Snakes

[flimseycauldron]

I thought I'd start this topic because our pair of kenyan sand boas just had babies! Kenyans are one of the few species of snakes that bear live young. Actually, what happens is that they have eggs and the eggs hatch inside the female and then she gives birth to the babies. She had twelve babies between six and eight inches long. Two, thus far, have not made it. And three more still have their egg sacks so we are watching them closely. She also pushed out one unfertelized egg. We video taped it all although it ran out the batteries.

[snapegirl]

Awww snake babies! I don't think I have ever seen a Kenyan boa before.
I have a ball python named Nagini. She's about 3 and a half feet long. Her marking are really cool because they look like skulls.

[flimseycauldron]

Pythons are great because they are not super active when held. They are usually very tame. We have the Kenyans, a six and a half foot albino Honduran milk snake, and two western hognose snakes ( pair) and hopefully they will have babies too.

[Colonel_Fubster]

They all sound like such pretty snakes! Can you post some pictures? I'd love to see them.

[mariebeth83]

Yes! i'd love to see pictures too! I really like snakes, and would love to have my own, except I wouldn't be able to feed them they either eat insects/spiders or baby mice/rats don't they? I've an irrational fear of insects & spiders and I don't think I'd be able to feed live animals to them!

[flimseycauldron]

I'll try to get pics up soon! We have a few baby green snakes and garters (my son mostly catches those in the spring in the spring and are let go after a few days) They mainly eat slugs and crickets (crickets are avilable in most pet shops. They bag'em for you, and all you have to do is dump'em in the tank. They are the only things we feed live because you can't train the smaller snakes to take dead food. The biggers snakes take mice and/or rats which we buy frozen and prepackaged. We simply thaw them out and the snakes will eat them that way. We don't believe in feeding live animals to our snakes. For one things it's not fair to the animal who can't escape and for another it is unsafe for the snakes who could get seriously injured by claws or teeth.

If you are thinking about getting one as a pet pythons are the most common because they are usually very tame, especially if you handle them frequently. The problem with them is that they tend to get pretty big, like snapegirl's. If you have the space for them they are wonderful and will take readily to frozen mice. I really adore our kenyan's as they don't get very long (our female is about three feet) and are really friendly. Our Honduran on the other hand is very friendly but she is HUGE and strong and active. I have lost her in the washing machine, had her escape her tank and take refuge under our stove, and escape her tank and managed to hide in my son's room for over an hour. In other words she is alot of fun to handle but not much fun to chase
ETA:
This is our female Hognose. Her name is Penelope.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ON/john053.jpg

This is our female Kenyan who prepregnancy. Her name is Saturn.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ON/john054.jpg

As soon as I get pics of the babies I'll post them.

[Colonel_Fubster]

Thank you for the pictures, they're lovely, especially Saturn, she is just gorgeous!

[snapegirl]

I think my python can reach around 6 feet one day. I'm not sure how old she is since she was given to me by someone who rescued her. I have never fed her frozen mice, although I have been thinking about trying it. Since I moved several months ago, there isn't a pet store around here that sells live feeder mice and it's getting to be a pain to get them.
Is there any suggestions you might give me, flimseycauldron, on how to ease her into taking frozen? I might pick some up today. And your snakes are very cute!

[flimseycauldron]

Snapegirl, I've always bought my snakes already taking frozen so I'm hardly an expert how to do it but there are a few things that you can try. First make sure that the mouse/rat is thoroughly thawed, room temp is usually good. Then do not feed her in her living tank. Put the mouse and your snake in a totally empty large tank or plastic tote with a secure lid. Basically you want it so that she can't avoid the mouse and that there isn't anything to distract her. If she is hungry enough she should take it (but be careful cuz you don't want her so hungry that she'll bite you out of annoyance or think that your hand is food. Even though pythons are constrictors their bite can really hurt and yours is or will be eventually very big.)

Be patient. Be consistent. She probably won't take the first time, or even the second or third. Just keep offering it to her regularly. She may never take the frozen mouse because she is older. You can teach an old dog new tricks but not snakes.
Also their is a great website called kingsnake.com that has forums not only on snakes but other reptiles (and some mammals too)

[snapegirl]

Thanks for the info! I just got some mice, followed the directions on the package and she took it right away! I was surprised. I thought this was going to be a big hassle. She's should a good girl.

(but be careful cuz you don't want her so hungry that she'll bite you out of annoyance or think that your hand is food. Even though pythons are constrictors their bite can really hurt and yours is or will be eventually very big.)

I used some really big tongs to dangle it in front of her.
My poor hubby already learned the hard way that her bite hurts. He tried to pick her up a few months ago, wasn't paying attention to her body language (she thought he had food) and she bit him. I wasn't in the room or I would have told him not to pick her up. But she did look sorry afterwards.

[Colonel_Fubster]

Originally Posted by flimseycauldron

You can teach an old dog new tricks but not snakes.

That is sooo right! I knew some people who had a 5 meter long Burmese python (17 feet), he was supposed to graduate to eating goat kids, but refused to even try, he insisted on live rabbits.

[mariebeth83]

Originally Posted by flimseycauldron

This is our female Hognose. Her name is Penelope.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ON/john053.jpg

This is our female Kenyan who prepregnancy. Her name is Saturn.
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...ON/john054.jpg

As soon as I get pics of the babies I'll post them.

They're beautiful! I love the pictures

Snapegirl77 have you any pictures? It's so cool how you both describe them as more than just snakes, they all seem to have their own character which is so cool

[snapegirl]

I might a have a few on the camera. I have to put them on the computer. (and bug my hubby to bring the camera home from work )

[flimseycauldron]

Originally Posted by Colonel_Fubster

That is sooo right! I knew some people who had a 5 meter long Burmese python (17 feet), he was supposed to graduate to eating goat kids, but refused to even try, he insisted on live rabbits.

[AmeliaPotter]

Snakes scare the living daylights out of me, but my mum always talks about how my uncle had them. They used to escape into the house all the time, and once she got really angry at him because he fed her mice to them

[permafrost]

Sorry if this is uninformed, but i'm sort of curious. How long do most house snakes live? Does food cost a fortune? It seems like buying dead mice or live rabbits would get really expensive, but is it more than, say, cat or dog food?

[snapegirl]

Originally Posted by permafrost

Sorry if this is uninformed, but i'm sort of curious. How long do most house snakes live? Does food cost a fortune? It seems like buying dead mice or live rabbits would get really expensive, but is it more than, say, cat or dog food?

I'm not sure about all snake pets, but ball pythons ( a popular snake to keep as a pet) can live about 20- 30 years in captivity.

Food isn't that expensive, but I guess it depends on how big the snake is. Bigger mice and rats are more expensive. For my snake, I started buying frozen mice. It's 4 medium mice for $10.00. That lasts about a month. I have 3 cats and spend way more money on food and litter for them.

[permafrost]

Originally Posted by snapegirl77

Food isn't that expensive, but I guess it depends on how big the snake is. Bigger mice and rats are more expensive. For my snake, I started buying frozen mice. It's 4 medium mice for $10.00. That lasts about a month. I have 3 cats and spend way more money on food and litter for them.

Wow, I had no idea a snake eats just 4 mice a month! That must make it cheaper; I thought they ate like 3 mice a day!

[Artemis_Fowl_2]

I have 3 stuffed snakes - does that count? Okay, not really... But I can't have a real one because they are not allowed in my building. I live near a zoo and check out their snakes from time to time. And I love seeing people's pictures of their snakes!

[Pigwijon]

I love snakes! Too bad i can't have one.. too dangerous, with my bunny anyway