Is there a thread for this yet? Point me to it if there is. I was wondering if any Formosans have any reptiles here. All I see are cats, dogs, cats, dogs, cats, dogs and other such hairy beasts. I’ve got a ball python here, about a year old now as well as a corn snake. Feed them live mice weekly. I also kept some of the common geckos for awhile but let them go. Does anyone here have any good local reptile sources?
If you are in Taiwan and have a ball python and a corn snake than you know more about reptile rescources than we do.
There are a few good places to buy snakes around here, but they are kind of seasonal. They are cheaper in spring/summer. The common types that I’ve come across here are ball pythons, burmese pythons (the big mothers, these grow to be largest kind of snake, record is 32 feet), king snakes, corn snakes and hog nose. There are others of course, but I don’t feel like racking my brain. Turtles/tortises and lizards can be found at most pet stores too.
Hi Josefus,
Actually, there is a block of aquatic stores close to the SongShan Airport. Many of them carry fish stuff, but I’m postive they carry reptile stuff too. I’ve never been inside, only passed the street on bus. It’s definitely worth checking out though. And if they don’t have ball cobra info, they can point you in the right direction.
On MinChuan East Road Section 5, between SanMin and FuYuan Roads. Right before the MinChuan Bridge. You can’t miss it. Go take a look there on a free afternoon.
I’ve been forced to watch my ex’s ball cobra feed on live mice. It still makes my skin crawl when I think of it. Once the store ran out of mice so small hamster or gerbil was fed instead. Not pretty.
And oh yeah, welcome to Forumosa!
I thought we’d agreed that chicken nuggets was the phrase to be used for rude body parts.
Josefus, are you the bloke who brought his python to a Bobwundaye BBQ last year?
914: Thanks for the tip. I’ve been there before, it’s a good place to get pinkie feeder mice, they are hard to find around here.
Sandman: Nope, that wan’t me. My python has always stayed in my house.
I always thought the feeding process was fascinating, especially when my Boa Constrictor got bigger and moved onto larger prey items…Should have been there for the rabbits, chickens, and one experiment with a baby pig…
Every kid in my neighborhood would turn out for feeding time.
MJB, that is nasty! :s
While I can see how fascinating it is to witness the natural food chain, none of the animals involved are in their natural setting.
The worst thing ever to watch was when the snake swallowed the wrong end of the mous and soon you just saw the snake’s jaw wide open and her beady eyes, and the mouse’s head in her mouth. It was a two headed freak. I will never forget that picture. Never.
They’re so helpless when they’re feeding, too – I’ve lost count of the number of squished snakes I’ve found on the roads here with frogs sticking out of their mouths. Bad enough ending up a snake’s dinner, but getting run over into the bargain is surely the final indignity.
[quote=“914”]MJB, that is nasty! :s
While I can see how fascinating it is to witness the natural food chain, none of the animals involved are in their natural setting.
The worst thing ever to watch was when the snake swallowed the wrong end of the mice and soon you just saw the snake’s jaw wide open and her beady eyes, and the mouse’s head in her mouth. It was a two headed freak. I will never forget that picture. Never.[/quote]
No,
What’s really nasty is that your boyfriend allowed the snake to continue this against the grain feeding. Could have easily been fatal for the snake. As far as being nasty, most of my herp friends would pull on the tail of the rat/mouse until the spinal cord seperated and then feed the animal to the snake paralyzed.
I’ve had several friends lose snakes trying to swallow a prey item backwards.
Does the food HAVE to be live? 
[quote=“MJB”] As far as being nasty, most of my herp friends would pull on the tail of the rat/mouse until the spinal cord seperated and then feed the animal to the snake paralyzed.
I’ve had several friends lose snakes trying to swallow a prey item backwards.[/quote]
:s
As disgusting as it is, it’s true. There’s Mother Nature at work.
Depend on the individual snakes I think. Mine (ball python) used to take baby mice that I’d buy in a big bag, frozen. Heat one up to blood heat and dangle it til the snake goes for it.
My friend on the other hand had exactly the same species, bought at exactly the same time from the same store and it wouldn’t touch dead food, ever.
I had a rattlesnake and I always fed it live pinkies as a matter of ease. Teaching it to take dead or vegetarian food can be done, but depends on the individual temperment of the snake and I would imagine the experience/skill of the owner.
Surprisingly only the most hardcore of vegetarians would not watch me feed my snake, this does not mean they could stand the whole show though. 
Cheers,
Okami
I’ve never seen a viper take a frozen/previously killed animal. In fact I had a rather difficult time (As a 13 year old) to get rattlesnakes to feed at all. But 5 bucks a head from the Ventura County fire department meant I didn’t have them long enough to worry about it before they were milked and for the most part re-released.
Southern California suburban construction sites…A snake hunter’s wet dream.
Josefus, If you don’t mind me asking, how much did you pay for your ball python (God, I hope my wife doesn’t read this)?
i paid 1000nt for the python, it was less than a year old. They get more and more expensive as they get bigger. The cornsnake, also a baby was 2100nt. Feeder mice start around 25nt and go up depending on kind and availability. My python was the cheapest I’ve seen here. If i saw any snakes under 1000nt, I’d buy them.
I’ve had the time of my life…
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