Kansas python keeper

Overkill · 01-03-18, 11:51 AM

Hey everyone. I've been keeping snakes for about 2 years now. I jumped in with both feet and haven't looked back. My girlfriend and I have 4 ball pythons, 2 blood pythons, a carpet python, a salmon boa, and recently got 2 Burmese pythons. (One juvenile normal, and one young adult albino. I hope to learn even more here! Mostly about our Burmese as I didn't immediately find a burm specific forum. I've built a custom display enclosure for all our snakes except the big burm who has a separate enclosure. (The main enclosure has them all in individual sections, not cohabitating.) Soon I plan to rebuild both enclosures a bit bigger and better now that I've learned a few minor design flaws with my first ones.

StevenL · 01-03-18, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Overkill

Hey everyone. I've been keeping snakes for about 2 years now. I jumped in with both feet and haven't looked back. My girlfriend and I have 4 ball pythons, 2 blood pythons, a carpet python, a salmon boa, and recently got 2 Burmese pythons. (One juvenile normal, and one young adult albino. I hope to learn even more here! Mostly about our Burmese as I didn't immediately find a burm specific forum. I've built a custom display enclosure for all our snakes except the big burm who has a separate enclosure. (The main enclosure has them all in individual sections, not cohabitating.) Soon I plan to rebuild both enclosures a bit bigger and better now that I've learned a few minor design flaws with my first ones.

Hello from a fellow Kansan. Sounds like you and your girlfriend are getting a house full of wonderful pets.

I've had snakes for many years including BP's, Boa's, Brazillian Rainbow Boa, and Burms. My first big snake was a boa in 1980. In 1985 I got my first Burm. Had it for several years and it died and what was concluded by vets was IBD. Stayed out of the Burm side of the hobby until last month and couldn't resist a Granite Burm baby at a reptile show.

There isn't nearly the attention given to other snakes that is given to BP's on forums. I guess the attention is all wrapped around what new color that was created this week. The limited info out there on Burms is useful and is great for education on such a wonderful snake. Things I have found that works today just like it did over 30 years ago on Burms is hook training, interaction in some form each day, don't feed them to grow to be a monster next week, and learn to enjoy their huff and puff (hiss) that is quite common. Handle them with confidence and care and you will earn your Burms trust easily and rapidly. Are there crazy Burms out there? Sure there is but even working with them they to can be calmed down to trust you.

Sounds like you are a builder. Wish I was, I'm a buyer. LOL

Overkill · 01-03-18, 07:45 PM

Thanks for the tip. The 2nd time I went to get our big burm out of his cage, he hissed with a mildly aggressive stance. Since then I've been using the hook to let him know he's about to come out. Not sure if he's just gotten used to me, to regular handling, or previously hook trained, but not even a hiss since I started that. The small one struck the first few times we got her out, but I think it was mostly stress from moving and a new enclosure. Now she will usually hiss and maybe look a little aggressive, but calms down once you pick her up. She seems more tame every time.

As for the Enclosure, I can't afford to buy a nice one for all our snakes, so I had to build it. Lol. I've got over $1000 in just the materials. The new build plan will be around $1500 for the big one, all new supplies, and $500 for the burm cages, reusing supplies from the current big one. Plexiglass and heat tape is the biggest expense. I'd rather just sell my old big one and use that money for new materials, but it's not professional quality and a very small market for such a big enclosure, so not many people could justify buying it. Lol.

StevenL · 01-04-18, 07:58 AM

Yeah those little ones can put up a defense and rightfully so. Heck I would too. Sounds like your big one has adjusted nicely or like you said was hook trained in the past.

Sounds like you have your work ahead of you building. At least with you building it you are getting what you want from the get go. That's always a huge advantage. I get a kick out of the questions you will routinely see asking "What cage should I buy...so and so cage vs so and so cage. There are plusses and minuses to all cages out there for purchase. In your case, you are removing the minuses to fit your needs and your snakes needs.

I've never viewed any snakes posture when I remove them from their cage as "aggressive" or I guess the more popular term "cage aggressive". I view it from the snakes view point and that is "where is my dinner". Go to any restaurant with a buffet and you can see some humans acting "cage aggressive" themselves. I've learned to accept and deal with that just like I have accepted my snakes desire for the last piece of chicken.

Take care my friend and good luck with your builds.