Few questions about owning burmese

I currently own three ball pythons and I am now looking into getting a burmese. I won't be getting one for a while, or at least until I have complete knowledge of owning a burmese. I was just wondering how dangerous they really were. I know they are really huge and get up to 20 feet long and I also heard that they weren't a really good pet to have because they were so dangerous. Is this really true? Should I think twice about getting one because of this? I'm gonna go do some research right now because I don't know much about these snakes at all. Thanks for any help! :)

I don't think Burmese are good intermediary snake for their size alone. I would advise you to find someone that has one and gain first hand experience. You also need to have a second person that is committed to helping you, since it is recommended to always work in pairs with these giants.

They are beautiful animals but incredibly powerful. I wish I could help more.

Thank you for your post. I wish I knew someone who owned one. And yes my brother will be helping me with it. They just seem like really awesome creatures and I would love to work with them.

Maybe you should get a Colombian male BCI (red-tail boa) to prepare you for a burmese, because even at 10 feet, burmese pythons are VERY strong and can overpower you.

i don't think jumping from ball pythons to burms are a good idea, try getting a red tail or a blood python...

i've heard one person say that burms would've been a wonderful beginners snake if it wasn't for their size

I also would not recommend a burm to someone who has only owned ball pythons or similar snakes. There are many good intermediate species such as the varios boa constrictor subspecies, blood pythons, or dumerils boas.

As for burms.. yes, they get huge, and the reason they are considered so dangerous is their size. Burms generally have an extremely docile temperament (mine behaves like a puppy dog normally.. -unless- there is the scent of rat around, then watch OUT. yikes. :) )

I was thinking about getting a boa constrictor and I think I might. It does seem like a good idea to start with ball pythons and then go to boas and eventually get a burmese python. I will take it slow and learn as much as I can before jumping into this. Thank you all for your help. And anymore comments or answers are welcome.

To get an even more realistic feel for handling large snakes, try to find a suriname boa. They tend to be a little bigger than your average BCI. Talk to Gus at rio bravo reptiles and he will hook you up

Sweet, I'll check it out. Thanks.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BaLLPAddICT

Sweet, I'll check it out. Thanks.

---

Where are you located at? I bet there is someone in your area with giant snakes(unless the laws are like they are here)

i don't think a food source has been mentioned...you're talking about a lot of money on food that Rodent Pro doesn't carry...think about your food sources for the next 20+ years.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by nathanledet

i don't think a food source has been mentioned...you're talking about a lot of money on food that Rodent Pro doesn't carry...think about your food sources for the next 20+ years.

---

Neighbor kids!!! Just kidding of course

haha..

I don't recall where I heard this, but I did hear of some people getting in touch with a local humane society, or some where that animals are euthanized. Some people feed large reptiles with pre-killed dogs or cats.

it may seem cruel to some, but a food source is a food source...snakes gotta eat

Hey,


I have a 10 1/2 foot male burm (george) that I aquired through a rescue (thats why hes so small). I love George but he is big and knowing a female could get twice as large I dont know if I would get a second. Dont get me wrong he is great and very docile but he is also very food agressive and from what ive heard this is pretty normal for burms and rectics so you just need to be real careful with feeding. Rodent Pro sells frozen rabbits and he takes one 8-9 lb rabbit every 3-4 weeks. We do classes with him and he is probably the most people friendly snake I have. They are great but caging is an issue he is in a 5' x 3' x 3' and it probably should be a little larger in my opinion. If you have any questions plase let me know and I will ask George for his opinion.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BaLLPAddICT

I currently own three ball pythons and I am now looking into getting a burmese. I won't be getting one for a while, or at least until I have complete knowledge of owning a burmese. I was just wondering how dangerous they really were. I know they are really huge and get up to 20 feet long and I also heard that they weren't a really good pet to have because they were so dangerous. Is this really true? Should I think twice about getting one because of this? I'm gonna go do some research right now because I don't know much about these snakes at all. Thanks for any help! :)

---

most will never reach 20 feet but its definetly possibble. if you really want a burm then go for it. they are pretty easy to care for aside from size.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g1.../mobmain-1.jpg that is my brother with an 11+ foot alb burm. he handls(13 years old) her fine alone although im always on call for worst case scenario. burms if treated right are extremely docile larger snake species compared to the retics and annies i own they have the most docile demeaner.
about the feeding dogs- do not do it! these animals are injected with liquids designed to kill. do you really want that in your snake?:colbert: heres one of my boas(past away)

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g1...r33333/boa.jpg
this is a normal columbian male bci and ate jumbo rats never measured his length but he was about 6-7 foot:)

nice snakes you have there jeff, I'm going to look into getting a boa and once I can afford to get a burm i will do that. I hope to get a large collection of snakes just have to take it slow to make sure i can afford it and make sure that i meet all their requirments... and nathan about the food for the snakes, i will wondering if burms could live on mainly full grown rats, because i do breed my own rats..

and now looking into the boas:
rio bravo reptiles has suriname boas for $400-$500.. are suriname boas redtails? or is there something else special about them? i was looking at a local pet store and saw red tails for around $150 im pretty sure, is that a good price, they were young boas

thanks for all your help!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BaLLPAddICT

nice snakes you have there jeff, I'm going to look into getting a boa and once I can afford to get a burm i will do that. I hope to get a large collection of snakes just have to take it slow to make sure i can afford it and make sure that i meet all their requirments... and nathan about the food for the snakes, i will wondering if burms could live on mainly full grown rats, because i do breed my own rats..

and now looking into the boas:
rio bravo reptiles has suriname boas for $400-$500.. are suriname boas redtails? or is there something else special about them? i was looking at a local pet store and saw red tails for around $150 im pretty sure, is that a good price, they were young boas

thanks for all your help!

---

thanks for the compliment :) a burm can live on mainly rats but it will have to be in large quantities(maybe 9 rats every 2 weeks depending on size) a surinam is just a local form of rtb they will get somewhat larger than columbians but thats about it. we sell surinams at our shop for 100-200$ depending on quality but rio bravo is a very highly ranked boa breeder. just dont forget red tails can get large(my largest ive ever seen was 13ft and over 100 pounds) and are very girthy snakes so they will get heavier:) good luck!

I'm certainly not some big expert on burms, but I've got three of them currently. While most of the time they are very easy to handle mellow snakes, they have an INCREDIBLE feeding response. On days when I'm cleaning rat cages (which are two rooms away) I've noticed that they are crusing around their cages hunting and will sometimes even strike at the glass when I walk by. It doesn't matter if they ate a couple of weeks ago or an hour ago, if they smell food, they're on the hunt.

You have to be careful around them and learn to read their moods well and not let yourself be lulled into complacency. Most of the time they are just gentle giants, but they react on instinct thats been hardwired into them for eons and if there is the smell of prey in the air, it must be dinnertime... (even if you can't smell it yourself).

It's always a good idea to have someone with you to handle anything over 10 feet. Quite frankly, with the big ones I won't even change the water bowl unless someone else is at least standing in the doorway watching.

jeff, you sell boas? do you have a website?

do you mean that every two weeks they should be fed 9 rats or they should be fed 9 rats within the two weeks?

What he's saying is, that is you must feed rats, then they need about that many every 2 weeks to maintain their body weight. I prefer rabbits as they are easy to find and get the job done with one rabbit, rather than X-number of rats. I can get rabbits for about $1-$1.50/lb. My 7.5ft female boa gets a 1.5-2lb rabbit every two weeks(or 3-4 large rats, whatever I have on hand). She tends to get hungrier quicker when she eats rats, and goes to the bathroom more often. The rabbits keep her sated for the full two weeks and she doesn't have a bowel movement for quite awhile.

With a Burmese, you will end up needing to feed rabbits. You really can't get around it unless you really, must, have to feed rats(why, for the love of pete... that would take an hour to feed all of those). I know even Rodent Pro sells rabbits of every size.

i still dont understand, would you have to feed the 9 rats in one day or through out the 2 weeks? lol

It's one feeding, every two weeks. Rabbits will simply get the job done faster and IMO, will keep the snake fuller, longer(better for you).

because they get so big. they won't grow as they should on just a single rat or two as they get much larger and need bigger food sources such as rabbits or pigs.

And as uro mentioned, suri's are just a specific locality of BCC and they get a bit larger than your normal redtail. I suggested one of those since they get bigger and dealing with a 11-12 foot redtail will be more likely so simulate a burm than a 8 or 9 foot boa will

I'll just say that the size of your average surinam is exaggerated. Most suris will not reach 11-12'. 8-9' is more typical.. and colombian BCIs can reach these sizes as well. Either BCI or BCC make a good intermediate snake.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BaLLPAddICT

jeff, you sell boas? do you have a website?

---

i am actually not much of a boa guy myself lol although we do sell a couple boas they dont top rio bravo quality they are just cbb:)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MarkS

I'm certainly not some big expert on burms, but I've got three of them currently. While most of the time they are very easy to handle mellow snakes, they have an INCREDIBLE feeding response. On days when I'm cleaning rat cages (which are two rooms away) I've noticed that they are crusing around their cages hunting and will sometimes even strike at the glass when I walk by. It doesn't matter if they ate a couple of weeks ago or an hour ago, if they smell food, they're on the hunt.

You have to be careful around them and learn to read their moods well and not let yourself be lulled into complacency. Most of the time they are just gentle giants, but they react on instinct thats been hardwired into them for eons and if there is the smell of prey in the air, it must be dinnertime... (even if you can't smell it yourself).

It's always a good idea to have someone with you to handle anything over 10 feet. Quite frankly, with the big ones I won't even change the water bowl unless someone else is at least standing in the doorway watching.

---

also about a burms feeding responce(as mark already covered it) isextreme. ive been bitten 3 times on the face from that 11 footer. the best advice anyone can give you about handling a burm or rtb is never let your guard down. ive done that 3 times and my face required some major stitces. the tinyest bit of dog/cat/rat/rabbit hair will set them off on you:sabduel:

edit: for rabbits and rats try www.rodentpro.com they ship to you if you cant find any rabbit breeders:) and trust me on this, it is extremely easy to switch a boa and burm to f/t:)

wow, i wouldnt think that they were so nippy, and stitches? its that bad? are you sure its not just your snake, do you other guys get bit like that from your burms?

Some burms can be aggressive when they are in their enclosure. I guess it all depends on the snake. My Burm is about 12.5' and very docile. I feed 5 - 7 lb rabbits every two weeks. She'll eat either p/k or live. I keep an extremely good eye on her when I feed live.

Burms, like all giant pythons have 4 rows of teeth on the top and strong jaw muscles. Most of the time what they get in their mouth, they get to keep.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Shelby

I'll just say that the size of your average surinam is exaggerated. Most suris will not reach 11-12'. 8-9' is more typical.. and colombian BCIs can reach these sizes as well. Either BCI or BCC make a good intermediate snake.

---

Didn't say that all will, but you are more likely to end up dealing with an 11' suri than a normal mutt BCI growing to 11'

My burm is very food aggressive. If I walk by the day after feeding day, he's still in hunting mode and will strike the glass at me. I have never been bitten by him, however, and I am very careful when feeding.

I know from having sonya(i.e rauri) in the house and having little severius now redtails Make great pets and especillay in Sonya's case getting well up into the larger size, temperment is very important .I like the larger snakes don't get Me wrong. One day i would love to have a retic or a burmese, but along with the size is the space you need to keep them properly. In My opinion you almost need a room you can simply devote to them they will need the space. Along with that that second person you have helping must be there everytime you handle it once it gets past the 7 or 8 ft mark can you count on that? Do you have the time and space needed to house it safely and humanely? It May get big enough that it needs to eat prey lager then a rabbit are you going to be able to raise or readily find it an approprite prey item? Are you going to have kids in the house ? Planning on gettting Married or are you married if your not what happens if your new partner dosn't like big snakes? It's a life time commitment for you and the snake and it is becomming more difficult to find homes for these bigger snakes when for any reason they don't fit in their owners life anymore for whatever reason. These are all questions I would sit down and answer before purchasing Any of the giant species.For All of us that love snakes small and large everytime a story of someone getting hurt or another giant getting dumped in the wild The wonderfull ignorant mob wants to go out and pass silly laws to requlate what they don't comprehend or think is bad for you. You see it every day with the new smoking laws the law comming in New York on what type of fryer oil its safe to fry fast food in give the Liberal and or conseravtive politican these days a reason to pass a law to Make your life better (They all believe were to stupid for our own good) They will pass said law. Pardon my divergance onto silly laws but do feel these are some of the things we must consider before choosing to bring a giant into ones life. If you can and want to give it a go after you have done all the reasearch Then go for it they are beautifull animals.