Baby Burmese Behavior - Typical?

A friend had to quickly move last week and couldn't take her four month old baby albino Burmese python with her. So, guess who ended up with it? :rolleyes:

This baby was described as "aggressive". Nope, she's defensive. I've tamed down plenty of defensive babies, including BRB's, BCI's, retics, and a yellow anaconda, so I figured this would be more of the same. At least she has tiny teeth.

Getting her in-hand is straightforward - distract her with an empty paper towel roll while I scoop her up from behind. She hisses and snaps but she's more bluff and puff than bite.

Getting her off my hand is not easy. When it's time to go back home every other defensive baby I've worked with couldn't wait to run away, especially if I pointed their head toward a hide. This girl just takes a solid wrap on my wrist and stays put while talking smack. Yesterday it took me 45 minutes to encourage her to leave my hand. Also, when she does finally move more often than not it's along my arm instead of away from me.

So, is the latter behavior typical of the species or is this little girl just weird?

Sounds about right to me, almost all of the baby burms I hatched out we're the same lol
Even the one I kept likes to grip my hand when I try putting her away or go up my arm.
I use a small hook to pick her upper half up and then I slide my hand under and lift her up gently,she is a little hissy still too lol
she will relax more with regular short handling, just got to built trust.

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Thanks, it looks like its a quirk of the species then. Fortunately getting her in-hand is easy, it's getting her to let go when handling time is over that's challenging!

Thats to bad she is defensive.. I haven't met any 4 month old snappy burms.. Ive seen them snappy for the first couple days and after that as docile as a kitten... Is there a chance its a Dwarf because as you know thats another ball game lol.


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Originally Posted by Mr Sully

Is there a chance its a Dwarf because as you know thats another ball game lol.

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I don't think dwarfs come in albino yet, though in a few generations if interstate shipping does open up I expect to see them. Plus she's a respectable size for four months old.

Update: this little girl is still quite the pistol and would just as soon bite my nose as run away. There has been some progress but any unexpected movement - even a shadow on the wall or someone walking by on the other side of the room - will set her off.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Update: this little girl is still quite the pistol and would just as soon bite my nose as run away. There has been some progress but any unexpected movement - even a shadow on the wall or someone walking by on the other side of the room - will set her off.

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Thats to bad... Not sure I would be up for that... If my boy went to lunging at me I'd be forced to get rid of him.. Burms ate to powerful for that behavior as far as I'm concerned. Hope things change over the summer or i'd look into rehoming with a facility prepared for such a animal


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Actually a week ago when I posted that, this little girl was in shed, I just didn't realize it. She also had refused her last meal, which I thought was a result of stress but I think now it was her shed cycle, so she was just in a worse mood than usual.

She ate for me last night and was a lot calmer about everything, though of course I didn't try to pick her up either.

Unfortunately I'm SOL on rehoming her unless I take a pretty substantial road trip; animal control dumps the problem reptiles on me :rolleyes:, the nearest 501c3 rescue closed recently, and everyone else calling themselves a rescue is out there begging for free animals so they can quickly be flipped.

OK, I am going to put my 2 cents in here and will say I have never "tamed" a burm but....

I know my albino balls do not see well and while they are not super defensive they can be quite fun on feeding night if the rat is not hotter than me.

So if an animal does not see well, what senses are left to a python? Heat, smell and touch. You can try putting a well worn stinky t-shirt of yours in the enclosure with the animal to get it used to your sent. Always touch the animal with something that smells like you before grabbing it. As long as nothing extremely negative happens during this process the animal "should" begin to associate your smell and the procedure with nothing bad happening to it.

Good luck, a burm with an attitude is not something I would be wanting to deal with when it grows up.

That's an interesting observation about the albinos. I have two Kahl albino boas and a purple albino retic, and have not seen any indications from any of them that they have vision issues.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

That's an interesting observation about the albinos. I have two Kahl albino boas and a purple albino retic, and have not seen any indications from any of them that they have vision issues.

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I by no means am an authority on anything other than my own animals. I do know some albino animals are susceptible to vision issues. My normal albinos do not seem to see well. I have not detected any vision issues with my lavenders yet. Even if it is not albino related the animal could still be blind as a bat. I have a highway that strikes at shadows across the room. I don't think it sees well either. Not a morph related issue just he does not see well.

I have a lavender Ball Python and I was wondering if he has eye problems because he does not seem to react to movement. He doesn't really react too anything until you touch him and even then it is very calm. He shows no fear when you are holding maybe he is just the most docile ball python ever and his eye sight is fine. I was looking for info. on Albino Ball Python's and blindness if you know about this Please let me know

Thanks

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Originally Posted by redcharger

I have a lavender Ball Python and I was wondering if he has eye problems because he does not seem to react to movement. He doesn't really react too anything until you touch him and even then it is very calm. He shows no fear when you are holding maybe he is just the most docile ball python ever and his eye sight is fine. I was looking for info. on Albino Ball Python's and blindness if you know about this Please let me know

Thanks

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No specific info but I'm sure I've seen reports /accounts of many forms of albinos having some degree of defective vision ... maybe best Googling it .

glad my burm isn't that defensive and has never bitten me? wondering how painful it is to receive one from a burm? (i only got bitten by ball python never a burm) :):) :P:P

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Originally Posted by jodidelisio

glad my burm isn't that defensive and has never bitten me? wondering how painful it is to receive one from a burm? (i only got bitten by ball python never a burm) :):) :P:P

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It's a funny one isn't it ... My Dwarf Burm is very food orientated and has never struck but he does approach my hand / arm when I go into his viv rather quickly , thankfully he's tap-trained so he quickly calms down :)

As regards bite pain my adult male Snow boa is about 12" longer but TWICE as strong as the Burm so I think I'd prefer a nibble off the Burm :)

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Originally Posted by jodidelisio

glad my burm isn't that defensive and has never bitten me? wondering how painful it is to receive one from a burm? (i only got bitten by ball python never a burm) :):) :P:P

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Fortunately she's still tiny; being bit by a kitten hurts more. I'm more concerned about her hurting herself than me at this point.

She'll be done with QT in a few more weeks and then I can get her out more often so hopefully she'll make more progress. For now I limit my handling sessions to times when I plan to shower right afterward.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Fortunately she's still tiny; being bit by a kitten hurts more. I'm more concerned about her hurting herself than me at this point.

She'll be done with QT in a few more weeks and then I can get her out more often so hopefully she'll make more progress. For now I limit my handling sessions to times when I plan to shower right afterward.

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I'm guessing you've read up on tap- training ??


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Originally Posted by Zincubus

I'm guessing you've read up on tap- training ??

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Oh definitely, there's a dedicated hook just for her and the defensive juvenile yellow anaconda that are going through QT together (they're both rescues).

i agree at this point he will only hurt himself, good luck then.... i suppose it is normal because they are rescues :)

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Originally Posted by jodidelisio

i agree at this point he will only hurt himself, good luck then.... i suppose it is normal because they are rescues :)

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I think this girl just intimidated her former owner. Anyway, she was a lot better when I had her out yesterday evening. She still talked smack a lot but didn't strike, and she wasn't nearly as stiff when I got her in-hand. Baby steps.

Could be worse, she could be a pooper. I'd much rather have a biter than a pooper lol.