Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi, i was thinking of getting a red tail but i was wondering a few things....
1. How fast do they grow?
2. How mcuh do they grow per year?
3.How big does an average female get and in how long
4.Are hide boxes absolutley nesessary?
thanks a bunch,
Mike

1. Can reach 6 ft in as little 2 years
2. see above, depends on how much they are fed
3. 8ft or- in 3 to 6 years
4. Not in my opinion.

Good info on the growth, but I'm going to have to disagree with you on the hide box issue. I've heard of some breeders who don't use hides, but they were keeping the animals in a room set aside just for the snakes (i.e. not much foot traffic or people around), and in fairly short, dark enclosures. Fact of the matter is, these are not social animals, and they need somewhere to retreat from time to time, especially right after a meal or while in shed.

I see this question from time to time on the board, and it makes me wonder, why not have a hide box? At least for me, they're the cheapest part of my setup: I just get a ceramic flower pot and cut a hole in the side. Do you want to have the animal always visible? If that's the case, you may want to look at a different pet, since snakes in general don't want to pay attention to you or be visible all the time.

Give the snake a hide, and you'll have a healthy animal who is, at least some of the time, out in the open for you to enjoy viewing. Don't give the snake a hide, and you'll get to see it all the time, but it'll be stressed out and possibly sick or snappy as a result.

..
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Jeff
0.1 Wife
1.2 Kenyan Sand Boas
1.1 Smooth-Scaled Sand Boas
0.1 Doberman
1.0 Pitbull
1.0 Collie

I personally keep my animals in a seperate room from the "high traffic" area, and most of them do not have hides.. BUT the animals in the enclosures where I pass by frequently when in the herp room I keep hide boxes in with them.

Later
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Randall L Turner Jr.

You never experience life until you have kids..then you realize what you should have done rather then what you did do

The question was, is it necessary. I keep my babies/juvies in drawers. I do crumple up a newspaper and let them "hide" in that. All my adults are kept in boaphiles with no hides. I did not mean to say that hides were not a plus, just not necessary in my opinion. I also was in a hurry answering this post. The reason I responded was because usually I see posts like this get ignored or someone types "do a search". I am glad to see such imput being put forth on this post and thanks for helping this person out. Again I apologize for not being more thorough in explaining my answer. Craig "can't wait til baby season" Kade

Found that out the stinky way. My BCC pee'd on the clay pot and no matter what I did-washing, left out in the sun, ect.,stank like a skunk's butt. Got me a large plastic dog water bowl and cut a arch in the side with a sabre saw. Had to buy another bowl for my dog, the wife has a problem with her drinking out of the toilet.