are burm. easy to keep

i was wondering if burmese are easy pythons to keep? besides the huge enclosure

Not being sarcastic in the least, any animal that can easily overpower you and respectively kill you, eats more than you do, and requires years of experience to completely understand and work with; is not something I would call "easy" to keep.

ok well obviously nothing is easy to keep... but i am wondering do you have to be a beginner, intermediate, or experienced owner

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Originally Posted by reptiman93

ok well obviously nothing is easy to keep... but i am wondering do you have to be a beginner, intermediate, or experienced owner

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I thought I had summed it up nicely. :P

Not having kept giants myself, I would have to say it is definitely at the experienced keeper level because of everything I stated previously.

I think the least of worries when it comes to Burmese, with the behavior of the animal, the size and feeding of the animal and temperaments far outweigh the "ease of keeping" in regards to husbandry.

Yes, I do believe it would be well enough to build a big enclosure and heat it properly, but the actual interactions with the animal would require an experienced level of keeping that is NOT something a beginner or even intermediate is completely ready for until they have a solid understanding and experience with some larger species of pythons before they move to Burmese.

But this is still all my opinion, but I feel they are quite valid explanations.

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

But this is still all my opinion, but I feel they are quite valid explanations.

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And an extremely valid opinion, that is.
You summed it up quite well in your first post, Connie.

My 6' argentine is hard enough to control when he wants to go somewhere and I don't...I would hate to try it with a 18+ burm.

I've had my Burm since Feb and hes only about 5ft long and as of now I would have to say my Burm is a lot easier to keep than my Balls. I'm sure it will be a diff. story when when he adds a few more feet to him. This is my opinion and experiences and I'm sure others will differ.

Even a puppy dog tame Burm can be extremely difficult to care for. When you have a snake that can out muscle you and possibly outweigh you, even with the most tame Burm simply cleaning the cage can prove near impossible. Consider your safety first and think of the animal as an ADULT before making such a purchase.
Unless you have someone available to help you at ANY given time. I would not advise a Burm.

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Originally Posted by OhBalls

Even a puppy dog tame Burm can be extremely difficult to care for. When you have a snake that can out muscle you and possibly outweigh you, even with the most tame Burm simply cleaning the cage can prove near impossible. Consider your safety first and think of the animal as an ADULT before making such a purchase.
Unless you have someone available to help you at ANY given time. I would not advise a Burm.

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Ditto! I adore my burm, she is a sweetheart. However, even when she was 7 feet she was HARD to handle myself. The feeding response on most burms is strong, you really need to have your wits about you when feeding. I sadly had to let my burm go to a friend just due to size and no other adults in the home to help with her (There were 2 in the house when I got her). I say by sheer size they are an advanced keeper snake. As much as I love them, I won't have one again. Only 8 feet and under for me.

thanks for info guys :)

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Not being sarcastic in the least, any animal that can easily overpower you and respectively kill you, eats more than you do, and requires years of experience to completely understand and work with; is not something I would call "easy" to keep.

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As the owner of 14 burms I would have to agree 110% with this statement. Try and find someone who has one that you could possibly get some experience with. They are fun but as far as being easy-NO.

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Originally Posted by OhBalls

Unless you have someone available to help you at ANY given time. I would not advise a Burm.

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I agree; we have a rule with our 12' burm. We only get him out for handling or cage cleaning when both of us are home. Respect the animal and what he is capable of and ownership is a lot more fun.

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Originally Posted by burmmamma

They are fun but as far as being easy-NO.

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I kinda think we're making them TOO scary. Yes, you need to have experience and yes you absolutely need to be responsible.

I personally am so glad we made the "giant" leap and got our big boy as I love him to bits. Their natural desire for food and continuous hunting is fascinating to watch and makes the burm a much more interactive snake, even when he's just in his cage. The bp and boa are boring in comparison; they just sleep in their hides all the time.

But the burm, he's on the move, hunting in his cage, following your movements outside the cage, eyeballing the cat through the cage, drooling at the cat....=D

"So...hun....gry" :snake: :P

I fully enjoy caring for all my animals and cleaning up after the burm makes you feel like you've accomplished something (in comparison to say, a cornsnake..."you call that a poopie?! pfft!").

[This being my first post I am prepared to get chewed apart no matter what, lol, jk]

I have to agree, you're making them seem too scary, and maybe that's to scare off those who might just ditch it in a year, but I'm also glad I made the jump to giants as well.

I think it's all about responsibility - if you take the necessary precautions I don't think there are too many issues in owning a burm, knowing your snake is going to be potentially 20 feet and 200 lbs is a good start, and knowing you will always be able to care for it - not ditch it when its gets too big.

Obviously it would not make a good first snake, but when you know what you're getting into, and are capable of caring for it for its entire life, no matter the attitude it has.

All in all, easy to keep - no; but worth the effort? for sure! I love my burm.

Oh, and to introduce myself - I have more than just my burm, but I will tend to be around the giants forum for the most part. I've been lurking for a while and think you have a wonderful community here, glad to be a part of it.

ya, i really want to get one. i held one at the other day and loved it. it was a baby of course lol. but then again i think. k when i go to college in a couple years my parents will not watch my 20 foot snake haha,

Great advice from everyone and I agree all around. I saw a juvenile albino female burm for sale at a local pet shop near by and I almost had a heart attack. I asked them why on earth they had it (since this pet shop happens to be one I visit regularly and admire for their cleanliness and acceptable reptile knowledge) and was informed it was brought in for someone that requested but they never picked it up so it was being sold to whoever wanted it.

I must say the convo turned into a bit of a lecture on my part but in the end I believe it went to a reasonably experienced keeper.

I am rambling, anyway - yes burms are an incredible snake but don't bite off more than you can chew in the long run:D

When I had my 11ft female albino burm, she was a handful, even though she had sweetest disposition of any snake i've ever owned. I had her at 8 feet and lived by myself for a while, and like Kim said, I would defenitely not recommend having a burm, especially a giant, unless you have someone to help you at the drop of a hat. Only once I moved in with my boyfriend, did we both have the gusto to handle her together. A giant is exactly what it says...GIANT and whether their temperment is completely docile or they are a maniac, trying to handle one by yourself is just unsensible. Hope this helped! Good luck

Hey bud dont mean to be a downer but i see you mentioned college...most if not all colleges wont let you keep pets let alone 20ft snakes in a dorm room. That means having to file requests and pay extra to live off of campus. Some friends of mine managed to hide an anole in their closet but thats a 2in lizard. Just make sure you look ahead 30 years of your life and make sure youll be able to have a giant during that amount of time. If you dont see yourself being able to keep one just get something smaller yet still pretty big like a RTB or Blood. That way you dont end up having to give it up for adoption later on and causing you and the snake alot of stress.

If it was not for their size.
They would be just like ball pythons. A perfect beginner snake.

You know what they say...size matters

Hi guys.
Gatta say I do not agree. If you read this thread you would say burms are monsters.
I have a couple of burms and I handle them by myself most of the time (biggest one is about 12ft), I handle the tics alone too (babies,12-13ft). It is true that a helper is a great idea, but the truth (and I believe most guys who own more then one BIG snake will admit this) is that it is impractical to expect somebody to be around 24-7 to help you. Most people will be absolutely useless in a bad situation any way.
Best defence is to not put yourself in a dangerous situation with stupidity. Know you animals and respect them.
Keep a spray bottle of vinegar/ rubbing alcohol in the room. One spray of that stuff in the mouth will break any feeding response.
I also kept my animals with me in my dorm room at University (2 balls, 2 tics and 3 burms). The big ones had 8ft cages and the smaller ones 5ft cages. Just don’t advertise, be stupid, get drunk (I don’t drink) and be stupid, show off, invite “friends” for feedings etc. and it can be done. It is a BIG commitment and seeing that you are still young perhaps you should reconsider.
Come on guys, we are sounding like a bunch of old ladies with wet pants. Burms are NOT that scary and somebody who tells you differently is blowing his own horn…
Man up girly-men, this is the GIANT snake forum is it not?
RM

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Originally Posted by cassandra

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I kinda think we're making them TOO scary. Yes, you need to have experience and yes you absolutely need to be responsible.

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I was not trying to make them seem too scary just trying to make sure people understand how much care goes into keeping burms. One important lesson I have learned over the years is to never ever let your guard down-even the most docile of burms can surprise you. If I thought they were scary I would not own as many as I do.

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Man up girly-men, this is the GIANT snake forum is it not?

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I'm a 35 year old woman who owns numerous burms and handles them.-this is our biggest with my husband and yes I handle her-
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...age00014-6.jpg

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Originally Posted by burmmamma

I'm a 35 year old woman who owns numerous burms and handles them.-this is our biggest with my husband and yes I handle her-
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...age00014-6.jpg

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High-five, girlfriend!

And that girl looks awesome!

how big is she?

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Originally Posted by krazieness_2

how big is she?

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That pic was taken shortly after she laid a clutch of 69 eggs-she is almost 18 feet and right now weighs around 230 pouinds. We have retired her and she gets to live the rest of her life just being fat and lazy!!!

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Originally Posted by reptiman93

ok well obviously nothing is easy to keep... but i am wondering do you have to be a beginner, intermediate, or experienced owner

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experienced.

Hey Burmmamma, that's an awesome snake, but technically it would be more appropriate to say that SHE handles YOU!!! Kind-of like being a passenger on an airplane, if the airplane weighs more than you do then you are riding not flying.

are burms easy to keep? it depends.

Burms, in my opinion, are one of the easier "Large" snakes to keep. They have a knack for getting RI's but if you regulate your temps properly that shouldn't be a problem. Also you need to think about how you're going to house it when it gets larger, same with feeding it. Adult burms can eat LARGE RABBITS, not exactly something that is easy to acquire, and is far from cheap.

I HAVE A 13FT BURMESE,14-1/2FT GREEN ANACONDA THE FOOD ALONE KILLS ME BUT TRYING TO HANDLE THEM IS IMPOSSIBLE I NEED ADLEAST 4 PEOPLE TO HELP THINK BEFORE U GIT ITS HARD WORK............:colbert: