anyone have any burm advice

quick question i am thinking of getting a baby burm this coming spring and i would like to know if any one has advice on caging, substrate, usual temperment, unusual temperment, and average growth per year. that's alot. . . if some one could answer all of these in one post i will be amazed
can you tell i want to be prepared :D

i forgot to ask about any husbandry advice/ experience

Caging- you may go through MANY cages in its first year. Be prepared to have it's adult cage, 6' x 3' x 18" recommended, by the time it hits 1.

Substrate- use what you feel is easiest. Some people like to use newspaper, aspen, mulch etc. And as with all reptiles, nothing containing pine or cedar.

Usual temperment- expect babies to be a bit nippy and hissy. This will disappear with a good amount of handling.

Unusual temperment- none

Average growth- if fed properly, they can hit 10' in their first year, growing at nearly a foot per month.

Advice- need a good food supply of rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, pigs

Buy a snake hook, you will need to "hook train" it. Basically, open the cage and tap/rub the snake on the head when you are not feeding it. If you are feeding it, just throw the prey item in. But be EXTREMELY careful as they have one hell of a feeding response.

Any otehr questions?

wow! that was good all in one post :gj: I forgot a few things. how long do I have to wait minimum before handling after feeding?
I am a big handler i like to walk my snakes so to speak. I walk around the block a few times a day (not in the winter of course) the nieghborhood kids seem to like to see snakes. would this be inadvisable with a burm?

(by the way could you clarify "6'x3'x18"" like which sides are which) thanx ^_^

"6'x3'x18"" = Length, Width, Height. So 6 feet long, 3 feet "deep" as they say, and 18 inches tall.

Other people will have to help with the rest. This is out of my league. :oops:

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Originally Posted by serpents-prey

wow! that was good all in one post :gj: I forgot a few things. how long do I have to wait minimum before handling after feeding?
I am a big handler i like to walk my snakes so to speak. I walk around the block a few times a day (not in the winter of course) the nieghborhood kids seem to like to see snakes. would this be inadvisable with a burm?

(by the way could you clarify "6'x3'x18"" like which sides are which) thanx ^_^

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About one day is fine. They, especially as youngsters, digest food VERY FAST.

You could walk around with a burm, but not very long. They are lazy snakes for the most part. But I think people would freak about someone walking around with a snake over 6'.

And Mindibun pointed out the correct dimensions.

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Originally Posted by serpents-prey

wow! that was good all in one post :gj: I forgot a few things. how long do I have to wait minimum before handling after feeding?
I am a big handler i like to walk my snakes so to speak. I walk around the block a few times a day (not in the winter of course) the nieghborhood kids seem to like to see snakes. would this be inadvisable with a burm?

(by the way could you clarify "6'x3'x18"" like which sides are which) thanx ^_^

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i wait 3 days after they eat to handle them so they dont regergutate (throw up) there there food

and my burm is 11FT

Why are you already planning to buy a burm when you haven't even googled yet?

Do you even know how big these animals get? And what it will cost to heat their cages and to feed them?

Many burms are put up for adoption because of people that want a burm because they like the way it looks, but they have no clue what they're actually doing.

Please have a look at this caresheet :
http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=16

And try to find find someone who has a large snake. Handle it and see if you still want a burm.

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Originally Posted by Nordinho

Why are you already planning to buy a burm when you haven't even googled yet?

Do you even know how big these animals get? And what it will cost to heat their cages and to feed them?

Many burms are put up for adoption because of people that want a burm because they like the way it looks, but they have no clue what they're actually doing.

Please have a look at this caresheet :
http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=16

And try to find find someone who has a large snake. Handle it and see if you still want a burm.

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this is exactly why i have not gotten a burm yet. its big things to consider SERPENTS-PREY. i would hate to see you get a burm and 2 years down the road when hes almost 15 feet, you give him up. thats just heartbreaking

i understand how large they can get and how expensive and i do have plans on how to keep an area that large warm. believe me here i do have ways of taking care of a large snake. i haven't googled them yet because i would like people who have experience to tell me about them before i google them. i don't want to get bs info. thanx for the info guys. :gj:

Alright, that's good. It's good to read several caresheets from reputable breeders, but don't believe everything you read on a forum. Many people have different ways of caring for their animals, and it's not always theproper way of working.

I always wanted a retic, but never had the space and money. Now I do have space and money and the enclosure is ready and warmed up now. I've had snakes all my life and on this moment I own a GTP and several balls. That is not enough experience to own a retic.

So I've read a lot about them, handled a big female for several times and talked to Bob Clark and Mike Wilbanks when they were on a show near me. I now have the confidence to go to the show on the 2nd of december to buy my first male retic.

I'll post some pics of this guy growing, so you can see how fast they get BIG ;)

well i just googled it and it said that i might have to convert a closet or small room into an inclosure and i'm not so sure we have the space for that buut this is why i gather info first and then buy a snake if i can meet average requirments now i think i'll find out about a boa constrictor or the like

I really think that's a better choice if you want to become familiar with larger boids. They also require a smaller enclosure than burms.

Do you want to breed or do you want a big snake because you just like big snakes?

a little of both i would like to know about the snake thru personal experience before i attempt to breed it

Alright, then it's best to buy a male instead of a female, because males don't get as large and heavy bodied as females.

Good luck with choosing. But whatever you do, get educated :gj:

will do

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Originally Posted by Nordinho

Alright, then it's best to buy a male instead of a female, because males don't get as large and heavy bodied as females.

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Choosing in sex doesn't really matter. If he were to choose a male first then a female later, the female would be a bit more of a challenge because it's a tad bigger than what he would be used to. If he were to choose a female first and male later, the male may seem a bit easier to care for because it is smaller than what he would be used to.

Good luck with the purchase of your first burm-I have 14 now and if you have any questions fell free to pm me.

wooow :O

I found some handy information on albinoburmese.com as well: http://www.albinoburmese.com/care.htm

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Originally Posted by serpents-prey

quick question i am thinking of getting a baby burm this coming spring and i would like to know if any one has advice on caging, substrate, usual temperment, unusual temperment, and average growth per year. that's alot. . . if some one could answer all of these in one post i will be amazed
can you tell i want to be prepared :D

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Now I have more time to give some advice-
caging-start with a 10 gallon, move to a 55 flipped on its side (make sure top can be secured) then they can move into their 6 foot permanent enclosure
substrate-we use newspaper-quick easy clean up
temperment-babies tend to be nippy and will usually bite, after handling they usually calm down although we have a couple that just do not want to be bothered and still tend to strike
average growth-there really is no average, depends on fedding and the snake-we have 4 one and a half year olds-one is 8 feet, one is 9 feet, one is only 6 feet, and the last is 12 feet-also depends on male or female-males tend to be smaller.
feeding-start right away with rats-do not give them mice-too hard to switch and baby burms can eat rat pups from the beginning-we switch to rabbits as soon as they will take them (we can get rabbit kits and they are the size of large rats)
As far as taking them out-we do not usually take them out in public-most people are frightened and we would not want anyone to get bit-we do take them outside in the backyard in the summer for brief periods of time when the temps permit.
Hope this covers some of your questions.

On a personal note-I love burms-they are great and we have had some of ours for years.

that definitely helps. so the 6 foot enclosure can be permenent? i thought they grew out of it.

A six foot enclosure will work for a snake up to 12 ft... you could probably keep a male burm in a cage this size it's entire life.

But just remember how big six foot is. I'm not even six foot tall... so the cage would be longer than I if I was laying next to it.

alright so females would need a larger area later on? there is a really bad pun about my girlfriend in there. :D still a 12 ft. snake seems large for our house i think i'll go with a boa for now and when we move i'll get something bigger.

A female would probably need an 8'-10' cage... they can get from 15' to over 20' in length and weigh 200lbs. or more.

And male burms can get over 12'... sometimes up as high as 15' depending.

They are VERY large snakes, male or female.

And sexual dimorphism---females being bigger than males---is common in snakes, so don't give your g/f a hard time. You may end up with a nice welt on your cheek :P

oh come on you know i was joking i would never say anything like that to her
i think i waill be going with a boa burms are to large for me to keep safely by myself

Rock on! :gj: I think this is probably a good idea---if you would be the only one handling the snake, especially. For every 8' or so of snake, you should have another person there to help you out should something happen. With a 20' burm, you'd probably need at least two, probably three, including yourself.

Come on over to the boa side... I'll save you a seat. :D

yup decision made rtb this summer

its the dark side look out......hahahaha j/k j/k i love em

heres mine

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y81...n/100_1288.jpg

Actually, I believe it is considered the dark side on this site...

But we have cookies!

And I can probably get you a sweet name tag, too! :cool:

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Originally Posted by ladywhipple02

But we have cookies!

And I can probably get you a sweet name tag, too! :cool:

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hhahahahahaha........wait......i never got cookies!!!!!:mad::rage::tears:

man its cute! what gender?

What??? I need to check with our vendors... they're probably eating them again...

Yours are in the mail, dude! :P

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Originally Posted by serpents-prey

man its cute! what gender?

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not quite sure what sex it is, were gettin it sexed this weekend. i hope its a girl. it acts females ish. every male ive had was hissy. this one isnt. and ive never seen a tail like hers. it has to stripes on each side of the tail where the red saddles are. and there like an inch long. crazy:rolleye2:

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Originally Posted by ladywhipple02

What??? I need to check with our vendors... they're probably eating them again...

Yours are in the mail, dude! :P

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:hungry:

quick question how long do you have to be here to be a veteran?

ummm....dont know dude ive been here since like 05

2 years

i figured it was something like that i probably keep coming here as long as i have herps

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Originally Posted by ladywhipple02

A six foot enclosure will work for a snake up to 12 ft....

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Larger than 12'. You know the cage is too small when the snake can wrap its entire body around its enclosure. A 6' x 3' could house an 18 ft snake.

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Originally Posted by ladywhipple02

A female would probably need an 8'-10' cage... they can get from 15' to over 20' in length and weigh 200lbs. or more.

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An 8' cage would be for a very large snake. 10' would no bt necessary. Unless you have that kind of room and want a giant cage. An average sized female can fit into a a 6' x 3' with no problems.

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Originally Posted by cassandra

I found some handy information on albinoburmese.com as well: http://www.albinoburmese.com/care.htm

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Great guys to do business with as well as talk to...

well i have saved the link and will talk to them when i get a chance i have to re-apply for a job or this idea won't be happening until after my vet tech courses

I agree with RKO-Our largest burm at 17 feet is in a 6 foot vision and she has no problems-she stays coiled most of the time and doesn't move a whole lot. She weighs around 150 lbs. She will be getting an 8 foot boamaster cage next year when we retire her from breeding.

well since i would be the only one handling it i think i will opt for a slightly smaller snake

I feel kinda bad for a 17 ft snake in a 6 ft cage... the cage is a third the size of the snake.

"The length of the cage should be - at a minimum - half the length of the snake."---Burmese Care Sheet

But I don't keep giants...

ok now i'm mad the job i thought i had the little :cens0r: hired a transfer petsmart can go to . . . *the number you have dialed has been temporarily disabled* aggravating people in a hiring position

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Originally Posted by ladywhipple02

"The length of the cage should be - at a minimum - half the length of the snake."---Burmese Care Sheet

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Well I can be pretty sure that NERD doesn't keep their 20' retics in 10' cages. But to make sure, I'll ask.

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Originally Posted by ladywhipple02

I feel kinda bad for a 17 ft snake in a 6 ft cage... the cage is a third the size of the snake.

"The length of the cage should be - at a minimum - half the length of the snake."---Burmese Care Sheet

But I don't keep giants...

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The first cage she had as an adult was 8ftx4ftx4ft we were told a long time ago they did not need that big of a cage-we watched her and she stayed in one corner of the cage-she did not use all of the cage. We moved her into a 6 foot vision last year for a temporary trial period and she has done great. She has no problems eating or shedding. She does not roam and we get her out often and she has never been a problem. She has a hot side and a cool side-she moves from one side to another-very slowly and not very often. Most of our bigger burms seem more secure and calm when they are not in a big open cage.

Well I sent a message to Kevin at NERD, he said that for the most part, his largest are kept in 8' x 3'. And that their largest may end up in a 10'. But they dont like to keep anything too large.