Those are all good points. As a full time wildlilfe educator myself (my title is Curator but that's just a fancy term for pooper scooper and educator wrapped into one), we do keep burms and they are the "oh wow" factor, HOWEVER, I do just as many shows where my largest snakes is an eastern indigo. It's really the presenter's skills and passion and ability to connect to the audience that makes the real difference. I have personally witnessed a very tame burm suddenly snap during a presentation and it was absolutely horrific. If you are not ready for that, don't use a burm (they are the gentle giants of snakes but they are still a wild animal). A young teenager will be of no assistance should a worse case scenario occur. BUT, I do love burms and use them for many shows and have never had a single incident so you just have to know the animals well.

Ask me questions off line if you would like as I am happy to help.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center





>>Yes, if they're well-handled, well-conditioned, snakes, you'll be glad you did.
>>
>>"chainsaw" gave you some good input. There's on thing in particular he said that I want to make sure you picked up on; "Burms really only live for 2 things: to eat, and..."
>>
>>Can you afford to feed those extra snakes? Rats or rabbits? I raise my own rats & rabbits for my burms & other snakes. Petstore prices will break the bank, and even ordering F/T is costly. I can raise them at a fraction of the cost. Actually, the 12-footer should be on rabbits and the the smaller one can easily eat newborn rabbits. Rabbits are generally cheaper if you can find a supplier, and the person offering them to you should have a good lead.
>>
>>Big burms are the "Wow!" factor of talks/shows. The grand finale. It really stresses the importance of responsible selection and keeping of snakes.
>>
>>Burms are known as "gentle giants." Every one I've had during my 30-plus years of keeping has held true to that.
>>
>>Here's a few pics of the adults I have now. They produced their first clutch a little over a month ago. www.happyhillbilly.com/bp
>>
>>I'm short on time at the moment but I'll come back and address your questions later today. I've got to get things ready for my trip down to your neck of the woods. I grew up in Apopka, actually, Plymouth, but nobody knows where Plymouth is. Time to take the kids to see their granny.
>>
>>Catch ya later!
>>HH
>>-----
>>Due to political correctness run amuck,
>>this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
>>Appalachian American
-----
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

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