Burm Unboxing

[Sauzo]

That certainly sounds like th guy Im dealing with now, whats kind of funny is that he doesnt use his hide boxes, he doesnt like them. So you cant walk past his cage without stressing him out or have him watch you. SUPER hissy when theyre babies and its impressively loud. He seems pretty lazy until he digests his rat, then hes out searching for another in the wild jungle of an animal plastics T8 lol.

Well the funny part is both of my male boas are like that. Rango will watch you like a hawk and follow you around if you walk past him. It's only the males. The females dont even react to me walking by. And if you take the males out of the cage, they are fine and crawl all over and check everything out. It's only when in their cage and seems to be when they are hungry which is pretty much any day from the 2nd day of feeding to the day of the next feeding lol.

[dakski]

That certainly sounds like th guy Im dealing with now, whats kind of funny is that he doesnt use his hide boxes, he doesnt like them. So you cant walk past his cage without stressing him out or have him watch you. SUPER hissy when theyre babies and its impressively loud. He seems pretty lazy until he digests his rat, then hes out searching for another in the wild jungle of an animal plastics T8 lol.

My BP and Corn always want to be near or in a hide, unless it's really dark and/or they are hungry.

My BCI (Behira) spends a lot of time 1/2 in her hide (head and neck all the way out of the hide), or not in her hide, even when the tank lights are on. She is a lot braver/less shy than the other two.

Maybe burms are less timid? I am not sure, but it's interesting how different species, and even different snakes, react differently to the same stimuli.

Do bigger snakes know they are bigger (on some level) and do not act as shy in general?

The other possibility, is, as Katie put it when we first got Behira and she spent more time on top of, then in her hide, he's "still learning how to snake." Behira uses her hides more and more effectively now that she is settled in. I believe the breeder had her in a rack, not an enclosure with a clear front, and she might not have known what to do at first?

Either way, as I have documented in other threads, hook training is awesome for any snake that can do damage (large snakes - BCI's, retics - even dwarf, burms, etc.). I have had wonderful success with Behira even after a few weeks of hook training. She never hissed, or struck at me aggressively, but has a crazy feed response (just ask my arm). Now, I rub her a few times with the handle of the hook (it's softer), and she calms right down (often disappointed there is no rat, but calm none the less) and lets me pick her up.

[KevinK]

My BP and Corn always want to be near or in a hide, unless it's really dark and/or they are hungry.

My BCI (Behira) spends a lot of time 1/2 in her hide (head and neck all the way out of the hide), or not in her hide, even when the tank lights are on. She is a lot braver/less shy than the other two.

Maybe burms are less timid? I am not sure, but it's interesting how different species, and even different snakes, react differently to the same stimuli.

Do bigger snakes know they are bigger (on some level) and do not act as shy in general?

The other possibility, is, as Katie put it when we first got Behira and she spent more time on top of, then in her hide, he's "still learning how to snake." Behira uses her hides more and more effectively now that she is settled in. I believe the breeder had her in a rack, not an enclosure with a clear front, and she might not have known what to do at first?

Either way, as I have documented in other threads, hook training is awesome for any snake that can do damage (large snakes - BCI's, retics - even dwarf, burms, etc.). I have had wonderful success with Behira even after a few weeks of hook training. She never hissed, or struck at me aggressively, but has a crazy feed response (just ask my arm). Now, I rub her a few times with the handle of the hook (it's softer), and she calms right down (often disappointed there is no rat, but calm none the less) and lets me pick her up.

This is the same with my girl as they're very confident snakes that lay out in the open a lot. The only time my girl seems to use hides now is to sleep off a meal, although it's still good to offer them. And with hook training he should stop hissing too. I've had my girl for almost 3 months and I gently rub her with the hook everytime I enter the enclosure unless feeding. Barely hisses at all now.

I'm starting to think Burms do in fact, realize they will not be messed with lol. I mean, he has crawled into his hide boxes for a few minutes so he KNOWS they're available for him....but he just lays out in the open. I'm actually GLAD he doesn't prefer the hides because when big snakes get large enough, hide boxes aren't an option and sometimes they can stress out when you take them away.

Yup! Hook training is the plan, and it works wonders. I have also had good luck with the paper towel roll trick in the past because the cold metal from the hook sometimes make them jump a little. I'm sure I'll do both!

[KevinK]

Well the funny part is both of my male boas are like that. Rango will watch you like a hawk and follow you around if you walk past him. It's only the males. The females dont even react to me walking by. And if you take the males out of the cage, they are fine and crawl all over and check everything out. It's only when in their cage and seems to be when they are hungry which is pretty much any day from the 2nd day of feeding to the day of the next feeding lol.

That seems like the complete truth to me. When he realizes you're watching him he almost becomes offended lol. Otherwise he just minds his own business and stays curled up....until his night drop on the cage kicks in....then it's hunting time.

[Sauzo]

That seems like the complete truth to me. When he realizes you're watching him he almost becomes offended lol. Otherwise he just minds his own business and stays curled up....until his night drop on the cage kicks in....then it's hunting time.

Lol yup. Rango doesnt really care as I've had him awhile. He just watches you watching him. Louie though, i've only had him for like 6 months so he gets worked up a lot easier unless you physically reach in and pick him up. Then goes from "bad mamajama' mode to 'lets go explore' mode lol.

[CALM Pythons]

Neither of my Burms wanted a hide past 3.5'- 4'... Totally different animal which is why they're my favorite.


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