My experiences with Elaphe taeniura friesei.

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Rat Snake Forum ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Bert Grit on March 10, 2001 at 15:48:59:

In Reply to: ? about Taiwan Beauties posted by john on March 10, 2001 at 08:45:13:

Hi John,

I've kept a pair of E. t. friesei for some time. I've raised them from hatchling to sub adult (haven't bred with them). In my opinion E. t. friesei aren't agressive, but they're very nervous. Especially juveniles are nervous. Whenever I approached the enclosure they were being kept in they fled away under their hiding place. As the animals grew they got less nervous. Eventually they wouldn't flee if they saw me. In my experience the young E. t. friesei don't feel themselves very comfortable in a too spacious enclosure. However, I should keep adults in a spacious enclosure if I were you. When the animals have calmed down they can get very active. E. t. friesei is an active snake. I would advice a spacious terrarium with some branches in wich they can climb. I have never been bitten by my animals. The trick is to be very calm and to handle the snakes very gently. No sudden moves! Although they will not bite you, E. t. friesei are not the easiest when it comes to handling (especially the adults!). They are fast. I would compare them for instance with Lampropeltis triangulum sinaloae when it comes to the handling. E. t. friesei gets very large. Most adults I've seen were approximately 8 feet. I have been told that if you keep them in a sufficient large enclosure and you feed them well (these snakes are good eaters as they have a rather high metabolism) they can even grow over 8 feet. I have really enjoyed keeping these beautiful snakes. The reason I parted with them was because I didn't have the room to eventually house the adults. :-(

Regards,

Bert Grit
The Netherlands

Follow Ups:

Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:

Subject:

Comments:
: Hi John, : I've kept a pair of E. t. friesei for some time. I've raised them from hatchling to sub adult (haven't bred with them). In my opinion E. t. friesei aren't agressive, but they're very nervous. Especially juveniles are nervous. Whenever I approached the enclosure they were being kept in they fled away under their hiding place. As the animals grew they got less nervous. Eventually they wouldn't flee if they saw me. In my experience the young E. t. friesei don't feel themselves very comfortable in a too spacious enclosure. However, I should keep adults in a spacious enclosure if I were you. When the animals have calmed down they can get very active. E. t. friesei is an active snake. I would advice a spacious terrarium with some branches in wich they can climb. I have never been bitten by my animals. The trick is to be very calm and to handle the snakes very gently. No sudden moves! Although they will not bite you, E. t. friesei are not the easiest when it comes to handling (especially the adults!). They are fast. I would compare them for instance with Lampropeltis triangulum sinaloae when it comes to the handling. E. t. friesei gets very large. Most adults I've seen were approximately 8 feet. I have been told that if you keep them in a sufficient large enclosure and you feed them well (these snakes are good eaters as they have a rather high metabolism) they can even grow over 8 feet. I have really enjoyed keeping these beautiful snakes. The reason I parted with them was because I didn't have the room to eventually house the adults. :-( : Regards, : Bert Grit : The Netherlands

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Rat Snake Forum ] [ FAQ ]