Thinking of Getting a GIANT snake? Please read before you do IS A GIANT REALLY FOR YOU





Well some of you may know i made one before which was very rushed so out of the kindness of my heart i am going to write a brand new one from scratch with some added bits from the old one.



I have seen many threads about people wanting to own a giant snake so i thought i would post some info that will hopefully answer some of your questions. Before rushing out to get your snake there are a number of things you need to consider before even thinking about owning one.



Size

Firstly Do you really know what your getting into? Can you really handle a 15ft snake? These are very powerful animals and in the wild have been known to tackle big cats such as leopards and tigers! so you can imagen how strong these animals are. So please think to yourself can i really handle a snake that can get this big.



Food

Can you afford to feed the snake? feeding giants can be expensive so make sure you have the money to provide large amount of food.



Do you have the room?

Giant snakes need a large enclosure when adult, so before rushing out to get your snake, think to yourself do you have the room for a snake that can reach 18+ft?

and can live for 20-30years old? you may even need to upgrade the size of the enclosure if your snake grows bigger then expected.



If you are aware of these and have the money,time and will put in the effort you can start looking into getting your snake. All of this information is either From personal experience and what i have learnt over the years i have been in the hobby and from other keepers i know. Other keepers may House these differently and have different opinions And please note that any of the snakes can grow bigger then the sizes given so i will say again be prepared for a large snake.







There are 4 giant snakes 5 if you include the scrub python but i don't know enough about scrubs to comment so 4 for now. There are the reticulated python,Burmese python! African rock python and the Green anaconda.They are all different from each other but share one thing in common they all get huge. I'm not going to lie it's damn hard work and sometimes it can be stressful. Money is a factor as they are very costly. It can be very dangerous! a 15ft snake can KILL you no problems if it wants to. But thanks to my guide we are going to try to avoid that So Respect them if you don't your know about it. Big snakes are not for everyone and the amount for sale and being passed around shows that. In fact i would only recommend them to serious keepers who have the time and space and common sense to own one.





Right so shall we get started?





RETICULATED PYTHON

The Reticulated Python is not a giant snake. It's the certain locality's which are the Giant snakes. Basically retics are a group of snakes that live on islands close to each other they range in sizes from 6ft up to 20+ft. Obviously this is a giant snake guide so we will not be talking about the smaller locals.



Javans are the most commonly imported out of them all and they are most like the ones you will see for sale. These range from 14-16ft for males and 16-20ft for females. Retics certainly don't get as big as some care sheets say! You will read of some getting to 25ft but the longest with proof is actually just short of 24ft and the current longest with proof is kept in java and she measures 22ft8-9 inches. You can still expect a max size of the short end of 20ft from a snake with the right genes and locality.



The largest local of retic judging by what seems to attain the largest sizes more often are the Sumatran retic. These are large locals with a very nice patterning There sizes seem to range from 18 to 20+ft with the largest on film being 22ft 8-9 inches.





Housing

There is no max space so provide what you can but min size would be 8 x 4 or 6 x 3 for males. Humidity Is best around 70-80% there is a huge difference in skin coloration and less health problems when kept at this range. Heating wise i say go with what works best for you and your snake I kept mine at 88f and cold end was as low as 70f to up to 75f Some keep them slightly warmer it's all to do with what works for you and your snake.



Temperament

Naturally retics are highly aggressive and flighty and are sometimes not afraid to stand there ground when threatened. In captivity they can become quite docile with handling although many are it is not always the case and care must be taken at all times. They can be very active when handling so it can get tiring! they have a furious feeding response in general so please be aware of that.









This is a 19ft long tiger retic owner by Steve. She is 5.5 years old in the picture as you can see this is a huge size in such a short amount if time so be prepared.

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There are some locality's such as the Sumatran which can reach very large sizes. Judging by this retic pattern in the picture below she has the typical patterning of the Sumatran reticulated python Although steve is not 100% on her origin he has stated she was a WC.





She is accurately measured 21ft 8 inches. It is not a common accerrance for a snake to get this large but it is more then possible. Steve is a strong man and even he would tell you himself how hard work .she is just to move she weights 220lbs.



Overall i found retics a pleasure to own and at times a nightmare there not for everyone and certainly are only for people who can provide the space as although large they can have little burst of high activity levels.





GREEN ANACONDA

Anacondas are my fav species i have less experience with them then the other snakes but i have studied the hell out of them and had the pleasure of owning a female for a few years. Male and females differ greatly in size it's actually very funny to see. Females Have the potiential to get extremely large if they live long enough. They grow all there lives but very slowly it can take a female over 7 years to get to 11-14ft. They grow mostly in there first 3 years then after about 9-10ft will slow right down for the rest of their lives. Female sizes range from 15-17ft in captivity while males attain only 8-12ft.



Housing

Males are easy to house while females are a whole different game. Females are best left to zoos or someone who can provide a zoo type enclosure and idealy will need to be 20-30% land and the rest water since they are pretty much fully aquatic when they reach adult size but this is not possible in many households so a drain able pool would be the best option they can be kept dry but it is unknown if any health risk are involved much later on in it's life. Hot spot 85-86f while cool end 70-75f and humidity levels 60-70%. Enclosure size will need to be very big for a female 8x4 at least but ideally as big as you can go.



I have found them to be the most docile out of the giants males actually make good pets.







This is a female green anaconda owned by steve she looks about 13.5ft in the picture but not sure on here accurate measurements females cam reach this size by around 8-10 years.





This is a very large male green he measures 12ft long.







Overall i have found them to be the most docile out of the giants males actually make good pets but females are very high maintenance in terms of housing and are not really suited to most captive environments and although very docile i just can't recommed female greens







AFRICAN ROCK PYTHON

Afrocks can be your worse nightmare if you buy one without knowing the species. They are VERY nervous as the lines are pretty poor they are either CF or WC. The CB i have worked with where actually not as bad but CB are very rare these days. I would never recommend these unless you really know what your getting into they tend to spaz out in large environments like outside or a large front room if taken out.



Another thing i have seen is basically docile afrocks "resetting" due to mistakes like being spooked or accidents. This can be very frustrating especially if you have put it years of "taming" like i did. Never bank on a tame one bank on a really y One. Females get 14-16ft males 12ft.





Housing

6x3 and 8x4 are good sizes they are straight forward and hardy bastards! so no special requirements unlike miss Green anaconda. Heating wise they can handle hot and cool temps 85-95f and 70-80f cool end humidity 50-60% good to work with and also a nice pool would be nice they do tend to spend a lot of time in the water.







Altogether i have found afrocks hot and cold.. Interesting species but 9/10 terrible pets.





BURMESE PYTHON

Burms are the most popular over bred and most recommended snake. I hate the fact they are so recommended because it's what has made them being owned by the wrong people and has also lead to them overflowing rescues and even being dumped! Burms are very large and powerful snakes and carry the same risk as the other large pythons although they can be a very docile species. They average 15-17ft for females and 12-15ft for males so a very big snake.



Housing

8 x 4 for females and 6x3 for males are decent size to go for. Humidity 50-70% and temps 88-95f hot end and 70-80 cool end is what worked for me.







This is how large they can get it looks about 16 feet. They are not a snake to impulse buy look at that monster is that something you really want to own?



Overall i have had a pleasant experience with burms but i have had my share of crazies treat them with respect and always be aware of how dangerous they can be.





Now we have finally got passed the giant snakes i am going to clear up some questions i hear.



Can they reach 25-30 feet?

No not likely. The longest snake found and videoed was 22ft 9 inches and this was a Sumatran reticulated python. Big snakes are exaggerated by many and always will be you will rarely find anyone willing to tell you the truth of there large snakes sizes.



Can you keep different species of giants together?

Yes you can and it has been done before without problems as long as feeding is done sensible and you do NOT keep male retics together. I would not recommend it there is a risk just like with everything.



Can i keep a giant as my first snake?

If you know the requirements and have done your research and get a feel for both docile and temperamental snakes then yes.

Do i need a snake hook?

No you do not. I have hooks are good for removing smaller aggressive snakes but they are not a must at all.



I will now write guide to give you idea on feeding



Retics 2 weeks as babies and as the snake grows to around the 5-6ft mark slow it down to large meals monthly.



Burms 2-3 weeks then at 2-3 years old 4-8 weeks on larger meals.



Afrocks 2-3 weeks as babies then 4-8 weeks as adults.



Anacondas 3-4 weeks as babies then adults maybe 5 times a year.



Feeding is debatable but i'd rather snakes feed much closer to how they do in the wild then in captivity. I fins it is better to base diet on the snakes condition. If the snake is overweight then cut feeding right back! if your snake is in good health then maintain.



Well i will keep it short here otherwise people will get pissed off with all the reading so i'm sorry if it was a little long i just wanted to cram as much as i can for you guys. If this turns you away from big snakes then i have done my job. If it helps you and makes you want one even more as long as you are really sure i guess i have done my job there too. There are many ways to keep these and feed these etc so experiment and see what works for you!



Just want to say thanks to steve for letting me use his pics huge size in such a short amount if time so be prepared.[/B] viper75, sw3an29, corpselight and 68 others like this.

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