olive info

[Kaotic]

I am starting to consider my next herp purchase and at the moment I am thinking of an olive python. i just wanted to know some info about them. How heavy can they get? What is the general temprement of them like? What is the most you would pay for one? Any help will be greatly apperciated

[coatesy]

Hi Kaotic, I bought a 6 1/2 foot olive as my first snake. Was a bit shakey at the start but now we have got to know each other she is fine. From what i have found out so far they are verry food concious cos they are growing so quick, as such any fast movements around them can make them strike out (as i found out the hard way). Mine seems to be verry curious of everything when she is out of her enclosure and loves to climb all over you on the couch. Have heard they can get to over 12kg and 14 foot when mature. Still learning myself but hope this helps a bit.

[AustHerps]

Olives are a fantastic snake. Just keep in mind that they might not be considered the 'best' choice for someone without much experience (if you've had other pythons for a bit, then my apologies). Standard snake housing does them fine. All the usuals... decent temperature gradient, fresh water, hidebox, PLENTY of room etc.

Temperament wise, they differ greatly from snake to snake. They can be quite snappy as youngin's sometimes, but then again, there are always exceptions. We just got a 3.5ft (well, now 4ft) wildcaught male out of NT, and it's never shown any sign of aggression or defensiveness. By 4-5ft they should be well settled down. They are a very laid back snake when they're larger. But, they are very food oriented. One of ours, when it was smaller (6ft), lept 4.5ft into the air to bite my partner's hand (straight past the rat in the tongs lol). Be prepared for a very fast growing snake. Our female has grown about 2ft in the last 2 months. One thing to keep in mind regarding the temperament - no matter how calm, trustworthy, they might seem, they can reach lengths of around 12-13 feet, and so should not be handled alone.

As a general rule, (and I mean general!), you're looking at about $100 a foot from a breeder. Petshops, of course, are higher. Bottom line is, an animal is worth what you're willing to pay for it

Finally, big snakes need BIG enclosures. Due to olives' large girth, they need to be able to stretch out. Otherwise, if forced to sit in one spot for too long, or if not taken out of their enclosures often enough, they will get deep creasing in their skin (very scar-like).

They make great pets, often have fantastic temperaments, and are often quite happy to just slump over their owner (as opposed to gripping for dear life lol) whilst enjoying a movie

Cheers,
Aaron.

[junglepython2]

Our female has grown about 2ft in the last 2 months

Thats impressive, what are you feeding her on?

[AustHerps]

She has a pretty laid back regime... 2 medium rats a fortnight (though what our supplier calls medium, i call LARGE lol).
She seems to go through growth spurts. Nothing for weeks, then bam, a foot per month lol.
I generally take a slow approach to feeding. Youngins get 1 or 2 items weekly, older snakes get 2 items fortnightly, and either monthly or bimonthly they skip a feed to clean out etc.

Cheers,
Austy.

[junglepython2]

Thanks austherps, my next snake was going to be a scrubbie but im slowly leaning towards the olives.

[AustHerps]

Originally Posted by junglepython2

Thanks austherps, my next snake was going to be a scrubbie but im slowly leaning towards the olives.

Olives are awesome, one of my favourite pythons. We'll pick up a scrub sometime over the coming months. Will eventually want a pair, but just don't think we'll have the time required to handle two young scrubbies regularly. Have no probs dealing with the most venomous snakes on Earth, but don't fancy the idea of 14ft of ever-angry arboreal snake :roll:

Cheers,
Austy.