# Can a mental scrubbie be calmed down?



## StellaDoore (Jul 31, 2012)

Right, so basically I have been given the task to calm down a scrub python. He's sitting at around 1.5m at the moment (I've never taken him out for a good look) which is small on the scrub scale, but sizable enough to give a decent bite. I usually wouldn't ask about handling, but for such a large snake and their unique personalities (or so I've heard) I figure it doesn't hurt.

He is the most mental, nasty snake I've ever come across. Honestly, I've never met a snake that was so determined to draw blood.

So my question is: can I calm him down with regular handling? Any tips? I'm especially interested to hear from other scrub python owners. 

At the moment I'm too chicken to take him out of his enclosure, but I really don't want to be dealing with a 5m+ agro scrubbie. I've dealt with snappy snakes before, from my nervous little jungle to foodie olives, and have copped a few bites as well (which I like to avoid where possible, although I am quite proud of a food bite from an adult jungle - didn't even flinch, ha ha). What are people's thoughts on gardening/leather gloves paired with a long sleeved jacket? I really want to avoid a bite from this guy as I've seen him in action and he likes to chew. 

Thanks for the help guys, very interested to hear different opinions and whether or not I can successfully get this scrubbie to become placid.


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## slim6y (Jul 31, 2012)

You can try!

But many other factors can lead to a grumpy temperament. 

I found when I had my smaller coastal in a smaller enclosure she was far more aggressive than when she was moved to a larger enclosure. Though she was always the spawn of Satan no matter what I did (she bit me in the head once too). 

Scrubbies, although known for their short temper, aren't always that bad. Temperatures, feeding regimes, hiding spots etc - I am sure all these need to be factored into the equation too. 

But if you do it now, while only 1.5m, you're right, the blood drawn will be far less than when the beauty reaches 3m +!


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## Pythoninfinite (Jul 31, 2012)

Even a 1.5m scrubby will draw lots of blood. They are constantly alert, even during the day, unlike most pythons, and will bite at every opportunity. not much chance of success...

Jamie


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## Lucas89 (Jul 31, 2012)

Only thing I can think of would be use golves / hook to get out of cage and into pillow case. Then just handle in the pillow case until it calms down a little. I did this to a mistreated 3m coastal we rescued. After a few months of watching TV with me. She calmed down a lot. Hope this helps.


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## Pythoninfinite (Jul 31, 2012)

Scrubbies are very different in their attitude to humans. The pair I have here are ALWAYS alert, at any time of the day when all the other pythons are tucked up and indifferent to the world (except those who LOVE their cuddles and can't wait to fall into my arms ) and they're always ready for action. They don't like me very much at all - and a lot of the time I don't like them a great deal either (cage cleaning time especially .

Having said that however, I do believe that the bigger they get, it isn't uncommon for their temperament to mellow somewhat, but I'm talking 4m+, by which time they are big and potentially quite dangerous.

I know Waterrat has made the observation that the wild ones he deals with around Cairns are generally quite mellow, and he suggested it may because we keep them too warm in southern climates - maybe there's something to this. I believe that Brian Barnett had a couple escape from Marbuck Park here in Port Macquarie years ago, and they turned up a couple of years later in good health. They can obviously cope with cooler weather.

But for the most part, temperament is a very individual thing, I don't trust them and I'm not optimistic that they will change. But then I have no interest in turning them into life companions - I like them for what they are - beautiful creatures which just happen to resent a human being in their space - it's their call and I'm happy with that.

Jamie


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## imported_Varanus (Jul 31, 2012)

For what it's worth, I had a largish male come in as a rehab and subsequently bought a hatchling from a well known breeder. I had the hatcho for about a year, handled only when necessary (during cleaning time) and never had a problem (no bites, ect). Though it was alot more "alert" than your average morelia on intiial contact. The wild, relocation animal was very calm when he arrived and remained so until he regained health and began feeding on a regular basis, then the "typical" Scrubbie attitude kicked in. Again, I only handled him when absolutely necessary. "Peter" on APS would be worth contacting. By all accounts he has a very large, handable Scrubbie.


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## Allan (Jul 31, 2012)

No, don't even try it.
The calm ones are the ones that one day will give you a very nasty surprise. I never had bites from known "terrors", but a few from the "tame" Scrubbies.


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## baker (Jul 31, 2012)

Hey, 
I have just set myself the same sort of task you have with another scrub python of similar size at the reptile park i work at. When I do go to handle this snake I always put on a long sleeved jumper as well as some welders gloves just to avoid any bites to my hands or arms. To get it out I use a hook then once its I will hold it in my hand to get it used to being held. What I have found is that they are very defensive when first taken out of their enclosure and you have to be very careful with how you move around them at this time. I have had the slightest movement trigger a strike form this snake. After a couple of minutes of staying relatively still around it the snakes behaviour changes into a really curious snake and is happy to go off and explore its surroundings. While it is exploring it's fairly tolerant of being handled and moved around. Hardest part is trying to just get past the first couple of minutes while its defensive. 
Also one more tip I found out on Sunday with them is don't look them in the eyes, as soon as you do that their entire focus turns towards your face which is quite dangerous. Even thou I had my arm fully extended and pulled my head back it still struck within 3cm's of my face.
Good luck with trying to tame your down, I reckon that it is possible with enough handling, persistence and blood shed they will calm down.
Cheers Cameron.


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## StellaDoore (Jul 31, 2012)

Hey everyone!
Thank you all heaps for your responses, I've learnt something from each one.

I've heard a few of the pillow case suggestions so I'm going to try this for a few minutes each day (except after meals, obviously) and then handling with gloves (*cluck cluck*, I know...) and eventually barehanded. As much as I don't want to deal with a psycho scrubbie (I've nicknamed him Jack the Ripper), better now than giant.

Until then, I'm going to check out his enclosure and make sure he has correct temps, lots of hides, and enough room. Will also check out his feeding routine. My olive was very snappy when I bought her home until I got some food into her (previous owners were awful feeding her), now she's amazing. Here's hoping the scrub will have a similar reaction (even just a little bit calmer...).

Thanks again for your help, feel free to keep advice coming, PM me if you don't want to discuss husbandry here. I might get onto Peter, Joemal and some others as they seem to have decent (tame/semi-tame) scrubbies. Looking forward to working with this beautiful animal though, they really are stunning!! I'll post pics if I successfully get around to holding him!


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## mje772003 (Jul 31, 2012)

Joemal might have some tips maybe message him and have a chat


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## Skelhorn (Jul 31, 2012)

Good luck 

I would try the gloves and hook approach. Also taking the little fella onto the lawn outside (in saying that you can contain it) and just let him explore the grassy backyeard, however keeping ahold or very close in case he decides to make a run.


Good luck and keep us updated


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## StellaDoore (Jul 31, 2012)

The weather is beautifully sunny down this way, I think he'd enjoy a wander on the grass =)

Will start contacting people I know have scrubbies and will try to update our progress. I'll be sure to keep the camera handy so I can chuck up some gruesome pics if he manages to tag me =P

Thanks!


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## Pythoninfinite (Jul 31, 2012)

As an earlier respondent suggested, always watch your face & upper body. These snakes are very light in the forebody and have a very long striking range - far longer than any other Australian python. Even a smallish one can easily reach your face from arm's length, they have large, strong and very sharp teeth. Watch your face when opening a pillowcase as well.

I think these are probably relatively intelligent pythons, (and would probably not go near a heater if the owner shouted "NO" loudly enough, they are always alert and watchful. I can guarantee that both of mine will watch my every move when I'm in their room.

NEVER take them for granted - there has been at least one death in this country credited to a Scrubby.

Jamie


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## StellaDoore (Jul 31, 2012)

Pythoninfinite said:


> As an earlier respondent suggested, always watch your face & upper body. These snakes are very light in the forebody and have a very long striking range - far longer than any other Australian python. Even a smallish one can easily reach your face from arm's length, they have large, strong and very sharp teeth. Watch your face when opening a pillowcase as well.
> 
> NEVER take them for granted - there has been at least one death in this country credited to a Scrubby.



Don't worry, I am going to be so careful with this animal! I've seen him in action and the power and strike range is amazing, even in such a small python! The only other snake I've seen match that strike distance is a rough scaled python. 
I'll be keeping a close eye on him and will do my best to keep my face away.
Wish me luck!


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## Snowman (Jul 31, 2012)

Pythoninfinite said:


> NEVER take them for granted - there has been at least one death in this country credited to a Scrubby.
> 
> Jamie



Have you got any details on that Jamie? All I could find on google was this > HKRAS Herp News: Professional snake handler killed in S Australian home

I'm quite interested in python related fatalities in Australia, mainly because we have our olives on CAT 5 in WA which seems like a bit of over kill. (excuse the pun).


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## Joemal (Jul 31, 2012)

Welcome to the real world of scrubbie owners .My girl came to me as a yearling and from the day i opened the bag at the airport to check her out she has made it her mission to relieve me of as much blood as possible .She is still what i consider small (13ft)but as she has grown she has sort of settled down from the nasty bitch to now just a bitch .Yes there are plenty of vids and photos of her looking all nice and friendly but trust me you can never ever trust her .It's 100% on guard when i have her out .I started out handling her with motorbike gloves (shock ,horror to some on here)but at the time they were the only good protection i had .Over time and as she got bigger i went to bare handed and just took the bites till she settled (yep not many places left on the body that hasn't been tagged).At 2 1/2 yrs i had her in a cage with large opening glass doors and i used the shock and awe attack on her .I would use a snake hook to "wake " her then dive in balls and all and wrestle her out of her cage .I never gave her a chance to retaliate and before she knew it she was out of her cage and on the ground outside .I always said i would never build an enclosure where she could get higher than me and what did i do ,build an enclosure where she can get higher than me .My mistake .She now lays along her log above head height just watching and waiting for me to let my guard down .To all the people out there that have a bitey snake just think for one minute what it must be like to have to climb into an enclosure with a fair size snake sitting there above you watching your every move .I had to do this on the weekend and ended up giving up till she went back into her kennel ,yes that's right she has a dog kennel as a hide .You know she is there watching and waiting for you .I will never trust her no matter how placid she may appear to be .Yes there are quiet a few people out there that do have "placid" ones and i congratulate them on that and sometimes i wish my girl was like that but in saying that i would never trade my girls attitude they are an unreal snake to own but should never be treated like other breeds .They are a very smart snake (my opinion) but give them an inch and they will take a mile .The best bet is to handle ,handle ,handle when they are small and if it takes gloves then so be it ,hooks are another way but i found that too much of a drama or you can do like me and just barehand the beast .Lol.


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## StellaDoore (Jul 31, 2012)

Thank you so much Joemal! And your girl sounds amazing! A handful, but amazing nevertheless. 

I'll definitely stay on guard around this animal and I'm hoping I'll be able to at least get to the point where your girl is: reasonably well-behaved, but not 100% trustworthy. Anything better than that is a bonus, ha ha. 

I think I'll use gloves for the moment. Not quite as tough as you to go barehanded, especially when he enjoys a good gnaw and chew. 

And small at 13ft...yikes, that's incredible. Thanks for your input Joemal, I hope it's okay if I PM you for help over the next few months as I handle this bloke more and more.


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## Joemal (Jul 31, 2012)

First 3 pics were taken on the weekend of her .


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## Renenet (Jul 31, 2012)

Snowman said:


> Have you got any details on that Jamie? All I could find on google was this > HKRAS Herp News: Professional snake handler killed in S Australian home



There's some information in this thread here: http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-reptile-discussion-42/close-calls-big-snakes-157169/, particularly on page 3.



Joemal said:


> She is still what i consider small (13ft)but as she has grown she has sort of settled down from the nasty bitch to now just a bitch.



Small at four metres... ha!


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## StellaDoore (Jul 31, 2012)

Joemal said:


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She is AMAZING! Such a jaw-droppingly magnificent snake. If all goes well with my project scubbie, I might have to get one myself (this other one I work with). 
I love her enclosure as well, very well done. How long did it take you to make?
You should be very proud of her, Joemal, she is gorgeous.


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## Joemal (Jul 31, 2012)

I got a bit carried away with the size of the enclosure but it came out good .Wanted to go bigger but moving it would have been a drama .This puppy rolls on 8 wheels and is fairly easy to move about but at 200kg + i'll have to hire a tilt tray truck to shift it to the next house . https://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/photo.php?v=2291854152460 .posted this one not long ago but you will get an idea of how she tests me .


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## $NaKe PiMp (Aug 1, 2012)

i will offer you another point of view,Why bother with "calming" a snake which is displaying its natural behaviours ? just let the snake be how it wants to be with out trying to change it. If the owner doesn't want to get bitten just get another species thats already calm i think there much better though when you have a snake that stays defensive,than a slow boring quiet one.
Most snakes calm naturally and its hard to get one that stays true to its behaviour. The only difference is when you go to handle it you have to watch out for it trying to bite ,but thats not hard to do and helps you build up experience to keep dangerous snakes.


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## Skelhorn (Aug 1, 2012)

Joemal said:


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Yeah I would be crapping myself hahaha, easy, thats a decent sized python!



Joemal said:


> I got a bit carried away with the size of the enclosure but it came out good .Wanted to go bigger but moving it would have been a drama .This puppy rolls on 8 wheels and is fairly easy to move about but at 200kg + i'll have to hire a tilt tray truck to shift it to the next house . https://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/photo.php?v=2291854152460 .posted this one not long ago but you will get an idea of how she tests me .




HAHAHA LOVE IT. Thats an awesome video haha she was not happy lol!


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## Fantazmic (Aug 1, 2012)

If it was me.......and I know it wont ever be me I'm too much of a chicken.....(I love my jungles).....but if it was me handling a scrubbie.....I would include some protective glasses....just in case......they have a nasty bite and if they get your eye you could lose your sight.....better safe than sorry


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## moosenoose (Aug 1, 2012)

You ever heard of the term "bad egg"?? I'm guessing it hatched from it :lol: I had a 7ft water python that never liked me... EVER! As much as I tried, as much as I hoped, it always wanted to draw blood :lol: You might just have to give it the space it obviously wants. Good luck.


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## snakelady96 (Aug 1, 2012)

Hi there, i havent read all the above comments so sorry if im mentioning something twice! I have had a few scrubbies over the years and i have been able to calm them all down.. Its a bit tricky though when they are past the 6 month old stage as they start to figure out that their bites do cause harm. Also when you pick him/her out the first time your more than likely to get pee'd on  

I've never used gloves as bites dont worry me a whole lot but i dont see a reason why you cant but make sure they aren't the material ones because if the snake gets crazy he might do some weird biting skills (I have seen them do some crazy things lol) and hurt his teeth or loose them. So use the strong rubber/ leather gloves.

Number one thing i have learned is that when they pee on you or bite you DONT put them back in their enclosure because then the snake learns that if he pee's or bites he gets put back and left alone. What i do to get them used to being handled is just take them out of a morning and watch a quick TV show with them and then put them back.. When you sit down it will be wise to have a towel over you that you dont mind to get pee'd on lol. If they want to explore something and smell the smells around your house let them but dont let them wander too far away.. If he gets angry when you want to pick him up just put your hand flat up to his face and this SHOULD stop him from biting. I think this is a dominance thing where he sees you are not afraid of him.

Another good way to bond with him is take him out in the sun on a warm part of the day- ALL snakes love this. I try to take all or most of my snakes in the sun about 3 times per week for half an hour each time, it gets a bit hard though when you have a large collection. In general if you are serious about calming him down try and spend as much time as you can with him whether it be sitting watching TV or going outside with him or just letting him check out the different smells. This is what has worked for me and anyone who has seen my scrubbies in person can definitely vouch for me that they would have to the some of the most if not the most relaxed scrubbies they have ever seen. 

I hope you can calm him down but be prepared to put lots of time in!


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## StellaDoore (Aug 2, 2012)

Thanks everyone for the advice! I have lots to try and am starting to get a little confident and hopeful, ha ha. 

I understand it might never be brilliant, but it's worth a shot. There's only one way to find out and at this stage I really want him a bit calmer before he reaches giant proportions.

Snakelady, I've been peed on by so many reptiles it's not funny, but thanks for the heads up, I would've completely forgotten he could do that until it happened! Still, better that end than the sharp one =P
Love all your advice, I'll try to keep everything in mind when I next encounter him. Do you have any pics of your scrubs? They sound magnificent! Very jealous of you =)


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## Pythoninfinite (Aug 2, 2012)

snakelady96 said:


> Hi there, i havent read all the above comments so sorry if im mentioning something twice! I have had a few scrubbies over the years and i have been able to calm them all down.. Its a bit tricky though when they are past the 6 month old stage as they start to figure out that their bites do cause harm. Also when you pick him/her out the first time your more than likely to get pee'd on
> 
> I've never used gloves as bites dont worry me a whole lot but i dont see a reason why you cant but make sure they aren't the material ones because if the snake gets crazy he might do some weird biting skills (I have seen them do some crazy things lol) and hurt his teeth or loose them. So use the strong rubber/ leather gloves.
> 
> ...



Snakelady96, I've seen and questioned some of your comments on here before, basically to do with your level of experience. I've also asked if the "96" is the year of your birth, which seems likely, and you sort of disappeared for a while. Those with verifiable experience with this species will all agree that being casual around a "relaxed" large scrubby is a dangerous thing indeed. Certainly, like most animal species, there is a variation in temperament, but Scrub Pythons have a reputation which is well deserved.

I've been keeping snakes of many species, including scrubs, professionally and privately for decades, and I'll tell you now that if I put my hand up to the face of one of my scrubs now, I would lose a lot of blood. Your suggestion would be laughable if it wasn't potentially harmful.

Joemal, I know what you mean about the overhead scrubby thing! I once had a couple of scrubs sent to me by Eric Worrell when I was living in Perth... not familiar with them, put them in a large outdoor enclosure (summer) and with a few high perches. Changing water one day and BANG - a full bite across the back of my neck! I guess the offender would have been maybe 3.5m, but is ure scared the crap out of me and I lost a lot of blood! My neck was a deep purple, then green, then yellow for weeks ! Never again did I take their "quiet' status for granted.

Jamie


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## snakelady96 (Aug 2, 2012)

Pythoninfinite said:


> Snakelady96, I've seen and questioned some of your comments on here before, basically to do with your level of experience. I've also asked if the "96" is the year of your birth, which seems likely, and you sort of disappeared for a while. Those with verifiable experience with this species will all agree that being casual around a "relaxed" large scrubby is a dangerous thing indeed. Certainly, like most animal species, there is a variation in temperament, but Scrub Pythons have a reputation which is well deserved.
> 
> I've been keeping snakes of many species, including scrubs, professionally and privately for decades, and I'll tell you now that if I put my hand up to the face of one of my scrubs now, I would lose a lot of blood. Your suggestion would be laughable if it wasn't potentially harmful.
> 
> ...



Hi Jamie,

I dont really comment on these forums any more and would rather talk to people over facebook. Im pretty sure that everyone by now knows that '96' is my age as ive stated on a few facebook comments 

I agree with you that you can never put all your trust in them as yes even mine have their bitchy days but i have never got a bite from the ones i have had over 3 years. They do deserve alot respect also and it might be that i do something different in terms of affection and i really do believe despite what anyone says that they DO realise that you are the one that cares for them, feeds them and gives them freedom and the pleasant behaviour i get from them is their way of 'saying thanks'- not that they would know any different unless if its an older animal of corse.

Your scrubs seem to be a lot different to mine by your comment too. I think all of my animals have a very good attitude though to most, maybe they realise they are spoilt with reptile toys (cage furniture) lol and they come outside for 'walks' and get lots of time out of the cage, i could go on for ages but as i have already said people need to see them first before saying otherwise about my reptiles


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## Pythoninfinite (Aug 2, 2012)

snakelady96 said:


> Hi Jamie,
> 
> I dont really comment on these forums any more and would rather talk to people over facebook. Im pretty sure that everyone by now knows that '96' is my age as ive stated on a few facebook comments
> 
> ...



OK, so you're 16, (nothing wrong with that), but experienced enough with scrubbies (started with them at 13 - where were your parents???) to tell someone seeking advice that it's OK just to put your hand up the face of the snake to deter biting? How many compliant scrubs do you have - sounds like you have heaps? As far as the snakes "thanking" you for giving them a good life... give me a break!

I should point out, by the way, that I think scrubbies are magnificent snakes, and are rewarding for experiernced keepers to maintain, but anyone interested in them should understand that they are a big responsibility, and your expectation of a scrub should not be to that it will become a pussycat - as snakepimp says, just take them for what they are. If you get a good one, that's great, but the chances are you won't lol!

Jamie


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## Nighthawk (Aug 2, 2012)

Pythoninfinite said:


> OK, so you're 16, (nothing wrong with that), but experienced enough with scrubbies to tell someone seeking advice that it's OK just to put your hand up the face of the snake to deter biting? How many compliant scrubs do you have - sounds like you have heaps? As far as the snakes "thanking" you for giving them a good life... give me a break!
> 
> Jamie



Not jumping in to argue here, but I think she meant she is 96 years old, not born in 1996.


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## Pythoninfinite (Aug 2, 2012)

lol  That thought had crossed my mind too...

Look, soon I'm going to be fried for discouraging a younger site member by being sceptical of her advice and experience, but in a case like this where the advice she has given is incorrect and potentially harmful, I feel I should say something. I'm all for people who want them being able to have them, but they need to know what comes with them to ensure the association between keeper and kept is a rewarding one. And heaven forbid, if a keeper who is casual with a scrub comes to grief with a child or a dog - where does that leave keepers in the eyes of the legislators.

If this child was allowed to keep Scrub Pythons at the age of 13, I hope she was NEVER allowed to handle them unsupervised.

J


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## snakelady96 (Aug 2, 2012)

I have 4 scrubs, one is 3 years old, one is 2 and two are yearlings. If you dont agree with something i say that is fine but there is no need to start getting rude, this is the reason i 'disappeared' for a while. I have no doubt you know your stuff but dont just think because of my age i have no right to give advice, this is what has worked for me with all sorts of pythons. If you dont want to believe or agree with something i say thats fine but as i said you dont need get all keyboard warrior over the internet.


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## Pythoninfinite (Aug 2, 2012)

There is a significant difference between scrubs and "all sorts of (other) pythons." So, you have young, relatively small animals. I certainly agree that you have every right to give advice, but it should be correct advice, and you should, as I do, always err on the side of caution. The consequences of others taking (your) bad advice may reach further into the hobby and legislation than you think, and anyone giving advice about handling dangerous animals (and large scrubs are potentially dangerous animals) must be mindful that there ar lots of people out there who will take risks, and maybe they will take that risk because you told them it's OK.

For the most part, the advice given here, if incorrect or misleading, has few negative consequences other than sick or dead animals, but where the potential for personal injury is part of the equation, then we all have a responsibility to offer caution as the best piece of advice we can give, Putting you hand up to the face of a 1yo scrub may not have many negative consequences, but trying it with a 4-5m adult will cause a lot of grief. if it does, and there is negative publicity, the consequences may further snowball, especially with legislators who don't like the fact that we keep these things anyway.

Jamie


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## Snowman (Aug 2, 2012)

snakelady96 said:


> If he gets angry when you want to pick him up just put your hand flat up to his face and this SHOULD stop him from biting. I think this is a dominance thing where he sees you are not afraid of him.



When I read this all I could think of was this >
Supremes - Stop! In The Name Of Love [Very Good(+) quality] (Live, 1965) - YouTube

I dont keep scrubbies, but the bitey pythons I do keep would just bite my hand if I did what you advised.


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## snakelady96 (Aug 2, 2012)

Ok fair enough i see where you are coming from but i can assure you my 3 yr old scrub is not small, he is 4.5m length and weighs about 9kgs last time i weighed him. Also i have had more than 4 scrubs, they are by far my favourite python over any other. The most difficult pair i have ever had was a pair that was given to me, they were psycho and were about 2.5-3m each. I never got them calm like my others that i have now are they were always bitey but in the end they tolerated being held and didn't bite or strike but there was always that tention there (im sure you know what i mean) that i was expecting them to strike.


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## Scleropages (Aug 2, 2012)

A scrubby is the LAST python you would want to get a bite from, Very alert powerful snakes.. I will never even Trust my "tame" ones let alone my agro ones! 
A flat hand up to the face of a bitey scrubby has got to be some of the most stupid advice ever given on a forum, DON'T DO THAT!


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## StellaDoore (Aug 2, 2012)

Hmm...what I've learnt from this recent argument is that scrubbies are in a class of their own and behave in a way that is unique to other pythons. Not only do they seem more intelligent, but it seems you can never fully trust a scrub and should never let your guard down, even around a calm one. 

I've had a bit of experience with other pythons (ants, carpets, aspidites and liasis), but that doesn't seem like it'll help too much when dealing with this scrub. Very much looking forward to working with such a challenging animal.

And Bluey, your patternless scrubs are gorgeous! Breeding the parents again this season?


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## thomasssss (Aug 2, 2012)

snakelady96 , i just tested your hand theory with my mental coastal , he just took his striking pose and had a quick go hit me square in the palm but it just deflected and i got my hand out quick smart before he could "reload " as i call it , lucky it wasn't a large scrubby hey


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## Scleropages (Aug 2, 2012)

StellaDoore said:


> Hmm...what I've learnt from this recent argument is that scrubbies are in a class of their own and behave in a way that is unique to other pythons. Not only do they seem more intelligent, but it seems you can never fully trust a scrub and should never let your guard down, even around a calm one.
> 
> I've had a bit of experience with other pythons (ants, carpets, aspidites and liasis), but that doesn't seem like it'll help too much when dealing with this scrub. Very much looking forward to working with such a challenging animal.
> 
> And Bluey, your patternless scrubs are gorgeous! Breeding the parents again this season?



Never trust a scrubby and you will be fine.

My pattenless do have patterns on the middle of their bods, and yes trying them again


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## Skelhorn (Aug 2, 2012)

Scleropages said:


> Never trust a scrubby and you will be fine.
> 
> My pattenless do have patterns on the middle of their bods, and yes trying them again




Apart from the snake dude, I love your tats. Very awesome! Unique own pattern of your own there


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## Pythoninfinite (Aug 2, 2012)

Seems we're breeding snakes for reduced pattern, and going for increased patterns in humans these days... go figure ! I was wondering, if a snake had a piercing through the middle of its lower lip, would it be called a Prince Albert?

Jamie


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## Scleropages (Aug 2, 2012)

Pythoninfinite said:


> Seems we're breeding snakes for reduced pattern, and going for increased patterns in humans these days... go figure ! I was wondering, if a snake had a piercing through the middle of its lower lip, would it be called a Prince Albert?
> 
> Jamie



Yes , its a crazy wild world Jamie (wooo) !





(pic so I am not off Topic  )


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## akuji (Aug 2, 2012)

Scleropages said:


> A scrubby is the LAST python you would want to get a bite from, Very alert powerful snakes.. I will never even Trust my "tame" ones let alone my agro ones!
> A flat hand up to the face of a bitey scrubby has got to be some of the most stupid advice ever given on a forum, DON'T DO THAT!



I agree, if you put your hand upto any python I would be expecting a nice bite on the hand. I am certainly a newbie only having snakes for 3 years.Maybe the 96 is how many times the person has been nailed using this snake whispering method?


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## Pythoninfinite (Aug 2, 2012)

Scleropages said:


> Yes , its a crazy wild world Jamie (wooo) !
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Wish my world was that wild... sigh !

J


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## Rob (Aug 2, 2012)

thomasssss said:


> snakelady96 , i just tested your hand theory with my mental coastal , he just took his striking pose and had a quick go hit me square in the palm but it just deflected and i got my hand out quick smart before he could "reload " as i call it , lucky it wasn't a large scrubby hey



You forgot to say "NO", didn't you ?


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## Allan (Aug 2, 2012)

The look says it all.......


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## Scleropages (Aug 2, 2012)

Allan said:


> The look says it all.......




Cute , My male came from you 3-4 years ago


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## adelherper (Aug 2, 2012)

i have been keeping scrubs for few years now my first one was the spawn of satan couldn even walk in the room with out him goin feral hahah but i have one now that is "calm" only bitten me once but in saying that i live by the general rule in NEVER TRUST A SCRUB hahaha
i am also get to more veryyyyyyyyyyy soon siked ill have one male and 2 female


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## Pythoninfinite (Aug 2, 2012)

Scleropages said:


> Cute , My male came from you 3-4 years ago



Now just go up to it and push your hand into its face to calm it down. Who wouldn't want to be bitten by that ?

Jamie


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## akuji (Aug 2, 2012)

My next enclosure is going to have a naughty corner with a naughty mat in it so i can send my Jungle when she has been bad.


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## Magpie (Aug 2, 2012)

Pythoninfinite said:


> I know Waterrat has made the observation that the wild ones he deals with around Cairns are generally quite mellow, and he suggested it may because we keep them too warm in southern climates - maybe there's something to this. I believe that Brian Barnett had a couple escape from Marbuck Park here in Port Macquarie years ago, and they turned up a couple of years later in good health. They can obviously cope with cooler weather.
> 
> But for the most part, temperament is a very individual thing, I don't trust them and I'm not optimistic that they will change. But then I have no interest in turning them into life companions - I like them for what they are - beautiful creatures which just happen to resent a human being in their space - it's their call and I'm happy with that.
> 
> Jamie



I don't know Waterrat but we used to have a lot of resident scrubbies in Cairns - at times there would be 5 or more in the front yard around the chooks, ducks and guinea pigs. They were all able to be picked up quite calmly no matter the size.
My personal belief is that captive scrubbies are kept too warm, too dry and not fed enough. The rainforest where we lived rarely reached 30C and there was very little direct sunlight to bask in. Exactly the same environment that Boyds live in (we had them in the yard as well).
They also have access to a lot of food, wallabies, white tailed rats, birds and other reptiles.


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## thomasssss (Aug 2, 2012)

Rob_N_Son said:


> You forgot to say "NO", didn't you ?


you know i actually did forget that , ill try again tomorrow dont wanna put him through to much stress but i think saying a big loud "no" and then sticking my hand in his face just might work , i mean we all react well when someone sticks their hand in our face


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## Pythoninfinite (Aug 2, 2012)

I have always given my snakes a written copy of the protocols of our house when they first arrive, and tell them to keep them in their hides for future reference if ever they're in doubt about what to do in a certain situation...

Rule 1: DO NOT crap in your hide...

Jamie


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## adelherper (Aug 2, 2012)

hahaha jamie


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## ArgentinoAussie (Aug 2, 2012)

Hey everybody, being from Latin American I have kept an array of gorgeous species of snakes. To be honest I relate the attitude of the Amathystine python to that of the juvinile green anaconda, they are only doing what comes natural to them, they have no voice to yell "I'm really annoyed", no arms to keep you at distance, all they have are those hundred or so backwards curved teeth to inflict a "please leave me alone or I'll kick your butt" bite. From my experience( ps I've been keeping snakes since I was 9 and I'm now 25) you have to get a scrub python into a routine, it's about when you pet them, when we feed them and how we interact with them and interpret their behavior.............Long story short, you can never fully domesticate a wild animals instincts, never let your guard down because when you do that's when all sorts of stuff is gonna hit the fan.


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## Allan (Aug 2, 2012)

That particular hatchling was very calm, is it still ok?



Scleropages said:


> Cute , My male came from you 3-4 years ago


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## StellaDoore (Aug 2, 2012)

Right, so this scrub python I'm meant to calm down is at work and that meant I'd only be handling him intermittently (I work maybe 1-2 days a week), which I didn't think was enough to get him used to people. The other staff are petrified of him and won't want to touch him.

So now I've asked my boss if I can babysit him for six months, where he'll get short periods of handling daily (unless feeding and shedding) and will be in a relatively high traffic area so he can observe people. I don't know if that will help in any way, but surely it can't hurt? 
All I need is to hunt down an enclosure (he's in a big bank atm), fix it up with lots of hides and get a steady temp. Can people recommend a good temp for scrubs to be kept at in Melbourne, Vic? I've heard low thirties but want to double check. And any other special husbandry needs or similar to other carpets?
This way I can handle him more, observe his behaviours, check temperature regularly and make sure he has routine feeding. 

Oh my god, I'm gonna be living with a scrub python O.O
This is so exciting!! What a good test to see whether I want one later in life!
=D


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## Joemal (Aug 2, 2012)

This is what happens when you say no to a Scrub .She wanted to do her own thing while out and i said no and look what happened LOL .


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## StellaDoore (Aug 2, 2012)

Joemal... O.O

I may have just changed my mind...


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## Scleropages (Aug 2, 2012)

Allan said:


> That particular hatchling was very calm, is it still ok?



He was ok for about 6 months then turned... hes a two person snake now..Hates people.. even thru glass.


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## junglepython2 (Aug 2, 2012)

Jamie, maybe your scrubs are just mental becuase you don't give them any UV and they are depressed.


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## Boidae (Aug 2, 2012)

StellaDoore said:


> Joemal... O.O
> 
> I may have just changed my mind...




Losing blood is just part of keeping Scrubs, a decent bite from a 1.5m specimen will come close to that. 
That's a nice bite, but it could have been much worse, especially if it were to happen to a novice 
(who would most likely freak out and pull away) 

If that photo put you off, then with all due respect, I would reconsider this offer.


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## adelherper (Aug 3, 2012)

joemail i love ceeing your photos haha


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## StellaDoore (Aug 3, 2012)

Boidae said:


> Losing blood is just part of keeping Scrubs, a decent bite from a 1.5m specimen will come close to that.
> That's a nice bite, but it could have been much worse, especially if it were to happen to a novice
> (who would most likely freak out and pull away)
> 
> If that photo put you off, then with all due respect, I would reconsider this offer.



A photo like that is a little (a lot) nerve-wracking, but doesn't really put me off! Just a bit of a "what have I gotten myself into?" moment =) I know that with a scrub I'm not likely to come out injury free and I'm prepared for that. Just the magnitude of the bite is amazing! If I was scared of losing blood, I would stick with stimmies. Saw a gruesome photo of Joemal after a foodie olive bite, no way that's gonna put me off keeping mine!

I'm very excited to be housing a scrub for a while. Scared, but thrilled to have such an intense animal. That picture is more evidence why I should never let my guard around this snake. Maybe I'll have some cool pics of my own to share?


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## Pythoninfinite (Aug 3, 2012)

junglepython2 said:


> Jamie, maybe your scrubs are just mental becuase you don't give them any UV and they are depressed.



I think you've hit the nail on the head jp2! Damn...I've fallen for that old trick that snakes don't need UV, and look what's happened ! I think I'll give it all away - I've learnt nothing in the last 50 years .

Seriously, to sum up, Scrubs are truly majestic snakes - they are gorgeous looking with that beautiful amethyst/purple sheen, they are the most constantly watchful and alert snake I've ever known, and they have personalities to match. Not only do they deserve respect - the command it, and if you don't give them what they deserve in the way of respect, you'l eventually pay a price. These characteristics largely outweigh the difficulty of managing them if they feel feisty. Mine are only around 2.5m atm (I'm not power feeding lol!), but they are a handful when it comes to cage cleaning time, and I can say unequivocally that I have to be in the right frame of mind to get in there and do it... (A few words with self-bignoting 16yos can put me in exactly the right frame of mind lol)!

I'm sure that your journey with this animal will be an enjoyable and interesting one StellaDoore, all you need to be aware of is the need for constant vigilance, and never take them for granted, especially as they reach adulthood.

Jamie


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## Snake_Whisperer (Aug 3, 2012)

Joemal said:


> View attachment 261128
> View attachment 261129
> 
> 
> This is what happens when you say no to a Scrub .She wanted to do her own thing while out and i said no and look what happened LOL .



Haha Joe! That'll teach ya for sticking your hand in her face to calm her! Next time you do it, try saying "Bitch please! Talk to the hand!" I "guarantee" that will work. Please note, my guarantee does not cover not getting bitten.


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## Mo Deville (Aug 3, 2012)

are scrubies strong enough to over power and kill a full grown man?


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## Sezzzzzzzzz (Aug 3, 2012)

mo-deville said:


> are scrubies strong enough to over power and kill a full grown man?




obviously they are seeing that Eric Ardmassen was killed by one. granted that he was apparently intoxicated at the time of his death.


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## Mo Deville (Aug 3, 2012)

newtolovingsnake said:


> obviously they are seeing that Eric Ardmassen was killed by one. granted that he was apparently intoxicated at the time of his death.



True, sorry i havn't read the last 5 pages if it already said so, but thats crazy, was it trying to eat him?


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## SamNabz (Aug 3, 2012)

I honestly can't believe that even when a keeper moves from the smaller pythons to something as advanced as a scrubbie, they *still* believe in over-handling an animal to "tame it down".. By this stage of your keeping experience, you should realise that it is all bs. Handling a scrubbie in a pillow case and/or on the couch whilst you watch TV, or taking it for "walkies" (what the..?) is not doing you or the snake any favours.

Scrub pythons have a reputation for a reason and if you buy one in the hopes of taming it down, then you really shouldn't purchase one in the first place. They are not teddy bears or puppies that like to cuddle and love you, they are emotionless animals that will always remain wild at heart and can *never* be trusted no matter what.



mo-deville said:


> are scrubies strong enough to over power and kill a full grown man?



Yes, there is at least 1 recorded death of an adult male by his scrubbie. Bit him on the face and constricted him - eventually he died by asphyxiation.


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## thomasssss (Aug 3, 2012)

newtolovingsnake said:


> obviously they are seeing that Eric Ardmassen was killed by one. granted that he was apparently intoxicated at the time of his death.


if thats the guy that worked at the venom lab then i read a post written by a friend of his in an old thread on here , basically to sum it up he said he wasnt intoxicated and the media ran wild with that story saying a whole load of crap


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## PilbaraPythons (Aug 3, 2012)

I seen both captive bred scrub pythons and wild collected kept in outdoor aviaries in north QLD and can’t say I have seen them act any different in regards to their willingness to give you an instant red tattoo when messed with. I have generally found if you are quick enough in catching scrub pythons with little fuss, you can normally get away with it without seeing bad behaviour. However they are very willing to turn on you with very little provocation and of course that can be terrible. I know of bites causing permanent injury. (John Robinsons hand as one example). Generally speaking though from doing heaps of removals, the bigger they are the quieter they are. Would I ever trust a large wild Scrub python, No way Hoesay, a hundred and twenty teeth can hurt.


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## Pythoninfinite (Aug 3, 2012)

Their teeth aren't only sharp, they are also solid and strong - if you see the skull of a Scrub compared to that of a large Carpet, you can see where the potential for serious injury comes from.

Jamie


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## Nighthawk (Aug 3, 2012)

newtolovingsnake said:


> obviously they are seeing that Eric Ardmassen was killed by one. granted that he was apparently intoxicated at the time of his death.



I was told the same thing and aired it on here earlier - I think the link to the thread was posted somewhere in this thread. Needless to say I was wronger than wrong, and a friend of his set us all straight in the thread. The 'intoxicaton' myth was perpetrated by the media, who were mostly denied access to the property but skulked around anyway, on their skulking they came across a bin of cans he'd collected over months (or years, can't remember which) and ran with it. From first-hand accounts he was a very capable keeper and for the media to insinuate he was drunk while handling his scrub hurt those close to him a lot.

Renenet posted the link 'close calls with big snakes' on page 2 of this thread. There's more to the story but it'd be best to hear it from there.


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## Sezzzzzzzzz (Aug 3, 2012)

Nighthawk said:


> I was told the same thing and aired it on here earlier - I think the link to the thread was posted somewhere in this thread. Needless to say I was wronger than wrong, and a friend of his set us all straight in the thread. The 'intoxicaton' myth was perpetrated by the media, who were mostly denied access to the property but skulked around anyway, on their skulking they came across a bin of cans he'd collected over months (or years, can't remember which) and ran with it. From first-hand accounts he was a very capable keeper and for the media to insinuate he was drunk while handling his scrub hurt those close to him a lot.



i dont find that hard to believe, the media never lets the truth get in the way of a good story.


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## thomasssss (Aug 3, 2012)

from what i read in the post that his friend made , one media group which he didnt name actually went as far as breaking into the guys house and moved around objects to make the story look better


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## Nighthawk (Aug 3, 2012)

It's bloody sickening. Vultures, the lot of them.


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## Joemal (Aug 3, 2012)

Snake_Whisperer said:


> Haha Joe! That'll teach ya for sticking your hand in her face to calm her! Next time you do it, try saying "Bitch please! Talk to the hand!" I "guarantee" that will work. Please note, my guarantee does not cover not getting bitten.



I missed getting a pic of what happened after she bit me .The pic of her near my hand was when she was coming back over to me 
as if to say sorry, she rested her head on my hand (not the bite one) and sat there for a few minutes .She is the genuine good one minute evil the next type of snake .I have lost count of the times she has turned from good to bad in the blink of an eye .The scariest was one day i was cleaning her cage (half way in there) i had only just put her back and she was having a good girl day hense me being in there cleaning while she was up the other end (2.4 mtrs away) .I remember seeing her out the corner of my eye just sitting there watching me clean when all of a sudden she had launched at my face mouth wide open .Now this snake was 8 ft away from me but in an instant she was a tongues length from my face with her mouth wide open .To this day i don't know why she pulled up her strike just before biting me but maybe it was her way of saying " i could have had you if i wanted to ". Personally i would take a fiesty scrub over a placid one any day .You know from day one where you stand with them 
and can never use the excuse "it has always been placid so why did it turn on me out of the blue".Good luck StellaDoore you are in a snakey relm where alot of keepers fear to tread LOL .....


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## thomasssss (Aug 3, 2012)

Joemal said:


> Good luck StellaDoore you are in a snakey relm where alot of keepers fear to tread LOL .....


im one of those scaredy cats , after having a coastal that isnt even that big (bout 1.6m) start playing tricks on me i realised i could never handle one of them , i dont have many friends that are game enough to even handle my little womas let alone help out with a scrub and after feeling the strength just my coastal has , i couldnt imagine what an angry scrub would be like


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## sherlock (Aug 4, 2012)

Joemal said:


> View attachment 261128
> View attachment 261129
> 
> 
> This is what happens when you say no to a Scrub .She wanted to do her own thing while out and i said no and look what happened LOL .


The problem is you did not say it loud enough, it needs to be in the 120 decibel loudness range. Trouble is you'll scare the snake, your kids, neighbours, yourself and possibly have a visit from the police wondering what's going on. Then you'll have no trouble with him I'm sure. Your scrubby will be a quivering wreck every time he sees you.


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## KaotikJezta (Aug 4, 2012)

snakelady96 said:


> I have 4 scrubs, one is 3 years old, one is 2 and two are yearlings. If you dont agree with something i say that is fine but there is no need to start getting rude, this is the reason i 'disappeared' for a while. I have no doubt you know your stuff but dont just think because of my age i have no right to give advice, this is what has worked for me with all sorts of pythons. If you dont want to believe or agree with something i say thats fine but as i said you dont need get all keyboard warrior over the internet.



From what I remember you disappeared because you were trying to tell people you were 35 and had been keeping for 15 years. At that stage you were 15 years old. I think Jamie is a lot more qualified to give advise than most people on the forum.


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## longqi (Aug 4, 2012)

Ive had 2 scrubbies
Biggest was only 4.2 metres
I used them in demonstrations and never had a major bite from them
But I also very seldom let anyone else touch them

On the other hand Ive got a 5.6metre retic that weighs many times what any scrubby ever would and I let kids play with it

I believe they can be tamed down
I also believe they will always remain unpredictable


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## snakelady96 (Aug 4, 2012)

KaotikJezta said:


> From what I remember you disappeared because you were trying to tell people you were 35 and had been keeping for 15 years. At that stage you were 15 years old. I think Jamie is a lot more qualified to give advise than most people on the forum.



KaotikJezta- Im really over this forum now, you people obviously have nothing better to do than bitch about me and other people who are simply trying to be polite and help out. The proper thing to do would be to PM me saying that 'hey theres something you said i dont agree with etc etc' but no instead start bitching about me on a thread, but thats cool- bit weird though that you so called 'adults' can hammer a 16 yr old but you dont want to do it to someone ya own age! This goes for EVERYONE having a bitch. 

Now to stay on topic and answer your statement you made, yes you are correct that is what i said because i knew exactly THIS would happen if i said my age but now i really dont care. We have always reptiles me obviously have been around them since 1996 my parents have been around them since 1995 so i think its safe to say that i have reptiles my whole life! If you disagree then thats your problem. 

Jamie probably is more qualified than most people on here i totally agree with you there but just because he has alot more experience he has no right to go hammering people that are answering a question with something that has worked for them. With the whole 'putting hand up to its face' thing yous are thinking about it the wrong way and im not discussing further into the topic as its just going to start up the whole APS war thingy again. But anyway its good to see Site Rules number 1 and 2 are being followed!


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## Scleropages (Aug 4, 2012)

snakelady96 said:


> KaotikJezta- Im really over this forum now, you people obviously have nothing better to do than bitch about me and other people who are simply trying to be polite and help out. The proper thing to do would be to PM me saying that 'hey theres something you said i dont agree with etc etc' but no instead start bitching about me on a thread, but thats cool- bit weird though that you so called 'adults' can hammer a 16 yr old but you dont want to do it to someone ya own age! This goes for EVERYONE having a bitch.
> 
> Now to stay on topic and answer your statement you made, yes you are correct that is what i said because i knew exactly THIS would happen if i said my age but now i really dont care. We have always reptiles me obviously have been around them since 1996 my parents have been around them since 1995 so i think its safe to say that i have reptiles my whole life! If you disagree then thats your problem.
> 
> Jamie probably is more qualified than most people on here i totally agree with you there but just because he has alot more experience he has no right to go hammering people that are answering a question with something that has worked for them. With the whole 'putting hand up to its face' thing yous are thinking about it the wrong way and im not discussing further into the topic as its just going to start up the whole APS war thingy again. But anyway its good to see Site Rules number 1 and 2 are being followed!



I wouldn't care if you where 10 years old as long as you give good advice. putting a flat hand to the face of an aggressive scrubby is BAD ADVICE!
Please think before you post comments like that.


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## Nighthawk (Aug 4, 2012)

snakelady96 said:


> KaotikJezta- Im really over this forum now, you people obviously have nothing better to do than bitch about me and other people who are simply trying to be polite and help out. The proper thing to do would be to PM me saying that 'hey theres something you said i dont agree with etc etc' but no instead start bitching about me on a thread, but thats cool- bit weird though that you so called 'adults' can hammer a 16 yr old but you dont want to do it to someone ya own age! This goes for EVERYONE having a bitch.



Hang on a minute; if you saw somebody giving potentially dangerous advice in a public setting I'm sure you would want to set them straight, also publicly, in order to warn others listening who may not be as experienced just how dangerous that advice is. Admittedly some people go about it the wrong way, but the only time I would ever say that putting your hand flat up to a pythons face to deter biting is if you're dealing with a hatchling ant. A scrub python is a whole 'nother story entirely, even a young one.
There are things that many experienced people on here do on a day-to-day basis to deal with their more dangerous animals that they take as calculated risks, but would never air on here for fear some wet-about-the-ears kids would take that as a guarantee they'll never be bit or killed and run with it. It may work for you, giving you the benefit of the doubt here, but it won't work for everyone. 
I'm not trying to be nasty or feud, I'm not trying to make you feel bad or anything, I'm simply stating what I've observed. And what I've observed is that posts from Scleropages, Joemal, and Pythoninfinite seem to carry a lot more weight, credibility, and consistency than yours. I also think that you need to realise that, while you probably wouldn't recommend that a novice stick their hand out to a scrub (or any large python for that matter), and that anyone with any sense would know that that sort of calculated risk comes with years of experience and the ability to read their body language to a T, there are still impressionable and naive people out there who would look at that, say 'okay, this works for this person, I'm going to try it out even though I only got my snake yesterday'.
With experience comes responsibility. That kind of advice in this public a setting is quite simply irresponsible.


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## adelherper (Aug 4, 2012)

scrubs demand a lot of respect and you alway need to be on your guard they are awesome animals but you need to understand like its been stated on here many times you can never underestimated a scrub one min they are casualy cruzin round next second they are after blood and lots of it haha
you need to have a lot of experience dealin with big snakes before you consider gettin one and id never recomend anyone gettin one with out atleast goin to someones place that has large scrubs spending time with the animal so you can get a feel of the power and how they act


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## Joemal (Aug 4, 2012)

Ok as the pictures go ....Good day ,good day,bad day,good day,bad day and bad day .As you can see when she is good she is excellent and when bad she can be a bit of a handful and this is where things can go wrong for you because the change from good to bad can either happen in an instant or maybe a day or two .There is border line split personality with my girl but hey maybe that is a Scrub trait .Again it all comes down to not allowing them to gain your trust .Now that she is getting bigger i'm more weary of how i enter her enclosure or handle her .Only the other day i backed out of cleaning her cage because of her laying along her log that was above me .It is not a hate for me in her eyes but more a focused intent look she gets and as i have found out she is best left alone when showing these signs .I learn by my mistakes and what i do works for me but might not work for others .No two scrubs are the same so in theory you can't give advise on one thinking it will work with all .The only thing you can say that covers ALL scrubs is they are very unpredictable .They can be your best friend or your worst enemy and in cases like mine it happens out of the blue .If i could afford the feed bill i would have a few more .Love them or hate them you have to admit they are an unreal snake in their own right .....


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## PythonLegs (Aug 5, 2012)

Oh my god...ahhh...weeee....this thread is awesome. Snakelady96,ahh..you Are My favourite comedienne..heeehehe..hand to the face! Argh..some wee came out...


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## jairusthevirus21 (Aug 5, 2012)

LOL nice one Joemal! my Scrubbie delivered the same after i had to grab its neck coz someones stupid King Charles Cavalier wanted to sniff the pointy end! nuthing like trying to handle a large snake thats covered in your own blood....:cry:StellaDoore. what worked for me was approaching my Scrubbies and treating it like a Rottweiler. Dominate it! Your the boss and you have no fear! i noticed my 4 meter Scrubbies were hesitant to bite if i went straight in and touched its head and stroked it (with a welding glove). then quickly shook off the glove and it was fine to grab a take out of enclosure. Animals do respond to the energy you give off. As stupid as it sounds they do 'smell your fear' so to speak. Thats why i love my Scubbies. Its a Psychological game as soon as i open the enclosure. be confident. 
this worked successfully for me so who knows it might work for you too....


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## PilbaraPythons (Aug 5, 2012)

jairusthevirus21
As crazy as some people might think your dominating approach is, I actually know there is some merit in it. I use the exact same approach with pythons that have bad reputations and it seems to work for me. Many people have been totally surprised when I have managed to pull out and handle their snakes that they swear would bite anyone who tried. Having said this , I am not sure I would do this with someones bad mannered 18 foot scrub python lol. Wild female Perenties seem to do the same ( as in totally submit once they think you have the better of them ) after first carrying on like a pork chop threatening to maul you. I thought this behaviour when I first experieced it was quite amazing. Awesome monitor, but thats another subject.


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## StellaDoore (Aug 5, 2012)

Oh my goodness, what are people doing up at this time??

I've seen the dominating/confidence thing as well. I had to clean the enclosure of a darwin and I was relatively new to snake keeping, so was a little nervous with the bites. The darwin kept striking at me until I chickened out and got an experienced keeper to get it out. He just scooped it up, let is crawl around on his hands and there was no biting, striking, nothing...very cool to see. 

I'm sourcing an enclosure to put this scrub in (he's not mine, but I'll babysit soon, and he's currently in an enclosure bank) and when I do, I'll be sure to get him out for a "play". My game plan is to act confident (er, with gloves...), never underestimate him, always be on alert, and have him out for a few minutes at a time, or at the very least, until he looks to have calmed down a little bit. I might try the bag method first though, I've heard good things about it and considering this snake has had minimal human contact (just to clean his enclosure), slow and steady might be the way to go.

Can't wait to get some cool pics up here =D


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## caliherp (Aug 5, 2012)

PilbaraPythons said:


> jairusthevirus21
> As crazy as some people might think your dominating approach is, I actually know there is some merit in it. I use the exact same approach with pythons that have bad reputations and it seems to work for me. Many people have been totally surprised when I have managed to pull out and handle their snakes that they swear would bite anyone who tried. Having said this , I am not sure I would do this with someones bad mannered 18 foot scrub python lol. Wild female Perenties seem to do the same ( as in totally submit once they think you have the better of them ) after first carrying on like a pork chop threatening to maul you. I thought this behaviour when I first experieced it was quite amazing. Awesome monitor, but thats another subject.


I have not read through the whole thread but I agree with you about approaching a snake with confidence. It is the best way to get it out of the habatat. What I do with my more aggressive pythons is let them know I'm there then I approach at a methodical pace never pulling back wether or not the snake is hissing or striking. Then I gentley pick it up and support its bodey. One huge mistake people make is getting afraid and pulling there hand back. 9 times out of 10 this technique works for me. Also I have never used gloves to handle any of my reptiles. I feel it stresses them out more then it stresses you out getting bit.


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## disintegratus (Aug 5, 2012)

This entire thread has just made want a scrubbie more.


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## caliherp (Aug 5, 2012)

+1


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## Joemal (Aug 5, 2012)

jairusthevirus21 said:


> LOL nice one Joemal! my Scrubbie delivered the same after i had to grab its neck coz someones stupid King Charles Cavalier wanted to sniff the pointy end! nuthing like trying to handle a large snake thats covered in your own blood....:cry:StellaDoore. what worked for me was approaching my Scrubbies and treating it like a Rottweiler. Dominate it! Your the boss and you have no fear! i noticed my 4 meter Scrubbies were hesitant to bite if i went straight in and touched its head and stroked it (with a welding glove). then quickly shook off the glove and it was fine to grab a take out of enclosure. Animals do respond to the energy you give off. As stupid as it sounds they do 'smell your fear' so to speak. Thats why i love my Scubbies. Its a Psychological game as soon as i open the enclosure. be confident.
> this worked successfully for me so who knows it might work for you too....




LOL .. your approach is the way i do it jairusthevirus21 i call it the shock and awe tactic .I use a hook to "wake"her up then just bare hand wrestle that sucker out of her cage to shock her and catch her off guard then stand back in awe at a job well done .Works for me and yes i believe the pussy footing round approach just gives them time to react in a manner that will affect your health lol . With my girl now in a large enclosure and a large log to lay on above head height i have to now come up with a new way to get her out .When she is in her dog kennel it's only a matter of carrying the whole thing out through the sliding door but when she is out and about in the cage there are too many places where she has the advantage over me and the last thing i need is to be in there with her and her doing a Mike Tyson on me .


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## -Peter (Aug 5, 2012)

Few years back, looks can deceive.


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## MR_IAN_DAVO (Aug 5, 2012)

I got one once as a part of a cheap deal that the guy did not want. I can understand why.
It was about 2 yrs or so age & about 2.5 metres long. Well they are probably the most agile & strongest Aussie python that i have ever come accross. Their bite is huge & they are very fast.

Well if i was to keep this guy, i had to do something with him to settle him down as he was pretty agro, so i persisted with bruising bites for a short time until he started to accept me & from there on we formed a relationship with a lot of respect.

I got him to a stage where i could handle him with great ease & i feel that the process was all well worth it. As my wife did not me to keep it because they can grow to 4 to 5 metres in length, we onsold it to someone in NT. After that i missed the adrenalin rushes.

Cheers
Ian

When I first got this guy, I thought these photos would have been impossible,
But after 3 months or so of persistant handling, he became just like a puppy dog that you could scratch behind the ear...
But they do deserve a lot of respect & don't trust them for one minute.









Call me a Daredevil or just stupid, whatever tickles your fancy, But the photos show the story.

Cheers
Ian


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## Addam (Aug 10, 2012)

congratulations APS you have gotten me even keener to get my scrubby! looking forward to the challenge!


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## Striker (Aug 10, 2012)

disintegratus said:


> This entire thread has just made want a scrubbie more.



Damn it disintegratus! I just read through 7 pages of scrub python behavioural descriptions, advice, photo's, war stories and of course fights. By the time I got to about page 3 and after reading Jamie's early descriptions I had decided I wanted one and that once I make it to the end of the thread I'll announce it for all the world to read (or at least, those in the world who bother to read this thread). So I finally make it to the end of page 7 only to find that you have stolen my line.....

Where are we buying from?


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## MR_IAN_DAVO (Aug 10, 2012)

Who cares, just buy one & tame it down.
What a great challenge. But buy a little one. LOL.

Cheers
Ian


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## ArgentinoAussie (Aug 10, 2012)

Hey guys, just glancing over posts re- scrub pythons, my latest scrub is a beautiful little female called Buffy,she has calmed down from being an aggressive biatch to quite tame 99 percent of the time, but there is always that chance that no matter how "tame" I think she is she still has her wild defensive instincts. Motto of the story...... Even the best behaved student can turn out to be a bad nut.


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## MR_IAN_DAVO (Aug 10, 2012)

ArgentinoAussie said:


> Hey guys, just glancing over posts re- scrub pythons, my latest scrub is a beautiful little female called Buffy,she has calmed down from being an aggressive biatch to quite tame 99 percent of the time, but there is always that chance that no matter how "tame" I think she is she still has her wild defensive instincts. Motto of the story...... Even the best behaved student can turn out to be a bad nut.



So True.


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## disintegratus (Aug 12, 2012)

Striker said:


> Damn it disintegratus! I just read through 7 pages of scrub python behavioural descriptions, advice, photo's, war stories and of course fights. By the time I got to about page 3 and after reading Jamie's early descriptions I had decided I wanted one and that once I make it to the end of the thread I'll announce it for all the world to read (or at least, those in the world who bother to read this thread). So I finally make it to the end of page 7 only to find that you have stolen my line.....
> 
> Where are we buying from?



Hehehe... I do my best

I can't have one yet I literally don't have the room to house a snake that big. I just got a loft bed so I can get an Olive python, but I don't think there'll be enough room under it for both.
If I get an adult, I could probably empty out the garage and use that as it's enclosure, but the dogs have figured out how to open the roller door...

I'm kind of attached to the dogs, so I think I'll wait for a little while yet


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## Joemal (Aug 12, 2012)

MR_IAN_DAVO said:


> Who cares, just buy one & tame it down.
> What a great challenge. But buy a little one. LOL.
> 
> Cheers
> Ian







This is true for new Scrubbie owners and another thing which most of us should practice and i'm a big culprit of doing it with my bigger snakes is "Keep them off your neck" and try and get someone to give you a hand or atleast be close by if things take a wrong turn for you .By the time alot of new Scrubbie owners have snakes this size and bigger they should be well aware of the dangers but as in my case and quoting words from the famous Forrest Gump "Stupid is as stupid does "


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## CHEWY (Aug 12, 2012)

I agree, a quick confident approach with purposeful actions is the best way to interact with Scrubs.
Being flighty and finicky is only going to get their defences up. I believe they are incredibly smart snake (You can tell, they look at you differently than other snakes) with good eye sight. Jerky movements as you fluff around is not going to end well.

I'd just like to adjust what Joemal said in his photo string: great day, great day, good day, great day, good day, good day. A bad day with a Scrubby is not just going to be just blood. As already stated, their teeth as so long, a bad bite could include tearing of nerves, ligaments or tendons etc. Pretty easy to do under your wrist.

They are my favourite python for sure, but I hope this thread isn't going to glorify Scrub Pythons for inexperienced keepers. Sure, copping a hundred bite from a grumpy 3 footer is easy, but it can go real bad real quick with a larger specimen.
I go in confident, but sometimes I just walk away, not today.

This was one of those days and two hands up wasn't helping anything.


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## Renenet (Aug 12, 2012)

How big are those scrubbies, Chewy? They look like they've planned something together.


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## Striker (Aug 12, 2012)

disintegratus said:


> I'm kind of attached to the dogs, so I think I'll wait for a little while yet



Yeah....I've kind of grown to like my new baby so I should probably hold off on buying for a little while as well.


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## StellaDoore (Aug 12, 2012)

Chewy, thank you very much for the comments and advice! Confidence by far seems like the best way to deal with these snakes. It's a bit tricky though: on one hand I'm scared of such a nasty bite so I'll be nervous, but on the other hand my nervousness is more likely to induce a bite. I guess I've just gotta suck it up and get in there! A mate of mine (an experienced keeper with two small scrubs) recently handled the scrubbie I'm about to take in and was told he was fine on two occasions, and puffing, hissing and striking on the third. They really do seem unpredictable. This is going to be a lot different to handling my slightly nervous, snappy jungle =S

Oh, almost forgot. Chewy, you're scrubs are gorgeous!! Although Renenet is right, they do look like they're up to something. You can tell they're smart snakes, I'm looking forward to having a scrub in the house =)


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