I agree with the previous posters based on my experience keeping Taiwans. My current male is close to 8' and about 12 years old (raised from a hatchling). Due to his strong feeding response, I always use a hook to get him out of the cage. Taiwans are very fast and strong, but my guy is not agressive once he knows there's no rat coming. I keep his temps at around 75 ambient with 82-85 for a hot spot, large water bowl to increase humidity in the cage.



I've really enjoyed keeping my Taiwan as he's very inquisitive/interactive and has never missed a meal. Compared to North American rat snakes, I think Taiwans have a faster metabolism. They grow quite fast for the first few years and digest small meals in a couple days. Keeping them well fed (in a attempt to reduce the feeding frenzy) can be an undertaking. I will say that handling him is a challenge due to his size and strength. With that prehensile tail, he's constantly wrapping something and having to be untangled. Feeding is an adventure, even with 18" hemostats to offer the rat to him. Before I moved him out of a top opening enclosure to a front opening enclosure, he would literally launch himself out of the top of the cage to grab the rat. Once he missed the rat and broke a couple of teeth off in my hand, but other than that S.F.A., he's never bitten me.



They're great snakes if you're looking for a large, reasonably priced, colubrid- once you get past the feeding response.







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Lora

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