Flavio,
I'm glad you didn't take offense & are understanding about my suspicion. I tip my hat to you in respect.

First off, I think statistics pretty much show that we stand a better chance of being killed in automobile accidents or many other normal, everyday activities, than being killed by a large snake.

I don't know how many owners of large snakes there are worldwide or here in the USA but I think the ratio of keepers and those killed by them would be a good report and tool for combating further regulations.

Personally, I'm one of the ones that believe it's best to not handle anything over 10ft alone. Now, the more slender-built Retics might could safely be handled alone up to aproximately 13ft or so since they lack the muscle mass of the Burmese Pythons. Don't hold me to that 'cause it's been too long since I've dealt with the strength of large retics, I currently keep burmese.

Now, what I'm about to say may come across as offensive to some but I certainly don't mean for it to. You see, I have a wife & two kids that depends on me, I'm responsible for them. That makes me more cautious than I was before I got married, when I had the "Mr. Tough Guy" attitude or felt that I was indestructible, which I actually used to feel.

We're dealing with undomesticated animals that still have a lot of natural instincts that deserve respect. Not fear, but respect.

Most, but not all, of the "What the heck, handle that sucker" attitudes I've seen have come from one or more of the following types of people: Single, young, self-serving, macho, non-thinking, etc... Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that everyone that has or does handle big snakes alone have these characteristics. I'm not saying that, at all! I'm just saying that the majority of the ones I know of do.

I've seen, or heard, of a few people that seem not to fall within one of those categories handling big snakes alone. I'm not saying they're crazy or anything like that. I just simply don't agree with it, that's all. And who am I, right? Right. I truly believe that some people can have more than enough trust in their big snake to do so. But, my thoughts are, "What if the time ever comes that they need help?"

There was a fella, I believe it was in Indiana, a few years or so ago. He was in his late 20s or early 30s and his family said he had plenty of experience with big snakes. One evening after supper he went out to his reptile shed to administer medication or force-feed (tube) to a new 13 or 14ft burmese he had acquired a few days earlier. After several hours someone in his family went to check on him & found him dead from what the medical report later said was asphyxiation (evidently squeezed to death).

It only takes just one time to eliminate time. That time may never come, but what if it does?

One reason I suggest to not handle alone is due to the fact that there are so many inexperienced keepers that actually think they're experienced. If I say it's OK to handle a 14ft burmese alone and someone goes out and buys a neglected 14ft burmese python and takes it out while alone and the thing goes ballistic on them, I've contributed to it. The funny thing about that is I'm the last person on earth to not lay everything out on the table being completely open & honest, and not watching what I say due to someone that's not capable of making good decisions on their own.

Now, considering my 9 1/2ft male burmese python - I don't have a lick of problem getting it out alone. It has never even hissed and is so sweet, gentle, and not flinchy or nervous. Ask me in another year or two, when he's bigger, and we'll see if my attitude or beliefs have changed. I doubt it, but you never know.

Randy (ArtInScales) has several large burmese that I know he trusts and they have good dispositions, but yet he's still mindful of the one attack he's encountered. It's called respect. And Randy ain't no lil' fella like I am.

I'm not scared to take my snakes out alone, not at all. I merely don't do so out of concern for my family in the unlikely event that something bad were to ever happen. Last, but not least, is the black eye I'd give to the "big-snake keeping" community if I were to be killed by it.

That's just my view, but I'm a nobody. Seriously. I'm basically just a statistic, but I'd like to keep it a "good statistic".

Have a great day!

And thanks again for being understanding.

Mike
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

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