New, and have some questions

[Rham_Es-Hestos]

Glad we’re good now. I’m easy to get along with as well and for the most part, really laid back about everything. I guarantee I have an apathy problem or something.


I still haven’t heard any stories from anyone. I’m interested in hearing about other people’s personal experiences with constrictors. I know a guy from back where I lived in CO who was moving out and in the process of packing, dropped a box. His albino burm wrapped around his torso twice and his neck once. He was fine when he got a friend to help pull it off. Anyone ever had a full body wrap?

[Good 'N Plenty]

Side note, are these stories intended as learning experiences or just for shock value and giggles?

If you have questions about getting out of being wrapped/struck there are plenty of people who can answer here.
If you have questions about what could make a snake strie/wrap there are plenty of people who can answer here.

If you want to hear every possible way/time that someone has been wrapped, then the interest is most likely in hearing stories and keeping the thread going. Few people here will have wrap stories and many will have bite stories stemming mostly from 1 of 2 or 3 triggers:

Most likely:
1) Snake had just eaten or was in shed and was on edge and a sudden movement towards it threatened it
2) Hands smelled like food

[Rham_Es-Hestos]

Basically just asking out of curiosity. Otherwise, it would be good for learning.

[Will0W783]

Well I have a wrap story and a bite/strike story. I have a young adult male Macklot's python (Liasis macklotti). He's a gorgeous and impressive animal, I'd say around 5 feet and about as thick as the tube from a roll of paper towels. He's not a very aggressive animal, but he is an opportunistic biter. The day after I got him my fiance brought him out and brought him downstairs on his arm. I warned him that I didn't know the snake's temperament yet and I wouldn't hold him without gloves. Well, John was going on about how calm Cipher (the snake) was and how neat he was and then he said "Oh, he's getting really tight- did he do that to you yesterday?" I said no he hadn't but I'd had gloves on. John tried to loosen his coils up a bit and Cipher wrapped his head around John's wrist and slowly engulfed three of his fingers and bit down, while wrapping his hand/wrist. John said "Ow, ok that is starting to hurt, oh S**t he's biting me!" and grabbed Cipher behind the jaws to pry him off. Once Cipher was off he started striking wildly at everything, including his own tail and it took us a good four or five minutes to get him back into his cage, during which time John got two more bites (still didn't put gloves on).
Cipher is mostly calm with me, but the one time I held him with a t-shirt and the gauntlet gloves on, so I had a strip of skin exposed at my elbow. He was calmly slithering around my arms, and suddenly bumped his face on the inside of my elbow. He pulled back, looked up at my face, tensed and quickly struck the inside of my elbow. It was a strike/release, but I grabbed his neck and put him back in the cage. Again, he went nuts, striking repeatedly at me and bit his own rear end. Another few minutes to get him into the cage and off of me...lol.
I've also had a number of feeding responses from my blood pythons and once from my BP when I had been playing with a guinea pig and forgot to wash my hands. The BP bite was the worst, because he's big and clamped down HARD. The others were mostly annoying, but not really painful. Cipher's bite didn't really hurt at all, it just startled me.

[Will0W783]

Here's Cipher and the bite he gave me. You can see almost a perfect mouth outline on my arm.

[Rham_Es-Hestos]

Heh, any idea why Cipher did that at all? Perhaps it was just not used to being handled by your fiance. You say Cypher actually tried to eat his fingers? Thats kinda amusing actually.
I can't see any reason why the other would bite your elbow, just startled I guess.

[Will0W783]

I think Cipher has not been handled a lot in his earlier days, and doesn't realize that warm skin is not food. He must have been hungry when my fiance held him and once he bit it activated the feeding response. As for my elbow, Cipher probably was agitated, and again, once he bit he got into feeding mode. I only handle him with a sweatshirt and gauntlet gloves on now. It is my hope that he will tame down with time, but he may never be a free-handleable snake. He is a handsome devil though, isn't he?
Remember, Cipher is only about 5 feet long and about 4 inches in diameter, and he can do quite a bit of damage if he wants to. God forbid he got near my face, I'd be really jacked up.

[Rham_Es-Hestos]

Ahh, I see. sweatshirt and gloves sounds like a good idea.
I really like the pattern, it looks like the camoflage they use over in Iraq almost.

I saw a picture of a snake in the process of biting a man's face, looks like it hurts a lot.

[BP_okay]

Okay, so after 30 minutes of reading this thread, I am very uneasy about this whole situation...please don't take anything I say personally. I am just as easygoing as Willow.

Please don't get this snake as your first pet snake. I am probably about the size of your girl/fiance', and I would never want that size snake in my house. I really think burms are amazing and beatiful, but I seriously don't think it should be a first snake. I have a sand boa and corn. When my corn is hungry, he follows me around the room and flicks his tounge at me like i am a giant mouse. If a corn has that behavior, can you imagine that situation with a 15ft. burm. I believe it was Kim, who suggested a RTB, which a perfect snake for someone wanting something larger, and have great temperaments. I would go w/ a female, since she'll be larger for you. Their husbandry is relatively easy, and you won't have to spend nearly as much on setup/food. I had alot to learn when I got started in this hobby, and my snakes were easy when I got started the folks on this forum were so so helpful. I would follow their advice - they seriously know what they are talking about. Especially Aaron S, although I am sure you are not too fond of him. He really knows what's going on and has been very helpful to me in the past.
I know it sounds exciting to have a Burm, but it's really better to work your way up.

I know you will do what you want in the end, but the only way you will be able to get rid of a gigantic burm is a reptile rescue, or a kind, experienced person willing to take on the time and expense required to keep one.

Good Luck
Traci

[Rham_Es-Hestos]

Thanks for the advice Traci. I have said it a few times here, I'm not as dead-set on buying a burm anymore as I was. I would still really like one, but I see your point in saying that I should start with something smaller. In all honesty, I am considering what you all have said and there is definitly a possibillity of me buying something smaller first. I do plan to stick around here for a while to ask questions and get advice. You all have been the most helpful so far, thanks for that.

I'm not really mad at Aaron, it is annoying though when you go to ask some questions and get slammed for them. I'm not going to hold a grudge on him or anything, I'm sure he can provide me with useful information in the future if he wants. I'm willing to respect others as long as they respect me.

By the way, I found on sunday that my girlfriend is actually 4'11". I had to actually ask her how tall she was after we went out shopping and she bought three pairs of size 0,0 jeans. (That prospect of 0,0 really confuses me. In my opinion, anything that is size 0, should not exist. Am I right?) Anyway, I'm horrible at guessing hights as you may be able to tell now. She is indeed a LOT shorter than me, I knew that, but never put togther the fact that if I am 6'2", and I said she was 5'5", that would mean there was only a 9" difference. I'm definitly more than 9" taller than her.



--Rham

[Will0W783]

Lol. Wow, she is pretty short. I'm very glad you are thinking about everyone's advice on starting smaller. No sense having something that can easily kill you if you aren't sure you're capable of handling any situation that might develop.