Considering a Burmese Python of my own. Thoughts and advice?

[Riv]

Ive been considering a Burmese Python for some time now. I like their shape, size, temperment, it all sounds great. However, I am very used to ball pythons. Big jump from ball to burm.

Originally I had hoped to Make a Blue Eyed Ivory Burmese Python the Center piece of the massage studio Im planning on opening up in the future. Along with the right decorations it would have a very natural zen feel to it, and it would be run out of my home, so taking proper care of it would be simple.

I held a baby albino burmese at a reptile shop I visited recently to pick up some larger mice and I fell even more in love with the idea. So I started doing a lot of research on their husbandry, maximum size, eating habits, etc and I ran into a 50/50 split about whether it was safe to have a burmese python as a pet.

From what I can tell, the only people who were attacked by their burmese are people that either 1)Handled them irresponsibly and the bite/attack was completely their fault, or two they let it wander the house of its own accord 23/7 and someone got attacked in their sleep. or 3) They poorly secured their enclosure, and the snake escaped then proceded to attack them in their sleep.

All of which seem like the owners fault to me. So I wanted to ask you guys with big old burmese of your own. Whats been your experience with these snakes? Would you recomend them as pets? Are the fears founded, or just people being pig headed worry worts?

If you made it this far thank you for reading = P I love burmese pythons and I want to beleive I can handle having one as a pet, but any input you could offer is greatly appreciated.

[jjmitchell]

Burms Can be awesome... my girl is big slow gentle and predictable.... But they are not all that way. I love the idea of people getting into different reptiles and trying more than one part of what is available. That being said do you have someone to help you with the animal? after a few years it will be big enough it would not be smart to handle it without some help. Are you going to be able to take Bunnies into your buisness to feed to it? I dont know how much zen the customers would get from that overall vibe . If you get some experience handling some large snakes and realize its not all sunshine and rainbows, and are still comfortable with the idea I say go for it

[Amon Ra Reptiles]

I'm sure you will get 100 people saying no don't do it but all that aside there are a few things to consider. As the previous poster stated, you will need help down the road. It's not a good idea to handle an animal that is at or above 10' without help. These are wild animals and while Burms are typically docile you need to be prepared for the "what if." I definitely would never try to steer you away from a Burm I have pretty much always had one in my collection regardless of what else I own. We have 60-70 animals right now in the reptile room and I always seem to end up holding the Burm. They are usually calm and great to handle.

They are of course a lot to feed and a lot to clean but generally it's a sacrifice I'm happy to make for such a rewarding pet. My suggestion for you would be to begin small. Get a hatchling or one that's only a few months old and that way you can get your experience as he grows and as long as you are interactive with him regularly it will be unlikely that he would be mean or difficult to handle in the future. Hope this helps

[Alexandra V]

I'm considering one for myself as well, and all I can say is definitely try to handle an adult of each sex (for the size difference) and see how comfortable you are with them, if there is one size you're more comfortable with, etc.

As was said above, though burms are generally known to be docile and very tractable, every animal is different and there are also some very defensive burms as well. I'd suggest maybe getting one as a baby and getting used to the temperament as it grows with you, or look for an established adult that has been handled often by the owner because it'll more than likely be hand-tame.

I also want to bring up the food thing, would you be able to get feeder rabbits reliably? And do you have anyone nearby who would be willing to come and help you should anything go wrong?

[Riv]

I have my fiance to help me on later down the road. We're going into breeding balls together and hes just as comfortable with the idea of a burm than I am. Not to mention he stronger than I am and im no weakling.

And I did think about feeder rabbits. Im already designing a rodent rack w/ irrigation system for feeder rats. It wouldnt be difficult to upscale another one similar to it for a bunny rack. If I get too many I can sell them off, or seperate males and females until I need to start making more. It would definitely be cost effective.

Another concern of mine is F/T vs Live. I will choose F/T EVERY TIME. But with the burm Im actually considering doing Live. As much as I may want to, im not sure If I can trust a burm to not miss and grab me by mistake if im attempting to feed frozen thawed. And im not sure how much damage a bunny could actually do to a full grown burm. What do you guys do?

[grits]

Its good to see some one putting so much thought into getting a burm instead of just jumping in feet first.

I feed as many of my snakes F/T that will take it, unfortunately my big Burm isnt one of them. I feed him live rabbits but keep an eye on him to make sure he isnt bitten. The other thing with rabbits, is depending on how they are grabbed they will kick your snake and potentialy hurt it with its nails.

Adults require alot of work but I think its well worth it

[JLC]

Another concern of mine is F/T vs Live. I will choose F/T EVERY TIME. But with the burm Im actually considering doing Live. As much as I may want to, im not sure If I can trust a burm to not miss and grab me by mistake if im attempting to feed frozen thawed. And im not sure how much damage a bunny could actually do to a full grown burm. What do you guys do?

I took care of an 8' burm at a small zoo. I gave her f/t rabbits. There was never any fear of her missing them and getting me. If you can get a live animal safely into her enclosure without her "missing it" to hit you...then you can get a f/t in the same way. I fed off really big tongs...dangled the rabbit and kept my hand/arm/body well out of her line of site. She never came close to missing that rabbit. Burms aren't typically anywhere near as finicky as ball pythons. and there is no need to do any zombie dance with the prey...just get it into their environment and let it go. I think that's far safer for both the snake and the keeper than trying to wrestle with a scared live animal.

[mumps]

Love burms to death. Cannot NOT recommend one if you're willing to do the work required and are familiar with all the big snake protocols.

Stay away from live. F/T all the way.

Start with a young one. You will get to know it, and it will get to know you. And it won't be small for long, lol.

Forget about breeding rabbits. Very little production. Once the females are pregnant, you can't put a male back in with them until the babies are on their own. That's a lot of feeding and cleaning for one litter every couple months.

Chris

[Riv]

Youre right. If I get it as a hatchling by the time its big and im feeding it F/T I more than likely with have no problem. I'd probably still use tongs, but that works.

And on the feeder rabbits note, My 1st reason for wanting to breed them is price. Feeder animals tend to be a little pricey. Id actually be making money by breeding my own most of the time. And seperating males is fine as long as you have a seperate enclosure for them. I dont mind the extra work.

[KevinK]

Burms are great, my buddy has an albino female. But there's a few negatives to consider:

1) The cost of feeder rabbits (aren't cheap)

2) The size of the poo....like a dog or larger

3) The size of the snake (obviously)

4) Temperament isn't terrible but they ARE aggressive around feeding time. Just keep a hook handy to let them know you're not food. That being said, every snake is different. Some are MAJOR puppy dogs and others are rather pissy. You don't want to get bit by an adult. I have, and it cost me a trip to the hospital and 13 stitches. Not fun.

...as said before they are great animals, but just keep in mind that they have SPECIFIC needs that need to be met and like any snake they live a long, long time. I can't say that I would personally, jump from a ball python to a burmese. Maybe consider a boa.