Originally posted by Elara

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I thought it varied by breed. I know generally they are long lived as a species, but isn't Jormangand going to far outlive Edmund?

And generally, yes they are very nice. You just have to handle them often... hence why Edmund is a cranky bastard that bites people.

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Originally posted by venomouslobster

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with boas and pythons it is best, at later stages, to just go ahead and build your own terrarium from plexi glass because the larger commercial models cost roughly about as much as sweden and a half

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Originally posted by Elara

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Initial cost is kinda high (snake, tank, accersories). After than a few bucks every week or so for a feeder rat and you're good until the snake gets big enough to need a new tank.

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Originally posted by Elara

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You can buy frozen ones, but usually snakes prefer live rodents... ours do. Of course, frozen ones are also insanely expensive for some reason.

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Originally posted by Elara

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If the snake was large enough and the cat somehow got into the tank where the snake was being kept it could be a possibility. There are snakes that don't get that big though and would be safer with cats. Generally though it is not recommended to let cats or dogs near the snake. Ball pythons are very gentle and easy going... but if they see something as food....

Well, you get the picture.

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Originally posted by Elara

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It has to be moving for them to go for it... it also has to smell of food (which is why you wash your hands after tossing the rodent to the snake in it's feeding box. Pockets got bit by his snake because he smelled like rat when he went to take her out).

How fast they normally move depends on the breed, but when striking to feed they move in a heartbeat. Usually you can see them sneaking up on the prey and then striking... other times they just sit their patiently and strike when the rat's guard is down. Winry (Pockets' ball python) strikes so fast she barely waits for the rat to land in the box.

They are constrictor snakes, so they bite and then coil in a fluid motion, crushing the prey. Generally if what they have attacked is larger than them you can pry them off before they kill it. Our friend Ken has a little python just bigger than Jormangand than nearly killed his cat (who thought it would be fun to break into the snake tank and hassle the poor thing). He was able to pry the snake off since the cat was larger than it, and the cat was fine... doesn't mess with the snake anymore though. That is the main problem, the cat/dog can kill the snake or the snake can kill them, which is why you keep them apart and make sure that they cannot come in contact with each other. If each animal is friendly it isn't so bad... Winry gets along with Pockets' cats since the cats do not act threateningly towards her.

If you don't want to worry about snakes attacking your other pets out of fear/confusion, get a smaller snake like a Garter, a Ringneck, or a Southeastern Crowned Snake.

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Originally posted by Elara

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Usually it is by breed more than individual snakes. Kingsnakes are generally agressive, ball pythons are usually quite passive. However, if a snake is mistreated, continously fed in his actual tank instead of a seperate feeding box, or just not handled for a long time they can revert from a tame snake to a more wild state and become aggressive.

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Originally posted by venomouslobster

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YES ...rattlers and the other venomous ones aside, some snakes are just plain ornery.

what you are looking for in an affectionate snake is one that does a whole lot of lying around rather than one that activly stalks food. one of the reasons ball pythons are as docile as they are, is that their hunting method involves hiding along a game trail waiting for food to come to them...so basicly they sit around, also they get big enough to not have to worry about natural predetors too much. but others are active mousers and they can get testy as a defense mechanism. for instance pine snakes are known for hissing and shaking and puffing when they are perturbed (even though usually they dont actually strike, though they can) because they are trying to appear venomous.

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