New Burmese Python Owner Seeks Advice... - Page 2

Kmef07 · 01-27-09, 11:25 AM

yes but a baby will have problems faster than an adult will. and i know for a fact that red tail boas as adults can handle really rough conditions becuase my friend gave one to his friend and his friend put it in a pillowcase and shoved it in his closet for about 3 months. when my friend found out he took it back but it proves that adults can handle it better than babies. and yes you are right my brb as an adult will need the correct humidity just as a baby would but im speaking very loosely. some snakes are much more delicate than others and the way i said it grouped them all together and that was wrong, and yes my brb is not the hardiest of snakes no matter the age, but i was just trying to say that older snakes can handle a variation for a longer time than a baby can. is it right to vary the temp NO, but it is not the end of the world in an emergency. so yes i was wrong with the way i worded it and im sorry for that.

Kmef07 · 01-27-09, 11:26 AM

I was just trying to show something positive to her with her snake than just all negative

**Aaron_S** · 01-27-09, 12:06 PM

You're still saying things I don't like. An emergency is one thing but we're talking about a constant basis.

A baby boa won't last 3 months in a pillowcase inside a closet due to the fact it doesn't have the fat stores that an adult would have. It doesn't mean that they can grow to be more tolerant.

What I mean by a hardy snake is that if you make a mistake with humidity or temps that the snake will overcome it. That they also eat easily and will eat most anything given to them. This is not the case with all snakes. Your brazillian rainbow is pretty hardy for a species aslong as the extra humidity is met.

Kmef07 · 01-27-09, 12:12 PM

yes i agree 100% and i just worded wat i said in the first post wrong but i agree with you. i agree that by hardy that the snake will be more apt to overcome it but i agree too that it is not good for the snake to be kept at in different conditions than it is supposed to be.

Smilts · 01-27-09, 12:39 PM

Not to cut in but showing a positive side may not be of help she needs to understand just how bad things are. She doesnt need this animal, there are lots of really nice starter snakes that are starter'sor a reason and they still need PRERESEARCH.
Her friend doesnt sound like he need these animals either for that matter. I hope she is willing to ignore everything he has told her and change her care completely around. feeding cooked chicken doesnt change the fact that some one killed then butchered the chicken by the way. At least if its whole it wasnt butchered.

Kmef07 · 01-27-09, 12:52 PM

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She doesnt need this animal, there are lots of really nice starter snakes that are starter'sor a reason and they still need PRERESEARCH.

I agree!!!

Chu'Wuti · 01-27-09, 01:18 PM

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Cooked chicken doesn't have what it needs to give your animal the right nutrients.

Absolutely on target; Aaron_S KNOWS what he's talking about! A snake NEEDS WHOLE PREY and NOT cooked. You won't notice the snake is becoming ill right away, but gradually its health will get worse and worse. Its bones will become increasingly fragile as well, to the point that they won't be able to bear the snake's own weight.

My stepson tried to feed a cat a vegetarian diet a couple of years ago because he's vegan. The cat finally died.

You cannot make carnivores into vegetarians; you cannot make a snake not need what it needs nutritionally, and you shouldn't even try.

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I think id rather go with majority rules for safety.

Only for you? or for the snake as well? If you care about the snake, PLEASE listen to what we are telling you.

I'm sure you're feeling attacked at this point, and I'm sorry, but this is really important. I'm usually pretty laid-back about stuff and want people to listen rather than get defensive, so I try not to attack people. But this situation even has me upset.

If you truly cannot stand the thought of feeding this snake what it needs because the prey "has a face," then please ask yourself, "Is this the right pet for me? If I cannot stand to meet its needs, is this the right pet for me?"

citysnakes · 01-27-09, 01:48 PM

Sane, if you care about this animal you wont listen to anything that has been said in this thread.

i dont own a snake that large as im sure nobody else who posted in this thread does but all i can agree with is getting this snake to feed on whole prey animals and to never to handle it alone.

i would recommend talking to a reputable large snake breeder for care and husbandry advice. if youre interested let me know and i can get you a contact.

other than that start reading up on that bad boy.

Chu'Wuti · 01-27-09, 01:54 PM

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you wont listen to anything that has been said

Anything, Julian? I'm feeling a sarcastic response coming on, but I'll try to restrain myself. Anyway, right after you said that, you contradicted yourself.

Do you really think this person should be trying to start her snake-keeping life with a Burmese Python that she knows almost nothing about?

You're correct that at least I do not have any snakes that large, and I won't ever, because I know I could not handle them safely and am not equipped to take proper care of them. Whatever I get, I want to be sure I can care for it properly and handle it.

I'm beginning to understand Aaron & Mykee better . . .

Kmef07 · 01-27-09, 02:01 PM

wow this thread has turned really hostile. lol

If she wants to keep the snake it's better to tell her how to care for it than argue against her having it. Ya it will be tough as hell but if she really wants to keep this snake we should try and help her to achieve that. But yes first step is to feed whole prey. If you don't like the fact it has a face then just cut the head off. lol. But in all seriousness you need to feed whole prey. Chu'Wuti is right on in that aspect.

Smilts · 01-27-09, 02:12 PM

I posted a link to what looked to be a good caresheet for them

**Aaron_S** · 01-27-09, 03:53 PM

I will mention one thing in regards to snakes eating chicken. I have seen with my own eyes, a burmese python and two carpet pythons eating thawed chicken thighs that you buy at the grocery store. I only saw it once and I didn't know the history on the animals. I also don't know where they've gone too now but I don't think they would have lived very long had they been kept on that diet.

That being said. Julien, I have kept burmese pythons before. I haven't kept them for years or anything but I have kept a couple from hatchling to about the same size as Sane's. (I rescued one and the other came from someone who couldn't house it) I don't think there's anything in this thread that someone who PROPERLY keeps large boids wouldn't say. A lot of advice I got from mine came from the Bob Clark forums, where the large pythons are kings! Try posting this thread over there and see what response is given.

Smilts · 01-27-09, 04:03 PM

We recently had a Florida based traveling zoo come through our little town. They had a 8 year old 7 foot burmese that they fed thawed chicken thighs. I asked the rather rude picture taking keeper about it and was told that if I knew anything about large snakes I would know that diet was just fine.

PS i hate the chemicals put into fowl period for anything us included

**Aaron_S** · 01-27-09, 04:11 PM

I just don't see it as a means of a longevity thing. 8 years at 7 feet eh? Doesn't sound like it's fine. Maybe we don't know how long it's been on the diet for either. I really dislike the chemicals that are placed into chickens for humans going inside my snakes.

Chu'Wuti · 01-27-09, 04:23 PM

Kmef, thanks for pointing that out.

I apologize; I should have used more smilies and I should have worded things better, as I definitely didn't want to come across as hostile, and especially not to Julian, whom I quite like, though he may not like me so well at this point. Julian, I'm sorry! Truly, I'm not feeling hostile at all. Frustrated, definitely. Like everyone else here, I want that snake--all snakes--to be treated properly. I taught my sons and firmly believe that when we take any animal into our home, we are taking responsibility for that animal's life and well-being. If we aren't willing to provide what it needs for a quality life and well-being, then we should not get it. My personal opinion, of course.

One question we've never asked Sane--Are you feeding your python whole pieces of chicken or whole chicken? That is, is your burmese getting bones and skin as well as chicken? and, Why do you feel the need to cook the meat?

BTW, Aaron, those chemicals given to chickens in chicken farms nowadays aren't any good for humans, either. The reason they are given so many chemicals is to keep them alive in horrible conditions. You might find "The Omnivore's Dilemma" an interesting read; my 19-yo son persuaded me to read it recently, and it makes me want to find other sources of my meats than the local grocery store. Sorry, Sane--I'm sure you think I should go vegetarian. My son and stepson are both vegetarian. However, I'm allergic to legumes, and my dr. has told me to cut down on cheese & dairy, so becoming a vegetarian would be pretty complicated for me.

and Aaron's right--a burm that's only 7 feet long at 8 years hasn't been growing properly. Sounds to me like the traveling zoo "snake keeper" was rude because he didn't want you asking uncomfortable questions, Coy.