are burm. easy to keep

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Not being sarcastic in the least, any animal that can easily overpower you and respectively kill you, eats more than you do, and requires years of experience to completely understand and work with; is not something I would call "easy" to keep.

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As the owner of 14 burms I would have to agree 110% with this statement. Try and find someone who has one that you could possibly get some experience with. They are fun but as far as being easy-NO.

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Originally Posted by OhBalls

Unless you have someone available to help you at ANY given time. I would not advise a Burm.

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I agree; we have a rule with our 12' burm. We only get him out for handling or cage cleaning when both of us are home. Respect the animal and what he is capable of and ownership is a lot more fun.

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Originally Posted by burmmamma

They are fun but as far as being easy-NO.

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I kinda think we're making them TOO scary. Yes, you need to have experience and yes you absolutely need to be responsible.

I personally am so glad we made the "giant" leap and got our big boy as I love him to bits. Their natural desire for food and continuous hunting is fascinating to watch and makes the burm a much more interactive snake, even when he's just in his cage. The bp and boa are boring in comparison; they just sleep in their hides all the time.

But the burm, he's on the move, hunting in his cage, following your movements outside the cage, eyeballing the cat through the cage, drooling at the cat....=D

"So...hun....gry" :snake: :P

I fully enjoy caring for all my animals and cleaning up after the burm makes you feel like you've accomplished something (in comparison to say, a cornsnake..."you call that a poopie?! pfft!").

[This being my first post I am prepared to get chewed apart no matter what, lol, jk]

I have to agree, you're making them seem too scary, and maybe that's to scare off those who might just ditch it in a year, but I'm also glad I made the jump to giants as well.

I think it's all about responsibility - if you take the necessary precautions I don't think there are too many issues in owning a burm, knowing your snake is going to be potentially 20 feet and 200 lbs is a good start, and knowing you will always be able to care for it - not ditch it when its gets too big.

Obviously it would not make a good first snake, but when you know what you're getting into, and are capable of caring for it for its entire life, no matter the attitude it has.

All in all, easy to keep - no; but worth the effort? for sure! I love my burm.

Oh, and to introduce myself - I have more than just my burm, but I will tend to be around the giants forum for the most part. I've been lurking for a while and think you have a wonderful community here, glad to be a part of it.

ya, i really want to get one. i held one at the other day and loved it. it was a baby of course lol. but then again i think. k when i go to college in a couple years my parents will not watch my 20 foot snake haha,

Great advice from everyone and I agree all around. I saw a juvenile albino female burm for sale at a local pet shop near by and I almost had a heart attack. I asked them why on earth they had it (since this pet shop happens to be one I visit regularly and admire for their cleanliness and acceptable reptile knowledge) and was informed it was brought in for someone that requested but they never picked it up so it was being sold to whoever wanted it.

I must say the convo turned into a bit of a lecture on my part but in the end I believe it went to a reasonably experienced keeper.

I am rambling, anyway - yes burms are an incredible snake but don't bite off more than you can chew in the long run:D

When I had my 11ft female albino burm, she was a handful, even though she had sweetest disposition of any snake i've ever owned. I had her at 8 feet and lived by myself for a while, and like Kim said, I would defenitely not recommend having a burm, especially a giant, unless you have someone to help you at the drop of a hat. Only once I moved in with my boyfriend, did we both have the gusto to handle her together. A giant is exactly what it says...GIANT and whether their temperment is completely docile or they are a maniac, trying to handle one by yourself is just unsensible. Hope this helped! Good luck

Hey bud dont mean to be a downer but i see you mentioned college...most if not all colleges wont let you keep pets let alone 20ft snakes in a dorm room. That means having to file requests and pay extra to live off of campus. Some friends of mine managed to hide an anole in their closet but thats a 2in lizard. Just make sure you look ahead 30 years of your life and make sure youll be able to have a giant during that amount of time. If you dont see yourself being able to keep one just get something smaller yet still pretty big like a RTB or Blood. That way you dont end up having to give it up for adoption later on and causing you and the snake alot of stress.

If it was not for their size.
They would be just like ball pythons. A perfect beginner snake.

You know what they say...size matters

Hi guys.
Gatta say I do not agree. If you read this thread you would say burms are monsters.
I have a couple of burms and I handle them by myself most of the time (biggest one is about 12ft), I handle the tics alone too (babies,12-13ft). It is true that a helper is a great idea, but the truth (and I believe most guys who own more then one BIG snake will admit this) is that it is impractical to expect somebody to be around 24-7 to help you. Most people will be absolutely useless in a bad situation any way.
Best defence is to not put yourself in a dangerous situation with stupidity. Know you animals and respect them.
Keep a spray bottle of vinegar/ rubbing alcohol in the room. One spray of that stuff in the mouth will break any feeding response.
I also kept my animals with me in my dorm room at University (2 balls, 2 tics and 3 burms). The big ones had 8ft cages and the smaller ones 5ft cages. Just don’t advertise, be stupid, get drunk (I don’t drink) and be stupid, show off, invite “friends” for feedings etc. and it can be done. It is a BIG commitment and seeing that you are still young perhaps you should reconsider.
Come on guys, we are sounding like a bunch of old ladies with wet pants. Burms are NOT that scary and somebody who tells you differently is blowing his own horn…
Man up girly-men, this is the GIANT snake forum is it not?
RM