Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I keep a fairly decent size collection of ball pythons at the moment and it takes time to clean out their tanks when they make a mess.

I can't figure out how guys who own "hots" maintain keeping their enclosures clean. Especially the guys with large hot collections. I guess they take MUCH MORE TIME to manage the same amount of ball pythons that I keep in my collection or any collection for that matter.

To answer my own question, I guess they do it carefully!

"Hots" try to convince you keep them with their amazing colors and patterns.

wants a copperhead...thinks of albino copperhead....
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0.1 "Tremper" looking Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
0.0.1 tiger crested gecko (peachs)
0.1 Red blood python (Rhianon)
0.0.1 ball pythons (FELIX!!!!!)
2.1 Feral cats that we adopted (Fuzzy, Bear, and Tony)

I was considering getting one when I learned their venom wasn't particularly toxic (i.e. deaths are very rare). Later, but thankfully before I actually got one, I learned about tissue damage and decided venemous just isn't for me. The thought of nerve damage along with a possible amputation was a little too much. They are the only snake I find as visually appealing as the ball python.

Necrosis is your main concern.
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Chad Bachman

I've had enough experience with copperheads in Ft Campbell's "back 40" and JRTC (Ft Polk). Along with kicking one upside-down because it was hid in dead leaves (!) another incident that left a definite impression on me was seeing a 6ft big brave grunt guy running top speed with e-tool in one hand and toliet paper in the other and a 5 or 6 ft p*ssed-off copperhead hot on his heels! Those snakes are just a "tad" territorial!
Katrina

Copperheads do not get that large, or even close actually (4' is pretty much max with 2'-3' being average for a large adult).

Sounds like a fish story to me...LOL
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Chad Bachman

OK, it was shorter than I am tall (5 ft 6) moving very very fast, and none of us were willing to walk up and measure it. A couple people called it a cottonmouth, most said it resembled a copperhead, and sometimes those two terms are interchangeable around here. The grunt in question called it "F***ing scary as s**t!" and took someone to "guard" his ..er...back when he went back out to "accomplish the mission" he originally set out to do. Since it was just an exercise out in the back 40, we only had blanks. It was good sized, the color of dead leaves, and it MEANT BUSINESS! I'll leave the hots alone, thank you.

it takes much much longer. I only had about 85 hots & 75 of them were fast moving high metabolism elapids, and I could have taken care of 300 Balls in the time it took me to care for them.
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Chad Bachman

I use to maintain a fairly large venomous collection back in the 80's and 90's.
What I would do for the larger more heavy bodied animals was that their Hide box was also a Transfer box. Meaning, on the front of each hide was a groove so I could place a door on it.
While the animal was locked in, I would spot clean their cage. If it needed a complete cleaning, I would simply remove the entire box, animal inside.
For Tree Vipers, like Eyelash and Waglers, I simply removed the branch they were on. I would then Hang that branch in a secure location while the cage was being cleaned.
In keeping venomous for more then twenty five years, I never found myself in compermising position.
In fact, I would still be keeping venomous, if it wasn't for the backward thinking of my state and it's stupid laws.
1998 was what I refer to the death of the Herp Hobby here in Indiana. Unless you wish to keep Iguanas, Bearded Dragons or Balls, your other choices are slim to none.
But that is for another thread in another fourm......