any one good with snakes

[boom215]

well i bought a snake the today for 80$. ok thew guy told me it was a boa and that she was about 2.5 feet long. i got her to my place, set up the tank and put the box she was in in the tank. well when she came out of the box she is about 5 foot long. this is my first snake and i was scares poopless. this think is huge. first q is can i handle this snake i would like to be able to hold her on occasion. and two how often should i feed her, like i said she is about five feet lone and as thick as a baseball bat. thanks

 

[lovethesea]

first of all....hopefully some snake people (not me.......

those people who know me) but, hopefully they will say the same thing. The pet store sold you something you didn't want. So why were they trying to get rid of this 5ft creature. Did they not take it out for you to look at? This seems like a HUGE :help: snake :help: and may require more experience than you can provide.

 

[aw2]

Retiles are definately not something for people with no experiance to get. Especially constrictors.
Unfortunately, you're in a tight spot. I'd try taking it back to the store where you bought it.
Do you know the species or anything about it?
Can you take a pic of it and post it here? If I see a pic, I can identify it and help you out.

 

[cartman101]

Yeah, i do what AW2 said by taking it back, askl the guy who works at the pet store and see if he can maybe hold it for you untill you have done your research then when researching is done see if you still want the snake. Do you know what kind it is?

 

[kjd_0214]

You said it was a boa are you sure? Thats the first question. If its not then its a python and then you ask yourself if you can handle a snake that could get over ten feet long. You asked if you could hold it? That answer depends on the snake I have held a number of big snakes with no problem it depends on the snake though. This snake could be anywhere from 1.5 years on up they grow pretty fast depending on how you feed it. Do they have any clue were the snake came from was it neglected stuff like that will depend on if you can hold it. Personally I dont like pythons I prefer Boas. Boas have a set of teeth along their mouth unlike the Python that has fangs. It hurts a hell of a lot more to be bit buy a python then a boa. I would say to find out more info on the snake like were it came from the species stuff like that. O yeah does it hiss when you go by the tank. Or do anything suspisious like that. Pics could help..... Is it healthy thats another ? Does it have and scares or mites.....you can look up pics on the internet to see what i am talking about....Send me a pic and I can tell you alot then.... Pm me with anything else.

 

[beth]

Boas can get to 15 feet, and since they are constrictors, they can certainly kill you, me and anybody when they are that big. It is not beccause they attack you, or are mean...they are constrictors by nature and when nature calls, they will constrict just like we breath air. YOu must know how to handle them when they get to this size.
Like fish, the decision to keep reptiles is a serious one since they require certain specific environments, health care and feeding. You need to do your research way before you ever get a snake and feel completely competent with taking care of them for a long time. Boas can live for 30 yrs! With a 5 ft snake, you will need, at least, a 5ft enclosure, IMO. And even larger than that as the snake gets larger...which doesn't take long.
http://www.kingsnake.com/boapage/
I would suggest you return this snake and do some more research before delving into herb-keeping.
I'm a python keeper myself, so feel free to ask any questions.

 

[matt_m]

If you do decide that you don't want to keep it, let me know. I've been looking for a nice one again.
matt_m@dejazzd.com

 

[keleighr]

Originally Posted by boom215
well i bought a snake the today for 80$. ok thew guy told me it was a boa and that she was about 2.5 feet long. i got her to my place, set up the tank and put the box she was in in the tank. well when she came out of the box she is about 5 foot long. this is my first snake and i was scares poopless. this think is huge. first q is can i handle this snake i would like to be able to hold her on occasion. and two how often should i feed her, like i said she is about five feet lone and as thick as a baseball bat. thanks

Just wanted to let you know that you have gotten the snake that kept getting "marked " down.
The price you got on a 5 foot boa is too good of a deal. The ones in our local pet store sell ones that may be a foot long and they are being sold for $80.
I have been going to my lps for a long time and have learned that when an animal has had a bad habit or really bad traits it sells first about the price it should and then slowly goes down to the clearance prices.
I agree with everyone here about you needing to find out the history of this snake. If you are lucky you will have an honest store like i do. They tell you up front what they know about each animal/reptile/bird or fish.

 

[boom215]

well i got pictures but there in my email and i cant find out a way to get them here. and sorry for not stating this earlier but i got the snake from a private seller.

 

[aw2]

Well, with everyone posting different "they'll get to be this big"...."no, this big"...I think we need to find out what kind of boa/python it is, first...if it is even one of the two.
Some boas and pythons will max out around 3' - 4' while others can max out at 20' - 25'.
To post the pictures, you need to save them to your hard drive and then post them, in a posting, here on the site.

 

[darth tang]

As far as physically handling the snake...let it get used to it's home for a couple months before you attempt to pick it up. This can stress out a snake if they are handled to soon and cause problems.

 

[aw2]

Originally Posted by Darth Tang
As far as physically handling the snake...let it get used to it's home for a couple months before you attempt to pick it up. This can stress out a snake if they are handled to soon and cause problems.

I disagree. The longer you wait to hold the snake, if you're planning on keeping it, the more likely it's going to be aggressive. If you keep them locked away and dont handle them on a regular basis, snakes do become aggressive when handled.
If you wanted to wait for a few days, before handling, that's fine...but a few months is entirely way too long.
Any word on the pictures or the person you bought it from telling you what kind it is. Does this guy have a website or anything?
It anything, boom215, email them to me and I will post them for you. garnera80@hotmail.com or agarner@joeperillo.com

 

[hedonic]

I disagree. The longer you wait to hold the snake, if you're planning on keeping it, the more likely it's going to be aggressive. If you keep them locked away and dont handle them on a regular basis, snakes do become aggressive when handled.

I second that. Snakes need to handled frequently to remain passive towards you. Also read about feeding precautions because most of the time snakes do not attack out of aggression but rather misunderstanding. If you can feed him frozen food, do it, it will prevent him from learning to strike at a moving target, like your hand. If you can pick 'em up, dedicate a tote or large box to feed him in, don't feed him in the actual cage he lives in. This way the only thing coming for him in his enviornment is your hand to pick 'em up, snakes can be conditioned in this way. Snakes that big will feed somewhat irregularly. I try to offer food at least every 10-14 days, but they don't always eat it. I care for several snakes as well (mainly pythons, by the way beth, what kind do you keep?) so I am happy to help, I really enjoy them (Well I really enjoy any animal).

 

[hedonic]

Originally Posted by AW2
I disagree. The longer you wait to hold the snake, if you're planning on keeping it, the more likely it's going to be aggressive. If you keep them locked away and dont handle them on a regular basis, snakes do become aggressive when handled.
I second that. Snakes need to handled frequently to remain passive towards you. Also read about feeding precautions because most of the time snakes do not attack out of aggression but rather misunderstanding. If you can feed him frozen food, do it, it will prevent him from learning to strike at a moving target, like your hand. If you can pick 'em up, dedicate a tote or large box to feed him in, don't feed him in the actual cage he lives in. This way the only thing coming for him in his enviornment is your hand to pick 'em up, snakes can be conditioned in this way. Snakes that big will feed somewhat irregularly. I try to offer food at least every 10-14 days, but they don't always eat it. I care for several snakes as well (mainly pythons, by the way beth, what kind do you keep?) so I am happy to help, I really enjoy them (Well I really enjoy any animal).

 

[aw2]

Good point, hedonic, that I hadnt mentioned yet...about making sure you feed them outside of their "home" enclosure. If you feed in the same enclosure that houses the snake, it's going to start associating you, opening the cage, as it's time to eat. That's when you're going to be bitten.
I've kept Burmese, Ball, Emerald Trees, Carpets and am in the process, right now, of aquiring a male/female pair of Granite Anacondas. And, I've kept a 6' Eastern Diamondback.

 

[beth]

AW2, do you have a deadicated room for your snakes? Wondering how you kept them.

 

[hedonic]

Originally Posted by AW2
6' Eastern Diamondback.
Man, thats serious. I like the smaller guys generally, I just don't have the space for larger ones. I am keeping a pair of dwarf-balls, and a few cornsakes. I have had a red-tail I sold at 6' because I did not have space for him, and a Ball that got to about 4', then escaped and I never found him (I have dreams about him sneaking up on and eating my little itailian greyhound pup).

 

[aw2]

Originally Posted by Beth
AW2, do you have a deadicated room for your snakes? Wondering how you kept them.
As of right now, I dont currently keep any snakes. The ones I listed have been "over the years". This pair of Granite Anacondas will be my first snakes in a while and I'm dedicating an 8'x10' section of my basement to them, fully enlosed.
The others, that I've kept, have been kept in various enclosures...usually things I built myself.

 

[aw2]

Originally Posted by hedonic
Man, thats serious. I like the smaller guys generally, I just don't have the space for larger ones. I am keeping a pair of dwarf-balls, and a few cornsakes. I have had a red-tail I sold at 6' because I did not have space for him, and a Ball that got to about 4', then escaped and I never found him (I have dreams about him sneaking up on and eating my little itailian greyhound pup).

HAHAHA...I lost a 3' Ball Python in one of my old apartments. I told my girlfriend at the time and my roommate that I came home and found it dead, for some unknown reason. If I wouldve told them it was lose, they wouldve moved out.

 

[hedonic]

My best guess is that it got outside, it was summer at the time and the door was open a lot. Those balls just have a nack for getting out.