Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Given this is one of the forums where there are more succesfull monitor breeders and that as some people have said this is the las frontier in reptile keeping, I just wanted to know what are your thoughts on appliying the proven to work principles with varanid husbandry, to other big carnivore reptiles, like giant snakes, (basically reticulated pythons and burmese pythons). My two biggest concerns are about the temperature range recommended for this species, and feeding regimen. Do you think that they should also have acces to extremley hot temperatures, like monitor lizards, or is a 90ºF hot spot enough? and regarding feeding, I know that you say that it is important to always give animals a choice. I have read comments were Frank Retes himself said something like this: "A snake in nature would try to grow as much and fast as possible. If the snakes eats on its own when she/he is hungry, there is nothing unhealthy about it. If they consume a high quality natural diet (whole, properly fed mammals)" So, based on this reasoning, once the snake reached a sexually mature size, lets say 30kg for females and 15kg for males (for burms and retics), they should be given the opportunity to breed so they can use the energy from their diet for something like egg production and incubation.
I know that my conclusions are not based on expereince, thats why your insight is greatly apreciated. Thanks in advance
Pd: Frank, sorry if I am putting words in your mouth

I do not think this should be limited only to large carnivorous reptiles. I keep my hognose snakes pretty much the same way. They have very high basking temps, natural substrates, and humdity gradients within the substrate. We have kept leopard geckos pretty much exactly like we keep varanids with great results.

If Frank did indeed say that in the wild, snakes will consume a lot more food than they are offered in captivity because they "want" (more like need) to grow as fast as possible, I would have to agree with that 100%.

I believe mountain dragons and some chameleons are much harder to keep and breed.

As for the snakes, I don't believe they would benefit from extremely hot temperatures (above 100F) like monitors do. At least that is what I observed here with Boa, Corallus and Epicrates.

I keep a hot spot at 93,5F and most of them seldom bask right under the heater, unless room temps are low.

I have used close to 100F for pregnant females and only on one ocasion I observed a female using it often.

I think snakes tend to have a lower metabolism and take far too long to digest. And higher temperatures cause decomposition of the food bolus faster than the snake can digest, causing a tendency of vomit.

Of course there are many genus and some have extremely fast metabolisms (Cornsnakes and some colubrids that are diurnal hunters such as tiger ratsnakes and vinesnakes). Others, like the emerald tree boa are more slow and do not tolarate too much heat.

In the end, I believe snake people already push too much their animals and they even grow faster than they can support.

But many other aspects of varanid keeping can be applied to snakes, yes.

IMHO