I live in a snake free country where nobody has snakes as pets.Only time you get to see snakes is at the zoo.I was curious as to what it is like owning a snake ?What do they really feel like and do you require a permit to keep your snake/s?The only time anyone has had a pet snake in NZ was a couple of months ago and he snuck the snake in from Australia.Sadly that snake was confiscated and put to sleep.I see that pythons have become a real problem in some parts of the US in particular Florida.Do you breed your snakes and if so how do you mate them ?If you do breed for selling how do you ensure that the buyer knows how to adequately care for the snake ?thanks for reading and perhaps replying
Hey, Mels Bee. Is it against law to own snakes in New Zealand? I don't think we need a permit to keep snakes in the U.S.
I do not own a snake, but a few of our members do. Fishbone will give you the best answers you can get when he gets online again. He has extensive knowledge and experience in both keeping snakes and breeding them. You can find some of his snakes' photos in other threads. Some of them were clearly hatched at his place.
Hi Mels Bee! A snake feels very "muscular" I suppose would be the best word. Most species are very smooth, but that does vary a bit. Here in the states, not many species require permits. There are various regulations on different species in different areas. But Australia has a very extensive licensing system, territory to territory, with every animal requiring documentation.
New Zealand is one of the few islands with no native snakes Ram, and they appear to want to keep it that way. I would assume it is intended as an ecological defense. I think it sad from my perspective, but New Zealand is a unique Island, and they feel a need to protect it apparently. Australia is the same way with non-native reptiles. If they find someone with a corn snake, the person is reprimanded and the snake is euthanized.
I used to breed boas, but have recently converted to mostly Indo-Australian pythons. Depending on what you breed, and how much you want to sell the animals for, it is normally not too hard to move them. With evaluating the buyers, it is the same as with anything else. You communicate with them. Try to find out their experience. And their willingness to learn. Their is a pretty tight knit community of reptiles keepers here in the states. So there are allot of people I may know or at least know of, and can know they have the knowledge and the experience. You always have to be prepared to keep the animals for an extended period, and that should always be taken into account. I don't do it for a living, so it is not as if I need to sell the animal to pay bills. I really don't think most people should try to breed reptiles for the money, it is tricky. If you wouldn't have the animals in your care if you weren't selling offspring, if you wouldn't enjoy them anyways, you shouldn't have them. That is just my opinion
Hey Admin yes it sure is against the law here in NZ to have snakes.The only place to see them is like I said in a zoo.Wow fishbone you are very lucky to be able to own snakes.I think our climate is not very suitable to snakes either except maybe in the more tropical northern North Island.yes you are right though that we have unique wildlife in this country who are already threatened sadly by other introduced predators including man.I did see that beautiful albino snake of yours.Is it a he/she ?I have seen corn snakes on the tele and found it very interesting how people confuse them with a similar snake who is poisonous.Fishbone have any of your pythons ever bitten you out of fear or mistaken you for food ?
First time I heard of about there is no snake in New Zealand. It is hard to imagine there is no snake on such large island. It is known somewhere there are tiny islands full of snakes everywhere to feed on migrant birds. No idea how the snakes got there.
(05-02-2012, 01:15 AM)Ram8349 Wrote: First time I heard of about there is no snake in New Zealand. It is hard to imagine there is no snake on such large island. It is known somewhere there are tiny islands full of snakes everywhere to feed on migrant birds. No idea how the snakes got there.
There are quite a few islands in the world teaming with snakes and other reptiles. Almost every island in the Philippines and Indonesia, as well as most islands in the Caribbean. And New Zealand, Ireland, Greenland, & Iceland have no native Snake species whatsoever.
(05-01-2012, 07:05 PM)Mels Bee Wrote: Hey Admin yes it sure is against the law here in NZ to have snakes.The only place to see them is like I said in a zoo.Wow fishbone you are very lucky to be able to own snakes.I think our climate is not very suitable to snakes either except maybe in the more tropical northern North Island.yes you are right though that we have unique wildlife in this country who are already threatened sadly by other introduced predators including man.I did see that beautiful albino snake of yours.Is it a he/she ?I have seen corn snakes on the tele and found it very interesting how people confuse them with a similar snake who is poisonous.Fishbone have any of your pythons ever bitten you out of fear or mistaken you for food ?
Allot of species of snakes are easy to mix up on a quick glance. The two here in the U.S. that get mixed up all the time are the scarlett kingsnake and the north american coral snakes, the eastern coral snake, Texas coral snake.
I do get bitten from time to time. It happens. Allot of babies are very defensive, as people appear huge to them, it's a basic "don't eat me" response. And the food mistakes can happen easily, as snakes can be quite smart, and if there is a feeding regimen, and they get used to it, if you start that ritual, they are expecting food the next time the enclosure is opened. Those are fairly easy to avoid with the proper precautions.
He has extensive knowledge and experience in both keeping snakes and breeding them. You can find some of his snakes' photos in other threads. Some of them were clearly hatched at his place. 
