I'm a victim of a herpadiction

[jncoclub]

Hello, my name is Jennifer, and I am a victim of a herpadiction.

I’ll admit it, we’re guilty. My fiancé bought his first snake, a Ball Python, almost 2 years ago. When I moved to FL and moved in with him I got attached. So we got a baby Columbian Redtail. Then 2 months later our addiction increased to a baby Burmese, and then probably about a month after that we peaked with a baby Hog Isle. I’ve put a stop to our addiction because my fiancé is in the Navy and there were/are a couple moves in our near future. We love our snakes and take good care of them, but after recognizing my newest addiction (sSNAKESs.com) I want to make sure our knowledge about our snakes grows at a faster rate then their body/hunger size.

So there is my confession (any others out there? I know there are.) And now for a question: our burm is very docile and super sweet. I know she will get big. Very big. How big does she have to get before there should be another person in the room when I take her out?
And how big when we should have 2 people in the room?
And three people….? Is it a judgment call, or commonsense to just have another person in the room when any snake hits a certain size? I’m most concerned with the burm because if she was to ever turn on us, even though she will be the biggest, she is the least suspecting by far.

Ok, this is long enough, any responses?

[jncoclub]

Sorry for the double posting, please delete this one.
(Computer tweeked on me, I thought it didn't submit)

[SCReptiles]

The books recommend 8 feet size when 2 people should be present, but that number can be adjusted depending on girth of the snake and the size and strength of the handler. Some snakes shoot out to a good length without adding weight; in that case you can work a longer snake safely. In my case, I am 6’2 and 300 pounds. My other hobby is power lifting, so I am comfortable with snakes up to around 16 feet. I have been wrapped on once. It was a 15 foot female. I didn’t feel like my life was ever threatened during the experience. I was taking great care to get her off me without injuring her, otherwise I could have wrestled her off in seconds. As it were, it took about 3 or 4 minutes to gently remove her. Nether she or I left with any real injuries. Don’t expect GREAT sizes from your burm. Very few top the 16 foot mark anymore. I think it’s due to captive dwarfing. Basically we are breeding the size out of them. Smaller snakes that would not have been able to mate in the wild are reproducing in captivity now, leading to smaller genetics being passed on. Attacks are rare, but take the threat seriously. Interesting statistic, burms kill more people then any other captive snake in the US, including the venomous

[bbkaren]

Well, from what I have heard (and was also mentioned on the Animal Planet show "The Big Squeeze"--which I found to be mostly sensationalism but a few points of common sense came out in the end!) is that if there is a second person in the room, along with the right "weapons", you'd be okay.

Apparently, hot water, vinegar, or alcohol dumped on its face will cause the snake to back off if he/she is constricting you. Also, grasping the end of the tail and bending back (ouch!) supposedly works.

I've never been the recipient of a strike from my burm, much less a misdirected constriction.

I know that it's a very real possibility--but is it as common as the media would like us to think? If it were, I would suppose there would be lots more talk about the subject on these forums. My guess is that, as on the show, most "attacks" are caused by stupid mistakes on the part of the handler--am I right?

I know my Mom is going to see that godforsaken show and I'm going to get a phone call any day now, and would love to have some ammunition!

[BurmBaroness]

I don't know that I agree with the statement that most burms don't reach 16ft anymore. That could be very misleading to someone who doesn't know any better. I have a female burm, who is just over2 yrs old, and is 11ft, 15 inches in girth, and still going. She gains about a foot in length every 2-3 months, and is not overweight, nor is she powerfed. She is just BIG. Fortunately, she is lap-dog tame, and I handled her alone(with another person present), until she reached 8ft. At that point, because of her weight, which is around 50 lbs, I began to need help in handling her. My sons are 12 and 14, and will gladly grab the back end of her for cage cleaning or time out in the yard, or just a soak in the tub. I agree that after 7 ft or so, it is not a good idea to handle the snake without someone present. I keep lemon juice on her cage, as well as a really sharp knife, just in case. She has never so much as hissed, but if it comes down to us or her, it's not gonna be us. I love her, and hope this situation will never arise, but you have to be realistic. These giant snakes are not something to take lightly, just as venomous snakes are not to be "played" with. Just my .02:)

[SCReptiles]

11 feet for a 2 year burm isn’t large at all. As I said I have seen them go 10 feet in their first year. Write us back once yours breaks 16’. Granted, some still do, but must modern burms will not go longer then 16’. Bear in mind, they do the vast majority of growing the first 3 years. After that, it’s a very slow process. However, about a year ago, I picked up a female from an older lady who said she could no longer care for it. She claimed it was 3 years old, but there is really no way to tell. Unboaievable and I taped it at just over 16’ and it weighted in at 65 pounds, so sure enough some still grow to massive proportions, but they are the exceptions and not the general rule.