NEED help with new burm

blue6 · 03-11-05, 09:15 AM

Hey I have a Red tail boa and a ball python and they are both really nice snakes they have never tried to bite me or have never hissed. Just a few days ago I got an albino burmese python for my birthday. He is about 2 and a half feet long and maybe 5 months old. I got him from the same pet store I got my ball python from and my ball python is the nicest snake I have ever seen, but the burm that I just got seems to be pretty aggressive. I was holding him in the store and he just seemed a lil scared so I thought no big deal. But when I got him home I waited a day for him to chill out and then the next day when I went to pick him up he started hissing. I slowly got him out of his cage and he was doing ok but still seemed really nervous. About 10 minutes into holding him I moved my hand and he lashed out and bit my chest. ( I didn’t have a shirt on so he drew some blood) I was going to put him back into his cage and he bit me again but on the hand.
So I was wondering what I should do. I don’t know if I should take him back to the store to see if I can exchange him for one that is more nice because I do not want a snake that is going to be 10+ feet and bitting and aggressive. help

HeatherRose · 03-11-05, 09:19 AM

Since you just brought him home recently, you should probably give him a few weeks to chill out and get used to his new home. It's recommended to not handle most snakes in a new environment until they've eaten 3-4 meals successfully. You might find that once he's used to his new surroundings he'll calm down a bit. Other than that, frequent handling and maybe a double-check of your husbandry would be the next best ways to 'tame' him down. I would definitley start with letting him be for a few weeks to acclimate first though.

Remember that he's frightened and stressed and probably thinks you're going to eat him. Give him a chance to calm down, bringing him back to the petstore because of a behavioral problem that can be worked with over time isn't really that fair...

Good luck with your new burm

sturiches2000 · 03-11-05, 09:20 AM

My Coastal Carpet was aggressive for the first 2 months after the stress of moving her, and she was used to being handled. I've never seen a bitchier snake. Just ask Kelvin, he didn't even want to handle her. I think just give the burn time, maybe once a week put your hand in and touch it to see how it reacts, if she's calm, take her out. Just be patient, it takes a little time sometimes to get used to a new environment.

Best of luck,
Stuart

blue6 · 03-11-05, 09:26 AM

thnx yea i think i will give her sometime to chill out and get used to her new tank

wiseman001 · 03-13-05, 01:46 PM

From what I have worked with .. baby burms up to a couple of feet are nippy at times... and if its stressed out... with handling with in a few days of bring'n it home.. U have a good chance of a few bits... wear gloves IF u have take it out of the cage for cleaning it... give it more time...

hows it feeding schedula?? weekly...2 weeks ??? has it eat with in days of U first holding it... It may be a lil hungry ?

ATBlover · 03-13-05, 02:58 PM

My sisters burm always hisses when you touvh her in the tank...sometimes she hisses when shes out but she has never struck at anybody when she was out of the tank...she feds her burm at night and only at night..this is really smart because as soon as the lights go off the snake is already looking for food...give your burm a little more time and see if he calms down..some burms may be aggressive but when she grows up she will most likely be tame and nice...Connor

Gregg M · 03-13-05, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by blue6

So I was wondering what I should do. I don’t know if I should take him back to the store to see if I can exchange him for one that is more nice because I do not want a snake that is going to be 10+ feet and bitting and aggressive. help

This is one of the many very good reasons why some people should not consider one as a "pet".... What makes you think a tame 10+ foot burm will not turn to bite the hand that feeds it????? Large boids should be off the list of things to get for the inexperianced keeper..... These are things you must be aware of and concerned about even if the snake seemingly "tame"..... That brings me to another point...... Reptiles are not and never will be "tame"....... This is a major misconception....... At any time their natural instincts can kick in and you may find yourself serously injured or dead...... They are not domesticated..... They are wild animals and they run mostly on instinct...... The minute that snake feels threatend or mistakes you for a meal, you will find yourself in an unwanted situation.....

Just the fact that you are willing to take this animal back because of its temperment is enough to tell me you are not ready to be keeping snakes like this.......

surnamemarc · 03-14-05, 06:37 AM

both my burms bit me, repedidly and energetically for the first 2-3 weeks with constant handling, and not dropping them and not putting them back in their tank.. i think they jsut gave up lol.. both are now as harmless as a kitten

blue6 · 03-14-05, 09:20 PM

yea he has calmed down already ALOT and doesn't mind being picked up but he isnt my only large snake my red tail is about 9 feet long or so, and i have recently just started working at a pet store and handle large snakes every day now

i know the dangers of keeping excotic pets, i have 2 death stalkers and and a australian fat tailed scorpion which are both deadly

THANKS EVERYONE FOR THE HELP!!!!!

Gregg M · 03-14-05, 10:01 PM

Thats good but there is no such thing as an Australian fat tail scorpion....LOL

Gregg M · 03-14-05, 10:01 PM

And you have a 9 foot redtail??? Got a pic????

wiseman001 · 03-14-05, 11:19 PM

Greg..

I Totally agree about your post..specially about taming reptiles..

I think Burms should be Off the market... I think any large snake that has the potential to wrap u a few time with some encredible crushing power.. ( IM not talking about a 6-8 foot snake.. I mean 14-18 foot snake..ie retics, condas..) can and do kill ppl.. specially if U have the sent or food on u'r hands...for those who are more experience with Large snakes.. are still in the same catagory..I agree with Greg % 100 % Good post.. tell it like it is.

When I worked in the pet store i worked in the reptile department, I had a few ppl looking for homes for there snakes.. I always refered them to this site.. some ppl had larger boas, some burms..and some iguana's they thought at that time it would be cool to have a 6 foot snake.. or lizard they didn't know what to do, when the lizard hit adult hood and turned on them, or when there snakes hit 12 foot yet alone 14-16 foot and needs a full size bed room as its encloser.

im not goin to babble anymore.. just had to give my 2 cents with a lil experience..

blue6 · 03-15-05, 02:24 PM

sry not australian fat tail tunisan fat tail they are found in australia but their real name is Tunisian fat tail (androctonus australis) here is a website of where i work http://stingersexotics.com/ and yes i can have pictures of all my animal soon

Gregg M · 03-15-05, 07:07 PM

Androctonus australis is not from Australia..... LOL..... They are from AFRICA!!!!! How can you keep animals you dont even know anything about???? Do you think you can lie to someone that keeps these animals????LOL

blue6 · 03-15-05, 07:35 PM

yea u are right they are from africa and i feel stupid for messing that up seeing how they are the most dangoures speices in africa and the fact that i own the pet book on scorpions that has that info in there, but the fact is that i take good care of my animals and that they are all healthy. i have a whole room just for my reptiles and my snakes have large enough cages so why do you have to say that i am not ready when i have read about them take care of them at work and have other people to help me when she is large in size and i have been taken care of reptiles for about 7 years which isn't a long time but i think long enough to know what u are doing and i have not just owned small reptiles i have had some large 4 foot nile monitors and some tagu that have a nasty bite and large igaunas so i think i am very much ready to own a burmese python