Could a bhp eat/kill an 8 kg dog?

[Luvbuz]

Hi Danischi24, as previously mentioned, get the BHP hatchling and feed it a varied diet. I have one female around 4 years old and she's just over 8' long and weighs a good 9kg plus. She gets an extra large rat only every third or fourth feed, in-between feeds are rabbits or quail. She also gets let out of her enclosure at least once a week for a good half hour wriggle on the grass where she normally wee's and poo's. That's not a trained snake but just a reaction to being able to stretch and wriggle more freely than in her enclosure. Regardless of whatever ANYONE tells you - you can't train a snake. They can learn scents, so they may seek you out over others, but that's not really training! So, back to the original thread - your new hatchy won't pose a threat to your other pets for quite some time. I'd be more concerned that the terrier could inflict even a small bite, seeing as they were originally bred as vermin hunters. I'd simply play it safe and never let the two meet. I also breed, show and train staffy's - also a terrier breed and also have a hunting, tenacious streak. Whenever I am in my snake room, the dogs are locked out. Whenever I get my snakes out for cleaning, exercising or feeding, the dogs are locked out. Every time! I also double check the locks and enclosures every time I go in or out of them. Every time! If you start out right and get in the habit, you won't have a problem. Get your hatchy and enjoy one of the best snakes around!!! All the best with it! Cheers, Buzzy

 

[slide]

Should be like 5 years before albinos are on the market properly cause there are a fair amount of hets out there now.
And I'm a she guys.

If you know of somebody who has hets that can actually be proven to be from an actual albino in their care(its pretty easy to show a photo of a foreign albino and flogg off "hets" which you would never be able to tell if they were or not till you bred 2 together) then I would really appreciate a pm to let me know who to approach about these hets.
Cheers, Aaron

 

[saintanger]

i own 2 massive BHP'S i also own a 1kg chihuahua and had them around while my daughter was a baby. yes a BHP is capable of killing your dog, probably wont be able to eat it though.

do i worry about them getting out and killing and/ or eating my dog, child or my chickens nah i have a secure enclosure and i have OCD (obsessive compolsive disorder) so i check the lock 3 times minimum before i lock the door to the reptile room. and there is no gap under my door so if they were to get out they would be confined to that room. also my dogs are not allowed in the reptile room unless i am in there and they follow me in and i will tell them to get out as soon as i see them.

as a hatchie it could not hurt your dog but your dog could kill it. i would get it if i were you and have the enclosure in a secure room were the dog is not allowed so if it did get out it would be confined to that room.

 

[Bluetongue1]

That is a very interesting question and nowhere near as simple as I initially thought when I first saw it. There are a range of factors to consider...

• A male BHP will probably attain about 2m maximum length but it can vary from 1.5 m to 2.5 m.
• A female BHP will probably attain about 2.5 m maximum length but it can vary from 2 m to 3 m.
• The larger sizes in both, while sometimes attained, are definitely uncommon. Check the parents for an indication.
• BHP can get quite solid at maturity and a 2 m snake could eventually get up to say 15 kg. As BHPs in nature have been known to eat reptiles (large monitors) half their weight or more, a BHP beyond the size quoted could eat an 8 kg meal.
• Note that in nature BHPs are primarily lizard feeders and are only known to eat small mammals and birds occasionally.
• Those few people I know of who regularly take their snakes out for sun and/or exercise and have their dogs out at the same time, have found that with supervised mingling, the snakes either completely ignore the dogs or appear to appreciate coiling up next to a particular animal. You can only but try and assess the nature of the relationship that develops. Obviously the dogs require supervision and training too.
• You are quite correct in allowing for human error in cage locking. It can and does happen – on very, very rare occasions with responsible keepers. We usually don’t have self shutting cage doors due to the likelihood of injuring an inmate. However we can have self closing doors on reptile rooms.
• A well fed snake is very unlikely to go looking for a hugely oversized meal. Nor is it likely to attack an animal it is familiar with through spending time together.
• If you block the dog from the front of the cages, a standard movement alarm can be installed to detect any escapees when you are not in attendance.

I honestly believe you are not in a position to make an informed risk assessment at this point in time. There are too many unknowns yet to be determined. You can try the BHP and you will have a lot of time to fully assess the potential risks. Should it turn out that you are still not satisfied with the potential risks, then sell it well before it is large enough to be of concern. That is still going to give you several years of keeping.

A note about feeding...
The advantage to feeding birds and rabbits to larger BHPs, as against large rats, is that rats of 200 g of more often contain a higher proportion of fat. It does depends on what they fed but unless you can be reassured otherwise, don’t use rodents in excess of 180 g. BHPs are the least tolerant of fat in their diet of any Australian python. A high fat diet leads to a condition commonly referred to as “fatty liver disease” which is fatal. You do not have to feed them a single reptile to have a healthy, vibrant, long-lived captive BHP.

Ready to flip a coin? Lol!
Good luck whatever you do.

Blue

 

[danischi24]

That was a brilliantly thought out & balanced post-thank you. I've already decided on an alarm system for the cage door to make sure it's closed. By the time the python is big enough to be a problem, we will hopefully have enough space to make a reptile room which will solve the problem. I've really enjoyed reading everyones posts. My dog still has 5 months of quarantine left before she arrives & I'm already planning how to protect her in 5 years time from a hatchy
I've seen a few hets floating around on sales sites but they were snapped up quick.

 

[user 30368]

I own an adult BHP, an 8kg Jack Russell terrier AND a teeny Chihuahua. I have no doubt in my mind it could eat the Chihuahua and maybe tackle the Jack Russell. But they never mingle and I have never worried about such an incident. Both my dogs are indoor dogs too. If my BHP is out, I either shut the door to the room I am in, or put the dogs out the back. Its like saying "should I have a child as I own bleach and other dangerous chemicals". Keep them all separate and you have nothing to worry about!