New python owner saying hello

[millertime89]

btw, adorable face on your girl.

[ZARADOZIA]

Hyas & Welcome!

[Will0W783]

Btw, your Burm is adorable! They have such cute faces.

[EasternGirl]

Originally Posted by Will0W783

Welcome to the forums. I don't want to be a negative-Nancy; Burms are one of my favorite python species, but a giant constrictor is not a good first reptile.

I hope you have taken the time to properly research Burmese pythons, and understand....REALLY understand...the HUGE amount of responsibility you have just taken onto your shoulders. If you know what you are doing, and are responsible and prepared, you will have a very nice pet; however, I do have a few points I would feel I was doing my part if I did not make:

*Burms are generally very docile, but a bite from a large Burm will likely result in the need for stitches, or at least a very painful healing process. I was tagged a glancing blow by a 10-foot retic that I was not watching carefully enough- completely my fault- and I needed 9 stitches in my finger. A good six months later and the finger still does not have full range of motion and is incredibly painful on cold mornings.

Your choice of female gender means that you are going to end up with one very very large snake. Female Burmese pythons can hit 16+ feet and weigh 200+ pounds. At any size larger than what she is now, you CANNOT handle her without another person in the room nearby, prepared to jump in should the unthinkable happen. DO you live with other people who are willing and able to spot you when you handle your snake? Do they fully understand the size this snake will reach?

* Housing. A full-grown Burmese python requires a cage that is AT LEAST 10 feet long x 2-3 feet wide. A very large female will require a space the size of a walk-in closet. Can you provide such space, with proper heating and water and substrate?

*Food. A large Burmese python can eat several rabbits in one sitting. My big male (14-feet) is eating a 10-pound rabbit every 3-4 weeks. A rabbit can cost you anywhere from $5-30 depending on your supplier. DO you have the funds to supply this food--- every time the snake needs to be fed---for upwards of 20 years??

Again, I don't want to come off as overly harsh or off-putting...ask my friends here...that is not my intention. I want you to succeed and become a reptile owner success story with a happy ending. I have, unfortunately, seen the aftermath of Burms whose owners bit off more than they could chew, or didn't understand the needs of the species. Both of my Burms are rescue snakes- the smaller male came from a couple who was trying to feed him live chickens and geese. He was covered in scars, ridden with mites and way too small for his age.
The other snake, my sweet big boy Trogdor, was being kept in a plastic underbed bin by a kid trying to hide him from his parents. Trogdor lasted a week in that house before being discovered and offered to me. He is by far the sweetest, most personable snake I have ever owned, and I love that snake like a cat or dog. I've just seen so many Burms abandoned, sold, traded....or worse...because the owner decided the snake got too large or too heavy or too expensive. I have to make sure this won't be the case with you and your snake.


Anyway, we love pictures here, so I'd love to see some photos of your new girl, and I wish you the best of luck with her. If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to PM me or ask them on a thread...I'll help you out as much as I can.

I have garters and don't know a lot about bigger snakes...but that was very interesting and informative. Thank you for that...more people should be aware of this. I see so many young kids going into my local pet store looking at the big snakes...you can tell they want a big snake because it's "impressive" and "cool" to have one. They have no idea what is involved in caring for a snake.

Btw...I'm not implying this is the case with the new python owner here on this thread. I'm speaking about a problem I have noticed with people buying snakes in general .

[alessia55]

Aww she has such a cute face!

[exwizard]

Welcome to the forums and a very pretty Burm you have. One of these days I would love to have one especially since I have the permit required in Des Moines but its not going to happen until I get the caging necessary if it happens at all.

[bigsnakegirl785]

That's my main worry about getting a retic, I will only get one if plan on living with someone long-term. I am not in any way going to be able to handle full grown one. If I do not plan on living with anyone, I will instead get a SD. Which is why I'm going to wait a couple of years. One, because you need a permit in NC and I'm only 17 right now, two I want to properly plan for and test my ideas before getting one, and three I want to make sure there will always be someone there to help me when it gets older. And, if possible, find an owner of one of these beautiful animals and get some hands-on experience with one.
I was originally wanting a Burm, but I got fascinated with retic for it's beautiful colors and more active personality. I don't normally like active snakes, but retics are just too cool. I hope you enjoy your Burm for a long, long time.

[millertime89]

Originally Posted by exwizard

Welcome to the forums and a very pretty Burm you have. One of these days I would love to have one especially since I have the permit required in Des Moines but its not going to happen until I get the caging necessary if it happens at all.

dwarf burm, stays nice and small, ish. But they're pretty pricey and the only person I know with them is Bob Clark.

[Kayla90]

Mmm, I love retics, they are absolutely gorgeous, but I know I alone wouldn't be able to have one (even if I did have a person to help me) (Yet...) That's why I like Steph's cause I get to watch them grow big, and feel how big and strong they are first hand. The more I learn about them the more I respect them. They are truly some amazing animals!

[stephanbakir]

Originally Posted by millertime89

dwarf burm, stays nice and small, ish. But they're pretty pricey and the only person I know with them is Bob Clark.

He is the only one selling true dwarves... so far.
That being said they are about 700 ea or 1250 a pair, and sell out FAST give it 1-2 years and people will be breeding their own for cheaper.

[kidfixer]

Originally Posted by Will0W783

Welcome to the forums. I don't want to be a negative-Nancy; Burms are one of my favorite python species, but a giant constrictor is not a good first reptile.

You're right. But don't worry, I did my homework and she'll be well cared for as she's my only pet. Granted, we do have 3 bulldogs, 3 cats, a moluccan cockatoo and two horses...but those are my wife's. And I hate the cockatoo, so we may have at least ONE meal planned already.

Originally Posted by Will0W783

Your choice of female gender means that you are going to end up with one very very large snake. Female Burmese pythons can hit 16+ feet and weigh 200+ pounds. At any size larger than what she is now, you CANNOT handle her without another person in the room nearby, prepared to jump in should the unthinkable happen.

Well, I live with my wife, and I know if anything goes wrong she will come running...WITH THE VIDEO CAMERA! Hopefully she'll take my snake with her once she cashed the insurance check and retires to the Cayman Islands!!

Originally Posted by Will0W783

* Housing. A full-grown Burmese python requires a cage that is AT LEAST 10 feet long x 2-3 feet wide. A very large female will require a space the size of a walk-in closet. Can you provide such space, with proper heating and water and substrate?

Sure. Hey, I figure if I can drop $10K on a fence to keep my neighbor's little fat-a$$ kid from drowning in my pool, I can spend a few bucks on a nice enclosure for this gorgeous girl.

Originally Posted by Will0W783

*Food. A large Burmese python can eat several rabbits in one sitting. My big male (14-feet) is eating a 10-pound rabbit every 3-4 weeks. A rabbit can cost you anywhere from $5-30 depending on your supplier. DO you have the funds to supply this food--- every time the snake needs to be fed---for upwards of 20 years??

One more mouth to feed ain't gonna break us at this point. Now my daughter's tuition at UT...that might!!

Originally Posted by Will0W783

Again, I don't want to come off as overly harsh or off-putting...ask my friends here...that is not my intention. I want you to succeed and become a reptile owner success story with a happy ending. I have, unfortunately, seen the aftermath of Burms whose owners bit off more than they could chew, or didn't understand the needs of the species. Both of my Burms are rescue snakes- the smaller male came from a couple who was trying to feed him live chickens and geese. He was covered in scars, ridden with mites and way too small for his age.

The other snake, my sweet big boy Trogdor, was being kept in a plastic underbed bin by a kid trying to hide him from his parents. <snip>

THAT IS ABSOLUTELY SHAMEFUL. Never gonna happen here. Seriously, this snake is gonna be spoiled rotten. All of our pets are.

Originally Posted by Will0W783

Anyway, we love pictures here, so I'd love to see some photos of your new girl, <snip>

Here ya go...

[alessia55]

She is sooo cute and that last pic is quite funny!!

[Will0W783]

She's a beautiful Burm for sure, and it sounds like you thought it out before getting her. I wish you the best of luck with her, and that you enjoy her for many many years to come.
If you end up having any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to ask. Stephanbakir is also really knowledgable and skilled with the giants, and Jenn_06 has experience as well. Welcome and I hope to see lots more pictures as your girl grows up!

[exwizard]

Originally Posted by millertime89

dwarf burm, stays nice and small, ish. But they're pretty pricey and the only person I know with them is Bob Clark.

My price limit is $200 for any one snake and right now, I am happy with the size of our collection.