Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey all!

right now, i have an anery corn that's about 4 feet long. but, i'm thinking about selling him and getting a taiwan beauty. how much different is caring for a taiwan beauty? any info is appreciated.

thanks,
Rachel

Taiwans are not that hard to keep. Temps of 85 for a hot spot, 75 for the cool side, big water dish to maintain humidity and LOTS of food. Mine goes nuts at feeding time, just smelling a rat gets his tail rattling. As adults they can eat jumbo rats, so they're more expensive to feed than a corn snake. They can grow to around 8 feet (my guy is close to that) so they need a large cage as adults. They grow fast, so be prepared to move up in cage sizes to match. Typically more active and nervous than a corn snake and can be a handful, especially during feeding.

Hope that helps in your decision. They are beautiful snakes but not as easy to keep as corns in my opinion, due to their large size and huge appetites.

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Lora

right now, i think my corn is in a 30 gal long aquarium. how long do you think that would last until i needed a bigger cage?

~Rachel

Is there no way you could keep your ana as well as getting a Tai?
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0.1.2 Western Hognose
0.0.1. Desert Kingsnake
1.0.0 Macklots Python
0.0.1 Coastal Carpet Python
1.0.0 Coastal x JCP (?)
0.0.3 Whites Tree Frogs

um, i guess i could keep my anery and get a taiwan, but i'd rather sell him, because it'd be a lot easier for me. i'd rather just have one snake to take care of right now.

~Rachel

Hi Rachel,
Depends on the age of the snake you get. A hatchling could live around a year to a year and a half in a 30 gallon- but growth rates vary. My Taiwan started out as a big hatchling and was about 4 foot at the end of it's first year. By the end of year two, close to 6 foot (I slowed down on feeding then). He's only grown a couple of feet since then (over the next 10 years). These are active snakes, and seem to appreciate the space to roam (and climb if available). Be aware that they do have a higher humidity requirement than most North American rat snakes, so you may need to partially cover the tank top to keep more humidity in the cage.
I suggest you invest in a set of hemostats or long handled tongs for feeding. My Taiwan will practically launch himself out of the cage to get his rat. He's great to handle once out and when food is not present. During feeding though- keep your hands well away from the prey item, as anything moving is fair game.
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Lora

I don't have a taiwan, but I have a blue beauty and from what i've read the two are extremly similar - taiwans like to climb more but thats about it.

Be prepared that within about 3 years time you are going to need to have a cage that is approximately 72" long x 36" deep x 18" high - at least. Matt, a common poster here, said he keeps his taiwan in a 3x3 foot base size cage, that is either 6 or 8 feet tall (can't remember). The caging will take up a lot of room and not be exactly cheap. The vision cages for the first size i mentioned ar about $400. Plus heating panels.

Now also be prepared to get bit... a lot. When I first got my blue, she would bite me 2 or 3 times every time i handled her (daily) for the first month and a half I had her. You need to get them used to human contact as babies, however, or else they will be very agressive adults - and draw a lot of blood.

i'm not trying to scare you off here, just telling you the reality of keeping such a large snake.
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-Chris

The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -George Carlin

A fool doesn't learn. A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Which one are you?

My Website
N. American Rat/Corn snake care sheet I wrote
Information on substrates

Current snakes:
0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat (Lola)
1.0 Black Rat (Frankie)
0.1 Texas Bairdi (Rosa)
0.1 Blue Beauty (Brunhilde)
1.0 Green Tree Python (Monty)

thanks to everyone who has given me any info. so far, it's really helped a lot!

yeah, i can handle getting bit for awhile. i do plan to get a taiwan as a baby, so hopefully that won't be as much of a problem. i read somewhere that i should wait about 4 weeks after having it to even handle it, does that sound right?

for feeding my anery, i usually just take him out of his cage, place him on the couch for a second, place the mouse back in his cage, then place him back in his cage and let him chow down. is that an adequate method for feeding?

i'll keep in mind the cost of a large cage. i'm hoping to get a job this summer, i'll turn 16 the day after valentines day. so, i'll just plan on saving so much money per week to go towards a bigger cage.

again, thanks for all of the info!
~Rachel

I would not put a Taiwan down for even a second- or pick them up for that matter during their feeding frenzy. These guys are fast and when they smell food, even faster. I feed in the cage, with long handled hemostats and even then, like I said in the previous post, the snake will sometimes launch himself out of the cage at the prey item. Sounds cute when they're small, but picture 8 foot of hungry snake coming at you, looking for a rat. I used to literally toss the mice in the air (when he was under 5 foot) and he would catch them. Again, sounds cute till he missed and broke a few centimeter long teeth off in my hand. Took months for them to work their way back to the surface.
Now my snake may just be an unusually avid feeder, but I doubt he's the only Taiwan that behaves like this. I raised him from a hatchling and he's always eaten like there was no tomorrow. I like to keep my hands as far removed from the snake's dinner as possible, just to prevent any confusion.

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Lora

Now, If you ever want to get into beauty snakes you should start with a Taiwan. To me, they are just 8ft long cornsnakes with crazy feeding responses. If I put a rat in the cage, 80% of the time it won't even touch the ground before being constricted.

If I were you, I would keep the corn. Your corn will be your mellow snake that you can reach into the tank and pick up, show your friends, etc. Your beauty is going to be more of a display snake, but can still be handled with precaution. This is just my experiences with them, any other questions go ahead and ask!
Toe Pads

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Edited on February 14, 2005 at 21:49:11 by phwyvern.

great info, thanks. one more question: should i wait 4 weeks after getting a taiwan before i handle it?

~Rachel

4 weeks? Where did you hear that? When you receive a new animal it is going to be alittle stressed, so it is best to leave it alone for a few days to let it acclimate to its surroundings then start to gently handle it. After feeding is the same thing. You want to get your snake accustomed to being handled too, because you do not want an 8ft beauty snake with an attitude!
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Starkey
Toe Pads

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Edited on February 14, 2005 at 21:47:12 by phwyvern.

i'm not sure exactly where i read that, but it was on one of the care sheets for taiwans that i was looking at. i thought that sounded way too long.

~Rachel

I pretty much agree completely with the above post, I love my taiwans, they are eating machines and you'll probably have to set yourself a strict feeding regime to prevent them getting overweight, even after being fed they are nearly always on the look out for food. They do have an awesome feeding response (playing catch with a freshly defrosted mouse is always entertaining ) Out of the many babies that I hatch out each year I tend to find that 90% or more are tame and handleable straight away. You will want to handle a baby from the first week you get it to keep it tame as you would not want an 8ft or longer defensive tai, they are physically strong at that size and move extremely quickly.