Considering a Burmese Python of my own. Thoughts and advice?

Ive been considering a Burmese Python for some time now. I like their shape, size, temperment, it all sounds great. However, I am very used to ball pythons. Big jump from ball to burm.

Originally I had hoped to Make a Blue Eyed Ivory Burmese Python the Center piece of the massage studio Im planning on opening up in the future. Along with the right decorations it would have a very natural zen feel to it, and it would be run out of my home, so taking proper care of it would be simple.

I held a baby albino burmese at a reptile shop I visited recently to pick up some larger mice and I fell even more in love with the idea. So I started doing a lot of research on their husbandry, maximum size, eating habits, etc and I ran into a 50/50 split about whether it was safe to have a burmese python as a pet.

From what I can tell, the only people who were attacked by their burmese are people that either 1)Handled them irresponsibly and the bite/attack was completely their fault, or two they let it wander the house of its own accord 23/7 and someone got attacked in their sleep. or 3) They poorly secured their enclosure, and the snake escaped then proceded to attack them in their sleep.

All of which seem like the owners fault to me. So I wanted to ask you guys with big old burmese of your own. Whats been your experience with these snakes? Would you recomend them as pets? Are the fears founded, or just people being pig headed worry worts?

If you made it this far thank you for reading = P I love burmese pythons and I want to beleive I can handle having one as a pet, but any input you could offer is greatly appreciated.

Burms Can be awesome... my girl is big slow gentle and predictable.... But they are not all that way. I love the idea of people getting into different reptiles and trying more than one part of what is available. That being said do you have someone to help you with the animal? after a few years it will be big enough it would not be smart to handle it without some help. Are you going to be able to take Bunnies into your buisness to feed to it? I dont know how much zen the customers would get from that overall vibe :rofl:. If you get some experience handling some large snakes and realize its not all sunshine and rainbows, and are still comfortable with the idea I say go for it

I'm sure you will get 100 people saying no don't do it but all that aside there are a few things to consider. As the previous poster stated, you will need help down the road. It's not a good idea to handle an animal that is at or above 10' without help. These are wild animals and while Burms are typically docile you need to be prepared for the "what if." I definitely would never try to steer you away from a Burm I have pretty much always had one in my collection regardless of what else I own. We have 60-70 animals right now in the reptile room and I always seem to end up holding the Burm. They are usually calm and great to handle.

They are of course a lot to feed and a lot to clean but generally it's a sacrifice I'm happy to make for such a rewarding pet. My suggestion for you would be to begin small. Get a hatchling or one that's only a few months old and that way you can get your experience as he grows and as long as you are interactive with him regularly it will be unlikely that he would be mean or difficult to handle in the future. Hope this helps:)

I'm considering one for myself as well, and all I can say is definitely try to handle an adult of each sex (for the size difference) and see how comfortable you are with them, if there is one size you're more comfortable with, etc.

As was said above, though burms are generally known to be docile and very tractable, every animal is different and there are also some very defensive burms as well. I'd suggest maybe getting one as a baby and getting used to the temperament as it grows with you, or look for an established adult that has been handled often by the owner because it'll more than likely be hand-tame.

I also want to bring up the food thing, would you be able to get feeder rabbits reliably? And do you have anyone nearby who would be willing to come and help you should anything go wrong?

I have my fiance to help me on later down the road. We're going into breeding balls together and hes just as comfortable with the idea of a burm than I am. Not to mention he stronger than I am and im no weakling.

And I did think about feeder rabbits. Im already designing a rodent rack w/ irrigation system for feeder rats. It wouldnt be difficult to upscale another one similar to it for a bunny rack. If I get too many I can sell them off, or seperate males and females until I need to start making more. It would definitely be cost effective.

Another concern of mine is F/T vs Live. I will choose F/T EVERY TIME. But with the burm Im actually considering doing Live. As much as I may want to, im not sure If I can trust a burm to not miss and grab me by mistake if im attempting to feed frozen thawed. And im not sure how much damage a bunny could actually do to a full grown burm. What do you guys do?

Its good to see some one putting so much thought into getting a burm instead of just jumping in feet first.

I feed as many of my snakes F/T that will take it, unfortunately my big Burm isnt one of them. I feed him live rabbits but keep an eye on him to make sure he isnt bitten. The other thing with rabbits, is depending on how they are grabbed they will kick your snake and potentialy hurt it with its nails.

Adults require alot of work but I think its well worth it :gj:

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Originally Posted by Riv

Another concern of mine is F/T vs Live. I will choose F/T EVERY TIME. But with the burm Im actually considering doing Live. As much as I may want to, im not sure If I can trust a burm to not miss and grab me by mistake if im attempting to feed frozen thawed. And im not sure how much damage a bunny could actually do to a full grown burm. What do you guys do?

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I took care of an 8' burm at a small zoo. I gave her f/t rabbits. There was never any fear of her missing them and getting me. If you can get a live animal safely into her enclosure without her "missing it" to hit you...then you can get a f/t in the same way. I fed off really big tongs...dangled the rabbit and kept my hand/arm/body well out of her line of site. She never came close to missing that rabbit. Burms aren't typically anywhere near as finicky as ball pythons. and there is no need to do any zombie dance with the prey...just get it into their environment and let it go. I think that's far safer for both the snake and the keeper than trying to wrestle with a scared live animal.

Love burms to death. Cannot NOT recommend one if you're willing to do the work required and are familiar with all the big snake protocols.

Stay away from live. F/T all the way.

Start with a young one. You will get to know it, and it will get to know you. And it won't be small for long, lol.

Forget about breeding rabbits. Very little production. Once the females are pregnant, you can't put a male back in with them until the babies are on their own. That's a lot of feeding and cleaning for one litter every couple months.

Chris

Youre right. If I get it as a hatchling by the time its big and im feeding it F/T I more than likely with have no problem. I'd probably still use tongs, but that works.

And on the feeder rabbits note, My 1st reason for wanting to breed them is price. Feeder animals tend to be a little pricey. Id actually be making money by breeding my own most of the time. And seperating males is fine as long as you have a seperate enclosure for them. I dont mind the extra work.

Burms are great, my buddy has an albino female. But there's a few negatives to consider:

1) The cost of feeder rabbits (aren't cheap)

2) The size of the poo....like a dog or larger

3) The size of the snake (obviously)

4) Temperament isn't terrible but they ARE aggressive around feeding time. Just keep a hook handy to let them know you're not food. That being said, every snake is different. Some are MAJOR puppy dogs and others are rather pissy. You don't want to get bit by an adult. I have, and it cost me a trip to the hospital and 13 stitches. Not fun.

...as said before they are great animals, but just keep in mind that they have SPECIFIC needs that need to be met and like any snake they live a long, long time. I can't say that I would personally, jump from a ball python to a burmese. Maybe consider a boa.

I liked this snakebytes video. Hopefully it gives you some perspective

http://youtu.be/10_zJ8Evskk

That video should in no way put anything into perspective. Yes big snakes are a handful and not for everyone but even ones with tempers can be worked with safely. It just helps with your not jumping around hollering and what not. Notice other videos when brian is in the picture by himself and going slow with her. Kind of like shes a different animal right? Brian even says in one video that once shes out shes fine. But with the other guys jumping around her like morons you cant blame her for being pissy. I would take a couple whacks at you to.

Yeah that video sucks.

Look at the poor snake's home. I'd be pretty pissed if I lived in a closet...

Chris

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Originally Posted by Denial

That video should in no way put anything into perspective. Yes big snakes are a handful and not for everyone but even ones with tempers can be worked with safely. It just helps with your not jumping around hollering and what not. Notice other videos when brian is in the picture by himself and going slow with her. Kind of like shes a different animal right? Brian even says in one video that once shes out shes fine. But with the other guys jumping around her like morons you cant blame her for being pissy. I would take a couple whacks at you to.

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Aologies. The perspective I was eluding to was size, not necessarily temperament. He showed a very docile burm at the end for contrast as well to illustrate both ends of the spectrum. 15 feet is a lot of snake regardless of temperament, so sometimes it's helpful to see what a big snake looks like. If that video doesn't do it for ya, there are a bunch more out there. I just saw that one recently.

Ive watched a few videos the one above included and frankly, "Satan" was the worst temperment I saw, and I feel they were pissing him off worse than he needed to be.

I have 6 burms and almost all over 11-12ft and have had 16ft+. I love them and honestly only you know if your ready for a big burm or not. A lot of already mentioned stuff {++props on the snake hook...its a must} One thing I have learned is that it is not a question of "if" you take a bite.... its "when". Anyone who deals with a lot of burms or retics will agree. It is just part of the hobby.
Accidents usually happen durring feeding' I have taken several shots durring feeding.
I hate to sound negative cause my true love is always these big babies, but there is some realities that you gotta face when you deal with giant snakes.

All snakes are different, our burmese is consistantly calm. We got him small, handled him alot, switched him to f/t early and only feed him at night in an area of his large enclosure that we never try to handle him from. We know when he is ready to feed, when he ready to explore, and when he doesn't want out of that cage because we brought him up. We have been very lucky, he is a good boy. That being he is a very powerful animal and alot of work. My fiance and I always handle him together and for us the burmese python has been an exciting and fun pet.

I know this post is a little late, but advice is always good. I love our Burmese, and always recommend them to people who REALLY... understand how much commitment and care must be put into obw of these babies. And I agree with what dadstoy2 said... you will get bit. It took me a month of owning one and 5 years off and ob working with them but I got bit and bit hard, I'll honestly say if they get you it hurts, but if they hold on and especially near a pressure point it hurts more then you can imagine. Ill just say, cutting a 1/4" of the tip of my thumb off hurt less and I lost less blood. Lol. Don't let that sway you though. Give one of these gentle giants a good home. Just make sure you know truly what you're going to get

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Originally Posted by Tinyballs

Burms are great, my buddy has an albino female. But there's a few negatives to consider:

1) The cost of feeder rabbits (aren't cheap)

2) The size of the poo....like a dog or larger

3) The size of the snake (obviously)

4) Temperament isn't terrible but they ARE aggressive around feeding time. Just keep a hook handy to let them know you're not food. That being said, every snake is different. Some are MAJOR puppy dogs and others are rather pissy.
You don't want to get bit by an adult. I have, and it cost me a trip to the hospital and 13 stitches. Not fun.



...as said before they are great animals, but just keep in mind that they have SPECIFIC needs that need to be met and like any snake they live a long, long time. I can't say that I would personally, jump from a ball python to a burmese. Maybe consider a boa.

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Just buy a baby....grow with the snake instead of buying an adult that you dont know anything about. When you grow with your snake you learn it's personality traits. You'll learn how to handle it as it grows so your not handed a 10 foot snake and not even know how to hold the thing. It will also save your ass on a hospital bill for stitches atleast once lol, yes burms are enormous friendly giants, but they still have their bad days just like everything else.

These are just my opinions but growing with my snakes I've only been bitten once and it was my fault. They joy of growing with your snake is you can find out what it does and doesn't like, without a lot of pain :p (who's with me on this one!!!???)

In the end none of what anyone has said matters, if your heart is set on a burm, your going to get a burm :p

Hi all,

Sorry to re-open an older thread but I am in a similar position and I have some additional questions. I have been keeping boas for ten years now and have been recently breeding ball pythons. I have always been enamored with burms though and want to add one to my collection. I have had experience holding a ten foot male, and felt comfortable at the time. My wife assists me with reptile duties and would be present to help with an adult burm. My question though surrounds the situation of an adult burm being in a house with children and dogs. I have a dedicated snake room and would obviously have a custom made and locked enclosure for the animal. However, I don't want to have a snake that in a few years would pose a large threat to my children and dogs. If you all could give me some insight into this that would be greatly appreciated.

For JSSYL: I don't allow my dogs in the reptile room, besides they won't go down there anyway. But I have 3 children, ages 12, 11 and 4, and we've had burms for 5+ years. My children know that when the cage is first opened to stay back until dad has the snake out. After that, they all are wanting to hold them.

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...4/IMAG0650.jpg

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...4/IMAG0651.jpg

I have more pics of my youngest one holding the big babies, but I can't seem to find them right now. As you can see, they are calm enough to be around child, of course under extremely close supervision, but they do have a strong feeding response. While feeding is the only time Chad has been bit, well other than dealing with hatchlings :rolleyes:

To the OP, if you are confident in handling and being around larger snakes, I say go for it. But do you have someone you know that has large burms already? It would definitely be a good idea to get some hands on experience before jumping off the deep end.
Also, breeding rabbits really is a PITA. We spend more money on caring for the rabbits then we do if we were to buy frozen. I noticed your in MD, and I'm not 100% sure what all shows he does, but Chad has bought from a guy at the Hamburg show that sells feeder rabbits at $1.00 a pound.
Whatever you decide to do, I give you major points for doing your research and asking questions. Burms are not like owning balls. They eat a lot and when they get larger CAN make things harder. You definitely don't want to handle them by yourself once they reach 8-10', though I would go with the smaller end of that spectrum.

Good luck to both of you in your decision, and post pics when you get your new big babies!

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To the OP, if you are confident in handling and being around larger snakes, I say go for it. But do you have someone you know that has large burms already? It would definitely be a good idea to get some hands on experience before jumping off the deep end.

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When anybody asks me if I think they could manage a large snake the first thing I always ask if they've ever actually handled one. I suggest finding someone who has at least a 12 footer and getting some interaction time with the animal, see if it isn't something you would like to work with on a day to day basis.

Heathers thank you for the response and the pics, that gives me a different perspective. My wife went from being afraid of snakes before meeting me, to tolerating my hobby, and now actively engages with our breeding snakes. Her hesitation is that the burm would escape the enclosure, and the snake room and prowl the house hunting our labradors and children. I know this sounds ridiculous but I am trying to calm her worries, that this is NOT a realistic scenario if we take all the safety precautions. What other safety precautions should I practice with a hatchling to ensure safe encounters when the snake is adult size. I have handled a 10-12 footer repeatedly and feel extremely comfortable with it.

I reaaaally want a Burm as well, but I'm forced to wait because there's NO WAY we're gonna have room for it's enclosures as it grows in an apartment. :P And I think the neighbors would finally put their foot down if they saw a 10+ foot, 100+ pound snake cruising around. (There are lots of families AND we live right next to an elementary school, I'm sure everyone would jump on the "YOUR SNAKE'S GONNA EAT MY BABY!!" bandwagon. :rolleyes: ) I've handled a few (more sub-adults than adults) but what REALLY got me hooked was a guy at a show had his 10ft. female that he uses for educational shows along with him. I asked if I could hold it and he put it on my shoulders. She just draped herself there like a big, heavy scarf, made no move to run or squeeze, just kinda moved her head around and flicked her tongue like "why's everyone lookin' at me?"

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...akan/burm1.jpg

I think the big question is "is it the right time/place to get a Burm, and do I feel ready for it?" If the answer is yes, then I'd go for it!