Raising king cobras provides a high income.

Text and photos: NGUYEN TRINH

Mr. Tran Thanh Long (55 years old, residing in My Thanh Nam commune, Cai Lay district, Tien Giang province) caught three baby elephant snakes while setting traps and brought them home to raise. Unexpectedly, these reptiles have been his companion ever since, providing him with a stable monthly income...

Anh Long sở hữu trên 100 con rắn bố mẹ từ 2-4 kg.

Mr. Long owns over 100 breeding snakes weighing between 2 and 4 kg each.

Owning over 100 adult king cobra snakes, Mr. Tran Thanh Long earns nearly 100 million VND per year from selling breeding stock.

Mr. Long recounted that he and his wife used to make a living raising pigs and selling groceries. However, raising pigs was hard work, prices were unstable, and they often suffered losses, depleting their capital. In 2019, while setting a trap, they caught three baby elephantine rat snakes. Seeing that the snakes were docile, Mr. Long kept them in a small earthenware pot. After some time, despite minimal care, the snakes grew and developed well, even reproducing prolifically, even though they were kept in a tiny pot.

After researching the market, he realized that the king cobra is a delicacy with consistently high market value, while this species is becoming scarce in the wild. Therefore, he decided to invest in buying breeding stock from a reputable farm to expand his herd, repurposing an old pigsty to raise snakes. However, after successfully raising a herd of 300 breeding snakes, he suffered a setback when, during a water change, he unknowingly pumped saline water into the tank, causing a mass death of snakes. He then rebuilt the herd with the surviving breeding snakes, which he continues to this day.

According to Mr. Long, the important thing is that the tanks for raising king cobra snakes must be well-ventilated, clean, and have their water changed regularly. This allows the snakes to grow quickly and reduces the risk of disease. Another important secret is that each cement tank should have a bundle of nylon rope to provide hiding places for the snakes. Mr. Long revealed that the snakes' favorite food is catfish. Depending on the size of the snakes, appropriate sizes of fish should be added. Before adding the catfish to the snake tank, they should be fed commercial feed so that when the snakes eat the fish, they also absorb the feed, helping them gain weight quickly.

Each tank for raising king cobra snakes is about 2 meters long and 1 meter wide, accommodating approximately 300 adult king cobra snakes. The ratio is 10 females to 3 males. "In my experience, snakes raised in narrow tanks move less, making it easier for them to catch prey. They eat enough food, so they grow faster than those raised in larger tanks," Mr. Long said. According to Mr. Long, king cobra snakes are very easy to raise and require little care. They begin reproducing after 2 years. King cobra snakes breed from April to June of the lunar calendar each year, with an average of 10-30 offspring per litter. Female snakes weighing over 2 kg can lay 40 eggs per litter.

Currently, Mr. Long has about 100 breeding snakes, each weighing from 2-4 kg. Every year, they produce nearly a thousand baby snakes. He sells the hatchlings for 70,000-200,000 VND each (depending on size). This brings him an income of nearly 100 million VND. Mr. Long's model of raising snakes in cement tanks is simple, space-saving, labor-intensive, and highly profitable , so it is being emulated by farmers in the area.