Update on my Burmese

[AjaMichelle]

Hello!

So I took your advice and began feeding Monty larger meals and he's just broken 80 pounds! He just came out of shed, and was nice enough to pee today while I was doing all of my enclosure maintenance, so I took some photos. :)

http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r544/_AjaMichelle_/Monty/P1230170_zps60f8d8ad.jpg

http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r544/_AjaMichelle_/Monty/P1230172_zps8e3c86bb.jpg

http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r544/_AjaMichelle_/Monty/P1230173_zpsd5db3d3a.jpg

Ah! Nothing better than a clean enclosure!
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r544/_AjaMichelle_/Monty/P1230175_zps4fb45f7a.jpg

http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r544/_AjaMichelle_/Monty/P1230176_zps7438dbf6.jpg

http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r544/_AjaMichelle_/Monty/P1230179_zpsde28b22c.jpg

http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r544/_AjaMichelle_/Monty/P1230188_zps4e5b45b5.jpg

[Terranaut]

Very nice burm indeed.

[Squirtle]

What are you feeding him? And how long is he?

[GUITARZAN509]

Very very nice !

[alessia55]

He is one big gorgeous boy :yes:

[Trent]

Great pics!!

[rmfsnakes32]

Thats a nicevbig pretty burm

[AjaMichelle]

Thank you all for your kind words! :) This forum has really helped me improve my husbandry... I can't tell you how relieved I am that I've healed all of his skin infections and that he's finally growing heavier. It's been months since I've seen any evidence of even skin irritation. SUCH A RELIEF! I'm so happy that he finally seems comfortable. He's had a really rough few years.

What are you feeding him? And how long is he?

I'm feeding him pre-killed/frozen-thawed rabbits. I offer 8 to 12 pounds per meal, depending on my available rabbits. When his meals are smaller, I try to plan his proceeding meal a little sooner. 10 pounds seems like the sweet spot. He's about 15 feet in length. :)

[Aaron_S]

Thank you all for your kind words! :) This forum has really helped me improve my husbandry... I can't tell you how relieved I am that I've healed all of his skin infections and that he's finally growing heavier. It's been months since I've seen any evidence of even skin irritation. SUCH A RELIEF! I'm so happy that he finally seems comfortable. He's had a really rough few years.



I'm feeding him pre-killed/frozen-thawed rabbits. I offer 8 to 12 pounds per meal, depending on my available rabbits. When his meals are smaller, I try to plan his proceeding meal a little sooner. 10 pounds seems like the sweet spot. He's about 15 feet in length. :)

It's nice to see a true giant once again. Thanks for the pics!

[Mark Taylor]

Lovely snake.

[moshirimon]

That's one big male! Beautiful snake , glad he's doing better

[AjaMichelle]

It's nice to see a true giant once again. Thanks for the pics!

Thanks for looking and enjoying them with me! :)

Thanks everyone!

I'm glad too! I know I've shown this photo before, but I do think it's another testament to large constrictors being a generally poor choice for most people as captives.

He was 23 pounds when I went crazy and adopted him into my care.
(XL rats)
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r544/_AjaMichelle_/Monty/P4210147_zps48c1ed6a.jpg

[lemon]

Very nice, thanks for sharing :D

He looks about 11-12ft at most though, but if hes a male thats still a great size considering the current record is 18ft 10inches and that was an extremely arge female.

How old is he?

[AjaMichelle]

Thanks! :)

Well I thought so too but I laid him out in a room in my house measuring 12 feet in length and he was longer than the room. :) I can try to take some photos to show you. You know how hard it is to measure snakes :) And I am estimating, but I don't want to mislead anyone.

He's at least 18 years old.

[Squirtle]

Thanks! :)

Well I thought so too but I laid him out in a room in my house measuring 12 feet in length and he was longer than the room. :) I can try to take some photos to show you. You know how hard it is to measure snakes :) And I am estimating, but I don't want to mislead anyone.

He's at least 18 years old.
He's older than me if he's 18! Do you have pictures of him when he was younger? I really like his coloration and I hope mine turns like that when he's older. Mines only two years old ATM
:bouncy:

[AjaMichelle]

There are unfortunately no photos available of him as I got him as an adult. He would be the right weight currently if I had raised him lol :) thanks! He's a very pretty albino but has very sensitive skin. What morph is your Burm?

Monty's original owner had him at least ten years, the second individual had him for six, and I adopted him in early 2011, so we're almost in our third year together. So I guess he's actually at least 19. I don't think owner one got him as a yearling. It's so strange to think that I have no idea from where he came, and I wonder how much he was to purchase originally.

[Rogue628]

Wow! That is one gorgeous burm! You have done well with him! He's a nice big boy! :D

I love to hear stories like this. People who are willing to take in a large animal that's been underfed and get them to where they should be.

I love how he's retained a lot of white compared to other albinos I've seen. Especially at his age. One of my girls is almost completely yellow now while the other has lost some of her white, but has kept a bit. I hope mine look that good at that age!

Kudos!

[AjaMichelle]

Thank you! To be honest, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into, but I've had a great support system which has kept us both safe and helped Monty recover.

I didn't know that most albino burms lose their white! :) That's really interesting! I'm glad he's retained so much of his white too! It's like pearly and I think it's so pretty. One of my mentors told me that albino burms tend to keep a sort of pink tinge, especially on the head, but he's straight yellow and white, and only pinkish immediately after shed.

Do you all think he's going to keep increasing in length?

How old are your burms Rogue? :) Do they have sensitive skin?

Sometimes I think I'd like to have another burm because they're so special and amazing, and their care is really easy, (except the part about how I can't tend to him alone) but then I think to myself, "that's crazy." lol! :) And you have two? Do you ever let them interact? Are they ambivalent toward one another?

[Aaron_S]

Thank you! To be honest, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into, but I've had a great support system which has kept us both safe and helped Monty recover.

I didn't know that most albino burms lose their white! :) That's really interesting! I'm glad he's retained so much of his white too! It's like pearly and I think it's so pretty. One of my mentors told me that albino burms tend to keep a sort of pink tinge, especially on the head, but he's straight yellow and white, and only pinkish immediately after shed.

Do you all think he's going to keep increasing in length?

How old are your burms Rogue? :) Do they have sensitive skin?

Sometimes I think I'd like to have another burm because they're so special and amazing, and their care is really easy, (except the part about how I can't tend to him alone) but then I think to myself, "that's crazy." lol! :) And you have two? Do you ever let them interact? Are they ambivalent toward one another?

He'll increase in length but at a really slow rate that you won't really notice it. Snakes forever grow pretty much.

[Philmul]

He is a beauty. Thanks for the pics

[exwizard]

Wow he's gorgeous! This really gives me something to look forward to! :)

[lemon]

He'll increase in length but at a really slow rate that you won't really notice it. Snakes forever grow pretty much.

From my experience snakes dont grow forerver they just have a max pontential.

Many captive retics for example are fully grown by 10 years of age whereas in the wild they grow for a longer period due to the fact prey isnt so readily available and they use a lot more energy finding and consuming it.

Overfeeding a snake will never push it past it's genetic limitations but underfeeding can stunt its growth and make it not reach its unltimate pontential.

The burmese in question is very old now and I'd be surpised if he grew any longer at all to be honest. I guess though if he has been underfed for many years then a good few years of constant big feeds might restart any lost growth but if he's really nearly 20 years old then he's probably pretty much done. Though he will no doubt get girthier and that'll make him look bigger anyway.

He's a great looking snake though and you've obviously done a great job with him so who cares how big he is/or will be :)

[AjaMichelle]

Thanks for looking everyone! :)

I love Monty just the way he is, but was curious about the growth of large constrictors so thanks for clarifying everyone. :)

[Rogue628]

Thank you! To be honest, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into, but I've had a great support system which has kept us both safe and helped Monty recover.

I didn't know that most albino burms lose their white! :) That's really interesting! I'm glad he's retained so much of his white too! It's like pearly and I think it's so pretty. One of my mentors told me that albino burms tend to keep a sort of pink tinge, especially on the head, but he's straight yellow and white, and only pinkish immediately after shed.

Do you all think he's going to keep increasing in length?

How old are your burms Rogue? :) Do they have sensitive skin?

Sometimes I think I'd like to have another burm because they're so special and amazing, and their care is really easy, (except the part about how I can't tend to him alone) but then I think to myself, "that's crazy." lol! :) And you have two? Do you ever let them interact? Are they ambivalent toward one another?

Some of the older ones seem to lose most of their white. I've notice that Baby Girl has lost a good bit of hers while Allie still has a lot of white, but she had much more white on her than Baby Girl. Kinda funny since they're clutchmates (they're different as night and day as well).

They say a snake will grow as long as it lives but it's growth rate slows down so drastically that you'll never notice it. Typically they reach their potential length within a few years, but I've seen a few rare instances where proper feeding when they've been underfed has caused some small growth in length. Norm's burm Malaki is a prime example.

My burms will be 2 in July. Baby Girl is a very typical burm while Allie is pretty special. They're almost completely opposite, yet both are well behaved, only showing grumpiness when in shed, but it's all bark and no bite. I work with both girls as often as possible and more than any of my other animals. They are my favorites. I'm not sure why, mayhap because I've spent the most time with them working with them to make sure they're gentle and are used to handling as I'd love to eventually use them for educational purposes.

They've never had skin issues so I'm going to say they don't have any sensitive skin issues.

Rarely do they interact with each other. I sometimes have them both out at the same time and when they do run across each other, there's no recognition that it's another snake, no defensiveness, or anything. But it's rare I do have them out together. Having one out is a handful as it is without having another to deal with lol.

For the most part, I handle them by myself. Of course I never have them out without another person being around. My son, who grew up with snakes, and my boyfriend are always around so if I were to have any issues, I always have somewhere close by to help.

If you have facebook, you're more than welcome to hit me up for a friend's request. You'll find me under Rogue Zorex. I have tons of pics of all my animals there, tons of burm pics from when they were wee worms and growing.

[Aaron_S]

From my experience snakes dont grow forerver they just have a max pontential.

Many captive retics for example are fully grown by 10 years of age whereas in the wild they grow for a longer period due to the fact prey isnt so readily available and they use a lot more energy finding and consuming it.

Overfeeding a snake will never push it past it's genetic limitations but underfeeding can stunt its growth and make it not reach its unltimate pontential.

The burmese in question is very old now and I'd be surpised if he grew any longer at all to be honest. I guess though if he has been underfed for many years then a good few years of constant big feeds might restart any lost growth but if he's really nearly 20 years old then he's probably pretty much done. Though he will no doubt get girthier and that'll make him look bigger anyway.

He's a great looking snake though and you've obviously done a great job with him so who cares how big he is/or will be :)

I should clarify my statement that snakes continue to grow. When I say that I don't mean an inch a month or even an inch ever 2 or 3 months. I'm talking maybe an inch or half an inch over the course of a year. From age 10 - 20 I would believe a snake would possibly reach an additional foot.

The problem is, it's really difficult to get accurate lengths measured as well as I don't know of anyone with animals this age who've had them from 10 - 20 years of their lifetimes.

[lemon]

I should clarify my statement that snakes continue to grow. When I say that I don't mean an inch a month or even an inch ever 2 or 3 months. I'm talking maybe an inch or half an inch over the course of a year. From age 10 - 20 I would believe a snake would possibly reach an additional foot.

The problem is, it's really difficult to get accurate lengths measured as well as I don't know of anyone with animals this age who've had them from 10 - 20 years of their lifetimes.

With wild snakes some growth between the age of 10-20 could be possble but i know with retics in captiity ive never known one to grow past 13 years of age.

[dinosaurdammit]

With wild snakes some growth between the age of 10-20 could be possble but i know with retics in captiity ive never known one to grow past 13 years of age.

there is a guy locally that has had his retic for 23 years and he says she still is growing, and that reptiles have indeterminate growth to an extent. That they never really stop growing but it isnt anything like when they are growing into adult hood.

[lemon]

there is a guy locally that has had his retic for 23 years and he says she still is growing, and that reptiles have indeterminate growth to an extent. That they never really stop growing but it isnt anything like when they are growing into adult hood.

I know a fellow keeper that has had over 70 adult retics and over 200 adult pythons. Of the 15 he has now only a couple are still growing the rest havent grown an inch for years and years. His biggest at nearly 22 foot hasnt grown for the last 4 years, another 20ft+ snake hasnt grown since 2001. They simply do not keep on growing and growing. Though if not fed heavily it will take them longer to reach their max pontential and so could be of an older age and still growing but this isnt the same as growing all their lives. Lets face it if they grew all their lives they would be 25-30 foot snakes in existence but as we all know there hasnt been a genuine snake over 24foot ever proven.

Sadly only about 5% of mainland female retics will genuinely break the 20ft mark.

[Aaron_S]

With wild snakes some growth between the age of 10-20 could be possble but i know with retics in captiity ive never known one to grow past 13 years of age.

Do you proof of intermediate lengths of animals measured on a yearly basis after 13 years of age? If so, how many years was this tried? I'm really curious to have more information for reading.

Sounds like you know a lot of older giants so I'm happy to hear it and sounds like you're the best source for this information in captivity. I'm sincerely interested in the findings.

[lemon]

Do you proof of intermediate lengths of animals measured on a yearly basis after 13 years of age? If so, how many years was this tried? I'm really curious to have more information for reading.

Sounds like you know a lot of older giants so I'm happy to hear it and sounds like you're the best source for this information in captivity. I'm sincerely interested in the findings.

The keeper I know use to run a rescue and has had literally hundreds and hundreds in his care over the years.

He currentley has snakes aged between 7-28 years. The longest one grew all the way up to 13 years of age but unfortunatley hasnt grown an inch since. He has many that have stopped growing at ages 9-11 and even a few that have stopped at age 7. I believe its because each one can only genetically get so big and due to different environmental factors and feeding schedules they have all reached their max at different points of time. Though I do believe a serveley stunted animal could have a 2nd growth spurt but this would have to happen at a youngish age and not at 20 years of age etc. I can also confirm one if his giants stopped growing at age 7 but then started growing again 18 months later. In the wild it would more than likely take longer to grow to its max as food isnt readily available like it is in captivity and they would use a lot more energy throughout the day. Also in the wild snakes die very rarely of old age and therefore probably still are growing up to the day they die. But out of al the hundreds of snakes that he has owned between 2 years and nearly 30 years of age none of them have grown past the age of 13 and even that particular snake was on its own as the majority of the others stopped growing a lot earlier. I've personally never had a snake grown past the age of 10.

[KSTAR]

Great looking burm!!

[Albino Bob]

ONLY 18 feet 10 inches for the record FEMALE burmese............ hmmmmmmm where did you find that info

Very nice, thanks for sharing :D

He looks about 11-12ft at most though, but if hes a male thats still a great size considering the current record is 18ft 10inches and that was an extremely arge female.

How old is he?

[Aaron_S]

The keeper I know use to run a rescue and has had literally hundreds and hundreds in his care over the years.

He currentley has snakes aged between 7-28 years. The longest one grew all the way up to 13 years of age but unfortunatley hasnt grown an inch since. He has many that have stopped growing at ages 9-11 and even a few that have stopped at age 7. I believe its because each one can only genetically get so big and due to different environmental factors and feeding schedules they have all reached their max at different points of time. Though I do believe a serveley stunted animal could have a 2nd growth spurt but this would have to happen at a youngish age and not at 20 years of age etc. I can also confirm one if his giants stopped growing at age 7 but then started growing again 18 months later. In the wild it would more than likely take longer to grow to its max as food isnt readily available like it is in captivity and they would use a lot more energy throughout the day. Also in the wild snakes die very rarely of old age and therefore probably still are growing up to the day they die. But out of al the hundreds of snakes that he has owned between 2 years and nearly 30 years of age none of them have grown past the age of 13 and even that particular snake was on its own as the majority of the others stopped growing a lot earlier. I've personally never had a snake grown past the age of 10.

Well seems like we're both kind of right.

I definitely wish there was a full study on this somewhere or that one would be done. I have taken to measuring my 12+ year old ball pythons to see their size over the next few years. My male albino currently measures in at 54 inches.

I say we both seem kind of right because in your experience they seem to stop growing at quite an older age than most people would say they "max out" at. A lot of people say this number is within 3 or 4 years whereas your experiences show average seems to be 10! Much farther along than a lot of people think. Rather interesting anyway.

[Albino Bob]

And yes you have very very beautiful albino. I will never get over them as long as i live. great pictures!

[lemon]

Well seems like we're both kind of right.

I definitely wish there was a full study on this somewhere or that one would be done. I have taken to measuring my 12+ year old ball pythons to see their size over the next few years. My male albino currently measures in at 54 inches.

I say we both seem kind of right because in your experience they seem to stop growing at quite an older age than most people would say they "max out" at. A lot of people say this number is within 3 or 4 years whereas your experiences show average seems to be 10! Much farther along than a lot of people think. Rather interesting anyway.

I do think most of their growth is in the first 4-6 years but definitley agree their not normally fully grown by then. Well, I've never experienced or known a snake to have stopped growing at this age no matter how well fed.

But I agree is someone that has access to a larger pool of snakes could take the time to do a full investigaton that would be great .

[lemon]

ONLY 18 feet 10 inches for the record FEMALE burmese............ hmmmmmmm where did you find that info


The current record is 'Baby' the burmese at 18ft 10 inches. I don't myself necessarily believe she was the biggest ever but unfortuantely due to her wrongly being believed to be 27ft any pontential large snake will no doubt not have come forward i.e. if you had a 19ft burmese but thought the record was 27ft you wouldnt think yours was that big but in fact your would have been 2 inches bigger than the so called record holder. Most snakes are exaggarated and most burmses dont get over 16 ft etc. Most retics struggle to get over 18ft 10 inches so it would take a very rare burmese to genuinley beat 'Baby's' real lenght of 18ft 10 inches. 'Baby' the burmese ws also quoted as over 400lbs yet she only had a 27 inch girth. Any giant snake owner can tell you a 400lbs snakes at 18ft 10 inches would have a girth waayyyyyy beyond 27 inches. MY 18ft 7 inch retic has a 22 inch girth and is no where near 200lbs never mind 400lbs.