To get a burm or not, that is the question

This is way late, but I figured I might as well contribute to the original post. :)

If you want to get a burm, be ready to be paying a fair amount on its upkeep. Larger rats will cost more but still can be gotten fairly cheaply(f/t anyway,) you will need a large cage to accommodate it's large size, preferably a professional-style cage that will be fully secure(like a boaphile or something.) If you really are dedicated to getting and keeping a burm, you won't want to cut corners on housing and whatnot.

So I guess the main question is: are you ready for a burm? :D

Sounds cool Andrew, Most of my time here on BP.net is while I am at work, so if you can shoot me an email that would be best. Thanks for for your advice.

Sausage, am I ready for a burm? No. I wish I was. Right now I am currently saving some cash for it. The reptile store said that if I come in on wednesday I can see their burm eat. But with lots of research, time, and the help of these forums i hope to get to that point.

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Originally Posted by BiG~PUN

Sounds cool Andrew, Most of my time here on BP.net is while I am at work, so if you can shoot me an email that would be best. Thanks for for your advice.

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I definitely will! Let me get some free time to do so first, and I'll help you out any way possible!

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Originally Posted by BiG~PUN

Sausage, am I ready for a burm? No.

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Your the only one who could have answered that question...no one else. Don't let anyone tell you different either. Your the only one who knows for sure if you could give proper care, and are prepared to handle the responsibility...no keeper, including an experienced keeper or breeder could tell you any of that.

We've owned an adult albino burm for a couple of months, so I can share a little about my experience so far...

Big poo, big frequent pee! I swear Lourdes ("lordz") our burm sees me cleaning out pee and makes a bee-line for the water bowl ("must - make - more pee"). I spend more time maintaining cleanliness with him than my other three snakes combined....but then he weighs and eats more, so I guess it makes sense.

They are expensive. The cage, the feeders, substrate (depending on what you use - we use aspen)...it adds up. I would guess a vet visit would cost the same, but it also was something we considered. Although I have to say no worries about "did i bring enough poo for them to do a fecal?"...you'll have plenty! =D

Safety. With one exception, we have not taken Lourdes out of his cage unless both of us were home and present...just - in - case. Our particular snake is quite docile and I only know of one bite that occured during his previous residence, but still, respect for the animal and what he can do can not be forgotten. We put together a big "holding" tub as well just in case he might break the front sliding glass door, transport to the vet, holding spot while doing cage maintenance.

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That said, I loves my big yellow boy! Looky here for pics of Lourdes, him eating and his cage.

Oh and I did get some good info on albinoburmese.com as well as NERD.

As I face the same question this week, it was interesting to see this thread as I logged on. There is a women in my local herp society that does rescues, and she e-mailed me today that she has a 3' albino burm available if I would like to take it. Well, it wasn't tops on my list right now, but to get one for nothing sure pushes it up a bit. I've been dealing with bp's and a 6' bci for a couple years now, so the handling won't be an issue, and the albinos are just so attractive it's hard to not take it on. Yes, I know it is going to get very big and will have to build an enclosure for it down the road, but I am pretty psyched about having one shortly.

Oh Vince have I got some bigger rats for you buddy! I miss the big BCI for taking care of the fast growing feeder rats so don't even fret on the feeding bill for the burm, I've got you covered six ways to Sunday LOL.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Oh Vince have I got some bigger rats for you buddy! I miss the big BCI for taking care of the fast growing feeder rats so don't even fret on the feeding bill for the burm, I've got you covered six ways to Sunday LOL.

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I think I seriously need to consider moving to Toledo...;) :P

The up side, however, is my reptile shop does "tabs", so I got the brillliant idea to put some cash via my airlines credit card. RAT MILES! (yeah, it took me that long to figure this out - duh)

I'd happily help you out there Cass if you were closer. I'm thrilled though to help Vince with very low cost/free larger feeder rats for this burm. It's wonderful that he is going to rescue one as there are so few people that will rehome a giant so if Mike and I can assist this way in a rescue, we're more than pleased to do so. :)

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Originally Posted by AndrewH

Why beg to get a Boa first? It's a bit non-sensical to me. Buy a snake solely for "experience"...things like that are what supports the disposable pet trade. Personally if you want one, get one. Read as much as you can, talk to as many experienced keepers as you can...and if possible, try and get some hands on with them. The biggest thing with Burms is their temperment...they're so laid back compared to other giants its not even funny...but that "relaxed" feel and attitude makes you underestimate their strength and lulls you into a false sense of security...don't let it happen. Its a big flaw that could get you hurt.

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I agree with getting a boa, reading docs etc cannot give you the experience of taking care of a large snake, so maybe if he gets a boa, he might reconsider or be fully confident that he can handle a burm.

the whole idea of a snake that can squeeze me till my eyes pop out and eat me on a whim doesn't seem too appealing lol

i had a friend in my early 20's who got squeezed by his 15' ameythestine, cops found him almost dead the snake was just getting ready to start at his head, after that the giants are outta the question for me :)

btw it was a total accident, the snake just finished eating a rabbit in his room and he came in to put him back in his cage. even he says he made the mistake of not having anyone there with him, i think that's numero uno for giants