Burmese python proper size

[reptiletalk]

Hello,

I was browsing on instagram today and i found a profile called serpentine_king. This guy owns a burm around 3.5m and weighting 24-25kg.

He wrote that he feeds his burm a rabbit every 3 weeks in order not to get overweight.

I was always into burms, i even checked for half dwarfs but a burm this size i think could fit in my DIY terrarium. My dimensions are 1,5m length, 0.6m depth and 0.4 height.

If i dont go for a burm most probably i am thinking for a blood python. But as i am seeing and reading burms are much more better characters.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[metalcopper]

The dimensions are too small for an adult Burm. They should be at a minimum 2m long (2.5m would be better), 1m wide, .5m high.

I've never had a Blood before, so I can not comment on their disposition compared to a Burm, but Burms are my favorite, they are very calm and friendly from my experiences, but much larger than Bloods.

[dave himself]

It's just my opinion mate but with the dimensions you've given that's never going to house a full grown burm. And I've no idea about blood pythons so I couldn't offer you any advice, sorry I couldn't be of more help :(

[LiL Zap]

Eh...I feel like if you have to question your enclosure you might not have enough room for a Burm in the first place.

[millertime89]

The dimensions are too small for an adult Burm. They should be at a minimum 2m long (2.5m would be better), 1m wide, .5m high.

I've never had a Blood before, so I can not comment on their disposition compared to a Burm, but Burms are my favorite, they are very calm and friendly from my experiences, but much larger than Bloods.

2m x 1m is just fine for 99% of burms out there, that's a good size for a 5.5m burm or shorter which few rarely ever surpass.

The original cage dimensions are fine for a blood. Even the biggest blood will fit comfortably in a 1.5m x .6m cage. The height is spot on, .5 is great for a terrestrial species like a burm or blood.

[David VB]

2m x 1m is just fine for 99% of burms out there, that's a good size for a 5.5m burm or shorter which few rarely ever surpass.

The original cage dimensions are fine for a blood. Even the biggest blood will fit comfortably in a 1.5m x .6m cage. The height is spot on, .5 is great for a terrestrial species like a burm or blood.

So you would like to be stuffed in your toilet the entire day heh??? 2Mx1M is hardly enough for a boa in my opinion... Have some respect for the animal plz! I'm gonna build a 3.3m x 1.1m x 1m enclosure for my burm and even think thats too small, but at the moment it's the largest i can go.

[millertime89]

2m x 1m = 6.5ft x 3.25ft. Common practice in the states is to house animals under 20ft in a cage that size. You might think that's tiny but the snakes smash themselves into a corner and don't move except to thermoregulate. Do what you want to do but if professional herpetologists (Bob Clark, does that name ring a bell? Yeah, he's got a degree in herpetology, as do many others that agree with him.) all agree that 1sq ft for 1ft of snake is more than enough, I'll stick with their recommendations. Ultimately it comes down to what's healthiest for the snake. If a snake is stressed out in a larger enclosure, I'm going to move them into something smaller, if they're stressed out in a smaller enclosure, I'll bump them up.

He asked what would work, that's exactly what I gave him. A boa would look tiny in a 2m x 1m, even a 9ft boa. They don't exactly look big in an 1.2m x .2m which is a very common cage size for adult boas over here (4ft x 2ft).

[metalcopper]

I agree with millertime89, bigger is not always better. A 10 foot long enclosure is pretty massive. If it's a male Burm, 6 feet is just fine. I kept my 11 foot male in a 6 foot by 30 inch enclosure and it was a great size for him. A 14 foot female, with the extra girth, would have fit too, but I would maybe bump up the enclosure size a bit more.

[mrgrimm]

Great info. here and I'm a newish snake owner (little over a year) with only a Ball Python, so posting in the giant section is a bit out of my league but I want to chime in.

I understand that people way more educated than me (herp degrees and such) state information and without a doubt it should be taken as trustworthy, but I sometimes wonder if people like that approach the animal in more of a "specimen" point of view than a "companion" point of view.

What I mean is that yeah, the 6ft x 3ft enclosure is suitable for survival, but does that reply apply to EVERY snake and can it thrive and get proper exercise? Kind like tying a dog to a 10 ft chain on a tree out back...it will live, but how well?

Reason I say this is because lots of people say that Ball Pythons will refuse food, sketch out, etc. in a large tank, heck a lot of people keep them in a tub. After countless hours of observing my snake at night in his 55 gal. setup I figured I would experiment with a large tank (150 gal) and see what happens.

Well, the snake is climbing all over the array of large sticks propped up for him, and stretching all the way out and just chilling at all hours of the night, eating like a champ, and staying in his hides pretty much all day. Perfectly normal, healthy BP behavior and getting all kinds of exercise and stimulation on his own in his environment.

I just wonder if the giants would behave the same way and enjoy more room to move about? Just seems logical to me to allow for full stretch out, yes that would pretty much mean a whole large room dedicated to a large snake! What do you think?

[millertime89]

These animals don't seek out "enrichment" like dogs or cats or other animals. They sit in a corner, they eat, they drink, the sleep, they poop. If you've ever seen a 14 ft animal in a 6x3 you would know just how much room they've really got. I'll even be so kind as to take a picture for you guys when I get home tonight if I can manage. (Food is ready so I may not be able to get a decent picture as she'll be keyed on my every move).

In the wild where do you always seem find snakes? In tight crevices where they've wedged themselves into for security. All but the biggest retics and burms still have natural predators, and even the biggest can still become prey to other animals.

Can you give them more room? Sure. Go nuts. Is it necessary/will the have any benefit? Doubtful as there's never really been any proof.

Every snake is an individual. I have one snake that should be in a 5x2 cage but will go off food and start striking at any movement in that cage. Put her back in a 3x2 and she's a puppy dog. No issues whatsoever. She's clearly more comfortable in the smaller cage and seems to prefer it in there, so who am I to argue with her?

There isn't a one size fits all solution to these animals. Everything is "one size fits most". There will always be oddballs (like my female). If you want to give a 10 foot snake a room, go for it. I'll continue keeping my animals the way that professionals recommend I keep mine while being able to maximize useable space without resorting to stuffing them in enclosures that they can't move in.

[reptiletalk]

Guys,

Thank you all for you inputs. Correct me if i am wrong but with my dimensions getting a burm is out of the question i guess. A male burm though if not too pumped up.... a big meal every 2 weeks with proper exercise ( getting him out of the enclosure two,three times a week to move around and stretch) is also out of the picture? i found recently that there is a breeder is Germany that has half dwarf burms but these get up to 2-2.5m . If male solution cant happen most probably i will go for the half dwarfs.

[David VB]

So they are all scared as hell in the wild too??? I provide them a big enclosure with plants and shelter and yes, they use and need it. but at least they have the choice to move around when they want it...
Oh, and the big 'n mighty Bob Clark might be a herpetologist but in the first place he's a breeder and businessman who likes to have as many snakes in his room as possible coz all those big breeders see is money!!!
I hope you can still have snakes when the regulations over there tell you to either house them correctly or not at all.

[millertime89]

Guys,

Thank you all for you inputs. Correct me if i am wrong but with my dimensions getting a burm is out of the question i guess. A male burm though if not too pumped up.... a big meal every 2 weeks with proper exercise ( getting him out of the enclosure two,three times a week to move around and stretch) is also out of the picture? i found recently that there is a breeder is Germany that has half dwarf burms but these get up to 2-2.5m . If male solution cant happen most probably i will go for the half dwarfs.

I would say a full sized burm is out of the equation. Even a half dwarf might find it a bit cramped as an adult.

So they are all scared as hell in the wild too??? I provide them a big enclosure with plants and shelter and yes, they use and need it. but at least they have the choice to move around when they want it...

Scared? Debatable. Cautious? Without a doubt. You would be too if "everything" was trying to eat you. Mine can move around when they want to and have plenty of space to do so. That's the point I'm trying to make. They don't need these giant enclosure. Would I love to give them each a giant, naturalistic enclosure? You bet I would. But I don't have the income to spend thousands on building and decorating something like that, let alone the space to do it in.

Oh, and the big 'n mighty Bob Clark might be a herpetologist but in the first place he's a breeder and businessman who likes to have as many snakes in his room as possible coz all those big breeders see is money!!!

Sure, whatever you say. You should try talking to them sometimes. You might be surprised what you can learn. And it's not just Bob. I've spoken with many other professional herpetologists that agree. Not just breeders, the curators of reptiles for zoos all over the country. It's amazing what you can see if you just ask these guys to show you around. They love showing what they're working on to other reptile keepers that actually understand and appreciate what they're doing and the amount of work that goes into it.

I hope you can still have snakes when the regulations over there tell you to either house them correctly or not at all.

I don't have any issues with keeping my animals. Nice try.