Posted by:
chris_harper2
at Wed Jul 27 13:00:49 2005 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by chris_harper2 ]
>>Does anyone have any experience with these guys?
I have purchased dozens of imports over the last few years. Generally, I consider my success rate to be a bit better than 50%. In other words, if I buy two imports I expect one of them will be with me a year later.
>>Everything says only for ADVANCED (big flashing red letters) keepers, but as far as I can tell, it's only because of the unpredictable nature, ie: I might (read: will) get bitten.
If you handle them, you will probably be bitten. No big deal. I consider them to be advanced from a handling standpoint only because they can be hard to control. If the thought of having a very fast snake take off and you and disapear into your couch concerns you, there are probably better snakes. That worried me A LOT more than a bite.
From an difficulty of keeping alive standpoint, I don't consider them to be that difficult. However, many specimens do seem doomed from the start. Honestly, the specimens of mine that did great for a year or more did not require much work. The ones that perished fairly quickly seemed to do so despite my better efforts.
>>So, is this a good snake at my level of experience, or am I missing some critical info which might make me change my mind?
I believe you should have a bit more experience. The need to be able to "read" a snake is pretty important. You have to develop a feel for them.
One snake that I highly recommend is Rhino Ratsnakes. I have 2.2 of them and find them very easy to keep save for a tendency to soak and develop mild blister disease. They are a calmer, slower, ratsnake that appeals to my for the same reasons Gonyosoma do. They are readily available as captive bred and born specimens.
But I still prefer Gonyosoma. I could not design a more perfect snake if I tried. Of course, I like their spastic, aggressive attitude.
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Current snakes:
1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)
2.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)
4.3 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)
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RE: Red tailed Green Rat Snakes - chris_harper2, Wed Jul 27 13:00:49 2005