Question about keeping Burms

I am getting a burm and I currently have 2 Boas, is there anything that I must be aware of?

Outside of quarantine them and such I know the basics of a new snake.

Burms get much bigger :D

Do you know how to hook train?

Will you be able to have it's adult cage handy by the time it is one year old?

Have you had any prior personal, hands on experience with burms before?

Do you have a good constant supply of rats, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc.?

I can answer questions a lot better than telling someone what to be aware of if they've already been researching them.

I know

I have a basic knowledge of hook training, just never actually done so

No problem with the adult cage

some experience with burms, but not a lot

food is also not a problem

My main thing is I remember something from the Ball python group about housing boa's and ball pythons in the same household (not enclosure I know better then that)

Boas and pythons can be housed in the same room. I did it for a couple years before I sold my boas. IBD just shows up faster in pythons than boas is usually what people mean.

one last question, how does their temperment change as they grow older/larger

Understanding that a lot of it depends on how they are kept.

Just keep handling them and they will be fine. Babies will be nippy/hissy, but you just have to keep handling them and they settle down fast.

My first burm was a monster when I first got him. Then I just sucked it up and handled him. He lunged while in my hands and that was the last aggressive thing (can't think of a better word) he ever did. Never minded the handling after that.

Hook training is a must IMO. Frequent handling, especially through the nippy stage. Reliable food supply. I would suggest feeding in a separate enclosure, if possible. The burm I had was fed in its enclosure and had a tendency to come at the door rather aggressive, until the hook training. Still had to be on my toes tho. It's intimidating to have a 12 foot snake coming at the door FAST. :O Remember, they seem kinda laid back most of the time, but man these guys can be quick when they want something. Oh and don't forget the have someone experienced around to help out when they start getting larger, say around the 6-8 foot range.
I love these snakes, but they demand a huge amount of respect and commitment.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by KeithTN

Hook training is a must IMO. Frequent handling, especially through the nippy stage. Reliable food supply. I would suggest feeding in a separate enclosure, if possible. The burm I had was fed in its enclosure and had a tendency to come at the door rather aggressive, until the hook training. Still had to be on my toes tho. It's intimidating to have a 12 foot snake coming at the door FAST. :O Remember, they seem kinda laid back most of the time, but man these guys can be quick when they want something. Oh and don't forget the have someone experienced around to help out when they start getting larger, say around the 6-8 foot range.
I love these snakes, but they demand a huge amount of respect and commitment.

---

I don't know too much about large snakes.. but I do know feeding snakes (especially very large ones) should be done inside the enclosure.. that is what hook training is for. If you want to ever handle your snake, I would not like to have it expect food every time you take out a 12+ long animal.

Thanks for the correction with the feeding in a separate enclosure in my post. As you stated, "I would not like to have it expect food every time you take out a 12+ long animal." , I could see this being a problem. Mine associated opening the door with being fed, which is the reason I suggested this. Even with hook training, it made it interesting when initially opening the door. I suspect this behavior came from the original owner who just threw a live large rabbit in once a month without much regular handling.

I had an option of getting another RTB instead of the Burm, my fiance wasn't too sure about having a full grown Burm anyway So I went with what I know best and got the Boa.

Thanks for all of your input