My Pet and my Closing Pin.

[BoostedXT 0]

Yeah......its a snake. Oh well....wai ttill I get my Colombian Boa. 9ft snake and closingpin photo to come.

Any Herp lovers out there?

Joe
PS-Ignore my ugly mug.

For long as you live and high you fly and smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry and all that you touch and all that you see is all your life will ever be.
Pedro Offers you his Protection.

[freeflygoddess 0]

awe you are both so cute...

Ok I must go and finish cooking.

[MochaSkyChick 0]

Cool snake and pin.

PMS #62
Zarza R[red

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

Nice! Snakes are so sensual.

Angela.

[freeflygoddess 0]

You wanna see an even better snake?
Go HERE

[Amanda965 0]

Awesome, snakes are badass.

Perfect pet for a skydiver since you can leave it alone on the weekend while you spend time at the DZ instead! That is planned to be my next pet as well.

Any suggestions for a snake that will remain relatively small?? (Under 3 ft) My friend used to have a mini albino something (python maybe) that was adorable, but I am just not sure what to get!

Blue skies and SAFE landings!
~Amanda~

[BoostedXT 0]

Snaaaakkkeeee! Snaaaaaakkkkeee!


Yeah snakes are one of those aninals that people are afraid of. I think we as humans fear what we dont understand. People dont know a lot about snakes, or even want too, so they label them with terms like ....."slimey" when in fact snakes are far from it.

At one point in evolution snakes had legs, but they had a better more adaptive way of moving by slithering. They are like every other animal out there. They have personalities, like to be held, or dont like to be held. For example....the python loves to curl up and sit in my lap and do nothing, and she doesnt like when things are near her head. Now the Colombian RedTail loves to be held and rubbed. She also loves tohave the underside of her head rubbed, right under her mouth. It relaxes her and she usually wont move for hours after its done. lol.

This photo is Rosie my soon to be Boa....she is actually not a common RedTail, she is what is called a Pastel Boa, but in the Redtail class.

Joe

For long as you live and high you fly and smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry and all that you touch and all that you see is all your life will ever be.
Pedro Offers you his Protection.

[BoostedXT 0]

Amanda:

It all depends what type of snake you want to get, what you like. The biggest thing is research them as much aspossible before buying. For example people often want that wow pet and see a Reticulated Python laying there all beautiful.....well that little guy will get to 30+Ft and weight like 400+ pounds.

Snakes like Royal Pythons, or Ball as they are commonly called, are great snakes. They sleep a lot and dont need to much care. The moisture levels, temp, and eating are the biggest concerns next to mites. One thing to keep in mind is that snakes will often adapt to their home. They grow depending on your feeding habits. Feed a lot and large food it will get bigger, the same works the other way. You could easly have a python that is 3-4FT, or you could have a python that is 5-6FT.

Another thing to keep in mind is the age expectancy. Pythons are 30+ years in age, and so are Boas. Think about it this way.....you going to want this animal when your 50+ years in age? I have had girls that I have dated tell me the snake has got to go, its either the snake or them. Well they lost and Monty won. Dont be surprised if people make you decide over them or the snake. Another down fall about feeding is can YOU do it? When the RedTail gets full grown I am going to have to feed it Rabbits, yeah they are already dead, but could you do it? Could you get a rat and kill it and feed it to you snake? These are just some things people forget about when they buy a snake.

Talk to your local Herpotologist Vet. or just go on google once you find a snake your interested in and read all you can. My recommendation is a Ball Python. Great snake, it wont get to big, not an incredible amount of care, but on the other hand can be testy at times with feeding. Its a great learning snake.

Ball Python: $59-$79
30Gallon Long tank
Matting for the tank
Heat lights
Water dish
MOST IMPORTANT: Hide house for them to sleep in.
Locking top

All totalled like $300 or so dollars for everything. Simple things like dont get heat rocks, they can burn the snake, dont get woods chips for the tank, they cause infections, and remember snakes are escape artists...get a good locking top. And enjoy your new pet.:)

Any more questions just PM me.
Joe

For long as you live and high you fly and smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry and all that you touch and all that you see is all your life will ever be.
Pedro Offers you his Protection.

[SkydivingNurse 0]

Snakes are awesome. The only thing I'd suggest is doing a ton of reading up on snakes before you go out and get one. Get a feel for what you'll be taking on, and make sure there's a good vet that knows how to care for exotics. For some reason, all the vets that I talked to when I had my parrot (RIP, Blue ) were also the ones to talk to about snakes. I've had a few friends that had snakes, and they can be a cool companion.

[skycat 0]

I like this version better.

Fly it like you stole it!

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

You kill the food before feeding? The best part is watching them kill the food!

Angela.

[freeflir29 0]

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The best part is watching them kill the food!

No doubt. An old boss had a 12 ft 85-95lb Python. It was way cool to watch that thing eat a rabbit.

[BoostedXT 0]

Yes I kill the food first. Think about it this way.....If some big animal is trying to kill and eat you your going to fight right? Well Rats and Mice carry diseases, if they are stunned or dead they cant fight back and harm the snake by chewing it, or scratching it. Its mainly for the saftey of the snake.

If you do have a snake and feed it pre-killed..keep one thing in mind. snakes see heat, and pick up scent. So they smell the food, and see the heat from your hand......can you guess what happens next? Hold the food with thongs, or heat it up a bit. Most bites are the persons fault....snakes dont attack unless provoked.
Joe

For long as you live and high you fly and smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry and all that you touch and all that you see is all your life will ever be.
Pedro Offers you his Protection.

[freeflir29 0]

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Most bites are the persons fault....snakes dont attack unless provoked

Yep....my boss was in the habit of feeding his snakes on the kitchen floor. He always gave the big one 2 rabbits. He hadn't given the second yet and walked into the kitchen wearing sweat pants and no socks. His feet were giving off a heat signature about the same size and shape as a rabbitt. He was standing at the sink when he felt a wet slap on his foot. Luckily the snake wasn't sure that was food so he gave it an "Investigative" strike and kept his teeth folded. I'd say he was lucky and NEVER made that mistake again.

[BoostedXT 0]

Thats dumb no offense to your boss. Snakes usually move till they find a rodent hole, sleep in there till the rodent returns home. They eat the rodent then sleep and digest in the rodents Ex-home.

Snakes like to be in dark, damp, and cool places when they eat and digest. They wont eat if they feel threatened usually. I feed mine in a big tupawear container with the cover on, or when they get really big the bathtub works wonders.

Joe

For long as you live and high you fly and smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry and all that you touch and all that you see is all your life will ever be.
Pedro Offers you his Protection.

[flyonthewall 0]

Ball pythons are great pets. I had a burmese named fizban. I had to get rid of him at about fourteen feet. He was incredibly docile. I used to work for a reptile breeder/distributer. If you think skydiving is exciting try dealing with a four foot monitor lizard who's loose in your delivery van while you're on the freeway!

[Dagny 0]

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Dont be surprised if people make you decide over them or the snake.

Or, them or skydiving. Or them or football. Or them or your job. Or...well, the list goes on, doesn't it? Better to find someone whose interests you can live with, I think, than to demand a change.

But, back to snakes....I LOVE redtail boas. My sister had one and she was a beautiful snake. I couldn't get enough of her. Now, my sister fed her live food. Lucy refused to eat if the food was already dead. Even if it was warm and dead. And Lucy graduated from pinkies or fuzzies or whatever they're called to mice to rats to bunnies. It's the bunnies I couldn't watch being eaten. I don't have a problem with the whole food chain, survival thing...but I don't have love for rats and mice, you know? So, that is why I will most likely never own a snake. Even a redtail boa, as cool as I think they are.

Take me, I am the drug; take me, I am hallucinogenic.
-Salvador Dali

[freeflir29 0]

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Thats dumb no offense to your boss.

Yeah....he couldn't beleive he had done something so stupid. He had only owned all manner of reptiles for 10 or 15 years at this point. Another funny story about this guy. He liked snakes so much that he went and got a job at the Nashville zoo reptile house. He quit the day they tried to get him to clean out a green mamba cage. He said he went over to the cage and looked around for several minutes trying to find the snake. Couldn't see him.......