New snake, maybe

SnakeKid88 · 02-24-03, 08:34 PM

I have had my 2 ball pythons for over a year now and my parents said that I can get another snake. The pet store near me has a cute little albino green burmese python. The problem is that he bites. How hard would it be for me to tame him? They are worried about the biting.

BurmBaroness · 02-24-03, 08:44 PM

Ball pythons are great, and I'm not sure about your age, but if 88 is your birth year, and you have only had BP's, I would suggest you leave the green burmese right where it is. I don't know what you know about burms, but they are VERY expensive to feed and house, especially as they get older. And once over 6 ft, especially if you are a teenager, should not be handled alone. They can grow to be 8 ft in the first yr and a half. Their life expectancy is 20+yrs, and can top out at 18-23ft, and weigh anywhere from 250lbs+. Are your parents aware that you are looking at a snake with this size potential?? I doubt it. Are they prepared to help you handle this snake? Are they prepared to take care of it when you are out of HS, when you go to college, or maybe the military? Can't have pets in college dorms, and hard to find an off-campus apt. that will let you have a 12ft+ snake, also. Now for the morphs.............Burms in general have a hard time with RI's. It takes a long time to get over then, and once they have one, the chances for recurrence multiply. RI(Respiratory infections) can be expensive to treat, as well as hard on the snake. The morphs for some reason seem to be more prone to RI's than normal phase burms. They are LARGE boids, that require LOTS of food, time, space, etc. You do not have enough experience to own a large burm. there are too many burms in rescues now because inexperienced people buy them, then when they get too big, or the parents realize that Johnny's snake got way bigger than he told them it would, the burm gets dumped out, put down, or turned over to a rescue. Please don't add to this problem. Wait a few yrs, get yourself established in life and get yourself alot more experience, and then think about a burm again. Don't just jump the gun cause it's cute, or pretty.

Burm_Crazy · 02-24-03, 09:43 PM

In my opinion, you have your hands full with the two ball pythons at this time. I woiuld advise not geting another snake of any type, especially a Burmese python

Matt · 02-24-03, 10:10 PM

i agree....maybe a burm isnt the best chioce for your next snake.
Maybe something smaller and more manageable would be better?

Anyways, good luck with your choice!

**Aaron_S** · 02-24-03, 11:37 PM

If you like the large constrictors I would go with a BCI ( boa constrictor imperator) also known as the common boa or colombian boa. A female will get about 7 or 8 feet and it is possible for it to get bigger. A male will get 6 or 7 feet. They are quite tame even as babies from my experience.

Burmbaroness,You say Snakekid88 doesn't have enough experience to own a burm? I am a teen myself and own one aswell. I only had ball pythons before i got mine and I did my research just like Snakekid is doing and my burm is doing just fine. Do you think I am not experienced to own this snake?

I do not remember who said it here on the forum or was it in chat?Anyhoo they had said that you can only gain experience by actually owning the species and to me this is true but I also believe they had said that you should do your research and what not before you buy the snake aswell.

**Aaron_S** · 02-24-03, 11:41 PM

Forgot to add that I do agree with you that Snakekid should make sure her parents know how big the burm gets and how much it is to feed them and house them.I suggested the boa since they stay smaller and can be housed easier.

BurmBaroness · 02-25-03, 07:04 AM

I am not attacking teens specifically, but you should wait to own a large boid until you have established yourself in life. Too many kids(teens) Will buy a burm, hten when it gets to a certain size, the parents freak and demand that the snake goes. Or, they go to High School, meet a girl, go to college, the military, etc. There are too many life changes at that age to make a lifelong commitment to an animal that requires so much money, time, and work. Lots of these animals end up in rescue. Again, this is not a personal slam on you, just my opinion. I wish you luck and hope your snake never sees a rescue or an untimely death

ballpython5000 · 02-25-03, 07:23 AM

i think teens can definitly handle burms, but it totally depends on size. a little 5'5" kid should not own a burm. that thing could easily take him with no problem. if your big and strong and know you can handle it, i dont see why not.
but 14 is pretty young for a burm......heck im still trying to figure out if im ready. i wonder......if i go to school to be a herpetoligist if they allow reptiles. thats pretty confusing huh? well anyway have you done your research yet? and if it bites.....thats even worse. well thats just my opinion.

stormyva · 02-25-03, 07:41 AM

I agree with Burmbaroness.... a teen should not have a Burm. Most teens dont know what they are going to be doing a week down the road, much less a year or five years down the road. Experience aside a person that is going to commit to keeping a large boid of any type needs to have a stable living and financial arrangement!

BurmBaroness · 02-25-03, 08:33 AM

No one can "handle" a burm that is in a bad mood. Not if you're 8ft tall and the strongest man alive. If a 10 or 12 ft burm, or even an 8ft one, decides to rough you up a bit, you are in serious trouble. And no offense, but there are grown men who could not get a 10ft burm off them when it decided not to play nice. Wisdom comes with age, and experience. Yes, I own burms, yes, I know they can be dangerous animals, and even though I am careful, and don't handle them when no one is around to help, even with help, if my snakes for whatever reason decided to put the squeeze on me, I would be in trouble. It's easy when you are a kid to think you can hadnle a burm............the size of this animal is way bigger than your wildest imagination, and the strength is most impressive. Not to mention the fact that you are young, you don't know where you'll be in 2 yrs, or what your situation will be. I know that's true for everyone, but it's especially true when you are younger and just getting started. Again, I am not slamming teen herpers, I know some who are GREAT herpers, but they are not necessarily ready for a giant boid.

BWSmith · 02-25-03, 08:44 AM

Quote:

a little 5'5" kid should not own a burm

He he. I am 25 and only 5'6"

I know that i cannot handle large constrictors by meself every time. I have had several occasions where one or two people had to jump in and give me a hand with an angry Rock or Conda. I always make sure that there is at LEAST one other person around that has experience.

Quote:

they had said that you can only gain experience by actually owning the species

This is a half truth. The ONLY way to get the fulle xperience you need is to own something. But experience in handling can be gained with other people's animals, etc. This is an excellent way to gain practical experience in handling, restraining, medicating, etc. No need to reinvent the wheel. Learn the tried and true methods.

Personally, I wish that Burms were MUCH more expensive snakes simply to weed out many "first timers" who are not ready.

XxRachxX · 02-25-03, 04:50 PM

"a little 5'5" kid should not own a burm"
hey!what do you have against small people!! lol
but i have to admit bieng small myself, handling large snakes is a little intimidating! or im just a bit of a wimp!

i probably wont ever have a burm, even if i love them! ill just have to wait until i have a nice LARGE snake loving man living with me

sorry for the above sentence im having a girly day today

:zi:

The_Snake_King · 02-25-03, 05:05 PM

Look folks, the point everyone is trying to make is Burms and even some Boas get BIG, fast. It is not easy to handle a snake over, let's say 7 feet, by oneself. There are numberous new reports about snakes killing their owners. One was in my area just last year. A 12 foot burm killed its owner by constricing him. This guy was over 6' tall and weighed in over 250 lbs. Not a small man!

I think it is irresponsible for anyone under 18 to get a snake that will outgrow him/her with in two years. It is also irresponsible for the parents of these "kids" to allow them to get one. Most parents have no idea how big they get and how fast they can get that big.

So for everyone wanting to get a Burmese Python, please think along a smaller scale and go with a Ball Python or a Blood Python. Heck even a Children's Python would be good. AS for Boas, try a Rosy or Rubber Boa.

RachelS. · 02-25-03, 05:22 PM

Ballpython5000:
I don't want to attack you on this subject or anything. But I am 14 myself and 5'2", and on top of that I'm a girl. I have a 6 1/2 foot female burmese python. She is well taken care of and healthy as a burm gets. I don't over feed or under feed her in any way. She gets the best possible care... even better than a lot of burms I've seen, myself.
Who cares about age? What matter does that have? I go with experience and maturity. And before anyone starts saying I shouldn't keep a burm, they should know all the facts about me first. Like how I have 3 older brothers that can help me lift her when she gets huge (they are 15, 22, and 24 and each well over 165 lbs and over 5'11", plus they all work out). It just goes to show that I thought about all the exceptions, and thought into the future before getting this snake. I also know about college and where I'm living, and how I'll be able to take care of all my reptiles. Like I said, it all depends on experience and maturity.
Thanks for reading.

ReptiZone · 02-25-03, 06:19 PM

these are all gerat posts but I need to side with the snakekid88 because i too wanted a burm at that age quickly ralised not to but I was always had a facination with larg boids.

I new I neede experiance with snakes in general but where to start.

I got a rat snake it died then I got my money back and got a free ball python then a few years later a boa after that THINKING I was seteld down I got my first burm it was great I had my drem snake and I was on top of the world.

6monts later I was given a job offer to go work in a reptile zoo in order to that I needed to sell all my animals and I dont know where my burm is today and it haunts me to this day just gos to show that life is never solid enuf until you are in your own house or aprt. with the land lords permision.

so the next best snake to get your experiance pionts up would be a boa it can reach 10 feet and buy the time it dose you will be abel to see how life treated you and you will know just how strong a 10 foot snake realy is and you will know that a burm can ad will doubel that size.

As far as are you big enuf to handel it no one is these things take down jags and impla as adults and still have energy to go the distence to find a good hiding place to digest. so all newbies should get that thaught out of there head. the truth hurts but it is the harsh truth.

take care and have fun

chondro python