Two questions about Burms

[dkatz4]

Please allow me to apologize in advance; these two questions are completely unrelated. They really ought to be two separate threads but I didn't want to be greedy with my forum usage.
I do not have a Burmese python but I am rather taken with the idea of getting one in the future, a male, in the interest of keeping things on the manageable side of giant. (perhaps a few years down the line)

question one: feeding. If I have a sub adult to adult male, what kind of feeding regimen should I maintain to keep him lean and "mean". I'm not trying to pinch pennies on feeders nor am I trying to stunt his growth, I just prefer him to be svelte and athletic rather than big and bloated.

Question two, and this is so subjective I almost feel stupid asking but here goes: are Burms fun? I know that they are docile, and that is good in a giant snake but I don't want a giant ball python either. I know dwarf retics are all the rage right now in part because they are so interactive and intelligent. To be honest the more I learn about them the more I think they may be a little too fun for me (Or maybe not, still brainstorming ). But are Burms fun to, you know, "play" with? Are handling sessions interactive or do you end up just sort of lugging them out of the cage and watching them sit?

Thanks so much for any responses, this is all highly hypothetical right now and to be honest I don't know if I will ever get the chance to actually own one, but exploratory research like this will help me ascertain whether or not it's a worthwhile goal for me, personally.

[ShaneSilva]

I got my first burm last year so I am definitely not the expert. But I must say I do really enjoy having her out of her enclosure. I love "fun" snakes which attracted me to retics and then a carpet python. But I also wanted something I can just chill out with. My girlfriend has boas and a ball python so I wanted something different. Looked into burms and fell in love. She is a lot more active than the boa but not near the retic so she's a good in between. She moves around a lot in her enclosure as well and spends a lot of time in her water dish playing and blowing bubbles. It's pretty cute lol. Or she'll just put her head up against the glass and stare at me until I take her out. Anyways sorry for rambling on. Point is in my opinion burms are awesome as long as you're ready for everything that comes along with their size. Obviously each snake has their own personality but the ones I've interacted with have been great

[bcr229]

Don't forget in NJ you need a permit to own burms.
http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/exotic_apps.htm

[dkatz4]

I got my first burm last year so I am definitely not the expert. But I must say I do really enjoy having her out of her enclosure. I love "fun" snakes which attracted me to retics and then a carpet python. But I also wanted something I can just chill out with. My girlfriend has boas and a ball python so I wanted something different. Looked into burms and fell in love. She is a lot more active than the boa but not near the retic so she's a good in between. She moves around a lot in her enclosure as well and spends a lot of time in her water dish playing and blowing bubbles. It's pretty cute lol. Or she'll just put her head up against the glass and stare at me until I take her out. Anyways sorry for rambling on. Point is in my opinion burms are awesome as long as you're ready for everything that comes along with their size. Obviously each snake has their own personality but the ones I've interacted with have been great

Please, ramble on! The more information the better and I could read about this stuff all day. Your description actually hit the nail right on the head in terms of what I was looking for. Something between a boa and a retic.

While I have some ears, let me ask another behavioral question: do they climb? While thinking of getting another boa I've been planning on incorporating a lot of height into an enclosure to accommodate their arboreal tendencies. My understanding is that Burms are far less inclined to go vertical – however, my understanding is severely limited so I would love some info on this.

[dkatz4]

Don't forget in NJ you need a permit to own burms.
http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/exotic_apps.htm

Thanks for the tip, you party pooper.
lol
Actually it's kind of interesting – by the look of it I would need to get a permit to have a 4 foot ball python but not an 8 foot Boa. it just goes to show how ridiculous some of these regulations are. Especially because the entire python family is included on the list, but boa constrictors are specifically exempt from the otherwise regulated boidae family

[Reinz]

I saw an ad for an adult 9-10 ft Burm for sale about 4 months ago. The photos showed the snake climbing on large branches in 6x6 enclosure.

[ShaneSilva]

She does from time to time but spends more time in her water than anything else. But IMO any space given will be used. I just wouldn't expect it to be climbing up vertical limbs or perching on little branches. But shelves or ledges where they can bask at different temps would probably be used more often if you have over heard heat.

[dkatz4]

Oh, whaaat?? Seriously, just saw a craigslisting for a baby male albino like 30 minutes from me for a very very reasonable price. Was it meant to be? Is this fate reaching out to me? But more importantly, who is going to let me sleep on their couch when my wife kicks me out?

[Sauzo]

Oh, whaaat?? Seriously, just saw a craigslisting for a baby male albino like 30 minutes from me for a very very reasonable price. Was it meant to be? Is this fate reaching out to me? But more importantly, who is going to let me sleep on their couch when my wife kicks me out?

Dooooo eeeetttttt!! Don't tell the wife. Just play dumb and claim you have always had that snake. It just grew bigger cause she hasn't seen it out in awhile!!

I just looked it up and he's such a cute little danger noodle!!!

[ShaneSilva]

I had the same issue at first. Weird since she's the one that got me into snakes. But keep us updated if you do decide to get one. I'd love to see it!