# royal python 1st snake



## Heather (Sep 29, 2008)

Hi all, my 7 yr old daughter has wanted a snake for a couple of yrs now ive tried to talk her out of it but not worked so im gonna get her one. 

she has recently handled 2 royal pythons and also garter and corn snakes at an animal show, out of all of them she prefers the python, and after speaking to the various ppl at the show they have said that the python is more of an ideal begginer snake as its much slower, likes to be handled and is less inclined to bite or try to escape from her, she also did find this out whilst handling as the corn and garter were all over the place. but the royal python just curled round her arm and layed in her chest. 

just looking for any tips on the above also what sort of vivarium to go for etc also how big should it be at the time of buying as i want her to have a baby one. all help and advice is much needed thanks Heather


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## cat001 (Apr 12, 2008)

Royal Pythons can more fussy with their food compared to the corn or garter, especially around winter when they tend to fast. but i've only ever had corns, can't really give much else of an opinion on royals though they can make great starter pet snakes if the apropriate research is carried out since they do have a excellent temperements and are fairly easy to care for. A great forum site to go to for advise is RFUK.co.uk all sorts of professional reptile owners are there ready to give advise


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## Heather (Sep 29, 2008)

thanks ive found some great advice on the site you ref me too.
love the pic i have 3 cats too, cant see my cats taking to a snake when my daughter gets hers tho somehow lol


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## cat001 (Apr 12, 2008)

Haha, one of my cats is very snake tolerent but my other 2 cats, i wouldn't even let them look at the snakes lol. 

Glad to hear you got some great advice  Pics please when you get your daughters new snakie


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## Heather (Sep 29, 2008)

i cant believe yours is the only reply i got on here, very dissapointed but so glad u gave me the link to the other one is been brilliant are you a member on the other one too and is your user name the same. 
think i will keep my cats well clear of the snake lol thanks again Heather


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## cat001 (Apr 12, 2008)

The Reptile section on here isn't the busiest of sections :S 

Yep, i'm a member there with the same user name as here


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## Sypher (Sep 29, 2008)

Nothing wrong with a Royal Python as a first snake if you do the research. I always hate the advise of getting a corn snake as a first snake. I you don't like colubrids, then you're not going to enjoy it as you should. Not saying you should get any reptile straight off but Royals are fine.

As said, they may go off food through the winter Infact, many people don't feed from October to March with full weight adult snakes.


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## Sypher (Sep 29, 2008)

You've probably already read this by now but go with a captive bred snake, preferably by captive bred parents. There are a lot of wild caught and even more captive farmed Royals about.


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## Heather (Sep 29, 2008)

what is the difference between captive bred and captive farmed then please thanks


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## Sypher (Sep 29, 2008)

Captive bred - Bred in captivity from parasite free healthy adults.

Captive Farmed - Bred in Africa from wild snakes in poor conditions. Often eggs are taken, hatched and then sent here. You will need to take stool samples to the vets to be screened.


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## Heather (Sep 29, 2008)

so if i buy one from my local pet store is that more likely to be captive bred and how would i really know, is it just a case of taking their word for it.


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## Sypher (Sep 29, 2008)

When you look at snakes they will usually marked up as CB1.0 (captive bred male) CB1.2 (captive bred, one male, two female) etc.

Captive farmed = CF
Wild caught = WC
and you may also see LTC = long term captive. This could be wild caught or captive farmed and should of been tested for parasites.

I would avoid general pet stores and go to a specialist reptile shop or breeder. The reptile community isn't that big and shops rely on their reputation so will be honest in marking up the animals.

You'll probably be looking at around £50-60.

Just don't get into the designer morphs or you'll need a second morgage.


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## Heather (Sep 29, 2008)

we have a garden center near to us that also has a large animal section where they sell tropical fish, birds, small animals, farm animals and also reptiles inc spiders, lizards and snakes etc. i have phoned them yesterday and they have 3 royal pythons in stock what do u think to me buying it from there. 
also apart from the obvious questions such as how often is it feeding what else should i ask or look for


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## Sypher (Sep 29, 2008)

You should ask to see a care sheet. On there should be a daily temperature log and a feeding log. The feeding log should show the date and what the snake was offered and should say if it ate or if it was refused.

Also look at the condition of all the snakes. Do they have shed skin stuck to them? Have they got a hide at either end of the vivarium? Do they look the right weight and that includes being over weight as that is particularly bad for snakes.

When handling the snake, have a good look for mites, they are tiny buy can be seen by the naked eye. They are a real pig to get rid of.

It would be best if the Royal is already on rats as they will outgrow mice and it can be difficult to switch later on. Avoid snakes on a diet of chicks as they have absolutely no nutrition and again can be really difficult to switch foods.


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## Guest (Oct 6, 2008)

we have a Royal and she's great. never any problem feeding her and wonderful temperament.


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## J-Dee (Nov 11, 2008)

i have 5 adult royals and 13 baby royals at the minute and dont have a problem with any of them feeding. if you go for a royal the best advice i can give you is to try and find one that is a good feeder, apart from that you should not have a problem. 

i agree with sypher who commented on getting a cb royal rather than a cf one. there are quite a few reputable royal breeders about who sell only their own cb royals. if you need a hand finding places to buy one then feel free to pm me.

you will pay alot more if you buy one from a shop then you would if you buy one from a breeder. also sadly alot of shops buy cf and still get away with selling them as cb.

if your planning on buying a baby royal they tend to do better in a small rub (clear tub with a lid) as they dont like big spaces, this can be an added factor in why they dont eat if they dont feel secure.


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## carlsguide (Dec 23, 2008)

Hey. I'm new to having a pet snake also. I love python snakes. I found a lot of good information on python snakes at python pets


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## Searyan (Aug 9, 2008)

Royal pythons prefer smaller spaces to feel secure so a four foot viv is fine for an adult. They need a good hide in there, maybe two, Royals can be a bit fussy and if they`re not happy they will just refuse to eat. A moss box is a must, they spend a lot of time underground in the wild and benefit from the humidity. Temps, 85 degrees at the hot end, some say 90 degrees, cool end late seventys. They are very calm snakes, mine have never bitten, however, they will bite if they aren`t handled properly,they will bite if you`ve handled a food item and you haven`t washed your hands properly, its easy to forget theres a rat in on top of the viv or something and you go in the tank, you smell of food and bang !!  I don`t want to put you off at all but do bear in mind that a bite from a Royal python, esspecially on a very young girl , is no joke. The bigger the snake is, the worse the bite is. Never trust a snake, they never "like" to be handled, the relationship is not like that at all. Handling is good but too much is very bad ! esspecially with Royals as they will just stop eating if they get stressed out, they`ll have awful sheds, the skin will come off in pieces ! Have you seen a fully grown Royal? I think theres a picture of one of mine on here somewhere, I`ll have a look, they are pretty big ! my biggest is nearly six foot and as thick as my upper arm. But yeah, all things considered, with the right research done and what not, a good begginers snake,nice and calm usually !  chuck me a pm if you want any help once your looking after it


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