is a minimum requirement!

Retics are my true passion. Like Ryan said your going to get 1000 different opinions on this. Mine is as long as you are a responsible/knowledgeable keeper, then you will have know problem keeping a large snake. Hook training is a necessary safety precaution. No need to have a feed door. They are just an overall great snake to have.