Rather upset...

[Hypancistrus]

Here is a photo of the 2 year, 2 month old burm I adopted from my friend @ Daytona this week. He was hatched in June '08. I photographed him next to a reptiles magazine for size comparison.



Is this small for a 2 year old burm?

Here is a close up photo.

[Boanerges]

They generally grow 6ft or so in the first year. He is a good looking boy though.

[JLC]

I'm not sure how big a 2 year old burm should be....but I DO know that growth rates can vary quite a bit depending on how they were fed, among other things. That snake doesn't look at all underfed or neglected...he's beautiful! I don't see anything to be upset about, even if he is a bit of a "late bloomer" in the size department.

[Denial]

usually burms do grow upwards of 6 feet in there first year but it really depends on how often there fed. But from the looks of the pics he has good body weight. And looks healthy. Congrats on the new addition.

[jtyson123]

No need to be upset he looks healthy. Growth rates vary quite a bit depending on feeding size and frequency. My 2 year old female is about 9ft.

[Hypancistrus]

So will he be "stunted" or will he grow to full normal length? He was feeding mostly on chicks for recent meals. Today he had a small rat which is what we use for our BPs. I think he can probably handle medium rats, so I will be getting some of those at the September show.

Also he was rather hissy and aggressive when the fellow was getting him into the bag, but he'd not been fed in some time. Today when I took him out, he hissed but never struck at me. I've been using the hook first and wearing the wussy gloves just in case. We've also treated him for mites and are QTing him in a room away from all other herps and boids just in case.

Thanks for the compliments. I've always liked his colors and was excited to pick him up from this guy when he could no longer keep him.

[tomfromtheshade]

If you want to find out if he has been underfed and is small as a result there is one way to find out for sure LOL.

Pump him full of food until he looks like a football every week for a month or so. If he shoots up like a weed then you know that he has been lacking food. If he just gets a little fatter and you don't see any real growth then you can bet that he is just small or a slow grower.

Either way, enjoy your burm. They are very cool big snakes.

[hud556]

So will he be "stunted" or will he grow to full normal length?

According to David Barker they can NOT be stunted...