Advice (albino Burmese - New owner) ???

[DavethePython]

My sons friend has just aquired an albino Burmese . She is close to 10 feet in length . This girl has zero experience with snakes or any reptiles period and thinks this is the coolest thing . She sees it as a status thing. We have tried to explain to her the responsibility required for such a snake , but she refuses to listen. Can anyone suggest a good resource where she can at least get some education on this snake. I actually fear for her safety as this snake was rescued from a less than desirable owner and I am sure will have a real temperment issue. if she will not get rid of the animal to a better suited owner , I would at least like her to have some form of an education on this snake.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Does she realize the snake could kill her easily? I would never get a snake like that if I knew nothing about it. Burmese pythons can get longer than 20 ft, though I myself haven't seen very many cases of it. Is she willing to buy rabbits to feed it? If she's going to keep it, it would be very unwise to not have at least one other person there at any time she handles or works with it. I bet she won't be too keen about it once she gets bit. I am not sure as to temps or humidity as I did not look too much into them. I am not trying to criticize, but if she's willing to learn and take proper care of it then I see no reason for her not to keep it. If she's not, for her safety and the snake's she should get rid of it. If she's willing to learn I bet other Burm owners will be willing to share their knowledge. Either way, good luck.

[SpOoKy]

I am not trying to criticize, but if she's willing to learn and take proper care of it then I see no reason for her not to keep it. If she's not, for her safety and the snake's she should get rid of it. If she's willing to learn I bet other Burm owners will be willing to share their knowledge. Either way, good luck.

I think the op knows this, how to educate her is what is being asked.

She sees it as a status thing. We have tried to explain to her the responsibility required for such a snake , but she refuses to listen. Can anyone suggest a good resource where she can at least get some education on this snake.

Wow, crappy situation. I would maybe go online with your son and find some good websites and maybe when your son and her are hanging out he can pull up the websites and read them together. Try to trick her into looking at cool pics of snakes like hers then throw in a bunch of literature.

I am assuming they are teenager-ish age. It is going to be hard to get this through he mind because most teens don't really want to listen (lets face it how many of us was like this :) )

Might have to rely on good old fashioned learning trickery

[ZARADOZIA]

Have her join the forum so she can learn from experienced handlers. Let her know that a snake is like having a special needs baby and can easily die if not cared for properly. Young people (Not all) think they are immortal, death is not real to them, so emphasize on her being a good mom to the snake because it needs a good loving, well educated mom to take care of it. Do some research yourself and share with her what you have found about the snake and it's needs.

[KORBIN5895]

My first thoughts were to give her poisoned feeders. But maybe she will be able to learn quick and become a great keeper.

[Lankyrob]

The biggest and most important piece of advice is to NEVER handle a snake bigger than 8ft on your own and the second is to NEVER let it get near your neck.

I would suggest she spend an afternoon reading the giant python section of this wonderful forum - not a better resource anywhere!!

[shaunyboy]

sadly if she see's it as some kind of status symbol,imo your going to have your work cut out for you mate

as bad as it is to say,maybe a defensive bite from the burm,might bring her to her senses before something a lot worse happens

has she seen the burm feeding yet ?

when i saw my first big burm feeding,i was taken aback by the sheer power and speed of it all.maybe that would bring home she's dealing with a powerfull animal ?

kimberly (willow on here) keeps a big burm and is a very helpfull person,she may have a few idea's

i really hope you get through to the girl in question

cheers shaun

[ZARADOZIA]

As a last resort you can call animal control.

[shaunyboy]

As a last resort you can call animal control.

or rub a dead rat on her hand when she's sleeping :shocked:;)

im joking before you all go nuts:yes:

cheers shaun

[DavethePython]

I will try to pass some of this advice along to her. Probably pointless but I have to try . this girl is 90 lbs soaking wet, and the pictures she posted showed her with him drapped over her shoulders. This snake while doubtful could eat her , could in the blink of an eye kill her. If she is lucky a bite is all she would get . I had already thought to refer her to this forum . Hopefully she will take some interest in at least learning how to care for and respect this animal. While doing my homework on choosing a snake ,the Berm was the last choice I would make. Trying to convince her to surrender the snake to a reputable pet store and start with a ball or corn snake or something a lot easier to handle .

[shaunyboy]

I will try to pass some of this advice along to her. Probably pointless but I have to try . this girl is 90 lbs soaking wet, and the pictures she posted showed her with him drapped over her shoulders. This snake while doubtful could eat her , could in the blink of an eye kill her. If she is lucky a bite is all she would get . I had already thought to refer her to this forum . Hopefully she will take some interest in at least learning how to care for and respect this animal. While doing my homework on choosing a snake ,the Berm was the last choice I would make. Trying to convince her to surrender the snake to a reputable pet store and start with a ball or corn snake or something a lot easier to handle .


heres hoping you get through to her mate

because its people like her getting strangled by their snake that gets all of us a bad reputation

kudo's for trying though mate

cheers shaun

[millertime89]

Burms are tough, they need good husbandry to stay healthy and while often calm, can become quite the handful. Do you know what gender the Burm is? If its a male it could very well be close to done growing, if its a female its got a bit to go. Burms RARELY hit 20, the largest in captivity belongs to Tom Crutchfield, Muffy was 22 1/4 ft 5 years ago, could be a bit bigger now. Previously the record was held by a Burm in the New York Zoo which was 19 1/2 ft long.
Muffy takes the U.S. python length title - Animal weirdness- msnbc.com (http://sysc.msnbc.msn.com/id/13566379/)

[Lankyrob]

How about getting a BP and making a switch when she isnt looking ;)

[Terranaut]

At 90lbs she should never ever handle that snake alone. Although she could learn to take proper care of it and chances are its docile( most burms are ) a acidental snap into feed mode could be a life changing/ending event for her. I honestly think if she refuses to rid of it get her on here for positive advice and dirrection.

[millertime89]

something like a small cat or squirrel or rabbit walking by an open window is enough to sometimes send a large constrictor into feed mode.

[Terranaut]

I believe this has happened to stephanbakir with a retic.

[millertime89]

^yup, he's the one who told me.

[alessia55]

Yikes, this person with their new burm sounds like an accident waiting to happen... :no:

[Rogue628]

I'm sorry but it sounds like a recipe for disaster, especially since it's a "cool" thing and not a true love of the snake itself. I feel bad for the animal. No disrespect, but that's NOT a good first snake, especially at that length. Even as docile as they can be, feed mode is huge, and when they're grumpy and don't want to be messed with that shrug thing they do can make an inexperienced person step back quick. I've had a burm in the past who I rescued when he was around 5ft and even with my experience with bp's, kings, and rtbs, I wasn't prepared for his feeding response nor that shrugging move they do. It's like them saying "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

A burm, although docile, is a huge commitment and not really an easy animal to take care of, nor an inexpensive one. They're prone to respiratory infections without a constant vigil on their husbandry and even with proper husbandry an RI has been known to sneak up. It's not an animal you can just dump in an enclosure and feed and take out whenever you feel like it.

There's too many of these animals that get let loose, constantly rehomed, and even die because too many, mainly inexperienced, people get them and don't realize what they're getting into. With the right owner 99% of burms are great animals and pets. But they're not for the inexperienced.

For the animal's sake, as well as the young girl's, I hope she listens to your advice and starts truly learning how to best take care of the animal and apply it. Or realize she's gotten something that requires more effort and commitment than she can manage and gets it to someone who understands them.

They can be a truly rewarding animal but it's not an easy task as other snakes that would best suit a beginner. I love my two and they're my favorite out of my collection. I work with them alot and it's very rewarding. Even on days I'm dog tired from working two jobs, if I don't mess with any of my other animals when I get home, I make sure to check on and socialize with these two personally, even when the boyfriend and kids already has already made daily rounds with our collection.

[alessia55]

Maybe you could e-mail her a link to this thread...? At least she'll open it and read it a bit?

[DavethePython]

Thank you everyone. there is some very valuable input on this thread as I knew there would be. I have sent her the link to this particular discussion and hope she will read it. I hope that this snake does not hurt her or worse , but if it does at least we can say we tried. I agree with what someone posted earlier , people who get into an animal they know nothing about and get hurt or killed do give responsible owners a bad name. Glad I found this group because I am very new to the world of snakes myself. maybe 3 weeks now ,and have a lot to learn, but at least I did my homework before getting my first . We have an awesome little baby ball Python named Dave,hense the screen name . I am actually so captivated by him , that I am serioulsy looking at a 2 yr old female Ball who was displaced after an apartment fire here in town and was turned over to the local petstore because the owner had no place to keep her.

[beardeds4life]

I hate when people do things like that. I am a teenager to but I would never do something like that and the animals that I do have I have because I have a passion for them. Being that age and interacting with people like her daily I can tell you that it will be VERY hard to get through to her. I wish the best of luck to you.

[Freebody]

some people like to learn the hard way, its the truth of the matter, but it does not mean she should not learn what she is doing asap, for both of them, i wish her all the best of luck, with a speedy, and i mean speedy because that little 10 footer will be a 15+ and 3x the weight in a years time. get her to join, make sure to let her know we are not a buch of losers that want to flame this girl. all help from us :)

[Terranaut]

Unfortunately there are haters on here to. I just hope the quick to judge crowd won't scare her away. I know I thought about going to a different forum after some comments to me.

[Norm66]

Unfortunately there are haters on here to. I just hope the quick to judge crowd won't scare her away. I know I thought about going to a different forum after some comments to me.

Occasionally folks, in their desire to do good, can come across pretty strongly and it can be a turn-off to new folks. IMO it's better to be more like the Japanese and never say 'no, you're doing it wrong' but more like 'yes, but maybe there's a better way.'

It's all in the tone, and that can be difficult to express in text-only format. Smilies help though. ;)

[KORBIN5895]

Just pm the haters.....and tell them to shut their pie hole! Anyway I got some pming to do.

[Rogue628]

If I was disrespectful in my posting, then I apologize. I only wanted to get the point across that a 10' burm for a newbie is no easy task. Better to know what's all involved in keeping the animal than just the good things.

If she were to ask me, I'd give her all the help I can, as I would with anyone and still do. If I lived near her, I'd help her hands on, just like I do here.

It's just when it comes to the bigger animals, you must realize what is all involved in their care. It's a huge commitment most people can't make.

Just trying to look after the well being of both handler and animal. IMHO and most others, a newbie with a snake that large usually doesn't work out well, leaving the animal displaced or worse, bad press towards herps in general, and sometimes harm to the new handler. None of which we wish to happen.....

[KORBIN5895]

There's one pm I won't need to send! Lol. Just joking. Honestly we ALL understand and feel pretty much the same way. Like I said if she doesn't clue in poisoned feeder rats would make a good gift. ( will I get in trouble for joking like this?????? )

[candyraver69]

I am going to speak from experience and say this poor girl has no idea what she is in for. Been there, done that. Luckily I was smart enough to rehome the girl before she killed me or someone else.

Burms can be very, very sweet snakes most of the time. However all it takes is the tiniest thing to set it off into quite the mood. That is NOT a snake you want trying to coil you. Snakes have a lot of muscle percentage compared to us, and a 10' one would be hard for TWO of your daughter to pull off if it decided to coil. The scary part is that with the price it will cost to keep this snake fed, it's likely it will begin to miss meals when the newness wears off, and then she is really in for trouble. I don't know how much truth there is to it, but I read somewhere that drinking alcohol and having that in your system while handling a snake can trigger a feeding response (there was some sort of study that a large percentage of burm-related accidents were to drunk teenage males and they thought the alcohol sweating caused some sort of reaction in the snakes). So please warn her never to handle it drinking, which should be a given anyways, but I thought I should emphasize that.

No not all of them grow to 20ft, but even if it's done growing, that is already a dangerous snake. What is the recommended ft. of snake again a single person should handle, 6' I think? And that is for an average adult, not a small female such as her or myself. Who is helping her handle this snake?

Then there is the cost of feeding. Is she prepared to spend a bare minimum of $40 a month on food? Rabbits aren't cheap. Getting them even for $40 a month will require buying in bulk, if she wants to buy as she goes from a local shop it could really cost a pretty penny.

I hope if she insists on keeping it she will learn what it takes to care for it. She will need to feed it every 7-14 days depending on what she feeds it. It will need to be heated properly or it's likely to get sick and die. About 80 degree ambient temperature and a 90 degree hot spot. She will need someone to help her handle it at all times, even just to open the cage and toss a rabbit in, because it could easily dart out and attack her. It may need to be given soaks depending how well it sheds and defecates, that is a handful, let me tell you. It will need about 60%+ humidity, so she will most likely need to mist its cage several times a day depending on your climate. Not having the humidity high enough will cause shed problems, and then she will have to soak it like I mentioned and it's a royal pain to soak a large snake, especially if it thinks it doesn't need it. Heck I had trouble wrestling my sickly 550gram ball python to soak him! It will need to have a large enough enclosure that there can be a hot spot large enough for the whole snake to fit in, and then more space that gets down to 80 degrees large enough for the whole snake to fit in. The cage will need to be really strong to support all that weight too.

So there's my 2c. I hope she is willing to at least learn or give it up.

[Terranaut]

I wasn't pointing fingers at any of the previous replys in this thread. I just know a few have chosen to be critical instead of helpful in the past and seeing as there is 6 pm news potential here I think it best to leave opinions out and stick to the important stuff.
The Japanese thing was funny. I have worked for Toyota for over 15 yrs and been to Japan a few times. They always fix it first , point fingers later and I sure wish our guys here would figure that out instead of always passing the buck as fast as possible.

[Norm66]

I wasn't pointing fingers at any of the previous replys in this thread. I just know a few have chosen to be critical instead of helpful in the past and seeing as there is 6 pm news potential here I think it best to leave opinions out and stick to the important stuff.
The Japanese thing was funny. I have worked for Toyota for over 15 yrs and been to Japan a few times. They always fix it first , point fingers later and I sure wish our guys here would figure that out instead of always passing the buck as fast as possible.

Yea, this thread wasn't actually one I was thinking about as it's been pretty civil. But this is where the subject came up....

I used to be very active in karate and met quite a few Japanese folks and really liked them. We could all stand to be a little more Japanese when it comes to politeness. And don't even get me started on their food, mmmmmm.......

It's like I tell my wife, don't assume I'm an idiot, give me the benefit of the doubt. The real idiots will prove their idiocy soon enough. ;)

[DavethePython]

|Well I did send her a link to this site and this thread directly . What she chooses to do with it is up to her now. Just to clear the air someone referred to her as my daughter, no she is a friend of my son. She does not live in the same city as us or I would be able to sit her down personally and show her some of these comments. I have done all I can and like stated before , lets hope she is not the 6 o'clock news.

[Terranaut]

I hope she realizes instead of buying a kitten she has bought a tiger!! Cute and nice but 1 mess up.... :(

[Rogue628]

Dave, even though this thread may sound a little hurtful to her, if she ever reads it, I want to assure her that we will help her to the best of our ability. After all, isn't that what forums are for? We just want her and her animal to be safe and properly taken care of with proper handling.

So, if you're reading, please ask questions! We truly do want to help you as best as we can and you allow us to. No question is too stupid to ask. :)

[Terranaut]

And safe safe safe. Thats a big snake. My 6.5' boa can be a handful when she doesn't want to go back in her viv. She holds on to my arm with a force that tells me to never let my 100lb son never handle her alone. So if she does read this I just want he to remember to never ever handle this snake alone. It has the ability to kill you. Probably will never hurt you but it could and within the next year or 2 that ability will be way stronger.
Please be careful and enjoy your new friend.

[bigsnakegirl785]

And not to mention the Japanese cartoons...anime...lol awesomeness.
That's my main problem with getting a big snake. I've been looking into retics, and I'm thinking about getting an SD unless I can make sure someone will be there during handling. Also, not too sure about feeding prices, I'd have to have a good job. All the variables I'm going over and over again, which is why I'm going to wait several years as I'm still in school. I want to make sure I can take care of the animal before I get it.
It's too bad no one was there when she got it who could explain the danger of the snake and the care necessary for it, she may have thought twice about it. If she decides she doesn't want this snake, maybe suggest another species to her, one that fits her better? If not, just show her the posts about big snakes and caresheets and things and hope she takes care of it properly. Her actions were very brash (which is why I was being a bit harsh in my first post), but she can still fix things before they get out of hand. Good luck with the Burm, and hope she stays safe! Btw do you know it's gender or name?

[DavethePython]

Hi bigsnakegirl , I have not spoken to her .She lives in another city and is a friend of my sons. I do not believe that anyone could have talked her out of taking this snake . It appears to me she is very headstrong . She refuses any advice given to her by anyone who has tried . I know little of this snake except it is a 10 foot long female Albino burmese. I do know the snake was rescued from a drug house and so I am not so sure what the temperment of this particular snake will be . I know little about snakes as I am very new to snake keeping ,but from the research I did on Pythons I know a Burm is not a good snake for most people ,let alone beginners . This is why I choose a Ball to start with , and will most likely stay with this breed .Only had mine a few weeks and already want another .

[DavethePython]

Just an update. I do not know what the motivation was , but I heard last night this girl has given the snake to a friend of hers who is an experienced keeper. Good news for both her and this snake that both should be much safer now. Just wanted everyone to know .

[SpOoKy]

Good to hear :)

[KORBIN5895]

Happy endings are always nice!

[Rogue628]

Good to hear! At least the animal is now with someone experienced. If she still wants a pet snake, there are several that are perfect for beginners that are more forgiving of noob mistakes. And they're just as cool as having a giant. :)

[Shmoges]

Thats great to hear!

[shaunyboy]

I used to be very active in karate and met quite a few Japanese folks and really liked them. We could all stand to be a little more Japanese when it comes to politeness.

when i practised judo,i was introduced to my sensei's, sensei,a very polite old japanese gentleman

he took on aound 15 of us at the same time,we had to ask which throws etc he used on some people,as he was so fast and agile

now my sensei was in his late 60's,so i dread to think how old our japanese sensei was

turns out he was a proffessor of flamingo dancing,as well and moved to spain to retire to his dance

i felt so privillaged to have met this humble and skillfull man and would not have wanted to get on his wrong side,even at his unkown ripe old age...!!

cheers shaun

cheers shaun

[shaunyboy]

Just an update. I do not know what the motivation was , but I heard last night this girl has given the snake to a friend of hers who is an experienced keeper. Good news for both her and this snake that both should be much safer now. Just wanted everyone to know .

thats great news

you could even suggest to her,that if she really liked keeping a snake then.....

do a bit of looking, at what she thinks looks appealing to her.then do a bit of research,then buy the snake she likes most,to get her first step into snake keeping

something managable,then if she learns fast,sell or keep the starter snake and move up to a larger or more complicated snake to keep

she did good taking your advice and is safe now;)

cheers shaun

[bigsnakegirl785]

That's really good to hear! I agree with Shaun if she wants to keep a snake find one that suits her better! :)

[millertime89]

that's great news! If its with a close friend at least she'll still be able to see it and interact with it.