rumours of water pythons temperament

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python_94

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just like to say, when i was thinking about getting a water python, pet shops, reptile breeders, friends who own snakes, had all told me not to get a water python because of the "natural" aggression. i went out and bought a hatchling, wasn't even a month old, he was in shed and was hating the world, but after he shed he was fine, no cage aggression, no signs of aggression, maybe the odd strike here and there :p
he is now 3 months at 2.5ft and coming for an another shed and his personality hasn't changed. i can pet him on the head around the mouth and he'll just sit there.

not sure if it just him or the fact that i held him everyday for about 30min a day and put him in the bathtub to for a stretch, id still grab him even if he bit me, now i can just grab him out of his home tank.

i personally think the rumour of water pythons aggression is fulse, but i could be lucky and have a really chilled out snake :) Just thought i had to share :) thank you.
 
You handle any snake for 30 mins a day and it will loose its will to fight back (and most likely to live as well lol)
 
So you have owned one for around 8 weeks and are now telling everyone that they are not aggressive and that it is nothing but a rumour and all the experienced people that you spoke to are now wrong also?

Maybe you are just too good with reptiles or petting him on the head or around the mouth has made him really chilled.Have you thought about writing a book about taming pythons?
 
I have a scrub python that needs taming can you tame him for me. He is 12 ft but should be fine for you the bites don't really hurt
 
C'mon guys, this is a reasonable post by this new keeper. My own experience with Water Pythons is that they are actually fairly mild tempered, but they have an explosive feeding response - it was not infrequent for them to throw themselves out of their enclosures completely when striking at food offered on (long) tongs. Just be especially careful when it has grown up a bit. They are very food-focused and you might find the behaviour changes with consequently more damage if they do bite you when they get bigger.

A highly underrated species in my opinion.

Jamie
 
As a casual observer l notice in a considerable number of posts/threads that some of the more "interesting" claims are made by ppl with no feed-back or previous posting experience at least on this site and others no other information (area) or a name at the end which "IMO" always lends a bit of credibility to a post. solar 17 ~B~
 
The huge amount of wild NT Water Pythons that flooded to southern states gave them a bad name. Living in a area that floods for 6 months of the year forcing them out into the open has made them rather aggressive just to survive. You can get the occasional NT Water that is quite, but most bite
Qld Waters however have the reputation of being very gentle(except when feeding as Jamie pointed out) as they live in a more secure environment and do not need to be as aggressive as their NT cousins. Again , you can get exceptions and some Qld Waters may be aggressive, but most are great
 
Can't just agree or disagree and tell him he's lucky with his snake? Being nice is far too hard these days.

I agree, Pythoninfinite. My water is nice (although a little energetic), but come food time or even night time and she's a monster. 90% of the time, she strikes very hard and very fast. Not a snake to mess with during this time!
 
Don't judge a snake based off of it's species, base if off your own personal observation. My antaresia is the one that is out climbing and exploring all day in the open while my carpets are the ones that hide and come out at night. They are all different.
 
I recently considered a Water Python as an alternative to an Olive (Still am providing I can get it in the house without a divorce!) and was told by all and sundry how aggressive they are......I know of a few that are great.

I was told my Jungle will be a handful because "Jungles are savage"......She is a pussycat.

I am a firm believer in treating the animal well, correct husbandry, regular handling...and you should get the best you can get out of any snake.I am lucky that this approach to date has fared me well - I have no aggressive snakes, I do have snakes that will have a crack at you if you are foolish enough to go near them at the wrong time though. Learning your animals is all part of it.

Enjoy your Water Python....It sounds like a cracker. Whatever you are doing is working....
 
I was considering getting a water python, until I met 2 who were absolutely crazy. Even managed to score a feeding bite to the face from the adult one (my fault for trusting the owners opinion when they had only had it for a few weeks).

I think with some snakes you definitely get lucky. My first jungle was snappy when I got her, but now she handles very well. Just be careful when it gets bigger.
 
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Its the nature of waters, had a few clutches hatch they are wired up to strike straight out. As they grow with experienced handling skills they calm down, usually.
 
Qld Waters however have the reputation of being very gentle(except when feeding as Jamie pointed out) as they live in a more secure environment and do not need to be as aggressive as their NT cousins. Again , you can get exceptions and some Qld Waters may be aggressive, but most are great

Have to agree with this. Don't have any waters of my own. But every wild one I have encountered have been very chilled out.
 
Meh.. take it on a snake by snake basis, mate :) personally, if I'd have listened to all the people that told me about 'snappy' coastals I wouldn't have 2 of the best snakes as pets now. One of them leans a little toward the more commonly described snappy coastal, but I love him like that, and the other one is the polar opposite. As long as you get one as a young snake and get it used to you and you to it :) sounds like a nice wp

Sent from my HTC Velocity 4G using Tapatalk
 
I have a NT water is about a year old now, he was crazy when I first got him striked at anything that moved. I had to put towels over the tank. I ended up spending a fair bit of time with him getting him out every day starting off with a few minutes at a time and gradually increases the time limit. Now he is fine I can just reach in and pick him up no issues at all unless its feeding day. As others have mentioned he has a massive feeding response and will attack anything that moves as soon as he smells food defrosting. I have had to catch him a few times as he has striked as soon as I opened the door and he would have fallen out onto the floor.
 
I think that it is best to listen to the people with a large sample size over the life span for an generalised opinion on temperament of different species of snake because there is always the extremes at both ends of the spectrum and also snakes can dramatically change throughout their life span. Having a sample size of one and having it for about 1% of it's life expectancy is not enough to make a generalisation on the whole species. That is why I tend to use the experienced peoples opinion as a guide but know there is always the exception to the rule and the extremes as well.
 
bigguy is right on the money, most nt waters can be the most aggresive snake you could ever keep. And most qld waters can be the most tame snake you could ever keep.
 
Some snakes are lunatics & some aren't. I've got a relatively quiet 6.5+ft male water python who decided to attach himself to my ear one evening - delightful :D :lol: Only my Darwin python is 99.9% trustworthy & I hardly handle him at all these days.
 
My girl bella i got here 2 years ago and like all snakes they need to get settled when you get them after that my NT Water Python calmed down and she is as placid as. So its not always based on their locality NT or QLD Bella has a great personality and enjoys sitting on my shoulders to be close to me. In my opinion they are a great first snake to own and wouldn't have changed my decision ever. Thanks to Julie Worley
 
I've bred countless water pythons, Ive found them to be a really predictable python.

They either hate you and want to eat you or they are placid and will never bite.
 
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