Hat's off to Giant Python Keepers!

[dakski]

I met Sunny, an adult Albino Burmese Python, today (pictures below).

WOW! He's "only" about 14-15FT and 80-100 pounds (best guess). He is a gentle giant and awesome. However, a HANDFUL and then some!

My BCI will be about 6-8 FT when full grown (female ivory ghost het moonglow who is only 1 1/2 now) and around 12-17 pounds. That's all the handful I need!

My ball is about 4ft and 3.7 pounds! I was amazed that Sunny was as gentle as my BCI and BP!

Must hit hard when he eats though!

He lives at a (fairly) local reptile pet shop/breeder in my area. About 40 minutes away. Worth the trip to get supplies and not support big chains, but this place instead.

Sunny's "job" is to perform at educational shows, birthday parties, etc.

I might have seen a Burmese in the zoo, or at shows, but never sat with one and/or picked one up. I helped get him back in his enclosure - meaning I got about 1/2 of him! That was a lot!

OMG! So heavy! So big! That's a lot of snake! Way more than I could ever handle, even if they all were as gentle as Sunny.

Hat's off to all you Giant Snake keepers! I have a lot more respect for you after today.

[Sauzo]

You forgot the most important part, the poops!! Caesar is only about 7-8 ft and he poops like a small child. Rosey my 6.5 ft BCI is a close second though as her poops are nothing to sneeze at either haha.

Burms from what i have seen are pretty laid back. Try holding a retic. My god, they are like a kid on a king size Snickers bar. When Caesar wants to go, its everything to try and keep up with him. I'm switching hands and trying to reel him in as fast as i can. He is awesome though and has never bit me or tried. Recently though, he has been anti social and last night, he was out and when i opened the cage to say hi, he looked at me and went inside his hide lol. I wonder if he's getting ready to look for a girlfriend. Hopefully if so, then maybe I lucked out with just having an anti social boy when he wants a girl over an aggressive boy.

[dakski]

You forgot the most important part, the poops!! Caesar is only about 7-8 ft and he poops like a small child. Rosey my 6.5 ft BCI is a close second though as her poops are nothing to sneeze at either haha.

Burms from what i have seen are pretty laid back. Try holding a retic. My god, they are like a kid on a king size Snickers bar. When Caesar wants to go, its everything to try and keep up with him. I'm switching hands and trying to reel him in as fast as i can. He is awesome though and has never bit me or tried. Recently though, he has been anti social and last night, he was out and when i opened the cage to say hi, he looked at me and went inside his hide lol. I wonder if he's getting ready to look for a girlfriend. Hopefully if so, then maybe I lucked out with just having an anti social boy when he wants a girl over an aggressive boy.

Sunny was totally chill. Like a big BP or BCI.

LOL! Not looking forward to Behira's (my BCI) poop when she is as big as Rosey! I am actually sensitive to smells and have a weak stomach due to meds I have to take because of my kidney transplant!

Having said that, in my experience with Behira and my BP, Shayna, boid poop, especially rat poop, isn't even as bad as Figment's (my adult corn) mouse poo! Ugh. I can smell that across the room!

Either way, I will get used to it, and do what needs to be done! I love Behira and am excited to see her as a gentle giant, well small giant compared to Sunny!

Not anxious to hold a big retic like Caesar if he's all over the place. Very cool he's got personality though! That's one of the things I love about Behira - inquisitive and active, but super tame. Although I think I might be a BCI whisperer. Half the time I hold Behira, and support her, she just relaxes and rests on me. My BP too. Shayna (my BP) will literally fall asleep while I hold her. Behira will stay still for a long time after doing her initial exploring. Of course then I hand her to my fiancé, and she's all over the place! Trying to get into the couch, won't sit still, etc!

I use this: http://www.reptilebasics.com/healthy-habitat-24oz when I clean out stinky reptile cages. I spray before and after clean up. Works really well.

How big will Caesar get? Is he a dwarf?

Either way, hat's off Sauzo!

[Sauzo]

Thanks. Yes Caesar is a 37.5% SD, 31.5% dwarf white albino tiger het snow male. He is a giant lush. Loves attention most of the time. This is the first time he actually didnt come to me when i opened his door. Usually he is all over me when I'm trying to clean poop, either trying to climb out onto me or trying to sit on my hand lol. Caesar will be 2 years old this coming May. I got a progression thread on him from when i got him back in Oct 2016 as a little 5 month old worm. But here is a pic of him awhile ago after a guinea pig or jumbo rat...dont remember now lol.

[CALM Pythons]

The poop I could care less about.. Its the Gallon of piss that follows a couple Uraites. MR drank like a Camel then shot water across the 8' enclosure like a Super Soaker... Hope everyone buying these Hatchlings (I've seen several lately) has a Tile Floor in their snake room because theres no containing a dripping Giant Snake when you take them out to clean the enclosure hahahahahaha

[dakski]

Sounds awesome!

Love the super soaker analogy.

[Craiga 01453]

Burms from what i have seen are pretty laid back. Try holding a retic. My god, they are like a kid on a king size Snickers bar.

Oh Sauzo, always a way with words, hahahaha!


I also admire the giant keepers out there. I have decided though, that my limit is simple. If i can't easily handle the snake on my own for its entire life or my entire life, it's too much snake for me to have in my house.
I would love a retic or a yellow anaconda. But I would also love a tiger and polar bear. It's just simply not an option. And with so many other amazing snake species to choose from I'm fine admiring the giants when I get the chance.

[RickyNY]

Hats off to you as well guys! Your level of experience, commitment, and courage to keep one of these majestic animals is impressive.

[tttaylorrr]

i agree! many thanks and all the accolades to those who work with the giants and share them with us!!! i enjoy all the giants posts and admire from afar. nobody can just buy a burm or a retic (okay you know what i mean); it takes a huge amount of dedication, money and work, and those of you on here with these giants do a friggin' excellent job IMO. it's really fun to read through your threads and see your comparisons on behavior, appetite and food, weights and lengths and general anecdotes; very informative!

thank you for sharing these giant joys with us.

[SDA]

I can't decide if being able to handle over 100 pounds of muscle or tolerating a small child sized poop and pee constantly is more impressive. For example, I adore black and white tegus but the bathtub filling defecation they do is more than I can tolerate.