“I guess the biggest problem is irresponsible pet owners.
I have seen several programs on TV (Nat Geo, Animal Planet) that say this has become a major problem in South Florida where a number of pet owners have released giant African Rock Pythons and Burmese Pythons into the wild (often the Everglades) because the snakes got too large for them to care for.”
Again, this is media BS. The situation in Florida is a result of Hurricane Andrew that destroyed a breeding facility and research center. That is why there are invasive snakes there and the real numbers are not nearly what are being reported. What I find amusing is that everyone is so worried about Burmese pythons, when thousands of invasive venomous snakes got out at the same time.
There really isn’t a problem with these snakes. They can’t spread out of south Florida due to climate and temperature fluctuations. The numbers of giant constrictors in Florida are low and they are not breeding like the media claims.
Snakes are cheap to care for. A 20 foot python is less expensive to keep and care for than a miniature poodle is. Yes, snakes can escape their enclosure. They usually stick around close to it because they’re timid animals. They’re not like a dog that gets out of a back yard and strolls down the street right off the bat.
No offense but you need to do some research on snakes that involves people that actually keep snakes and know them, not what the idiot box is force feeding you. You’ll find that most of what you believe about snakes is not reality.
My favorite “show”
http://www.youtube.com/show/snakebytestv
Brian is a riot *and* a veritable wellspring of information.
:)
Please don’t get me wrong. I realize millions of people keep snakes as pets. I have no issues with this. Years ago we had a pet snake in our family.
In my first post questioned the wisdom of keeping giant aggressive snakes as pets, especially Green Anacondas and African Rock Pythons. I know Burmese Pythons can grow quite large as well, however to the best of my knowledge they are usually quite docile for the most part as pets.