Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am sure most of you have either had or do have boas before, so I want to ask, how big do they REALLY get after 10 years if they're not powerfed? How is their temperment compared to Boas? I see people who take their 16 foot pythons to schools for educational things, and I can't imagine doing that with my 6' 3 year old female BCI. She's just too "alert" around fast movement. Do they get really calm when they get big? I am a "lurker" on this forum and I am blown away at the beauty of these pythons, especially some of the morphs, but I wonder what is it really like-there is so much exaggeration and bravado in our hobby, "I have a 23 foot python that you can pet like a dog"...ect.

There is no answer to that question and do not let anyone allow you to believe there is. Every snake is an individual. While some burmese pythons, anacondas, reticulated pythons, african rocks, and even boa constrictors are suitable to allow hands on interaction under proper supervision...many are not. There is no rule for any species that they can be kitten tame as 20 ft snakes. While certainly with work, you can get many snakes to become "used" to handling and calm down...it is ultimitley what you learn about working with that snake over the years that meakes it easiest to do so. As far as size, it all boils down to genetics, feeding, and the keeprs ability to keep the snake alive for its full potential. With you boa, I have certainly seen some that would be "too alert" for hands on interaction in an education show. I also had a HUGE boa at the zoo I used to work for that was an excellent educator. I would still hold the snake and be aware of all her movements just in case, but we never had any problems allowing children stand in line to feel her skin. I have had anacondas I would have no problem allowing people to hold and ball pythons that keep me on my toes every second I am working with them (to be honest, I come across more "nippy" ball pythons than anacondas or retics...it is just peoples experience with a few imported animals which is the base of their bad reputation). It is all about the individuala.

I agree completly with the post above. Each snake has its own temp no matter what kind. I can tell you the difference with mine but thats not to say its going to be like yours. My boa was very tame. When people came over I had no problem letting them hold my boa. Now I would not let anyone hold that one. She for some reason has become nips for no reason that I can see and it is random and out of the blue, don't know why just has. She has gone off feed and been weird like that for awhile. I have to start handling her more again.
My burm aggressive in the cage more so than the boa. My hand goes in there first without a hook and bam. So I learned quick. When she was a baby I only got bit once due to my own fault, but other than that now she is 10ft and I have no problem brining her out around people. She is alert so fast movements in front of the face I do not allow. But I always watch the head if someone else holds her.
My retic still a baby but the most docile of them but very aggressive in the cage, just lazy when being held but a quick one once you put him down. This one I let people hold and bring around people so it gets use to us when it gets to be bigger.
But as the post above said never trust them, cause when you do thats when things go wrong. And Dog tame or Cat tame, I would say they are just tolerant.
I also got into this and am thinking of going from school to school with them, but I want to go with other who do this and see how they do it before I go by myself.
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0.1 Rott
1.0 Super Tiger
0.1 Green Burm
0.1 Ball Python
0.1 Red Tail
0.1 Blood Python

I think you should be a little mpre carefull in allwong people to hold things. I would also suggest not trying to get into showing at a school yet. You need to be prepared to answer all their questions and you would be surprised at what some kids know. You also need to be 100% sure about how your snake(s) is/are going to react. (we all know you can't be 100% sure...but you can be sure enough to be prepared for any unexpected behavior which allows for the safety of everyone). When you are ready to do shows, I think you will be very surprised at the knowedge some kids have. I did a show for 4th graders once and had a kid raise his hand because he knew why you could not get UVB from "regular house light." He said "it is because flourescent lights have gasses they put in that allow it to get to the reptile." It is funny how a fourth grader can pick up on this concept but when I worked in a pet store it was nearly impossible to convince people why they can't get around providing these spacialized lights (not in Illinois winters anyway).

I took mostly babies and yearling snakes when i went to my daughters school last year.
The kids will be plenty excited with a 3ft snake...they dont have to be huge to get kids interested..
I took a garter snake in that i caught in my backyard just to show they kids..they all new what it was but they were still excited to see it.

Jason

I guess when I see reptile exhibits in the future, I will watch the handler more carefully. They are probably doing things in a subtle way, such as guiding the head, that people don't notice.

I use my two Burmese in school presentations almost weekly. Since July 2002, I've done 199 of these presentations -- mostly to schools, but to some civic clubs, etc. I have used three different snakes for these presentations, all Burmese. Sadly, the star attraction, my 16 1/2 foot albino female, died in October 2003. I now have two males, one 14 feet and the other about a foot shorter, that I use. After I do my presentation, I usually let the kids touch the snake if possible. I've spent the entire day at schools and had as many as 800 kids come up over the course of the day and touch the snake. So far, I have had no incidents. I realize the possibility of a bit or strike is definitely there, and I go to great lengths to make sure the kids are safe. The good thing about using a big snake is that you can stretch the snake out on the floor and the kids can touch the animal without getting near the head. Another key is crowd control. I make sure the kids come by in a single file line and gently pet the snake and then move on. I keep them away from the head, and I try to keep my hand or arm between the snake's head and the kids.

I have taken a couple of hits myself doing shows, but none recently. About a decade ago, I took a nasty bite on my forearm from a big African rock python in front of 120 Boy Scouts. But the kids were well away from the snake. For the record, none of the bites I've received during shows have been from Burmese.

The key is to be very careful. If one my snakes ever bites anybody (besides me) during a show, my days of doing the shows will be over. So I go to great lengths to make sure that doesn't happen.

RP

I personally dont think its a good idea to let kinds have hands on with your snake. I have taken mine to my kids school before but i wont let any of the kids touch them...thats asking for trouble in my opinion.
I dont care how "tame" your snake is...it can and will bite eventually. You get a classroom full of kids reaching and grabbing at the snake your chances of having one of those kids get bit is pretty good in my opinion. And that would just confirm what most people think about snakes.
I wouldnt take anything i couldnt handle alone into a school.
As far as boa's go the biggest i have seen was about 10ft.

Jason

I have seen them over 12 actually. And those are massive boas. They can be very very large snakes..but nothing like your big pythons and anacondas.

Ect.,Without powerfeeding. Male.

Same applies to my last post about size in snakes. It still depends on the other issues. You could get a male over 15 ft. The dimorphism of Pythons is nowhere close to that of Eunectes.

n/p.