what kind if snake is this??

my mom was telling me last night that a lady she knows is a breeder and is selling her male breeder for an insanely low price...here he is
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08...18d1b1671c.jpg
my question is, what is he exactly?? and is $25 suspicious for just the snake? or is that reasonable?
my mom couldn't remember what the lady told her he was, but she got this pic sent to her and now she is asking me for advice about if she should scoop him up or not, but I'd like to be able to tell her exactly what he is first
thank you all!!
Amanda

While my exposure is very limited, it sure looks like a Burmese Python to me.

I hope that this would not be your first constrictor. And talk about a commitment!

And yes, $25 is suspect. I'd want to know why. Maybe they just got in over their head, or the snake could be problematic or sick.

My first look at the pic says Caramel Burmese Python. I went to the web to verify and found this link. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...ese_python.JPG It's the same picture as you have in your post that was sent to you. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ese_python.JPG Everything about this is now suspect in my mind. Unless the owner posted the Wiki in 2010, the whole deal would be off for me. Ask a lot of questions and ask to see the actual snake. $25 is just too good to be true. If this whole thing is not BS, you need to find out why. Last thing you want is a large aggressive Burmese to deal with. They're no fun, at least for me. Some folks like them. Just my two cents.

Dave

This is a Burmese python like others have said. These are not good snakes for an inexperienced keeper. They get HUGE, they will eventually need large prey items, and if mishandled they can kill you. These snakes are also specifically restricted by the Lacey Act and that alone could be the reason that a breeder would sell at such a suspiciously low price.

Unfortunately a lot of the giant snakes end up in rescues or sold very cheaply because their owners don't understand how big that snake can truly get and what is required to maintain it, or because the snake either never outgrew its defensiveness - or worse, it was abused - and now the owner can't handle a 15+ foot snake that wants to rip his face off.

If (and IMO it's a big if) the snake in the picture is the one being sold by the OP's mother's friend for $25, you would need several hundred dollars in caging and equipment set up and ready to go if you wanted to take it. Your friend's mom would also have to be in the same state as you, as that snake legally can't be transported across state lines.

I assumed it was a burm, and I told her the responsibility of keeping one, so she is well informed, but I just wanted to confirm with you guys cuz Ive never seen a burm in real life haha
also, it is odd that you guys mention the price, and it does seem suspicious, especially because he is so beautiful, and the link and pic really makes me nervous.
my mom has since moved on from buying this snake because it is a burm, I told her she should look for a BP first
thanks guys for helping me out!!
Amanda

The chances of getting killed by your Burm are vanishingly small. You might as well look askance at your Lab.
I would love to have a Burm some day...but you don't just pick one up because its cheap.

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Originally Posted by Kayak Steve

This is a Burmese python like others have said. These are not good snakes for an inexperienced keeper. They get HUGE, they will eventually need large prey items, and if mishandled they can kill you. These snakes are also specifically restricted by the Lacey Act and that alone could be the reason that a breeder would sell at such a suspiciously low price.

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Please slow down with this kind of sensationalist rhetoric. Being a reptile minded person you should know better. As stated by others, there are tens of thousands of injuries, and multiple fatalities every year due to dogs and other domesticated mammals. Over the last few decades there have only been a minutely small handful of injuries and deaths from large constrictors. These deaths were also the direct result of negligent and inappropriate care and handling, resulting in a starving, malnourished, and improperly kept animal. When kept in a suitable manner, large constrictors are far safer than your neighbors german shepherd.

Think twice before you blindly post disinformation.

Bottom line based on pic being off the web.....price.....and the type of snake......

RUN AWAY RUN AWAY AND DON'T LOOK BACK!

:D

Josh, using your own post please point out "disinformation." I did not say it would kill, I said it can and it certainly can. There are many responsible and veteran huge constrictor keepers but the irresponsible, negligent, and inexperienced owners of large constrictors are the exact reason for the bias toward those snakes. We as responsible reptile owners should always dissuade inexperienced owners from keeping them unless they are being mentored by an experienced keeper. The same logic applies to dogs, guns, teens and ultrafast cars, etc. A speed demon is not a good first car and I would not hand an inexperienced shooter a firearm that I didn't think they could handle. The op seems to be young and or inexperienced and certainly unprepared for a Burmese python. Being a dog owner and a reptile owner you should know better than to equate the two in terms of behavior. A dog can be reliably trained and socialized by a responsible owner. A snake can be kept properly and be somewhat conditioned to handling through proper husbandry but I personally would never believe that they can be trained in any meaningful way to where I would trust a 100lb snake with a child like I would trust a well trained and socialized 100lb dog.

just so you know, I wouldn't consider myself 'young and inexperienced'.
I've kept snakes for years now and have had several species kept correctly in my care. I was simply confirming the species in the photo so I could give accurate info to my mother

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Originally Posted by Kayak Steve

Josh, using your own post please point out "disinformation." I did not say it would kill, I said it can and it certainly can. There are many responsible and veteran huge constrictor keepers but the irresponsible, negligent, and inexperienced owners of large constrictors are the exact reason for the bias toward those snakes. We as responsible reptile owners should always dissuade inexperienced owners from keeping them unless they are being mentored by an experienced keeper. The same logic applies to dogs, guns, teens and ultrafast cars, etc. A speed demon is not a good first car and I would not hand an inexperienced shooter a firearm that I didn't think they could handle. The op seems to be young and or inexperienced and certainly unprepared for a Burmese python. Being a dog owner and a reptile owner you should know better than to equate the two in terms of behavior. A dog can be reliably trained and socialized by a responsible owner. A snake can be kept properly and be somewhat conditioned to handling through proper husbandry but I personally would never believe that they can be trained in any meaningful way to where I would trust a 100lb snake with a child like I would trust a well trained and socialized 100lb dog.

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The disinformation was in your tone. The way in which you stated your post sounded to me as if "can kill you" was assuming at the least a moderate possibility if you have one minor slip up.

I think a better way to approach this would be...'Burmese pythons are wonderful snakes, but absolutely not for beginners. They require an immense amount of respect, reptile knowledge, as well as attention to husbandry in order to safely cage, feed and handle. Although most specimens become very docile with regular interactions, due to their large size, caution must be taken when handling adults, with preferably multiple individuals present. As with any animal, children should never be allowed to handle unsupervised.'

You can be killed by anything. Far more people die from falls in the bathtub every year than by large constrictors. But we do not speak of a bathtub as being a usual dangerous item. I was responding to the tone of your post, which very much sounded exactly the same as people who are thrilled to see snakes put on ban lists. I am just saying that everyone needs to be careful in the way that we speak about snakes, and not assume that people, especially non-reptile oriented people can read your tone and fully understand what you are trying to communicate.

I didn't mean to offend you but even if you are not young and you have kept small species of snakes you are inexperienced with the giants and therefore don't truly know what caring for them and handling them entails. Just the fact that you couldn't ID this snake as a Burmese python points to your inexperience with them and your mom might be even less experienced. This is not something that should offend you. I have never kept venomous snakes and even if it were legal in my state I would not keep them unless I could be mentored by a veteran keeper and I FULLY understood all of the aspects and potential dangers and liabilities of keeping them. BTW, I have kept various snakes including some giants over the 35 years of my snake keeping hobby and I have made a few stupid mistakes with them.

Josh, I am a firm believer in and supporter of the 2nd Amendment and I cringe when I hear someone say "guns don't kill people, people do." That's a half truth if there ever was one and it weakens the argument for the right to keep and bear arms. I feel the same way about the giant constrictors and other potentially deadly pets. If the potential for disaster is openly discussed along with the protocols that should be followed to prevent accidents I think it makes for a much more cogent and respectable argument for our rights. To deny or belittle the potential for disaster, I feel, has a tendency to make the antis even more distrustful.

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Originally Posted by Kayak Steve

Josh, I am a firm believer in and supporter of the 2nd Amendment and I cringe when I hear someone say "guns don't kill people, people do." That's a half truth if there ever was one and it weakens the argument for the right to keep and bear arms. I feel the same way about the giant constrictors and other potentially deadly pets. If the potential for disaster is openly discussed along with the protocols that should be followed to prevent accidents I think it makes for a much more cogent and respectable argument for our rights. To deny or belittle the potential for disaster, I feel, has a tendency to make the antis even more distrustful.

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I am a staunch 2nd amendment believer as well, but I have to disagree with your line of reasoning. What I am saying is that the public picks and chooses which objects to highlight as dangerous, regardless of the actual statistics which back up the argument. For example, in 2013 there were over 32,000 deaths as a result from car accidents. If someone on this forum said, "hey im going to be picking up my new truck today," you wouldn't say, "well you better think twice, tens of thousands of people die from car wrecks yearly." Yet when someone inquires into a large constrictor you immediately threw out the "can kill you" line, when there are only a small handful of people hurt by large snakes yearly. Point is, what people choose to describe as deadly, in blatant disregard for statistics, tends to add to the stigma of that certain object.

But I do agree that they definitely are not a snake for any kind of beginner, and only for those with the situation/resources to handle them correctly.

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Originally Posted by JoshSloane

But I do agree that they definitely are not a snake for any kind of beginner, and only for those with the situation/resources to handle them correctly.

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IMO both of those conditions are primarily for the snake's health and safety, rather than for the keeper's.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

IMO both of those conditions are primarily for the snake's health and safety, rather than for the keeper's.

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Not sure what you mean.

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Originally Posted by JoshSloane

Not sure what you mean.

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Why are king snakes and other colubrids often recommended for beginners? It's not necessarily due to the snake's temperment - many are royal PITA's and will bite/musk even as adults - but because they're pretty bullet-proof when it comes to husbandry.

OTOH BRB's are considered a snake for a more experienced keeper, not because of their temperment as most older animals are pretty chill and easily handled and they don't get overly large, but because they have a narrow range of temperature and humidity requirements to stay healthy.

The same goes for burms, for all that they're big, they're not all that hardy, and if housed improperly by an inexperienced keeper they can go downhill pretty fast. Even as a baby this is not a snake you can drop into a glass tank with a screen top and overhead light and call it good, like inexperienced keepers do with ball pythons.

Ehhh I kind of agree with you. I think that many people would rank a Burmese python as a hardier snake than a bp, considering the feeding issues that come along the average ball python.

But this thread has gotten wayyyy off track from the OPs post so I am going to let it be.

Yeah, a bit off track but both of you have good intentions. Burm, Indian rock, carmel doesn't much matter. The snake is being offered for $25, and there isn't anything else known.

One thing about the internet is you can't see who is posting and I completely understand tossing out some caution. I also understand not overly hyping the possibilities. Everything is laced with risk depending on the circumstances.

There is a kid on Youtube that started with a few snakes, and then for whatever reason his parents catered to his hobby and he now has retics, anacondas, Burms, pretty much name it and he has it. He hasn't made a video in a year, but the beginning of his time on the channel was filled with posts. I don't think he is capable of caring for the animals he has, or looking long term and seeing what they will become.

I cringe when I "ThinK" I see people getting into the hobby that maybe should not. A 15-30 year commitment doesn't cause a stir when a young person just wants a pet. I'm not saying it applies to ALL, but you certainly see a great many folks, including the seller of this particular snake trying to sell, or re-home animals that they shouldn't have in the first place.

I'm not saying that is the case here, and I'm not saying it is the case with just snakes.

Far too many folks impulse buy what pleases them without looking long term.

So I see everybody's point here. Concern about he keeper, concern about the animal, and concern about the image of the hobby.

I don't really see a lot of disagreement. I see some well thought out reasoning and typical internet misunderstanding due to typed text.


Just as an example, I know there a few hards facts about retics that any keeper needs to be aware of. The feeding response is unlike many of the other snakes, the size is potentially very large. A simple mistake with a king snake VS a retic is a completely different situation.

The best advice for keeping anything, is to research and know your animal and its potential.

Because the OP does not even know what the pictured snake is, makes me think $25 or not is a bad idea for several reasons.