For all the "Kids" who want a Burmese Python!!!

[Burm_Crazy]

OK, this is the reason that I, and others, are against "kids" getting a baby burm....

http://photo.reptilehaven.net/albums/faze/PDRM0028.sized.jpg


http://photo.reptilehaven.net/albums/faze/PDRM0029.sized.jpg


This is a 16-17 foot adult female burm that has a girth of 2 feet!
Meaning it could eat a small human!

This is a rescue animal that a friend of mine got in Florida. A snake of this size cannot be kept in a cage. It needs it's own room in your house, with it's own bathtub too! It most likely can, and will eat large food items like chicken and small pigs.

He had to put it in his trunk to get it moved. There is no way of shipping a snake of this size, so unless a local rescue can take it in, as in this case, this snake would have ended up in a shelter were it most likely would have been put down within 24-48 hours.

[BWSmith]

He could have at least cleaned out the trunk first ;)

[Zoe]

So you're saying that an adult would without a doubt be responsable enough to keep a burm? Do you actually think most of the abandonned burms out there come from kids who got bored or them, or didn't like their size? I'm sure some of them are, but would be a stretch to say all of them.

I think you are making a very unfair judgement of younger people. Granted, a 10 year old shouldn't keep one for obvious reasons, but age and responsability comes with research, experience and maturity. I know some 17 year olds who would definitely be capable of keeping a burm, and some 30 year olds who wouldn't, and vice versa.

The key here is EDUCATION. Not just saying "dont get one it'll be too big" that's hardly a reason that will deter someone who is strongly into buying one. And why should they be deterred? If they know what they are getting into, and are prepared to care for a 20ft snake and know how to do so, then that burm is going to a good home. Perhaps, if that 17 year old was advised against purchasing it, a 35 year old will find it, think he's old enough to keep anything he wants, and end up keeping the snake in his closet or something?

Age is not what should always be in question. Saying that people under 18 are basically useless and should only keep corns and balls is like saying that women shouldn't keep hots or giants because their reflexes are slightly slower, and their stature slightly smaller.

I don't think there's much more I can say on the subject without rambling, so I will close with this. Don't try and scare people away by showing pictures of big snakes, try and tell them if they are getting into such a large snake they need to be prepared. Not just "NO! You're too young, go away until you're 18!".

Zoe

[ReptiZone]

a snake that size dos not need a room no snake dose yes a big cage but not room.
hear is why:
16-17 foot burm put it in a room let it climb on the wall if it should hapen to slip and slam it self against a rock or log that gives you a few broken ribs a trip to the vet and a verry big bill. So yes make a big cage make it long make it wide but dont make it a room.

[The_Snake_King]

You probalby think it is OK for a 15 year old to have a baby too!

If a 15 year old kid gets a baby burm and power feeds it, by the time the kids is 18 the snake would not be albe to be handled by one person alone. Maybe not even two people.

These are not novelty items or impulse items! These are living creatures that can get large enough to kill any size human!

What about a 15 year old getting a tiger cub? Is that OK?

It is not unthinkable for a teenager to get a "gaint" snake as a baby and raise it to adulthood. I know I have done it. But my point is just look at every herp forum you can and all you see are "kids" getting a burm or a retic. The statistics show that over 90% of them either die or are turned into rescues/shelters by the time they are snakes adults. And this is long before the "kids" are out of their teens years.

Out of all the "kids" I see posting here and other forums, maybe one will take care of the snake for the life of the snake.

And you're right, many adults are as bad if not worse than the "kids". Just look at some of the rescue pictures that people post and you can see it. The neglect. The abuse. The abandonment. nd most of these are done by adults. But, when do you think these adults got the snake????? When they were "Kids"!

[Zoe]

That's exactly why younger people should be educated. If they are stolidly fixed on getting a burm, do you actually thing telling them "No you're too young", is going to work? It will most likely put them on the defense and make them go buy one right away just to prove you wrong. No matter what (unless a law is written) kids are going to buy snakes on impulse. At least the ones on ssnakess are fortunate enough to have the guidance and expertise of all the knowledgable people on here. But would they actually want to ask if they are going to be called "kids" (with those stupid quotation marks that make us feel inferior and stupid. let's all say "black" and "woman" and "canadian" in quotation marks.). And saying that 90% of the abandoned, dead, neglected, abused burms have been so from kids or from people who got them as kids is a total exageration.
Don't you know of anyone over 20 who bought a burm on impulse because he thought it was cool to have one? Or because he thought it was cute? If you don't, then you haven't met enough people involved with burms to have a fair opinion.

Young people neglect/abuse ect their burms not because they are kids, but because they are UNINFORMED. Because they didn't know what they were getting into. Because they had limited access to information. Because 10 years ago there was no information to be have access to at all! As knowledge regarding burms grows, the number of neglected and abused burms goes down. With this wonderful tool known as the internet, laws and rules regarding the sale and treatment of giant pythons, common sense, books and articles available, educational programes / rescue places, our goal should be to educate everyone who wants to buy a burm (regardless of age, sex, or size) and let them then decide if they still want to go through with it. Telling them "No" is absolutely pointless as what makes you think many of them will even listen?

A human baby and a tiger don't compare to a burm. In some ways they are easier to care for, in others harder. For example, you can't keep a tiger or a baby in a room for most of it's life, and you can't feed it entire pigs and turkeys once a week. Those aren't fair comparisons.

Zoe

[Zoe]

By the way, if you say only one person under 18 on ssnakess will care for their burm to it's adulthood, you are sadly mistaken. Ask around, you'll find young people with burms who know what they are getting into, and people just over 20 who have had a burm for a while, and it is still in great shape.

[sSNAKESs.com]

Not to play devils advocate but you could have put that burm in a bed sheet and tied the end up before transport... IMO putting that burm in the trunk of that car is FAR more immature and un thought out then i have seen from even our youngest . most inexperienced keepers / members on this forum.

[Zoe]

At least take out the boot and wires first...

Zoe

[sSNAKESs.com]

or geez.. at LEAST the back seat... The trunk of a car???

[Zoe]

At least it's warm in florida :X
I actually thought that was a pic of where they found it something.

Oh well, doesn't look too badly off. Hopefully it found a decent home.

[ReptileX]

just curious, do you know that this rescue was from a teens doing?
and not to be sexsous...but is that a womens shoe in the trunk?:)

[ReptileX]

or maybe that was the burms lunch...thats one way i guess to hide a body for all the killers out there eh...ekkk scary though

[ReptiZone]

I Don't even want to imagin the carbon monoxide poisoning it was subjected to have you ever riden a round in the trunck of a car it is not the safest thing to do. So why would you do it to a burm. Next time you want to show a burm pic why don't you use BABY one of the bigest burms alive to day.

[Zoe]

And I'll bet the person driving that car is over 20. Therefore all "adults" don't know how to care for burms. No "adults" should be allowed to keep giant snakes, because "adults" are never responsable enough. Your logic is imperfect.

[Corey Woods]

From looking at that snake I would say it is no more than 12 feet, 70lbs. That snake is no way 16-17 feet. That snake would have a hard time eating a 12lb rabbit let alone a human.

I imported my first burmese from Bob Clark in 1997 when I was 17 years old.

Corey Woods

[The_Snake_King]

Look people I may have overstated the "kid" thing. Am by no means am I saying that young adults shouldn't be able to have a burm or retic. It is just, I see over and over again yougsters like snakemann87, who just started keeping snakes, getting a burm. A Burmese python is not a beginners snake. They starte with corn snakes, then onto a ball python and a boa. This is the path taken by many of us. But what we have learned through ecperience, they have yet to.
They can benefit from our experience by asking questions, listening to and abiding by our advice. We know what it takes to care for these snakes. Having a corn snake or ball python for a year or so, doesn't give anyone the experience necessary to care for a giant snake. We advise that a person wanting to get one of these giant snakes, learn everything they can, find a person who has one and work with that snake for a year or so. But, unfortunately, most just go out and buy one without any of the above be even taken into consideration. And in the end the snake suffers from their lack of experience.


__________________

[The_Snake_King]

and by the way, the snake was measured as soon as it arrived. It is over 16 feet with a girth of about a 2 foot diameter.
I've seen a snake this big eat a german shepard. So yes it can eat a small child.

[BoidKeeper]

Cory: At 17 you were not the average 17 yr old snake keeper now were you?

The Snake King: “I've seen a snake this big eat a german shepard.”
If I ever saw a snake eat a German Shepard, personally I would be slightly more reserved about disclosing that type of info on a public forum.
Trevor

[ReptiZone]

eithere way in the end it was the snake that suferd the worst and this should have ben dealt with in a more profecinal way not the trunk of a cartrying to actlike a pro buy mesuring it and all that energy should have ben but towords the well being of the snake buy telling the owner how to get it from point A to point B

[The_Snake_King]

You ever try to move a 16 foot snake by yourself?
The two men he had with him wouldn't go near the thing. It had a choice to make, and he made it. The snake arrived alive and no worse off then if it stayed where it was until he found someone willing to help move it.

[ReptiZone]

that kind of stuff is what gives ppl like us a bad name and I agree with corey it is at best 14 feet it is no biger then the one I worked with a the zoo. I feal a 16 foot burm would not fit copmfertably in a trunk of a car not saying that it was comfertable.( dont get me wrong)

Could you imagine if it was a newer car and it had a inside trunk releas that would have hit the papers so fast we would be 10 steps behind all of the hard work some ppl do to get rid of by laws in these contrys any way I am done.

[ReptiZone]

all he had to do was call animal control and explain his situation he was bring it to a shelter and neede a hand moving it could they send some one that was not afraide of larg snakes and yes I have moved an anaconda that size check my galary it is not safe but it can be done.You break a hell of a swet doing it LOL and you resite just about every prayere you know just so the snake will be nice with you.

[The_Snake_King]

Amen to that!

It is hard to find anyone willing to go near a 8 foot boa let along a monster like that!

[Uncle_Sam]

Uncle Sam agrees 100%. We have freedom of speech and of the press. We have the right to voice our opinion and for good measure. Why delete an American post because it is so right? Anyway, Uncle Sam wants you Canadians!

[ReptiZone]

well you cant have me,,,,LOL

[BWSmith]

I think that a herp community is a little different animal than we give it credit for. LOTS of people get snakes when thye are young, some stay in it, some don't. Some join forums and societies, some don't. I would be interested to know a statiscic on how many "responsible" young people who get baby burms havethe snake reach adulthood. There will be veteran herpers here that will raise their hand. Of course. We have all stayed in it and become a part of several communities. For most of the vets, herps are probably one of the most important things in our lives (or maybe it's just me). Everyone is saying that they are old enough and responsible enough to keep giant snakes. Noone can really argue one way or another, only time will tell. And it will. I will venture to say that only about 1% of baby burms sold each year reach adulthood and probably a quarter of those may stay with the original owner their entire lives. But there really is no way to get accurate numbers. Just my opinion.

[kelly]

(faze) just for note i was the one who picked up this snake i was given as choice of the snake being shot and killed,released into the wild or i came to get it right THEN
i have a container with me thinkin he would be able to fit but he didnt .....
as of this moment this snake is living in my redtails cage while my redtail stays in the tote till he is picked up to goto mass.... or to bw if bw wants to talk it over with her and pick it up
what would you have done? given those instance's
let the snake go and get killed or released into the florida ecology to destroy it even more?
and for those of you wondering this snake came from a guy who had just passed away and his wife didnt want nothing to do with it
and yes it is about 18 foot because it took 5 of us to hold this snake down once i got back and she measured out at 16 while she was S'ing on us trying to pull away from our grasps....
as for the girth im not sure if that is a accurate girth due to the fact that we didnt measure it till she was coiled up in the cage..
we basicly just picked a thick lookin spot and measured it

[stormyva]

I am glad that someone who does care got that snake.... as for the trunk... sometime you do what you have to do to get the job done.

For the snake debate.... I really dont think the debate ever really had anything to do with the size of the snake and there is no doubt that there are many teens with more experience than some of us adults. My opinion is that a burm or retic, any giant snake, should only be purchased by an adult. I say this not because of the size or the experience level of a younger person, but for the future of the snake. I don't know or can I recall ever meeting any person that at fifteen or sixteen knew where they would be or what they would be doing in 1 year much less 10 or 15.
Imagine this.... A 15 year old buys a cute little burmese and they took great care of it, but now they are 17, graduating from high school and getting ready to go to college to study biology. One problem.... the college does not allow pets in the dorm and most rentals wont allow them without a huge deposit. So now they are left with the task of placing a huge snake in a new home. No one wants a snake that big so the snake ends up being set loose to die in the wild, turned in to a rescue facility. Change that scenario a little and replace the Burm with a little corn or ball.... and placing it to a new home would be no problem at all. The local pet shop would have probably even taken a ball or corn back to re-sell.

[kelly]

i have to agree with stormy on this one also i'd like to make a note about the whole "kids" thing think of it this way when you are lookin at the word i know 37 year olds that still act like they just hit puberty but i also know 12 year olds that conduct themselves as they are 25 ...i dont think this is a matter of age i think this is a matter of knowledge with larger boids and responsibility i myself am 22 turning 23 years old been dealing with boids and herps for quite a few years now but i know i am
not made for a big snake like this full time thats why i only handle them on rescue where i only temp house them.
now heres why it keeps goin back to the age issue....
everyones always blabbering about experience now lets say someone starts with say... a ball python or even a bci you figure if they buy it as a baby and raise it it will take guessing 3-4+ years to gain a good size that they can even be considered large boids.say the kid that the bci or the ball at 13 y/o that places the kid at the age of 16-17 y/o then they say "ok well this snake is descent size now im handling it qiute easily and respectively i think im gonna go out and buy myself that baby burm i've been lookin into..."so the kid goes out and gets the burm then a year or 2 later the burm is anywhere from 6-10 foot now the kids decides he wants to move out of his parents house goto the real world or college.....lets say in this instance he goes out into the real world and trys to start with say a apartment or a trailer with no credit... starts out in a slum of a trailer where the burm takes up half the walkin space and the kids working 40+ hours a week trying to make ends meet but as we all know its tough so then comes the choice lose feeding and/or get rid of the snake
now if the person decides to go with not feeding that monstrosity then you wind up with a hungry burm and say a 150-70 pound 18 year old that looks like lunch.....
or if he decides to get rid of the snake it goes to someone that supposedly knew what they where dealing with or say hsus well in either case its gonna end up at hsus and be put to sleep so it doesnt really matter bout the kid that wanted the snake.....
............................
now you see why everyone keeps goin back to the age issue?
sorry bout my blabbering figured i'd try to put the age thing into purportion for everyone :) hope i did a good job of it

[Linds]

Chondro,
The more space the better for any animal. In the wild (as well as given the chance in captivity), burms are highly arboreal and spend quite a bit of time up in the trees (they don't find parrots on the ground ;)). They are excellent climbers. If someone can give a burm alot of vertical space, then that's excellent! However if they can't afford the space, then there is no reason the snake still won't thrive. There are no 3' tall ceilings in the wild......

Originally posted by ZoeStevens

I actually thought that was a pic of where they found it something.

Me too :confused: Looks like a rescue pic with all those wires, etc :(

[RachelS.]

Poor snake... probably had quite a bumpy ride :(

[The_Snake_King]

Look at a burm. The pattern suggest a ground dwelling snake. It looks lke the leaf litter on the ground on which it dwells. They are ambush predators. They hide in the bush and leaf litter and wait for prey to wander by.

Large adult burmese pythons would have a hard time getting into trees. With their large girth and heavy body weight, it would be difficult for them to get up a tree.

In captivity they are known to climb anything in their way. But that is more for trying to escape than anything else.

[ReptiZone]

you are right snake king they hide in the trees when they are babys and almost all snakes are good climbersthere is 6 difrent types of snake structures 1 for burowing 1 for ground dwellers 2 for climbing 1 for swiming and one not yet known it is like a triangle the burm falls in the ground dwelling snakes you dont go loking it trees for adult burms it is just not safe fore them up there if a branch should break down comes the snake. you don't think it is self conciouse of it's own weight it hase to cary it every where.

[kelly]

(faze)just for reference all the wires in the trunk where dead atm i took all my stereo equipment out a week or two prior :)

[boa]

hello i think that it is great young kids have reptiles it teaches them education on the aniamals ect.and it 'does'nt matter on age and for a rescue i would have not let you take it like you did even if the weather is hot that looks like crap in the back of your trunk you need to learn some more lessons yourself.

[ReptiZone]

I wont say any more bad things regarding this thread since you are new and you are probably a smart person that just made a bad decision but I will keep reading to see what kind of advice you have on animals.

[The_Snake_King]

ok, this is from an article in Reptile USA 2003 Annual edition...

TIPS FOR THE RESPONSIBLE SALE AND
OWNERSHIP OF GIANT SNAKES

1. Giant snakes should not be sold to minors or owned by minors.
2. Giant snakes should not be sold without first informing the buyer of their eventual requirements and the problems and risks involved.
3. Sellers should require the purchase or proof of purchase of a secure, lockable, escape-proof cage from buyers. This is a requirement for ownership of giant snakes in San Diego County, CA
4. Buyers must learn responsible feeding and handling procedures and schedules.
5. Realize that adolescent giant snakes, usually in the 8 to 11 foot range in the case of bums, are probably the most damgerous. A contributing factor may be that owners fail to feed these growing "adolescent" snakes adequate amounts of food. Because of their size, owners also may handle them less regularly, which can condition a snake to expect food the second the cage is opened.
6. Never display giant snakes in public outside of a proper forum for such displays, such as educational and reptile shows.
7. Put in place a procedure for dealing with a life-threatening constriction incident. POuring alcohol in the mouth of the snake, using a cattle prod type device (doing so will also shock the victim), and using large cutters to decapitate a snake are all possible considerations. In a life-threatening situation, don't worry about the welfare of the snake. Above all, free the vistim from its grasp as soon as possible.


In addition to these TIPS, the author of the story dedicated a good portion of the article, entitled "Guidelines for Responsible Herptile Ownership", to giant snakes.

Another good point made by the author which I believe to be what I, and others have been trying to point out (all be it not too gracefully), is collector frenzy!

THe author writes the following:

many hobbyists start off with one animal or one species and then get hooked on the novelty rush and, like addicts, add new animals to provide the next neurotransmitter rush of the month. If you set on that course, you may end up with such a large collection that all your time will be spent maintaining it, leaving little time to actually observe and enjoy the animals you own.
A side effect of this addiction is that you will likely find yourself providing minimal standards of maintenance. You'll be spending so much of your income and time buying more animals, cleaning and feeding them that you will no longer have the money or time for the little luxuries that make a difference in their quality of life. I can talk about this from personal experience. (Me too!) Don't rationalize the reasons why you need more animals. Set limits. Keep less and strive to do the very best job you can with hwat you have.


This is what we are tryiong to say when we debate back and forth about a adolescent getting a giant snake. Sure, they may have had a snake or two for a few months, but there is no need to keep buying a new herp every month. I have seen several people in this forum and others, who come in and say " I just got this snake ot that snake, then a week later are asking question about buying a new snake or lizard.

OK, i'm done for now.

[BWSmith]

for a rescue i would have not let you take it like you did even if the weather is hot that looks like crap in the back of your trunk you need to learn some more lessons yourself.

WOW!! I have never seen anyone catch so much crap for doing a rescue. Forgive me, but crap happens. And chastizing a rescuer gets under my skin. Things do NOT always go perfect. Sometimes you do what you have to do to get the job done. The lady already said she would turn it loose. I would not risk it by leaving her alone with the snake. Rule number one of rescues: Get the animal out fast. If someone calls, you go then. You never know what is happenning or will happen. Thye may try to get it ready for you, it strikes and they chop off its head. You never know. Of everyone so appalled at the means of transportation, how many of you have had to rescue a giant snake on short notice? You tend to get very inventive when situations arrise. I believe he said that it would not fit in his rubbermade. That tells me he came prepared. But hey, this woman was freaking out and wanted it gone, now! Anyone who has been on a snake call knows that the caller rarely knows anything and can't judge size to save their life. I went out on a 4 foot copperhead call and caught the 16" water snake culprit.

People are defending irresponsible people getting burms and condeming those that have to rescue them years later. I admire Faze for doing what he had to to get the job done and it disgusts me that people would critisize him for it. Situations were not ideal, noone is arguing that. But hey, it's life, situations are not always ideal.

I posed the question to the ones critisizing if you have ever had to do rescues such as this. If the answer is yes, great. If the answer is no, try rescuing burms, earn your stripes, and then you can critisize. Until that time, respect those that do what they can unwanted and abbandoned herps.

[herm]

Amen BW!!

[Xetox]

Originally posted by BWSmith
WOW!! I have never seen anyone catch so much crap for doing a rescue. Forgive me, but crap happens. And chastizing a rescuer gets under my skin. Things do NOT always go perfect. Sometimes you do what you have to do to get the job done. The lady already said she would turn it loose. I would not risk it by leaving her alone with the snake. Rule number one of rescues: Get the animal out fast. If someone calls, you go then. You never know what is happenning or will happen. Thye may try to get it ready for you, it strikes and they chop off its head. You never know. Of everyone so appalled at the means of transportation, how many of you have had to rescue a giant snake on short notice? You tend to get very inventive when situations arrise. I believe he said that it would not fit in his rubbermade. That tells me he came prepared. But hey, this woman was freaking out and wanted it gone, now! Anyone who has been on a snake call knows that the caller rarely knows anything and can't judge size to save their life. I went out on a 4 foot copperhead call and caught the 16" water snake culprit.

People are defending irresponsible people getting burms and condeming those that have to rescue them years later. I admire Faze for doing what he had to to get the job done and it disgusts me that people would critisize him for it. Situations were not ideal, noone is arguing that. But hey, it's life, situations are not always ideal.

I posed the question to the ones critisizing if you have ever had to do rescues such as this. If the answer is yes, great. If the answer is no, try rescuing burms, earn your stripes, and then you can critisize. Until that time, respect those that do what they can unwanted and abbandoned herps.


Preach it.....I agree totaly, you do what you can with what you have.....there is no going back to get something bigger, you deal with the fact at hand on do the best you can!

[Ritus_Reptile]

I agree 100% with zoe. Education is the key. Great job getting your point across zoe :) i always enjoy your posts and information

[BurmBaroness]

Great post, BW.......if the life, health, or well-being of the snake is in jeopardy, just GET IT OUT.

[BWSmith]

I am also suprised that those that tried to chastize him have not offered an oppology. I think it is in order.

[Burm_Crazy]

I'm beginning to regret starting this thread.

This man did a good job getting this snake out of an enviroment that would have ended in the death of the snake. How many of you are in FLorida? How many snakes that are this big do you think are in Canada. I can bet just a small fraction of wht is in AMerica. The Canadian reptile market is nothing compared to what is being bought and sold here in America. It is a billion dollar a year industry. That is why we are so adamant about the burmese python debate. Shelters and rescues in Canada do not see the numbers of brum being turned over, because there are not the same numbers of burms sold in Canada as in the US.

Thsi man did what it took to save the life of this snake. I would have done the same! And so would have a lot of other people.

[lordkovacs]

For anyone to take time out of their day to clean up someone else's mess is great. So some of you know more than others. Some of you who are preaching like your some Gods or something also have people that know a hell of a lot more about snakes then you do! So, perhaps you are doing something wrong in your snake handling and don't even know about it. I just hope someone shoves it down your throat. He without sin cast the first stone. Just be thankful there is people out there willing to grab an 18' snake. I sure as hell would be more apprehensive. Grow up.

[BWSmith]

ummm.. Who was that directed too? it was fairly ambiguous.

You are right, there are always those that know more.

[lordkovacs]

It was directed at anyone who would criticize someone for doing a deed I'm sure not all of us would readily do. And rather than making someone feel they've done a wrong thing on an open forum, maybe sending a pm would be more of cronstructive criticism. Just a thought... later all.
cheers,
Mike

[BWSmith]

OK, so you agree with Faze's actions. Very nice. A little clearer now.

[reptilesalonica]

I'm very new here. I liked very much what ZoeStevens said and i agree totaly. I am only going to say that. If someone respects himself once, he ought to respect nature creatures twice. He is the "man" while such reptiles needs his knowledge, experience and care to live their long lives, apart from nature. If you want to have a big snake in your house, you must first have a big question. "Can i support this creature and being responsible to it?"

[kelly]

well first off..how we obtained this snake... faze and i own our own petstore here in south fla. one afternoon he got a call from this woman who couldnt keep him anymore..to make a long story short, he had no choice but to go get the snake without any help. we had nothing to keep him in, other than the trunk.(too large) and yes, we know what were doing. we were his only hope. the lady said she was gonna "get rid of him" meaning kill him. he couldnt drive safely with a 17ft burmese python crawling throughout our car. espically for an hour and a half. the snake is now doing good..bieng kept in the back of our petstore, away from all the comoton. we get calls daily from customers wondering if we will take their snakes, iggys..and etc.. we do all that we can, but we only have so much room, and can find homes so fast. its not easy dealing with this type of thing..go ahead and try to tell us that we dont know what were doing..but weve been doing this for quite some time. keeping our sanity is hard enough to deal with the store..and then to have a small rescue on the side. frankly im quite dissappointed in the fact that some of you jumped to conclusions saying that we didnt know what we were doing, when you didnt even know us. i have quite a collection myself, ranging from bcc's to bearded dragons. and in my collection you will not find any burm..i refuse to carry them in my store, and am not yet ready to keep one personally for any long period of time. i WILL NOT add to the problem. keeping them untill i find a home is a different story. im sorry that some of you feel that it was wrong to put him in the trunk..but with not knowing his temperment i wouldnt advise driving and hour and a half by yourself with snake of that size loose in your small car. lol..not safe..that has accident waiting to happen all over it. again.. sorry to upset any of you.. but when it comes to something like that, and we get calls, we will do all we can to help, and in this case, that was our only option... im not trying to start an argument or anything..just letting you all know the facts..some of our friends can tell ya the same thing..i promise, were not bad people :)

[Xetox]

I think you did a great thing, and would not worry about what others think, you got him out of a bad place and he is doing good now. What else would you want?

[BurmBaroness]

Kelly, you and Joe are not bad people, you are animal angels.

[The_Snake_King]

I don't feel that they should have to defend themselves. The people who posted saying bad things about how the snake was moved, have never moved a 16 foot burm in an emergency, by thenselves. They probably haven't even handled a snake that large. It is not an esay task. Even if Joe knew that snake to be baby tame, I woudn't have moved it any other way. You simply canot drive a car with a snake that big roaning free in the car for 1 1/2 hours.

Those of you who posted about how bad it was to move it the way he did, please think about what you would have done in the same situation. And only post when you have as much experience with rescues as they do.

[ReptiZone]

I dont run a rescue but I am a person of procedure if I knew I was going after a burm I would bring all the necessary stuff. Dont get me wrong don't stuff it in the back seat of a car but bring a bag made from sheats big enough to carry the snake and there is no reason not to know the size of the snake cause the person called these people to go pick it up and if they didnt tell them how big it was..they should have asked to be prepared for the situation. I agree they did what they had to do at that moment, and they did a great deed removing the python and finding a home or trying to find a home (either way). There should be procedures for situations like that. All is done and over with..its in the past.. like i always say, live and learn. The next call you receive like that ..you will remember this thread and all the good and negative things that were said. In my opinion the only thing i would have been really worried about..was the carbon monoxide poisoning :confused: but im sure the animal is doing fine now.

Chondro Python

[The_Omen]

I really see no need to continue with the negative vibes here.

In rescue, if you get a call about an animal that WILL BE KILLED unless you get there ASAP, you have to move as quickly as possible whether you have the proper supplies or not.

Sometimes you don't have the luxury of having every size bag or secure enclosure in your hands at all hours of the day.

In a perfect world, we would have everything we needed at any given time.
But in that same perfect world, we would not need most of that stuff anyway.....

[kelly]

very true, thankyou.

[Pixie]

Yes, enough with the negativity. In my eyes, anyone who would rescue a 16' burm on such short notice should be commended not criticized. It isn't a perfect world and you can't always have everything on hand at the very moment such a task has to be done.

Sheesh, some of you make it sound like they dragged the snake home behind the car!!!

Pixie

[reptilesalonica]

Yes, i can only agree with you Kelly! You did a great job. This is what matters. If you are going to save someone and the time is not on your side, the last thing you will think about is the...bag :)... Come on you guys, don't stuck in such details.
Take care you all~take care of your herps~Greg

[Reptscue]

I stopped by Joe's and took some pictures for everyone.
http://gallery.reptilerap.com/data/523/63burm-med.jpg
The 1''x2'' stick beside her is 8 foot long, the tiles she is on are 14 inches, and the wall is 14 foot long.
http://gallery.reptilerap.com/data/523/63joekellburm-med.jpg
Sorry, this picture didn't come out clear, but it gives you an idea.
This is Joe, Kelly, with Tiny. Tiny is such a snot, she hissed and squirmed the whole time.

Kim

[savannah_babe]

yup, thats me and my baby..lol well..yea im surprised she didnt try harder to get one of us, after all, she wasnt a happy camper that we had her out..hissin like crazy! but she is atleast 16ft.. my fish wall there is 14ft, like kimmie said, and shes a lot longer than that...

[BurmBaroness]

She's awesome. I'm glad she had you guys to rescue her. What a great burm!

[savannah_babe]

thanks, im glad she had us to rescue her also, or else the world would have another large snake on the loose, or short one snake :(

[garethuk1]

i'm only 19 and i had a royal firdt about 4 years ago then i got a boa and then i got myself a burmese and i cope quite well so this year i'm getting a retic