Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm a relatively new snake owner. I own a ball Python. After reading about the burmese and their tremendous size; Is the Burmese an actually tamamble and loving animal, or is it like trying to tame a lion.
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1 Ball Python named Rick James. He's the original superfreak.

Some people may disagree with me, but I would say that no snake is a "loving" pet. Some may be tolerant and curious enough that we may think of them that way. Look up "projection" in a psychological context. (I think that's the term.)

With regular handling, most burms will become calm and tolerant enough that you will rarely have any trouble from them. The problem is that one bad day out of 10 years might be all it takes...

Make sure that you will have at least one, and preferably several people who will be willing to help you out with a 16 foot snake before you think about getting one.

BUT, I think at the same time our understanding of reptile
psychology is no where near as complete as we think it is.

There was a fascinating story in National Geographic about a
hippo and tortoise bonding, the tortoise was even observed
vocalizing. We've all seen those pics of that huge retic
getting a facial scrub by a small child. I remember here in FLA
there was a case upstate of a family that had an alligator that
was to all observers completely tame and interacted with the
family on a daily basis...

I've read about a retic keeper that had a ret so tame he could
physically open it's mouth and check it's teeth. (Seriously)...

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/01/0105_060105_hippo_tortoise.html

If you are willing to invest the time along with having the proper knowledge, maturity, resources and safety measures, a burm can make a very rewarding "pet" (I really don't like equating burms to pets as these are wild animals) but due simply to their size, they are not appropriate for many folks. Being a wild animal, you can't expect a puppy, kitten or even a domesticated parrot; these are far from being a loving, cuddly lap snake. But most burms can make wonderful captives; unfortunately, due to their propensity for reaching such massive sizes, they are not suitable animals for most people....I would rather recommend a borneo, red blood, olive python, black headed python, boa constrictor, etc for a big snake to keep that won't pose the same kind of risks as keeping a large burm. Just my .02.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center

>>Some people may disagree with me, but I would say that no snake is a "loving" pet. Some may be tolerant and curious enough that we may think of them that way. Look up "projection" in a psychological context. (I think that's the term.)
>>
>>With regular handling, most burms will become calm and tolerant enough that you will rarely have any trouble from them. The problem is that one bad day out of 10 years might be all it takes...
>>
>>Make sure that you will have at least one, and preferably several people who will be willing to help you out with a 16 foot snake before you think about getting one.
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

If you must have one, please get a male. They do get large, but not as large as a female. And they tend to be a little thinner bodied then a female. I have seen big males in my time, but most I've ever heard/seen don't get past 12 foot. I have a 2 1/2 year old male albino green that seems to have slowed down on growth at only 8 foot. This isn't due to his diet, he eats a 3 pound rabbit every two weeks or so.

If I'm wrong on the size of males, someone please correct me.
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Zeek Star
Web Designer
Modified-Design.com

0.0.1 Black Throat Monitor
1.0 Albino Green Burm
0.1 Sumatran Bloods
0.1 Borneo Short Tail
0.0.2 Whites Tree Frogs
0.0.1 Barred Tiger Salamander

Thanks for the Info. Maybe I'll get a burm in a few years.
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1 Ball Python named Rick James. He's the original superfreak.

this is not terribly good advice. male burms regularly pass the 12 foot mark. there is one nearby that is pushing 15 feet and was never fed heavily.

and to the rookie, please remember that a 13 foot burm will kill you just as dead as a 25 footer.

neither is dangerous and I own several boas and one in particular is very sweet...almost loving (say what you want)...snakes are like any other animal...the more time you spend with quality interactions...the more you get back...just my 2 cents...

>>neither is dangerous

Let's just say that's a bit too broad...

For refernce, I'm about 5' 10" and 175 pounds. Bobo (female) is 8' 7" and 37 pounds (sure looks like more, huh) at 7 years old. Very gentle, but you better believe she COULD kill you if you smelled like a rabbit.

"Holy Mackeral dere Andy!!" You sure she's only 37 pounds? And you're right, she could certainly put a whuppin' on you if she took a mind to. Point taken

Quig

...i was just stating that "normally"...they are not dangerous,ever hear of anyone killed by a boa?...no matter how big?...didnt think so...by the way,awesome boa dude.

Yeah, I know. As far as I know, no one's ever been killed by a boa. Very few ever get to the size of Bobo although it's normal for burms to get bigger. People have been killed by burms smaller (and much thinner) than her though, so I was just pointing out that the possibility exists. (Besides, I needed an excuse to post that pic.)

firdt off...im sorry if i sounded rude...but im very protective of boas...they get the bad rap because most people dont know the difference between pythons and boas...certainly a big boa could hurt you...they are just not normally inclined to do so...and im glad you posted that pic...reminds me of my old big boas i used to have,shes an awesome snake...did you post that pic on the boa forum,they were looking for big boa pics on there...
heres apic of my 6' 20 lb. male hi pink boa maverick...

No, you were perfectly correct to point that out. I meant to add soemthing to that effect at the end of my message, but by the time I got back from weighing her, I forgot.

You know, the numbers of human fatalities due to large constrictors is so incredibly low that I honestly don't think it should be much of an issue. Millions of people keep them and there are what, one or two deaths per decade , if that? More people are probably killed by falling flower pots on old porches.

The domestic pets of choice, dogs, kill some 20 or 30 people a year, every year, but they are not banned across the board. Often it is the trusted family pet that suddenly goes nuts on little Billy when he's playing with him. Or, even worse, they get out at night and group into packs with other dogs and literally prey on people with a total polar-opposite mental state of the one they may have in the day when they are fetching the frisbee. They have a hunt and kill mentality in this situation.

Snakes, though technically never "domesticated", don't harbor the capacity to kill for fun or "go nuts" like dogs can and often do. A snake, being much more basic in evolution pilots by very primal instincts. They feel either secure, or not secure (scared). And when frightened they do not bite and constrict but inflict an admittedly nasty bite, but a relatively harmless one. The few constrictor-related deaths are all cases of mistaken identity related to feeding. Responsible keepers can almost always avoid this. Though of course accidents happen occasionally. But if you consider auto accident related deaths, these constrictor related accidents absolutely pale in comparison. Are they going to ban cars? No. So where does the silliness stop?
Our Website

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David Beauchemin
High End Herps.Inc
http://HighEndHerps.com

Absolutely true. I only really brought it up to remind people to be careful with ALL their big snakes, because every accident will count against us in a big way.

"Boa Constrictor Snaps Geek's Neck: Film (tape) at Eleven!"

That is one awesome BCC.
What variety is she?

Thanks,

John D
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0.1 Creamsicle Cornsake "Yolanda"
1.0 Bairds Ratsnake "Steely Dan"

We were told at the pet shop it was a "Colombian Redtail", but then most pet shops probably know even less about boas varieties than I do...

Please give proof of the term "regularly pass the 12 foot mark". Now I will agree with you, they can and do, but I think regularly is pushing it a little. I believe Bob Clark once said that most (not all) burms in captivity (didn't list gender) don't get over 12 foot. And since males don't get as big or as heavy as females, then I would have to disagree with you.

I will agree that SOME males pass the 12 foot mark, but I'm willing to bet it's a small percentage, like 25%.
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Zeek Star
Web Designer
Modified-Design.com

0.0.1 Black Throat Monitor
1.0 Albino Green Burm
0.1 Sumatran Bloods
0.1 Borneo Short Tail
0.0.2 Whites Tree Frogs
0.0.1 Barred Tiger Salamander