The importance of secure caging and double-checking your routine EVERY time.

[Will0W783]

I figured I'd post this, because although I have years of experience with smaller snakes, I am not very used to the larger species. About a month ago, I agreed to "snake-sit" a good friend's two reticulated pythons while he took care of some things. The snakes are both quite docile and well-behaved, for the behemoths that they are. The female is 1.5 years old and over 10 feet long already. She weighs about 40 pounds. The male however, is 4 years old and somewhere between 12-15 feet and 100 pounds or so. He needs to go on a diet, yes I know. He is MASSIVE. They are in Vision style ABS cages with the sliding doors, and I immediately put cabinet door locks on both cages. Last night after removing the big male from his soak, I locked the cage but left the keys in the lock. Apparently at some point during the night the pressure of his coils against the door jiggled it enough to undo the lock..it's broken now and won't catch. When I went down to the heated garage this morning to turn their daytime lights on, I found stuff knocked down everywhere and the big lug up on top of the garage door looking around and surveying his domain. It took my fiance and I over 10 minutes to finagle him down and another few to get him back into his cage. I am posting this for other beginners and people who are thinking of getting into the giants as evidence that they are no joke. While you can have a wonderful experience with them and they are majestic and impressive, it is important to keep in the forefront of your mind every single moment of every time you spend with them that they are powerful and can be extremely dangerous. Fortunately, I have these two temporary wards housed in my garage, which can be locked off from the rest of the house so that in the event of an escape the animal could not get into the rest of the house, where we have our cats and dogs. I had thought that door locks would be sufficient, but it appears a different type of lock and probably a different style of cage is in order to properly house these fellows for the time that they are in my care. A lot of thought and planning has to go into getting ready for any of the larger species, and just as much planning and care must go into every day with them.
Enjoy the picture and take this as a lesson for what NOT to do!