MALE afrock vs MALE burm

[Reticsrule]

right now i have a male BCI. i am looking to get a snake that is going to get somewhere in between like 6 ft (im guessing on how big my boa will be when full grown) and like 15+ ft. i really like the giant pythons and i figure if i can get a MALE burm or a MALE afrock and it will be like 10-12 ft when full grown i would be ok with housing it. now i know i will have a much better chance of finding a tame male burm than i will finding a tame male afrock but i keep hearing that male burms CAN get like 14 or 15 ft and that male afrocks will be smaller than that (like12 ft MAX). so could a male burm be 10-12 ft as an adult? if i could find a tame male afrock i would go for it because it seems like i have a better chance of the afrock staying at 10-12 ft than the burm. is this true? whatever i get (if my mom lets me) will be a captive bred baby and it has to be tame. thanks for any replies:)

[bistrobob85]

I think the afrock would be a very bad idea... If you REALLY have to chose between those two, then get a male burm if you want to get into giants so young... I propose you get more experience with large snakes in general before you get a giant snake. Just try to make a reasonnable choice and that your parents are ready to assume the responsibility of keeping one of these...

phil.

[Reticsrule]

well i was thinking of all my options and these two snakes are the only ones that fit the size that i want and have simple care requirements (not arboreal, not aqautic, etc.)

my parents are divorced and the snake will be at my dad's house if my mom lets me get it. my dad and his girlfriend don't seem to care about the size as much as they do the temperment. they have made it clear to me that it cannot be aggressive at all. i realize that i am a little young(14) to be getting a giant snake but i do feel that for my age i know a lot about snakes and their care requirements. my dad's friend will build the cages for me and the only possible problem would be finding rabbits(but im sure if i looked hard enough i could find some)

[fErReTs]

I would recommend waiting a few more years before you get a large python . Even if you are very knowledgable with the care and husbandry there is a lot more to think about . Like how are you going to afford to buy food for a large snake , what are you going to do when it is full grown and when you move out I dought it will be easy finding a place that accepts giant snakes . Think about it long and hard and do as much research as you can and try to wait a while so you know you really want it . Good luck with what ever dission you make and hope all goes well for you .

[SnakeyeZ]

On a side note.. I dont believe you can truely 'Tame" any reptile...there all wild un-predictable animals that you should definalty be thinking about ALL factors involving YOUR life..and the SNAKES life. It's gonna live for awhile..and you wanna ensure you can properly keep it throughout its life, happily, and healthy.

Big snakes like that require large meals. Definatly finding a reliable source of food for an animal like that should really be thought about upon buying these kinds of snakes. Your budget will reflect on that too, because....your 14, your parents wont feed this thing forever :P

There are many other-snakes that get BIG, and are much better keepers than burms and african rocks. Why not start working your way up?

Just my opinion....

-Rich

[TamTams]

Get the Burm Son.... when i was 14 i would starve a week before mine would starve a day. By the way my burms what got me delivering papers ...after all your 14 and can actualy breed your own rabbit's outside all spring summer and fall and freeze them (providing you have the space) But remember this is not a toy when your bored of you just put on the shelf and forget as you will have enclosure cleaning as well as water changes daily. As well as possible high vet bills etc what ever happens i wish you all the luck!

[JimmyDavid]

Yes, i would say you are a bit young to get
a giant python, but then again some youngsters out there are keeping pit bulls, so...what the hell. We are too late to start giving those advices, by now. :)

Well, burms don't have to be more docile than rocks at all. I have a sweet male afrock and also a very mean female burm. Go figure?!? Sometimes burms can be worse than rocks.

As far as size goes, books and caresheets put those 2 in equal positions. But, from my experience, burms seem to grow faster.

[Reticsrule]

well guys thanks for not attacking me too bad:). to be honest with you when i started to get into snakes i never thought that i would be getting a giant as my second snake. but now that i think about it the MALE giants arent really GIANTS. sure theyre big but i wouldnt call them giant. and i can't think of any other species that will get 10-12 ft that don't need special care requirements such as being arboreal(coastal carpets) or aqautic(yellow anacondas). burms and afrocks are nice and simple non-aqautic and terrestrial snakes. and after all the giants are my favorites:). if anyone knows of any other snakes that will get 10-12 ft and are simple to care for i would like to hear them because i cant think of any. i really wouldnt get this snake if i didnt think i could give it a good home.

p.s. the reason i keep saying 10-12 ft is because i want a snake that will be inbetween my male boa and a 15+ ft GIANT.

[Bartman]

Dont think because it is MALE that it will deffinetly stay smaller. We have a 16 foot burm, male, at work. Chances are the females will get even bigger, but you never know.

I wish you only truely knew how tough it can be to take care of a 15+ foot snake. Especially being a younger age. I do hope your father is going to be helping you a lot, because a 15 foot snake is not something you want to be handling alone.

[rwg]

Males definately get large enough to be dangerous. A full grown male (burm or afrock) could easily require 2 or 3 people to handle it. Afrocks are not something the inexperienced should be messing with. You could get an a-hole burm as well, but it's far less likely. If you're dead-set on it, get the burm, not the afrock. Even better, get a female BCC or BCI. She wont likely get 12 feet long but they're pretty heavy-bodied. She'll seem like a monster when full grown.

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

I'll tell you what, you have a male boa that you say is not 6ft yet, I have a 5'6" male boa. I also used to have an 8.5ft female boa. Handling her was ALOT different than handling my male. First off, she was MUCH thicker and heavy bodied than he is. He weighs about 6lbs, she weighed about 35lbs. Also, she had an extra 3ft in length, and was 3-4times as thick as the male at mid-body. I'll tell you I had full respect for her, and although she never even hissed, I was very careful not to get her annoyed. She was VERY strong, and considering male burms can and will weigh in excess of 100lbs, and can potentially get 16ft(or 7.5ft longer than my female boa), thats 3times the muscle on that snake, and 3 times the strenth.

I've had snakes for 5 years, and for the past 3 years, I've only kept blood pythons and boas, and although I'd like a giant, they are restricted here. I'd reccomend you get more experience with larger snakes before you get into giants. One smaller boa, that is also your first and only snake, is not going to give you the understanding and knowledge it takes to deal with a giant, IMO. A female macklotts(which has the potential for 9ft, and the fact that they are sometimes a little on the agressive side IMO is a good starting point), or a female BCC(potential for 7+ft), or other large snakes that get in that size range are good to try and get a better understanding of the animals. Im sure other keepers will agree that after being around these animals for awhile and working with them and experiencing different situations, you almost get a 6th sense of what the animal is saying or what its going to do. Im not saying im psycic, you just get a better feel and understanding of the animals your working with more easily. I know with my first and second snake, it was not like that.

BTW, Im 15.

C.

[Bartman]

I couldnt agree more Chris. About a year ago I was dying to get the 'big stuff' too. I then got a job that dealt with larger snakes and it gave me an understanding to how tough it is to keep these animals. I was putting back a maybe 10 foot albino burm back into her enclosure today, and I couldnt do it myself. Shes a sweetheart but shes damn strong and damn heavy for one person.

The guy who helped me out was telling me about this LARGE female boa we have upstairs. Shes about 9 feet and thicker then a 2L coke bottle. He had her out and she was wrapping around him once and he couldnt do a THING, until one of the volunteers heard him calling for a hand. Imagine that happened while you were alone.

I just hope you realise it honestly is not as easy as you may think.

Hope you make the right decision, good luck to you.

[csolis]

I could'nt agree more Adam. I wouldnt recommend either of these snakes. I have worked with both species and although Burms can be very calm, they can also be very aggressive. I have two very aggressive 8 +foot burms that I take care of at my worplace and believe me when it comes time to move them (as was the case today!), if you dont know what your doing, your in trouble!!! We also have a VERY agressive Afroc, we tried "taming" it when it was smaller but it never did and now at 10 feet we need at least two to three people to control it!!! There are alot of other species of snakes to choose from . I would strongly reccommend getting some more experience before buying any Giant snake.

[Reticsrule]

i would get a female BCI or BCC but i dont want another snake of the same species unless i plan to breed them(which was what i was origionally going to do but then my dad said he didnt want the babies at his house). im not saying that a male burm or afrock cant get to be 15 ft but from all the things ive read so far it seems to be 10-12 ft average. im also not going to powerfeed it(OR UNDERFEED IT). ive really thought about this and to be honest with you if i could think of another snake that would get to be 10-12 ft and had simple care requirements i would consider it but i cant find any that i like. ive also heard nothing but good things about burms and i have heard very few negative things about afrocks. im also looking for it to be at my local reptile show and not too expensive(over$200). if you have any other ideas please throw them at me and ill think about them.

[rwg]

If you have heard very few bad things about afrocks, you haven't done your research. There are tame ones, but there are a great many totally agro afrocks. They are notoriously grumpy. On top of that they are one of the very few species that have been documented to kill and eat humans. They are extremely strong for their length. African rock pythons make VERY poor pets. If you cant be talked out of this, please get the burm and not the afrock. I have worked with both. Even friendly afrocks are a challenge to work with as they are very strong and much more active than burms.

[K1LOS]

Well, let me say this:

you are 14 now? correct? So If you buy a female boa now, you won't be able to breed her for a few years anyways right. SO, I suggest you get a female boa, raise her to adulthood, wait a year or two, and by then you'll probably be moving out.

Then bingo, you have a new place to live, and two snakes ready to breed. So you get experience in incubation, raising hatchlings, and if your lucky a few dollars. You also get experience with a larger snake, and after that you can move up to the burm.

One quick q for ya, Are you planning on going to college? Your dad agreeing to let you keep a giant snake at his house is one thing, but him caring for it while you are away at school is a whole other thing. And if you think your gonna bring it to your dorm room with you, you got another thing coming! Most only allow goldfish.

Another is you gotta remember most chick's are scared of snakes, even cornsnakes (please don't freak out everyone, thats just my experience). Are you ready to watch your dates run out of the house when they see a snake large enough to eat them?

Lastly, i have been in your position before, and you get your heart set and it is damn near impossible to be pursuaded otherwise. So if it has to be one of the two, definately go with the burm. Your Dad says it has to be tame, well good luck taming an afrock. Most of them are quite aggressive and the tame ones is probably just a lot of luck for the owner.

Let us know what you choose, and good luck with it!

Geoff

[Reticsrule]

well when i was going to get the female boa i was going to get one that was about a foot bigger than mine is(so that they would be compatible). im still not really liking the idea because i already have a boa but are you saying that if i got a baby female now and raised her to adulthood, she would be able to breed with my male even though he is probably a year and a half older than she would be?

af far as college goes im pretty sure my dad realizes that he would have to keep it there while im in college but ill definetly double check on that before i get anything.

and the chick thing, well theyll have to get used to it lol:)

[RB420]

You are young and relatively inexperianced. you have many many years ahead of you to get into giant snakes. I agree with Kilos and others that maybe a female BCI or BCC would be a good next step for you. It is way better to work your way up to that size and make sure you are prepared for a snake so large. If you end up not being able to care for a snake that size it is the animal who will suffer. And no matter what type of snake wheter it be a ball python or a afrock can have its temperment predicted and it is my opinion that although a lot of people have snakes who TOLERATE them, there are no tame ones.

Im in your shoes, i very badly would like to get a burm but i am going to wait until i have my own house to make sure that i can have room to house it. remember you have you whole life ahead of you to get into bigger and better things, no need to dive in over your head.

Ryan

EDIT: Kilos, chicks dig snakes! out of all my female friends most love my snakes. Some are scared at first but a lot of the time if you ease them into it, they will get really intereseted and attached to these awesome creatures. i have made it so that two female friends of mine who were so scared of the snakes that they wouldn't want to go in the same room as them, now want to hold them or see them whenever they are over.

[Reticsrule]

well guys now my dad said that if i get a baby female BCI, i can raise it and then probably breed it when it is big enough(he said he just doesnt want the babies now but when im older i can probably do it). so if it will work out as far as the breeding goes thats what im going to do:). so my final question is WILL MY MALE BOA BE ABLE TO BREED WITH THE FEMALE IF I GET HER AS A BABY? HE WILL PROBABLY BE A YEAR AND A HALF OLDER THAN HER. IS THIS OK AS LONG AS THEY ARE BOTH AT BREEDING SIZE?

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

Yes..... No reason not? Happens all the time with different animals, and humans, as long as both people/animals are mature, they can breed.

Also, understand that we are telling you, that you do not have enough experience with large snakes to step into an animal of this size. Im your age(well a little older), and I know how your feeling right now, I was just like you two years ago, after I got my first boa, but before I had any bloods. I'll tell you, now that I've had and dealt with many more larger snakes, I am glad I didnt jump into something larger at the time. I know I wouldnt have been ready for it.

Also in regards to the chicks and snakes thing, I agree most chicks freak out or whatever when they hear about me having snakes lol, my girlfriend doesnt like snakes, but the only reason shes ok with mine is cause I convinced her mine are ok and would never hurt her, and because they are mine lol. So they arent really a help in relationships.

C.

[Reticsrule]

well you guys have been a lot of help to me and im sorry the thread ended up going nowhere:)

[marz]

you got a BIG decision to make to say the least. i collect and breed boas and pythons temperment with any snake can be a flip of the coin . our afroks are as mean as they come ,but i wouldnt trade them for anything. most of the burms are very docil but one giant female is hell to work with. on the other hand my biggest female redtail is a nightmare lol. do a lot of thinking and the best of luck...