# Olive Python.....



## Gizmo101 (Jun 1, 2014)

So I've finally started to consider my boyfriends request for his birthday (not until august), he wants an olive python hatchie as his gift. I've never owned an olive python, nor do I know of anybody who has so I'm hoping some keepers on here who have owned one to give me a bit of insight on what these snakes are like as pets.
I've done some reading and found a lot of mixed opinions on these guys. I'm going to be guiding him with his keeping and husbandry type of stuff so I want to make sure I'm up to having one of these guys or not before I look any further into this for him.



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## Dragon_77 (Jun 1, 2014)

I see your interested in getting your boyfriend a juvenile Olive Python for his birthday, has he ever kept any other pythons to gain some experience in handling & husbandry.

i myself have been keeping Olive Python since mid 2000, and l still have 1 adult pair with me, they are very tame and placid to handle but not at feed time, they will attack anything once food is on their mine.

to keep a adult Olive Python you will need a large enclosure no smaller than 5 foot long - 3 foot high - 2 foot deep, you must also have a large water bowl like a large kitty cat litter tray. For the Olive Python to bath in when it wants to.

Olive Pythons are a tropical snake where they need access to warmth all year around as well as humidity, so they can shed their skin well and digest their food.they can grow to 10 to 12 foot long and that is very big, for some who has not ever kept a adult coastal Carpet Python.

They can be very inquisitive snakes where they may look tame and placid, and come over to suss you out then all of a sudden they will attack or bite you out of the blue.

lf I was you I would seek some more advice from others who have kept and breed Olive Python before you even think about getting a juvenile Olive Python.














hope this information has help you learn a bit about Olive Python.


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## Varanoidea (Jun 1, 2014)

An olive python was my first snake, however I would certainly not recommend that be repeated if he is a first time keeper. He turned out okay, he is 9 years old and 3.1 meters now. He doesn't bite but is very stubborn and will let you know if he doesn't like what you are doing. A good starter snake if your boyfriend wants a decently sized snake would be a bredli. Olives can be unpredictable as well as placid and are very food orientated. When keeping snakes this size a handling session that goes sour is not something that should be made light of. 

As mentioned above being such a large snake will require a reflective amount of space to keep it. I would personally not keep an adult olive in anything less than 8 x 3 x 3, with any bigger than that being preferred. As such, cost is another thing that has to be considered. I know nothing about you or your boyfriend but expect to fork out a four figured number in order to accommodate it over its lifetime.


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## Gizmo101 (Jun 1, 2014)

Thankyou both for your replies, my boyfriend has only had contact with my snakes, two bredli's and a diamond and a few mates snakes. One of the bredli's is a fair size. 
He helps me with mine (we live together) so he does have experience but it is limited to my collection. 
We have an enclosure that'll be able to house it for its life, my diamond will just get shipped into a different one for it. We will just need to change the hides to be a bit bigger and find something bigger to put water in. 


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## Varanoidea (Jun 1, 2014)

Gizmo101 said:


> Thankyou both for your replies, my boyfriend has only had contact with my snakes, two bredli's and a diamond and a few mates snakes. One of the bredli's is a fair size.
> He helps me with mine (we live together) so he does have experience but it is limited to my collection.
> We have an enclosure that'll be able to house it for its life, my diamond will just get shipped into a different one for it. We will just need to change the hides to be a bit bigger and find something bigger to put water in.
> 
> ...



With that said, with the proper respect and attitude towards an olive you should be fine keeping one. They are more ground/rock crevice dwelling that morelia though, and their enclosure setup should reflect this. A platform with an overhead heat source or just a large heat tile instead of branch basking should be set up. That's about all I have to add. Good luck.


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## Cockney_Red (Jun 1, 2014)

My favorite Pythons in my collection..stunning and daresay intelligent compared to all others...If your lifetime box is minimum 8x3x3 as said by one earlier you're good. never underestimate their feed response, otherwise they are normally the most chilled of all pythons, though may be very bitey as babies...


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## Gizmo101 (Jun 2, 2014)

The enclosure is pretty much ready to go for once it's big enough, just the minor adjustments. The heating in this enclosure should be good if that's what they like because it's a large ledge with a heat may running the back of the ledge. 
And I haven't met a hatchie that isn't a bit bitey lol
I won't be underestimating the food response, I'm not a fan of getting tagged, if the boyfriend doesn't then it'll only happen once or twice before he figures it out too.


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## Gaboon (Jun 2, 2014)

Olives are awesome snakes to keep. iv had snakes for more then ten years and now only keep olives as far as pythons go. If you get an olive don't expect to have a small temporary enclosure for long, because they grow really quick if fed. (5-6 foot as yearlings) Olives are obsessed with birds for some reason. so be careful not to feed qails, ducks, pigeons or chicks for a while young id recommend only feeding rats until the snake gets some size on it, then your olive should just be a bottomless pit, that will eat anything. The last thing you want is a little olive hatchy stuck on chicks or qails. I don't recommend your boyfriend going any where near an olive unless he's been around yours long enough and is a "snake person" with a snake person mind set. If he's still a nervous and has an uneducated on basic snake keeping or any idea on he's mind that snakes are a novelty or doesn't take your snakes seriously etc but is only kinda open to the idea of being around yours. then maybe YOU should get an olive python and just get him a play station 4 or something. I don't really like the idea of people giving animals as gifts most of the time unless you tell them before you do and are prepared to care for them (even if you both break up, hopefully not!)






A massive olive python with food on its mind will try to kill you and is no joke. Carpets arn't as bad they'll just slowly relise food is being offer and then just snap up the rat or what ever offered. But olive pythons hahaha. will just go ballistic. Moving extremly quick pasing the enclosure trying to kill ANYTHING. To a point where I don't recommend feeding in the enclosure, put the large snake in a tub. Also your going to need a decent hook especially when older. The snake at a young age will show signes of being ballistic at feed time so you will know what to expect in the very near future, it will just be on larger scale.




Also please post pics when your boyfriends arm gets wrapped up by the 8ft present, just kidding. they are great snakes. They arnt fish, Gtps or bearded dragons they are pretty hardy and easy to keep that don't need much, just a few things to keep in mind the no joke feeding response and they can get stuck on birds depending on what individual you get. But you will most likely get an individual that will eat anything, is docile 98% of the time and is a great pet and they get big. Reptile keeping shouldn't be seen as pet keeping, they arnt pets. it should be seen as keeping animals that are unpredictable with things always possibly going wrong and identified by their scientific name or common name, not a stupid given name, that just encourages a non serious take on animals that don't tame and defend them selfs at anytime they feel like or even try to literally eat you, wrapping your arm, hand or neck up. Not one second should anyone look at them in an unserious way and to those who do, I hope they get smashed by their trusted 'pets'. My herp room contains not one pet. Nothing has a name. Even with big pythons its no joke. That being said I never get bitten "or tagged" and my snakes are always healthy and that's exactly the attitude that avoids little situations that can be easily avoided.  



Good luck and I do recommend getting an olive.


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## Gizmo101 (Jun 3, 2014)

He is quite confident with the snakes which is a good thing, he takes a lot of initiative with mine. Like if I get a rats out the night before to defrost I'll quite often come home to snakes with full bellies and clean enclosures.
I always say they're more like furniture then pets lol but I do give mine names, but I understand they're instinctive creatures and not one of emotional understanding. 
Also it'll probably fed more on rabbits then any birds, I have a friend who breeds rats and rabbits for food, and I buy mainly off her.


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## Joemal (Jun 3, 2014)

Good snake but like with all species you get the good with the bad .Couldn't find a better snake than my girl but at the other end of the scale I have seen a large Olive that puts my Scrubby to shame for violence .Chances of getting a bad one are fairly slim but just remember the nasty ones are out there.Love their food so be prepared for costs . Good thing you have a friend that breeds rats and rabbits though .


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## Gizmo101 (Jun 4, 2014)

I hoping for a good one if I go ahead with it, I already have a diamond with attitude and she's a handful enough as it is lol 
And yea she sells them to me fairly cheap or we will do things like swap enclosure fittings and things like that.
Joemal she is an amazing looking snake!!



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## Joemal (Jun 4, 2014)

It's just a bit of common sense with the bigger snakes.Yes I have been bitten by my Olive but in each case it was totally my fault as I hand feed all my snakes from the little spotted right up to the Scrubby.I find it easier in my case but hey there are plenty on here that will tell you otherwise .It's just up to the personal preference. She has never shown any aggression towards me but they are food orientated so the bigger they get the more you have to think at what your doing .Look the answer is simple .If you have snakes now and your boyfriend is ok around them and you believe having an Olive with not pose any problems then go ahead .It's not like suddenly overnight your going to have a full grown Olive on your hands .Cheers .


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## Gizmo101 (Jun 7, 2014)

I just use a pair of kitchen tongs when I feed most of the time and I definately hope it doesn't go from hatchie to giant over night haha 



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## princessparrot (Jan 31, 2015)

Did you get your olive  ?
i know I'd love to have one one day but that will probably be awhile yet! Lol


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## arevenant (Jan 31, 2015)

Just got my first a week ago, 3yo 2+m female, , can't think of a more beautiful natured snake to own


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## Dragon_77 (Feb 8, 2015)

l couldn't agree more that Olive Python's are a beautiful natured Python to own has a pet, but they can be flighty at times and move very fast once food is on their mine.

arevenant, hope you enjoy looking after and caring for your female Olive Python for years and take good care of her best of luck.


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## arevenant (Feb 8, 2015)

Dragon_77 said:


> l couldn't agree more that Olive Python's are a beautiful natured Python to own has a pet, but they can be flighty at times and move very fast once food is on their mine.
> 
> arevenant, hope you enjoy looking after and caring for your female Olive Python for years and take good care of her best of luck.



Will be more than happy to grow old alongside this girl for sure!


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## Dragon_77 (Feb 8, 2015)

l to will be more than happy to grow old alongside my 2 awesome looking Katherine NT Phase Olive Python's, l hope one day my female Olive Python has a crush on me, and give me a few love bites as well....lol.
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- - - Updated - - -

Why did my photos not come through in my post there must be something wrong with the website who knows.

When l first posted them in this thread from my computer they were able to be seen, but on my IPAD AIR Tablet l for some reason cannot see them at all.


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## adderboy (Feb 9, 2015)

Dragon_77 said:


> my 2 awesome looking Katherine NT Phase Olive Python's,



Given the pics didn't come through, I'm curious about you calling them "Katherine NT Phase Olive Pythons". How are these different from, say, Kimberley Olives, Mt Isa Olives, or Olives from elsewhere in the NT?

S


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## Dragon_77 (Feb 9, 2015)

adderboy said:


> I'm curious about you calling them "Katherine NT Phase Olive Pythons.
> 
> S


 Hi Adderboy, thanks for reply to my post and for letting me know that you a curious about me, calling my 2 Olive Python's Katherine NT Phase, why because l know they were collected on permit from the wild in late 2009 from Katherine NT that's why.

From what l know the Olive Python's found in Katherine NT, have a slightly more pointier snout than other found in Darwin or Kimberley Regions, and they can also very in their colour but size difference l don't know, you can find out from (Paul Horner ) who is the Senior Herpetologist at the Northern Territory Museum and Art Gallery, l'm sure he would know a lot about Olive Python's found throughout Northern Territory and the Kimberley Region of Western Australia.


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## adderboy (Feb 9, 2015)

Thanks, Dragon_77. Yes, I'd be interested to know about the differences, will follow up at some stage. They are found over a large region so I am not surprised to hear of some differences, but hadn't heard of the term "X-phase" before, hence my query.

Thanks for the reply!

S


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## arevenant (Feb 9, 2015)

Wonder if they vary as much as the Pilbaras do...


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## Dragon_77 (Feb 9, 2015)

Arevenant...all l know is the Olive Python's found in Northwest Queensland Mt Isa Region, are more pail not has dark in colour, compared to those found throughout the top end of Northern Territory, those found across the Kimberley Region of North Western Australia, from what l have seen tend to be more red or Orange with a white screamy underside belly, because of the colour of the rocks and natural surroundings of the region and high temperatures.

That's all l know about Olive Python's and from what l have seen since 1983, when l first ever got to see and handle a Olive Python, and have learnt over the years since l become interested in them.


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