Kids who live with their parents.....

[Will0W783]

.....should not try to smuggle Burmese pythons into the house without permission!!!

A good friend of mine runs a local pet store, and one of his employees is a 19-y/o kid who doesn't seem to understand that while he may technically be an "adult", it doesn't mean he has the right to do whatever he wants in his parents' house. I frequently tear into him for not managing temps and humidity for his retic properly. I have given him medication and taught him to do injections, given countless lectures on proper husbandry and safety procedures with giant snakes, yet none of it sinks in. About a week ago, two days after he got done telling me his retic was wheezing and coughing, he texted me pictures of a giant albino Burmese python and said it was new "friend." I quite calmly informed him that he'd better fix his keeping practices FAST, because Burms do not tolerate the extremes that retics can.
Well, yesterday I got a tearful phone call that his stepmom had thrown him and the Burm out of the house and told him not to come back until the snake had found a new home. In the interest of making sure the behemoth didn't go to another one of his friends who might not know how to care for it, my fiance and I went and picked her up.

She is MASSIVE!!! Absolutely beautiful, but insanely big. Easily 15 feet and 100 pounds. She seems in good shape- firm proper weight, no evidence of mites, and no scars. Eyes are clear, and nostrils and mouth are clean. She was very docile and calm about me poking and prodding, examining her. She is being quarantined, and I will make sure she eats and is healthy before I decide whether to keep her permanently or rehome her to another qualified keeper. In the meantime, here are some pictures of her:

[TeaNinja]

oh btw mom, i got a 15 foot burm. LOL

[Will0W783]

I know, right. The kid is seriously in need of attitude adjustment. When he told me about the snake, he referred to his stepmother (who was needless to say unhappy about the snake), as his "step (word-that-rhymes-with-witch)". Come on.....you bring a massive constrictor in without getting permission and get upset when a parent is not cool with it? My mother would have had a massive coronary on the spot. She cries when she sees tiny baby garter snakes. Hence I never kept snakes until I moved out on my own.

[Will0W783]

The snake was apparently named "Precious" *GAG!!!*

I will have to come up with something better. I am thinking "Buttercup", (like Princess Buttercup), Butters, Daisy, or Tiny. Lol

[TeaNinja]

lol. i still live with my mom right now and she doesn't love that i own snakes, but i explain to her that they do nothing but sit in my room and she never has to look at them. and they are a VERY VERY low maintenence animal perspectively.
not to mention my husbandry is all good.

she just hates that i breed rats for snake food. i hate killing the rats i raise also so i talked to the pet store and they are either going to trade my rats for different feeders, or i'll trade them for f/t if they can order them.

[stephanbakir]

Glad you stepped up and made the transition easier, great lookin burm! hows he doing as an employee?:P

[marvelfreak]

Beautiful Burmese and yes massive. Her color reminds me of Butterscotch. You could call her butterscotch or BS for short. lol

[Will0W783]

My fiance actually mentioned the name Butterscotch. I am fine with that. He seems as taken with her as I am, although I think he prefer my little Calypso (supertiger retic baby).

The kid goes to work like he's supposed to and is an adequate employee from what I know, or my friend just tolerates him because the kid has nowhere else to go. Not sure which. lol.

I'm just relieved to find the snake in good health and as calm as she is. I was concerned that she might have a bit of an attitude, as she does not know me and has been carted around a lot the past week. She is not head-shy at all, nor does she hiss or really struggle much. She seems quite content to go along with whatever is asked of her....so far. "So far" being the key phrase....she could settle in and decide she's not going to budge or cooperate at all.

[TeaNinja]

lol, i like the name BS. multi purpose ;)

[stephanbakir]

lol, i like the name BS. multi purpose ;)
It is awesome:P

[presspirate]

I really like her Kim, she is gorgeous. But yes I have to agree, so many people with snake phobias. You cannot be sneaky with a 15 foot beauty like that.

[citysnakes]

its beautiful Kim. best of luck.

[Max713]

Now THAT is a big girl.

[vendettaseve]

Quite the death grip youv got on it in the last picture there. Just sayin


Nice looking snake tho, dont think I would ever want something that huge as a pet.

[Will0W783]

Thanks for all the compliments on her. I am absolutely amazed by her..so big and beautiful.

I found out some more news about her which has me so furious I can't even think straight. My close friend that runs the pet store her previous "owner" works at told me today the kid was trying to hide the snake by keeping her in a Rubbermaid underbed tote UNDERNEATH HIS D*MN BED!!!!!! He would lock the door so his parents couldn't come in, and take her out! Seriously???? A 15-foot snake, in a completely unsecure "enclosure", under his bed, with no heat source or light??? AND what if she had bitten him or just clung a little too tightly? The kid is smaller than I am, and the snake is way too big for me to even think of handling by myself....all it would have taken was one single slip-up, and he'd have been dead...and who knows how long it would have been before his absence was even noticed????

Furthermore, I found out that his retic, who he "loves so very much, she's my Baby...she's my sweetheart!",.....is being housed IN THE ATTIC, in a 150-gallon tank with a screen lid with NO LOCKS!!!! He will come into work and brag about he pulled Baby out of the joists again.....exposed joists, with insulation all over. JESUS H CHRIST, no wonder the snake is always getting respiratory infections!!! I am so mad right now I keep pacing the house. I am sorely tempted to call animal control, but am afraid of what kind of trouble he'd cause me. I am just absolutely flabbergasted that anyone would even consider keeping dangerously large snakes so carelessly.
And even not considering their size and power, it's unsafe for the snakes to be in insecure "cages" and it's unhealthy for them to be in an attic with insulation and dry air and heaven only knows what else......

[Nos]

lol i thought this was going to be a thread i could relate too. then i saw the snake, i did the same thing with my ball python when i first got him i had him for like 2 months before i showed my mom but totally different situation.

beautiful snake.

[Will0W783]

Did you hide the ball python under your bed? If not, it couldnt have been nearly as bad as this. Plus, a little BP is much easier to conceal than a behemoth like this, lol. It just chilled me to the bone when I learned where he was keeping this Burm...such a huge danger, and terrible living conditions for the poor animal. I swear, if he gets any more snakes, I'm going to track down his house and wring his neck out. Total disregard for the creature's needs in favor of his own wants. :(

[infernalis]

Total disregard for the creature's needs in favor of his own wants. :(

Welcome to the ugly side of human nature....

[ilovemypets1988]

well i will telll you what i would do in your situation if you want, as your friend employs him, ask them for the address and simply explain that you want to "educate" him on proper husbandry, go over there and take the snake off him, get animal control or the police to attend for help and if he causes you any trouble, get a citation issued to him so that he cant have anymore snakes, afterall, its our responsibility to take control of such situations regardless of the consequences.
as for the snake under his bed, he couldve easily been killed in the night in his sleep and became an easy meal.
that is an absolutely stunning snake though and therefore well done to you for taking control of the situation and becoming the snakes hero (if only these wonderful creatures could say it themselves), thank you on behalf of the snake

[whoaxmary]

My first ball python was a bit of a shock to my parents. Mentioned the idea of getting one, then just showed up one day with it. Didn't go over too well. Now though, that my parents see how well I take care of them, and how much love and respect I have for them, they're willing to sit down and talk it out any time I'm interested in something - normally they talk me out of it. ;p But they're very understanding now. Mom will even top of water dishes and turn lights on and off if I'm not home. The fact that I'm moving out at the end of the summer probably helps them put of with my legless friends.

[Will0W783]

Mary, it's good your situation worked out well...but I would think that showing up with a little ball python is a far cry from hiding a 15-foot snake under your bed. I am checking into animal control here in the area...the problem is the kid has been cited before for having his retic (the town he lives in has restrictions on any snakes over 8 feet long), and somehow he's managed to get away with nothing 3 times already...I doubt the animal control will do anything. I've been grilling him on his retic care and keep asking if I can come to see her setup and "offer advice" on how he can get humidity up. He is telling me that the retic is kept in his room in a "custom cage"....but all his coworkers say he has it in his attic because his stepmom won't let it in the main house.
Hopefully he will let me come over to see the retic or "bring medicine for it" and I can rip him a new one and have a legit excuse and take the retic away from him.


On a lighter note, working on names for the big ol' monster of a snake:
My ideas and my fiance's ideas so far are:

1. Buttercup
2. Monster
3. Butterscotch
4. Tiny
5. Trogdor the BURMinator Compy 386! (http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail58.html) (check out the link if you don't get the reference)

[Will0W783]

Ok, so we weighed her and the result is 70 pounds. A bit lighter than I expected,...or I'm just getting weak! I didn't have a string long enough to measure her, and I could not get her stretched out in the bathroom, but the best estimate looks like around 13.2 feet long. I am going to try to buy 15 feet of yarn or a cloth measuring tape tomorrow so I can get a solid measurement.
She hisses up a storm in her cage, but is very docile and calm once out.
Here I am "holding" her. I'm 5'8".

[Freebody]

:Wow::Wow:WOW:Wow::Wow: I love burms!! dont they have such a calm pressence to them? i held one a little smaller than that one their at my neigboors house, the effortless power they have as they move on your is amazing eh almost twist your body around as it tries to move. i hope you post more pics, she is beautifull, and i vote Tiny for a name, i really like that one :)

[Will0W783]

Thanks! Yeah, she's awesome. I'm really thinking "she" might be a "he" though...I'm going to keep it anyway, no matter what gender it turns out to be.
They really are calm, awesome snakes...slow and methodical, but yet so very very powerful.

[stephanbakir]

The good news is, if its a he it shouldn't get much bigger:P

[Will0W783]

Yep. It's a BIG one already!

[stephanbakir]

At least he isnt girthy:P thats a healthy weight for a snake that size:P Imagine if it was overweight!
Good luck with him!

[ilovemypets1988]

i think the reason y there slow is becoz they know there power and they dont really need speed as all they need is 1 coil around there prey and its lights out and pretty much over and done with in a few mins

[stephanbakir]

Even burms can move rather "quickly" if they want to :P

[ilovemypets1988]

yh true, i noticed that on python hunter (the program abviously)

[Ch^4]

Thank you for rescuing yet another giant Kim (what's the count up to..is it 28 now?)! And beautiful burm! I personally like Trogdor (biased due to the awesomeness that is homestarrunner and Strong Bad!)...the other names are too cliche!

This kid needs to be slapped around a bit. People with no respect for their pets infuriate me.

[Will0W783]

I think I've pretty much settled on Trogdor the Burminator. John, my fiance, is already calling her/him that. lol.

Plus, I can post pictures of Trogdor in the yard with captions like, "Burminating the countryside....Burminating the peasants..."

:-D

[Ch^4]

Sweet! You will have to photoshop in a buff arm and some flames coming out of her/his mouth! ;)

Someday, I will have a dwarf albino burm...such beautiful creatures!

[stephanbakir]

WTB a fire breathing albino burm with a flame pattern! (and a pleasant attitude)

[Will0W783]

Sweet! You will have to photoshop in a buff arm and some flames coming out of her/his mouth!

:yes::laugh:

[vendettaseve]

sweet! You will have to photoshop in a buff arm and some flames coming out of her/his mouth! ;)

someday, i will have a dwarf albino burm...such beautiful creatures!



and the trogdor comes in the niiiiiiighttt

[Nos]

I told my Girlfriend who lives with me now that i wanted a ball python and was going to be getting one soon and she bought one for me like a month into our relationship and surprised me. he had came with a big rubber maid container i put in my walk in closet (use that term lightly its the room next to mine i just decided one day i wanted a closet and framed in a door)

[vendettaseve]

I told my Girlfriend who lives with me now that i wanted a ball python and was going to be getting one soon and she bought one for me like a month into our relationship and surprised me. he had came with a big rubber maid container i put in my walk in closet (use that term lightly its the room next to mine i just decided one day i wanted a closet and framed in a door)


I fail to see the relevance of this comment.

[TeaNinja]

l o l

[Will0W783]

Thank you for rescuing yet another giant Kim (what's the count up to..is it 28 now?)!

Actually, Ch4, I have narrowed the number and variety of my snakes down quite a bit. With me working towards my Ph.D., it's far easier to have fewer animals, and concentrate on the species that do well for me. I'm sitting at 21 snakes right now, with a few more odds and ends for sale to good homes.
I hadn't been planning on bringing in another giant, but she's a great snake so far- calm, docile and beautiful. I really couldn't ask for a nicer albino Burm. And there is something so captivating about working with a snake of that massive size, as long as the proper safety precautions are taken. Burms are very good snakes, but they are quite vocal- both of mine hiss up a storm as soon as you open the cage, but don't attempt to bite or even threaten. I've talked to breeder friends that keep them, and they all say theirs hiss a lot too...lol. That is the only disconcerting thing I've found with the Burms...it's unnerving to have a snake that large and loud hiss at you.
I hook train them all, and never just stick a hand in the cage...hook always goes in first so they know they are not being fed. This is so important with giant snakes that could potentially kill a person. They are amazing, docile snakes and can be wonderful captives, but are not to be taken lightly. (Sorry I keep bringing that up...I just feel it can't be stressed enough. So much stress and so many animals' lives could be saved if people just realized the responsibility of keeping one of these giants before they take it on).

[ilovemypets1988]

just a thought for you willow, but can u get massive clear tubing, as you could put marking on the outside of the pipe (inch by inch), get a snake to go inside, and as u can see where they get to, you can get there exact measurement. (again, please note that this is only a suggestion)

[Schwelger]

why does this guy even have a snake? could you visit and sneak it out and give it to a new, more respectfull owner, or is it too big to just sneak out?
hah he could just assume it escaped...

[Nos]

I fail to see the relevance of this comment.

just explaining how it was a different situation BUT i still hide the snake from my mom for two months. was related to a earlier comment i made. lol should of been more clear, lol

[Will0W783]

Sorry Nos, but in my opinion, a Rubbermaid container in your closer is nowhere near adequate housing for a ball python- or any snake- for that matter. How did you heat the snake? How did you provide it with a light/dark cycle?
Hiding a snake in an unheated tub with no light is just cruel, and still irresponsible. And she should not have bought it without making sure you could care for it. I'm not trying to be harsh, but what if you had said you wanted a Burm or a retic and your gf showed up with that?

[vendettaseve]

Sorry Nos, but in my opinion, a Rubbermaid container in your closer is nowhere near adequate housing for a ball python- or any snake- for that matter. How did you heat the snake? How did you provide it with a light/dark cycle?
Hiding a snake in an unheated tub with no light is just cruel, and still irresponsible. And she should not have bought it without making sure you could care for it. I'm not trying to be harsh, but what if you had said you wanted a Burm or a retic and your gf showed up with that?



Forgive me if Im wrong. but is the altered rubbermaid/rack configuration not the suggested method for housing snakes by the forum? Unless he just tossed it in a plain sweaterbox without any "reptile comfort" mods I dont see the issue.

[Will0W783]

He just said he tossed it into a Rubbermaid bin that it came with in his closet. If it was set up with a heating pad or heat tape, then it would most likely be fine, but the snake would still have needed a steady light/dark cycle. If he did provide heat, and a light/dark cycle, some form of bedding and hides, then it's fine.
From his post though, it didn't sound like he had a rack-type set up. ..it just sounded like he kept it in a bin in his closet...which to me doesn't sound fair to the snake, nor healthy for it.

[Will0W783]

Well my concerns over feeding Trogdor were assuaged tonight- I'd been told she/he did not eat f/t. I figured I would try anyway. My other Burm, Silas, was due for another rat, so I figured I'd thaw two and see if Trog would eat. As soon as I brought the bucket upstairs...she started going nuts....cruising around, nosing the glass, flicking her tongue like crazy.
When they thawed, I offered her one and she smacked it like a freight train..not a second of hesitation. She snarfed it down like it was nothing, tossing her head back and sucking it down. When she got done, she came looking for more with a huge tendril of drool hanging out of her mouth...it was like a St. Bernard....
She dragged the drool across the whole front of the cage, and slammed a second rat down. I'm a happy snake momma tonight! :)
Now that I know she'll take f/t, I can get some frozen rabbits at the next reptile show.
And in the meantime, here are some pics of Trog eating for you to enjoy!

[youngster]

I love homestar runner :d

[Coffee Black]

I love homestar runner :d

Most definitely this. Great name!

[Will0W783]

Yeah, Strongbad is awesome. Plus, I figure the name is fairly gender-neutral, so when I get around to probing Trogdor, I won't have to change the name.

[stephanbakir]

Great lookin burm :)

[Nos]

He just said he tossed it into a Rubbermaid bin that it came with in his closet. If it was set up with a heating pad or heat tape, then it would most likely be fine, but the snake would still have needed a steady light/dark cycle. If he did provide heat, and a light/dark cycle, some form of bedding and hides, then it's fine.
From his post though, it didn't sound like he had a rack-type set up. ..it just sounded like he kept it in a bin in his closet...which to me doesn't sound fair to the snake, nor healthy for it.

Not going to get defensive because if i read online that someone had a snake in a rubbermaid bin in there closet id have tons of concerns as well, but with all those necessary precaution taken in i had heat light bedding and hides all set up for proper care. and still i have to agree to me it dose not seem fair to house a snake in a rubbermaid its whole life which is why i moved him to his new Beautiful enclosure which is nice and big, and still in my WALK in closet.

[Will0W783]

Alright, well as long as you had heat, light and proper hides and water..I see no real issue with it. Snakes have no light requirements beyond a basic light/dark cycle and if you were indeed providing that, then it doesn't really matter what you were keeping it in. A safe, secure enclosure with proper heat and light is really all a snake needs.
Sorry if I snapped a bit, but with some of the stuff I've seen lately, I tend to be a tad more stern than I used to, lol.

[stephanbakir]

Rubbermaids have their good points, humidity being a major one. When I used to house snakes in them I would take them out regularly to stretch. That being said they were in fantastic condition, I moved over to vivs later one but if money was tight I wouldn't hesitate to use a rubbermaid again. I'm actually planning to use one for the first year when I get my new retics in the fall.

[stephanbakir]

I tend to be a tad more stern than I used to, lol.
Tad stern Willow is still awesome Willow :)

[Will0W783]

I have a rack system with rubbermaid bins. It works well- the bins are clear, so the snakes can see out and it is fantastic for holding humidity. I use melamine and ABS plastic caging for snakes too large to fit in my rack (most of my stuff now), and those are also great for humidity.