Question for URS

[ThePaintedLady]

Hi URS...
I have lots of lizards and a few frogs and was wanting to get into snakes...
My Partner wants an Olive python but I have heard they get huge!!!
I am normally sh.. scared of snakes but I could easily pick up cranky lizards....
Go figure...
Anyhooo...I have seen pics of these and was wondering what kind of temperament they have and how big do they get?
I have been handling baby snakes to get used to them...
My biggest fear is getting bitten...Once I get that over with I should be alright...
I don't want a fiesty snake though...
I know of a jungle baby that strikes every chance it gets and I would hate to be scared of it once I got it..

If you could answer these Q's that would be great....

Thank you for your time...

 

[SNKMST]

Hi PogonaLady,

You are right the Olive pythons do get rather large. Jungles do tend to be a little cranky when they are young and from what i have seen dont really grow out of it.

In most cases an sub-adult/adult snake is the result of how much handling they had as a hatchy/juvi.

I myself started with a diamond python which as a juvi i handled twice a day for 20mins and he has never stuck or bitten me.

To answer your question about bites, the first one is the worst one after you know what it is like in the case of a hatchy or juvi you will probably have a cuckle to yourself about it, you will know there is nothing to worry about.

 

[ThePaintedLady]

Thanx for that....
Everyone tells me that it will be too quick to even notice, but I don't know...
I would prefer to pick up a Goanna than a snake anyday :?
I would love a Bredli if I get a snake as I love the unusual colouring in the Bredli..
Do you know how big they grow?

 

[africancichlidau]

My biggest fear is getting bitten...Once I get that over with I should be alright...

Come round to my place to get this over with, I have crankies of varying sizes

 

[OuZo]

Come round to my place to get this over with, I have crankies of varying sizes

Lol same here :lol:

Bloody Childreni I got from AFRO just munched on my hand twice and held on for about 5 minutes...had tingles up my arm for a while after and she's only about 2 foot :lol:

 

[ThePaintedLady]

Oh good on you two!!!
Now I'm packin it... :shock:

 

[OuZo]

Lol it doesn't hurt that much....plus most of the time you can prevent getting bitten by taking precautions....such as not going on to grab a snake that ALWAYS bites ANYTHING that goes in there cos she's an eating machine :lol: . We hook out the nasty ones and they're usually fine when they're out of their domain. In my limited experience it hurts more when it's a food bite as they constrict and it's usually the loss of blood flow which hurts more than the bite lol. But really, I'm the biggest wuss on the planet (been working myself up the courage to get a tat over the last 7 years or so :roll: ) and I found it bearable so I wouldn't stress

 

[africancichlidau]

(been working myself up the courage to get a tat over the last 7 years or so ) and I found it bearable so I wouldn't stress

So, your tat is bare able?

 

[Jason]

OuZo
i think your talking her out of it more then anything.....lol

it hurts more when it's a food bite as they constrict and it's usually the loss of blood flow which hurts more than the bite lol.

had tingles up my arm for a while after and she's only about 2 foot

but you are correct it doesn't bite if it has been regularly held and is tamed.

PogonaLady if you get a hatchy with 20 min a day or even less it will become friendly, i have a baby coastal and somtimes it will strike (very rarely) and i wonder if it actualy got me or not cause it is that fast and painless.

 

[Duke_jensen]

I found I was a bit nervous when I first started out, to build up your confidence buy a pair of rubber chemical gloves big carpets don't even get through them. I still have a pair I bought when I first got into snakes I use them now for feeding.

 

[africancichlidau]

Pogona Lady, don't be put off by our banter here, The majority of pythons are calm animals and with regular handling from the hatchy stage they turn into big pussycats If you are that nervous start off with an older than hatchy member of the Antaresia family that is already proven to be placid. This should give you the confidence to deal with some of the larger species. The only reason a lot of mine are snappy is because they are either in breeding programmes or destined to be, which means they get very little handling.

 

[herptrader]

All but one of our pythons are great handlers and very tame... and that includes a bunch of juveniles have not had the heart to sell yet.

Our olives are particularly tame... but yes they do get big. Olives are generally referred to as "Gentle Giants". There are however exceptions to all generalisations.

 

[OuZo]

Our olives are particularly tame... but yes they do get big

Bloody oath...I almost fell over when I held one the other day lol :lol:

So, your tat is bare able?

Nup cos I haven't got one yet dirty old man :lol:

OuZo
i think your talking her out of it more then anything.....lol

Yeah sorry about that lol. I was more trying to point out that if you do the right things then you can prevent it most of the time. Like with my Childreni yesterday, she was sitting there looking up at me and I KNEW she was gonna bite but I went in there anyway. If I didn't want to be bitten I woulda used a hook ya know? My coastal tagged me the other day cos I tried to change a light globe while he was in the cage...he didn't like it lol. Once again, there's something I could have done to prevent it. Sorry if it came out sounding dodgy but there was a point in there somewhere :lol:

I actually think she's better off getting a hatchy that she has to tame down cos once you get bitten you realise when they're that tiny you don't even feel it and I think it gives you more confidence. Plus as they (and their teeth ) get bigger, if you got bitten again you'd be more used to it than if your first tag was a big adult. Strange logic I know but it's mine :twisted:

 

[Jason]

africancichlidau got it right, simply put....

with regular handling from the hatchy stage they turn into big pussycats

 

[Switch]

Maybe if your scared of being bitten you need to adopt a handling method from the start and stick to it.
Getting used of being bitten isnt good for you or the snake, some peoples reaction (which is normal) is to pull away when the snake strikes, if they get you as you jerk away you can break teeth etc, which isnt life threating but not always good, i had a bite that would not heal after about 3-4 weeks, only from a Python, it got a bit infected looking so i squezzed it and two little broken teeth tips popped out, then it healed quickly after that, that was my only bite in the last 3 years because i have a handling method and i broke the rules and paid the price.
What i mean by a handling method is as folllows.
When feeding i open the enclosure and use forceps to introduce the food item, ALWAYS.
When i want to handle my snakes or remove them fro cleaning, I open the enclosure and use a hook to gently entice them out and let them come up the hook onto my hand, ALWAYS.
I believe they develop an association with whats going on and through repititous activity develop a routine (some will argue this, its just my opinion and what has worked for me).
When handling snakes i tend to leave my hands flat with the fingers closed up next to each other, hands with the fingers apart can look like a hand with 5 little mice hanging off it, especially if there is the slightest bit of rodent scent on them.
If you are keeping lizards and snakes be careful to wash your hands after handling a lizard so the snake doesnt smell the lizard on you.
This is all just my theory, and no doubt there will be heaps of constructive critisism to follow.
Cheers

 

[herptrader]

What I had intended to say earlier, but re reading it now it did not come out that way.

We have a range of different species of pythons, childreni, morelia olives etc. and all but one our snakes are very tame, including some of last seasons hatchlings, (the ones we have not had the heart so sell yet).

The olives are the tamest of them all... except perhaps for our large lady coastal who will let you scratch her on the chin even when she is about to be fed.

That said I have been tagged by one of our olives in a feeding misscalculation. He let go quite quickly but because of his size I realise that there is a lot of muscle in that slender 3 meter body... it is not a mistake I am likely to make again.

 

[OuZo]

When feeding i open the enclosure and use forceps to introduce the food item, ALWAYS.
When i want to handle my snakes or remove them fro cleaning, I open the enclosure and use a hook to gently entice them out and let them come up the hook onto my hand, ALWAYS.

I think that's a really good way to go about it Switch. I agree that they do develop an association with things like how you feed, handle etc. When I first got into snakes people would always tell me to feed out of the cage so that the snake doesn't associate opening the cage door with feeding and bite you.

But, I don't think that Pogonalady should be told that if she handles her snake regularly then it will never bite. I've used that argument myself in the past and been told quite a few stories from people that have handled their snakes regularly and never been able to calm them down. It seems that most of the time it works but not always. When I went to handle my first yearling snake I asked the guy if it would bite and his response was "If you're not prepared to get bitten then you shouldn't be looking at getting a snake" and I think he's totally right. Don't get me wrong, I was still s^&t scared of it happening lol but I was prepared for it to. I knew it would at one stage and I don't think it's good to convince yourself that it will never happen if you do "this and this and this". Like Daavid said, there can easily be a mistake made when feeding or like what happened to you Switch. I'm not trying to be nasty, I'm just saying that even though you can usually prevent being bitten by whatever means, you should still be prepared for it.

 

[Switch]

Ouza, good points. Your right it may well be inevitable, but prevention or minimisation of it is always a good thing.
One other thing i didnt mention.
Sometimes when you want to handle your snake it might not be in the mood, if you are trying to get it out of its enclosure and it is resisting then just leave the door open and 9 times out of 10 they come out of their own accord and are less stressed towards being handled.
I used to try to get my snakes to feed outside their enclosure when i first started out but the problem i found with a couple of my snakes was that they feel at home and safe in their enclosure and stress when put in another enclosure to feed, therefore not taking the item. This is why i keep all snakes in their own enclosure so feeding is never a problem with multiple snakes fighting over the item.

 

[serpenttongue]

Pogonalady, okay supposing you get a snake and you dont exercise caution, the end result being that you get bitten. The first thing you will probably do is yell, then pull your arm back(forcing it to let go) and then the last thing you will do is start laughing. And you'll be wondering what all the fuss was about.

I dont enjoy getting bitten and i avoid it as best i can. I havent been bitten in about 2.5yrs. But i must confess its a great adrenaline rush!

Feeding bites are the worst. If you've handled rodents wash your hands before going near snakes. I wash my hands twice with 2 different soaps. If its a feeding bite they will hold and constict. Dont try forcing the snake off until lets go with the mouth, then grab it round the neck and gently unwind the snake making sure you dont cause any kinks in its body. Also if you get bitten try not to pull your arm back. This can sometimes cause their teeth to break off remaining embedded in your skin.

 

[ThePaintedLady]

Thanks for all your info guys and gals it's great to hear different opinions and options to minimise getting bitten..
I suppose it's the same as when I pick up a cranky huge lizard-I know it could do heps of damage but I am prepared for it...
It's just a snake thing...They are the ultimate killing machine and I know it....

If I can handle getting tattooed then a snake bite should be nothing---Right?
:shock:
Back to the Q about a Bredli though...
Does anyone know how big they get and are they a snappy breed?
If I am going to get a snake I would like an unusual one and I like the colours of them...
What do you all think?