Reptile & Amphibian Forums

it seems like they have a nasty demeanor. is that just wild-caught ones or are they all like that? do the captive-born become semi-tame or very tame? if they do get calm, are they calm and dependable enough for a 7yr old to handle independantly?
thanks

All of my Indigos and Cribos have different (individual) personalities. With some of the sub-species, it seems that maybe individual personalities really means varying levels of nastiness. For example, I have some Yellowtail Cribos. All of them are nasty to one degree or another and don't really seem to want to tame down much, if any. I have a pair of Mexican Redtail Cribos that are puppy-dog tame. I also have some Blacktails and a Unicolor, all of which are pretty tame. I have an adult Texas Indigo that I believe, in all sincerity, if he were human he would be the leader of a street gang. I have a juvenile female Texas Indigo that has never offered to bite or really shown any sort of bad attitude.

The bottom line, though, is that I'd be leery of trusting any large snake to be handled independently (without close adult supervision) by a 7 year old. Biting is just a matter of opening the mouth, positioning the head correctly, and closing the mouth. Anything with teeth can bite and will do so under the right circumstances. An Cribo or Indigo gets very large (8 ft ) and is capable of inflicting a serious, although non-venomous, bite.

thank you for the information. i appreciate it. i really do not have any intention of letting a 7yr old be responsible for a snake that large. i just do not know anything about cribos and am looking at getting something different. i am interested in the spilotes, and have just seen some pretty cribos in my search. thank you for the info.
i tried to email deanalessandrini. any idea on turnaround time?

Dean will reply promptly when he gets the email. He does travel a bit in his work, though.

Spilotes are not always ultra-calm or ultra-tame snakes either. As a matter of fact, they can be downright squirrelly, too.

If you live in a state that allows you to keep Eastern Indigos, they are probably the best all-around Drymarchon temperament-wise. Texas Indigos, Redtails, Blacktails and unicolors will also make good pets, depending on individual temperament and how and how much they are handled. Yellowtails don't really seem to calm down as easily as the rest for some reason.

I returned your email and I do have cb spilotes...but...if it were me and the animal is for a 7 yr old, NO WAY would I choose
a Spilotes. They are ALWAYS "whippy" in nature, they never stay still even for a brief second when being held.

They can calm down as far as biting, but I wouldn't really trust them.

Spilotes are like thin cribos on speed.

oh, yes, and they can get well over 10'

hey,
i resent you an email so you're probably in for the night, but incase you didn't get it, i am responding on here as well. would you attempt to get hold of me asap. i am supposed to be getting 2-3 spilotes and i have been holding off.
thanks.
brian (starleen)
520-404-1142
atchokins003@aol.com

I just replied to it.

I don't know why you didn't get the last one...I just hit "reply" to your message.

Anyway, If you don't have the response now, let me know and I can call you.

Dean

dean,
i did get your email and tried to open the file. i sent an email back to you asking for help to open your picture file and i have been unable to open it. i assume that you did get the email, so if you didn't, let me know.
thanks
brian