Meet Silas, the pop-eyed albino Burmese

[Will0W783]

I have always loved albino Burmese pythons- I think they have adorable faces and they are generally gentle giants. This species and morph has always been on my wish list, but I was never in the position to own one. After my SD retic Baby passed, my fiance started looking for a large snake for me. We found this Burm for adoption on Craigslist. After talking to the owners, it became apparent to me that they didn't really know what they were doing. They felt that since they kept the snakes on bare floor Vision cages with no bedding, they didn't have to worry about mites, for example. I went to look at the snake last night and brought him home. He came with his 4'x3' Vision cage. He'll be in quarantine for several months, but I'm glad I have him and can give him proper care. He's got a few scars and very mild nose rub, and is about 8 feet long but underweight. He also has mites (not a surprise). The only thing odd about him is that he has really buggy eyes- kind of like a Leucistic Texas ratsnake. I have seen albino Burms with buggish eyes before, but Silas's really bug out. I hope it's not a cause for concern- I figure it's probably just a birth defect, but I'm wondering if anyone else has had Burms with poppy eyes and if they sunk back in as the snake grew? I have attached some pictures of Silas (named after the albino guy from The DaVinci Code) for you guys to see. He's a sweet snake and really handsome other than the eyes, which I think make him endearing, as long as there isn't an underlying medical problem I need to worry about. I'm just glad I have him and can give him a larger cage as he grows, along with bedding, mite treatment and other care he might need. I texted the seller when I got home after soaking Silas, that he did have mites and that the guy should probably treat his others. He texted back that his other snakes did not have mites and that he didn't use bedding and I was full of it! Jerk! People who do not know what they are doing and don't give proper care to their animals pi$$ me off big time! Here's to years of love and enjoyment with Silas the pop-eyed Burm!

[Lankyrob]

Sweet snake you got there!!! I would probably have called him Pop-Eye! Glad he has a nice loving home where he will be looked after properly now.

[Will0W783]

I am debating changing his name to Popeye, but that might hurt his ego, lol. He won't replace Baby, but it's nice to have a big snake again. He's about 8 feet long and 15 pounds (he's underweight from breeding, so he'll have to get lots of yummy rats and rabbits to get him back to healthy weight). I am just so happy to finally have a Burm after all these years of awwwing at them at shows and pet stores. I just think their fat faces and big old eyes are so adorable, even when they're 15 feet long.

[Jenn_06]

never seen that before, i would ask your vet if its ok. but he is beautiful.

[Will0W783]

Thanks Jenn. Yeah, I intend to get him a vet checkup. I was really ticked at how poorly the previous owners understood care, so I'm glad I have him now, regardless of any issues.

[Jenn_06]

yes its great that his is now in a great home with a owner that knows what to do and will give him the care that he needs.

[Ch^4]

Congrats on the new addition, he is very handsome! They are near the top of my wishlist as well! I'm glad to hear that the cutie is in good hands now.

If the person you got him from was taking really bad care of his other animals, can you call animal protection or the like?

Enjoy your new big boy! (I like Silas over popeye!)

[Will0W783]

I don't know - I suppose I can. I have no idea where they live though- they met me at a pet store to give me Silas.

[Ch^4]

Oh. I've never done it, so I'm not really sure how it all works. If you haven't actually seen the other snakes' living situation, it may not be wise to turn them in. (Just in case the burmy was the only one being neglected.....which would be such a shame, I mean, look at the cute little guy!)

[Will0W783]

I know, right? He's so adorable and sweet. It makes me so angry and sick when I see people not caring for their animals. Especially caged animals, because they are entirely at our mercy- for water, heat, light, food, exercise, everything.

[nanna]

What a wonderful looking baby. I am glad he now has a person who will care for and love him the way he deserves. Congratulations!

[Will0W783]

Thanks Nanna. When he gets his next bath, I'll try to get some better pictures.

[marvelfreak]

Congrats he's a handsome boy.

[presspirate]

Nice Kim, I've been wanting a Burm for sometime. His eyes kind of remind me of an anaconda. I think a person could spend a lot of time rescuing snakes from CL. Vern, My coastal was living in horrible conditions when I picked him up. The owner was petrified of him. Now he is probably the most curious and active of my crew. I commend you on your rescue!

[Reptile_Reptile]

< jealous
i wish i could have a giant, but i'm in no position to get one mainly cause i dont know how to take care of a 15ft snake

[Xanafein]

Ive always loved Giants, I will never be able to keep one because i made a foolish mistake with one when i was 16, and i don't trust myself with them anymore, its kinda why i wont own hots in my life, i just don't trust myself to be safe with em

[deighaingeal]

Beautiful new snake, Kim. I thank you for being one of the good ones, saving the neglected friends of the world. You are right in that it isn't right to turn him in without seeing his care first-hand; but (big one) you can call and tell them that he told you that he was caring for the snakes improperly as well as that this guy had mites, was under weight and that when told about his improper care he got defensive while admitting no sign of changing. This should spur an investigation.

[Freebody]

Grats Kim, im happy for you, She is very beautifull, did you just get her today? i 2 have always wanted a burm :P

[Will0W783]

I just got Silas last night. I'd been talking to the owners for a few days, since my fiance directed me to the ad. I was planning on waiting until after the holidays, but the people kept saying he had to be out by Christmas, and my fiance paid for him for me. He knows I have a huge soft spot for Burms, and I could use another soul to nurture.
Today when I got home from work and I went to check on Silas, he immediately woke up when I looked in on him and pressed his face against the glass to watch me. I opened the door and he put his head in my hand and let me pet him. He's so good-natured! The big lug is already stealing my heart.

[Ch^4]

He sounds very sweet! My oldest male BP will always rest his head on my hand when I open his viv. Then he'll crawl up my arm and essentially beg me to take him out! Our Cali King will not leave his hide unless we are in the room. You have to love individual snakes and their very unique personalities!

The day someone offers a dwarf albino burmy, I will be a knockin' on their door! Keep the pics coming...these guys are near the top of my favorites list and I love to see them.

[shaunyboy]

I just got Silas last night. I'd been talking to the owners for a few days, since my fiance directed me to the ad. I was planning on waiting until after the holidays, but the people kept saying he had to be out by Christmas, and my fiance paid for him for me. He knows I have a huge soft spot for Burms, and I could use another soul to nurture.
Today when I got home from work and I went to check on Silas, he immediately woke up when I looked in on him and pressed his face against the glass to watch me. I opened the door and he put his head in my hand and let me pet him. He's so good-natured! The big lug is already stealing my heart.


we have a saying over here.....

" whats for you won't go past you "

also

" everything happens for a reason "

i think both sayings are apt for your situation kimberley

hope his eyes check out ok and i'm glad he's a big softy :yes:

cheers shaun

[Will0W783]

Thanks Shaun. I'm crossing my fingers that he will be ok. Also, that nothing else pops up in my main collection. Silas is two floors up from my other snakes and I make sure to change my clothes after dealing with him. I also don't go in his room until all my other snakes are done being cared for for the day. Silas came along sooner than I would have chosen, what with Baby's recent loss, but the people needed him out by Christmas, and after my fiance told me about him and we saw him, I just couldn't say no. All my other guys are still ok...feeding night last night and everyone who wasn't deep in shed ate with gusto. Silas will stay in quarantine until the end of February at the earliest, and my other quarantine denizen, the Spilotes, is in another room and will stay there for another month at least. Hopefully these measures will be enough to ensure everyone stays fit and healthy.

[Reptile_Reptile]

is there anything wrong with him?

[Will0W783]

Nothing major as far as I can tell. He has mites, but I gave him a Nix treatment immediately upon bringing him in. He wasn't crawling with them, but I could see a few with him being albino. I will have my vet check him out after the New Year. He's away until New Years, so I can't make an appointment before then. I just want to have his eyes looked at and make sure it's not an infection making them bulge.

[bighog85]

Ya Kim, the popped out eyes are normal on albino burms, nothing to worry about there. If I can find a camera that works I will show you a picture of mine that is the same way, she is just bigger. He is a pretty boy for sure, congrats on finding him. He doesn't look that underweight at all. Maybe a bit but not much at all.

[Will0W783]

Silas got another soak and Nix treatment last night. So I took a few more pics. Enjoy. I tried to get a pic of my hand on him for size reference, but the top of my arm was like two inches from the camera, so it looks like I have a huge flabby chicken arm...lol!

[Jenn_06]

can the pop-eye come from breeding Albino to Albino? i hear its not a good idea to breed them like that because the albino gene is weak.

[Will0W783]

I do not know. I think it's more likely that it came from growing him up too fast. The people said they bred him 3 times already, but he seems awful small for breeding to me. I'm hoping that as he grows and is fed a healthy, steady diet, the eyes will become less bugged out. He appears to have good vision- he notices me the moment I come in the room and moves to the front of his cage to watch me- and his eyes are very clear, so I'm thinking an infection is less likely, but he will still get a vet check as soon as possible.

[Reptile_Reptile]

in the pictures his eyes dont even look poped out at all to me

[infernalis]

can the pop-eye come from breeding Albino to Albino? i hear its not a good idea to breed them like that because the albino gene is weak.


Yes, Bug Eye is from several generations of inbreeding.

I have a few F5 snakes with huge bulbous eyes.. That's why the Texas Lucy rats have bug eyes, years of breeders buying siblings to breed.

[Ch^4]

Keep those pics a coming!

[Will0W783]

Some more Silas pics! He was in blue since Wednesday, and has been getting daily soaks to help him along. I suspect he had been kept too dry and want to help him have a good shed, and he really seems to enjoy the water. I can put him in the tub, and he'll just chill out in there all day if I'd let him. I've been limiting him to 20 minutes so the water doesn't get too cold. All his white turned pink in prep for the shed, so he looks rather like a big ol' hunk of rainbow sherbet, lol.
This afternoon the shed started to come off. He shed the back half of his body in one long piece, but he actually started to shed from about midpoint; he hasn't started on the face yet. I've never seen a snake start to shed from midbody before...maybe it's because his skin is still healing on the front half (where most of his scars are)?

Anyway, here he is. Is that not the most beautiful sight to find in your tub? ;)

[Ch^4]

He looks so happy and yes, probably the most beautiful sight to see in your tub! ;) Good work!

[percey39]

Very nice Kim. You have got me all jealous once again!! I would love to have a bath with a big sexy snake lol.

[Jenn_06]

my burm has a long scare on her neck and most of the time to last place that sheds.

and yours is looking good cant wait to see more after shed.

[Lankyrob]

Much rather find that in my tub than the bloody spider that was in there last night!! It was HUUGGGEEE!!!

[Will0W783]

Was it a pet spider or a stowaway, Rob? I personally love spiders. I have 3 pet tarantulas and would own more if the fiance wasn't so freaked out by them, lol.

Jenn, the people that had him before me gave him to a friend of theirs to breed, and the guy didn't have him secured in his cage. The snake busted out through the screen top and tore a bunch of scales off his neck right behind his head. There is also a spot about 1/3 of the way down him that is scaleless and healing. The top of his head also looks as though it was cut at some point and the scales are tight and pinched there. I think that this is contributing to his pop eyes.

[Lankyrob]

Some sort of native wild spider willow, its weird i can hold a tarantula with no worries and love them yet i cant pick up a spider an inch wide from the bath!!!

[Jenn_06]

The snake busted out through the screen top and tore a bunch of scales off his neck right behind his head. There is also a spot about 1/3 of the way down him that is scaleless and healing. The top of his head also looks as though it was cut at some point and the scales are tight and pinched there. I think that this is contributing to his pop eyes.


Aww poor baby, i dont know what happend to mines, the person who had her 1st might try to feed her a meal that was too big or she just riped open when killing a rat.

[Will0W783]

Aww, poor thing. People are so stupid with animals sometimes. I don't think the people I got Silas from were intentionally being cruel- just really really stupid and totally lacking in common sense. It seems that after the mite treatments his one eye has receded a bit. We'll see how they look when the rest of his shed comes off. I also need to see how his scutes look. He had a couple odd spots on them, but I can't tell if it's just dirt and crud that got embedded in his belly scales or if he's got a fungal infection from living in his own filth.

[Reptile_Reptile]

some people need help.

[Will0W783]

Some people need a major a$$ whooping, is what they need. Grrr!

[Will0W783]

..........and still more tub pics! I got the rest of the skin off of him in the tub. He looks a lot better now- most of the dark spots came off with the shed, so I'm thinking it was just dirt (idiot previous owners..want to punch them!). However, there are several large pink areas where the scales didn't completely grow back yet, and one spot that still has me concerned (it has a bit of gray crustiness to it) so I will be calling the vet tomorrow to get him checked. On the plus side, his left eye seems almost normal...right one is still buggier, but not as bad as it was. Sorry the color is kind of dark and dull in the pics, but they were taken with my phone, and it doesn't do well when it's dark, but not dark enough to kick on the flash.

[Jenn_06]

YAY for his eyes getting better.

[Ch^4]

Good to hear that he is mostly okay and let us know what you find out from the vet!

He's such a handsome snake...I can't wait to see some macro-pics of him!

[Will0W783]

Update on Silas. He went to the vet Thursday night for a thorough check-up, since I knew he had a bad history and wanted to make sure all was well. He is 8 feet 9 inches long and 19.8 pounds. He's about 3 pounds underweight for his length and should do well on a steady diet of x-large rats, until he needs to be moved up to jumbos or rabbits. His mouth was perfectly clean, no evidence of infection that could cause the eye bulge, and no lung noise. There was no evidence of mites remaining, so the Nix worked well. My vet said it's usually sinus infection that causes the eye bulge, but he found no evidence of an infection. He took some pictures and is consulting with a colleague, but it looks as though the bug-eyes are a genetic thing with Silas. My vet was overall very impressed with him, and I'm relieved and glad I rescued this beautiful snake! :)

[PyramidScheme]

I have always loved albino Burmese pythons- I think they have adorable faces and they are generally gentle giants. This species and morph has always been on my wish list, but I was never in the position to own one. After my SD retic Baby passed, my fiance started looking for a large snake for me. We found this Burm for adoption on Craigslist. After talking to the owners, it became apparent to me that they didn't really know what they were doing. They felt that since they kept the snakes on bare floor Vision cages with no bedding, they didn't have to worry about mites, for example. I went to look at the snake last night and brought him home. He came with his 4'x3' Vision cage. He'll be in quarantine for several months, but I'm glad I have him and can give him proper care. He's got a few scars and very mild nose rub, and is about 8 feet long but underweight. He also has mites (not a surprise). The only thing odd about him is that he has really buggy eyes- kind of like a Leucistic Texas ratsnake. I have seen albino Burms with buggish eyes before, but Silas's really bug out. I hope it's not a cause for concern- I figure it's probably just a birth defect, but I'm wondering if anyone else has had Burms with poppy eyes and if they sunk back in as the snake grew? I have attached some pictures of Silas (named after the albino guy from The DaVinci Code) for you guys to see. He's a sweet snake and really handsome other than the eyes, which I think make him endearing, as long as there isn't an underlying medical problem I need to worry about. I'm just glad I have him and can give him a larger cage as he grows, along with bedding, mite treatment and other care he might need. I texted the seller when I got home after soaking Silas, that he did have mites and that the guy should probably treat his others. He texted back that his other snakes did not have mites and that he didn't use bedding and I was full of it! Jerk! People who do not know what they are doing and don't give proper care to their animals pi$$ me off big time! Here's to years of love and enjoyment with Silas the pop-eyed Burm!
what;s nose rub?

[PyramidScheme]

Silas got another soak and Nix treatment last night. So I took a few more pics. Enjoy. I tried to get a pic of my hand on him for size reference, but the top of my arm was like two inches from the camera, so it looks like I have a huge flabby chicken arm...lol!
he's beautiful!

[Ch^4]

Congrats Kim! I'm glad to hear the handsome bugger is alright!

PyramidScheme: Nose rub is when the snake rubs its nose on something, typically an abrasive surface (i.e., mesh), and essentially gets a "rug burn." It can result in a scar on their nose.

[Will0W783]

Thanks. He is currently chowing down on an f/t (very) large rat. He will get seconds when he is finished.

[Will0W783]

Om nom nom time!

[Will0W783]

He pushed his paper towel bedding all to one side while he was trying to "kill" the rat. I will straighten it back out after he's done. I'm not putting my hand in there right now, lol.

[PyramidScheme]

Congrats Kim! I'm glad to hear the handsome bugger is alright!

PyramidScheme: Nose rub is when the snake rubs its nose on something, typically an abrasive surface (i.e., mesh), and essentially gets a "rug burn." It can result in a scar on their nose.
ah, thanks for the info!

[Reptile_Reptile]

how is this big guy doin lately?

[Will0W783]

He's doing ok. His nose rub appears to have been caused by a tooth root infection...the vet said it's something that had to have been cooking for months, most likely due to an injury while eating live prey. I imagine he cut his mouth on feathers, since his poop revealed a diet of birds. Poor big fellow...he's on Amikacin and mouth washes now and goes back for a check-up on Monday. Darn big bugger is going to single-handedly (tailed-ly?) eat through my bank account, lol.

[Reptile_Reptile]

well at least he is in good hands