Kira - Hypo Burmese Python Progression Thread

This is Kira (think keer-ah), my hypo burmese. She was produced by Matt at Peach State Pythons. She's almost 6 months old now. Her favorite things include, hissing at me while I change the water, debating on whether to strike me, turn her nose up at food and get mad when I put her back in the rack.

This is my first large python and have been working with her almost daily so I can take her out of the rack without trying to strike at me. I'm working on hook training as well to save my hands from getting tagged some more. Once she's out, she calms down a bit but I'm still keeping my guard up as I'm not sure what to expect.
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Nice looking little burm. I have heard baby burms are kind of pissy and hiss a lot but outgrow it with age. I say just suck it up and take the hits!! It's just a baby snake and unless its a finger, it probably cant open its mouth wide enough to latch onto your hand. Heck i got bit by my 6' sunglow when i did something stupid and even that didnt hurt. It did bruise up nicely and bled like a stuck pig but it was so quick and she let go so quick, i really didnt realize what happened until i saw blood lol.

I used a twisted paper towel on Caesar my SD retic when he was a baby as he would charge first and check to see if it was food second lol. Worked well as the hook did nothing but piss him off.

Nice! I love peach state pythons' hypos they have some extremely nice ones! congrats on the addition

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Nice looking little burm. I have heard baby burms are kind of pissy and hiss a lot but outgrow it with age. I say just suck it up and take the hits!! It's just a baby snake and unless its a finger, it probably cant open its mouth wide enough to latch onto your hand. Heck i got bit by my 6' sunglow when i did something stupid and even that didnt hurt. It did bruise up nicely and bled like a stuck pig but it was so quick and she let go so quick, i really didnt realize what happened until i saw blood lol.

I used a twisted paper towel on Caesar my SD retic when he was a baby as he would charge first and check to see if it was food second lol. Worked well as the hook did nothing but piss him off.

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I might have to try the paper towel instead of a hook. She mostly gets mad when I go to pick her up and wants to strike at me. I would be all for continuing to take the hits if my hand weren't already torn up from her. Unfortunately, she's managed to latch on 3 or 4 times with the last being a not so pleasant lock on the space between my thumb and index finger. She's not big on letting go for some reason.

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Originally Posted by Dxw425

Nice! I love peach state pythons' hypos they have some extremely nice ones! congrats on the addition

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Thanks! She's a stunner. Now I just need her to stop being picky and eat.

Beautiful animal! On my wish list for sure, congrats. What you may want to consider is the DOMINATION METHOD as explained and shown by Justin Kobylka for defensive ball pythons. Holding the animal in your non dominant hand, cover and press down with a cupping form with your dominant hand over the animal's head and body. You don't need to use a lot of pressure at all but just enough to get the animal to withdraw a little. Several motions like this in a session can and will probably help over time. Look at it as a form of quality interaction with the animal that should help with the defensive striking. If the animal is too large for you to reasonably perform this, you may want to work it with a friend or family member using two hands to hold and support the animal. Justin does have a YOUTUBE video showing this with a very defensive ball python hatchling.

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Originally Posted by andrewross8705

I might have to try the paper towel instead of a hook. She mostly gets mad when I go to pick her up and wants to strike at me. I would be all for continuing to take the hits if my hand weren't already torn up from her. Unfortunately, she's managed to latch on 3 or 4 times with the last being a not so pleasant lock on the space between my thumb and index finger. She's not big on letting go for some reason.



Thanks! She's a stunner. Now I just need her to stop being picky and eat.

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Maybe she is hungry. Most defensive bites are a quick tag and then either retreat or fight some more lol.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Maybe she is hungry. Most defensive bites are a quick tag and then either retreat or fight some more lol.

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Then she should stop being a brat and eat when food is offered lol. She's really only defensive when I'm getting her out of the tub or trying to put her back in. She's mad I bring her out then she gets mad and has to go back in. She's special.

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Lol sounds like a typical burm.

Offered food to my picky BP who refused as usual so I offered it to Kiera just to see if she would eat. She's on rats but I didn't want to waste the mouse if I didn't have to. I've never had a snake strike as fast as her. In her excitement, she missed the body and got the tail. After releasing, she went for it again and this time went into the water bowl to start eating. She's a bit special it seems. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...5525d8206c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a1407dd7d1.jpg

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She is so beautiful! Burms are by far my favorite type of large snake. Her pattern is beautiful and that little face. So precious yet so feisty - hehe.

Cannot wait to see more progression pics!


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Soooo ... I've just mentioned this on a different thread but the 'hairdryer method certainly works very , very successfully.

I've sent full details to you by PM ...


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Originally Posted by Ashley96

She is so beautiful! Burms are by far my favorite type of large snake. Her pattern is beautiful and that little face. So precious yet so feisty - hehe.

Cannot wait to see more progression pics!


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Thanks. She is definitely a feisty one and full of air when she's in a mood. She'll tame down with time and work, I'm sure. Her mom is a hypo and her colors are a bit darker but not much. I'm really hoping she stays this light as she grows.

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Soooo ... I've just mentioned this on a different thread but the 'hairdryer method certainly works very , very successfully.

I've sent full details to you by PM ...


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Thanks Zinc, I saw the message and I've tried that with my picky BP but it's come down to he will eat when he wants. He's always going to be a smaller guy but he's healthy otherwise. As for Kira, she was eating weekly with the breeder. She was taking them right from the warm water. I've tried that and warming with a dryer to no avail so we keep trying.

gorgeous snake! I really want one of peach state pythons exceptional hypos or a hypo granite. Im jealous!

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Originally Posted by Dxw425

gorgeous snake! I really want one of peach state pythons exceptional hypos or a hypo granite. Im jealous!

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He's already prepping for the 2018 season so be ready. Apex Snakes also produces some gorgeous hypo and granites.

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He's a really beauty and only going to get better as he ages! Thanks for sharing the photos

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Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

He's a really beauty and only going to get better as he ages! Thanks for sharing the photos

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Thanks, he is a she.


I'm hoping we're back on track with feeding as she ate again last night. Definitely need to work on positioning the food as she has a thing for latching onto the tail, aggressively I might add. Still working on the handling as she hates to be taken out of her tub. Once she's out, she doesn't want to sit still. The only other issue is trying to maintain the humidity which has been a challenge despite running a humidifier.

Before and after shed pictures. The quality of the picture, post shed isn't that great but I wanted to get a shot while I had her out and cleaned her tub as she made a mess everywhere. She looks like 2 different snakes. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...e70f2f097d.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0816619038.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1254d04731.jpg

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Beautiful !!


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Wow... that is a beaut...

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Originally Posted by wbt1208

Wow... that is a beaut...

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Thanks! She's much lighter than her mom so I'm really hoping she keeps the light tones as she grows.

Kira has been finnicky with food and wanted nothing to do with rats so I offered her a chick and nearly lost the tongs. She's still moody but once she's out of her tub, she's on the move and doesn't want to sit still. The first picture is a low quality shot but that face with her side eye kills me. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1b65ea13f9.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...3fc6ceb809.jpg

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Originally Posted by Albert Clark

Beautiful animal! On my wish list for sure, congrats. What you may want to consider is the DOMINATION METHOD as explained and shown by Justin Kobylka for defensive ball pythons. Holding the animal in your non dominant hand, cover and press down with a cupping form with your dominant hand over the animal's head and body. You don't need to use a lot of pressure at all but just enough to get the animal to withdraw a little. Several motions like this in a session can and will probably help over time. Look at it as a form of quality interaction with the animal that should help with the defensive striking. If the animal is too large for you to reasonably perform this, you may want to work it with a friend or family member using two hands to hold and support the animal. Justin does have a YOUTUBE video showing this with a very defensive ball python hatchling.

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No disrespect but I take it you have never owned a Burm or Retic? Try that with these species and you'll be in for some fun.
Thats the last thing you want to do unless you like getting tagged, they are not afraid I'll say that much.

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Originally Posted by andrewross8705

Before and after shed pictures. The quality of the picture, post shed isn't that great but I wanted to get a shot while I had her out and cleaned her tub as she made a mess everywhere. She looks like 2 different snakes. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...e70f2f097d.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0816619038.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1254d04731.jpg

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Gorgeous looking Burm. She should calm down with age.. There seems to be more snippy ones the last 5 years and i dont know why that is. 20 years ago 99% were as docile as a Ball out if the egg.
Look forward to your updates.

She was judging me the other night. Opened her tub and swore she gained 200g over night when I looked at her. She's back in a v-35s and seems to like it more but doesn't venture to the front nearly as often unless she's looking for food. She's still grumpy when I open the tub to check on her but it's night and day once she's out.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c4e5480a86.jpg

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Originally Posted by andrewross8705

The only other issue is trying to maintain the humidity which has been a challenge despite running a humidifier.

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Lol I have the other issue - trying to keep the humidity down. I recommend getting an actual enclosure such as a wooden or plastic cage instead of a tub. It will hold heat and humidity a lot better.

I dated a Kira back in college.....nice girl, pastor's daughter, should have stayed with her lol.

....The Burm looks fantastic btw though!

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Originally Posted by CALM Pythons

No disrespect but I take it you have never owned a Burm or Retic? Try that with these species and you'll be in for some fun.
Thats the last thing you want to do unless you like getting tagged, they are not afraid I'll say that much.

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Gotcha! Although I would think it's still worth a try in the scheme of tactics and modalities. I'm of the mentality that a burm and retic are inherently more active and defensive than ball pythons. Especially hatchlings and juveniles. Remember, a attempt is better than doing nothing at all. :D

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Originally Posted by Albert Clark

Gotcha! Although I would think it's still worth a try in the scheme of tactics and modalities. I'm of the mentality that a burm and retic are inherently more active and defensive than ball pythons. Especially hatchlings and juveniles. Remember, a attempt is better than doing nothing at all. [emoji3]

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I agree with that tactic for most things in life. However some of these species respond better to being gentle and conditioning rather than any dominance. These snakes will snap out of a feed mode with hook training etc..but if they feel threatened in any manner which is why their defensive when they are young they would rather fight than flight hahahaha
Im big into keeping them from striking as much as possible as I don't want them to think it's acceptable behavior.


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Well my plan to keep this updated fell apart. The joys of surgery and prepping for hognose breeding season. Anyways, she's shed once more and her colors are looking great. I'm trying to get her off of chicks and onto rats. Hopefully she'll be hungry enough in a few weeks and willing to take a rat.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f0a7fbb80d.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...e071aa31e5.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...04086bdd33.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a0f556cf29.jpg

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