Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Having seen so many kids 16 and under becoming interested in buying the giant snakes shortly after taking an interest in herps it has made me think...."Are they really able or willing to handle the responsibility over the long haul?". So my question is...."Who here has bought a giant snake at 16 years or younger and is now over the age of 21 and still has their snake?" Would you say that you did the right thing? What would you now suggest to a sub-16 year old just getting into herps that wanted to buy that baby burm or retic?

I'm going to post the message in a couple of different forums to get a broader perspective so you may run into it again...Thanks!

I got my first burm when I was 12....HUGE mistake; I had no idea at the time what I was in for. I kept him until he reached 10' and my parents said "OUTTA HERE"...they knew more than I did but you couldn't tell me that at the time. Looking back at my youthful mistakes, and, now running a very successful herp museum with some of the coolest herps on the planet, my feeling is that most young people truly don't comprehend the immense responsibility of owning a giant constrictor (and I was one of them). Based on the number of abandoned burms that come our way each year; mostly from younger kids, it is my belief that no young person should be keeping them. Most importantly, they are not even at the stage of their life where they should be contemplating owning one, especially if they are going to go to college. Instead, I would recommend a smaller python species like a borneo, red blood, ball, olive, jungle carpet, etc....at least those will be easier to place with good homes should the need arise.

Just my .02.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
Lake Forest, IL

>>Having seen so many kids 16 and under becoming interested in buying the giant snakes shortly after taking an interest in herps it has made me think...."Are they really able or willing to handle the responsibility over the long haul?". So my question is...."Who here has bought a giant snake at 16 years or younger and is now over the age of 21 and still has their snake?" Would you say that you did the right thing? What would you now suggest to a sub-16 year old just getting into herps that wanted to buy that baby burm or retic?
>>
>>I'm going to post the message in a couple of different forums to get a broader perspective so you may run into it again...Thanks!
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

My dad was a herpetologist/herptoculturist who beleived you should know what your getting into before you just buy any animal...he made me study every book we had on a species before i was allowed to keep them...and i wasnt allowed to even have a boa until i was 15...got my first burm when i was 18 (an 8' albino my dad rescued)she grew to over 16' and weighed nearly 230 lbs. my point is that i started with smaller constrictors such as corns,rats,kings,etc. before i was allowed to own a big snake...most kids want big snakes because they think they are cool and most assume a 5-6' ratsnake just isnt big enough when in reality thats about as big a snake as most kids can really handle...id tell the kids simply...come back when your 18 and have done a few years of actually studying of the species you want before you make a rash decision,as for parents who buy or let their kids buy burms retics rocks etc. you should be ashamed.

I got my first Burm at age 35. I've always liked snakes and other wierd animals and wanted a large snake because I thought they were really cool and I loved watching them. To actually be able to have one and hold it and interact with it was like a dream but someday I would have one. Now, 2 years later, I find myself sometimes wishing I didn't get one. Kids are 15 and 17, the military has me working when they get home from school so I rarely see my wife or kids. I also have a chow which requires time and attention. To feed the snake I'm trying to raise rabbits to save money but that's going nowhere as the snake won't eat anything, since October now. I fell into the, save a snake from bad care, trap and now have 2 balls I only planned on keeping long enough to forward to a good home. I raise rats to feed them. We're planning to go home to MI. on leave in July and we have to find ways to care for the animals while we're gone. It's expensive, time consuming and in order to give them proper care, including the food animals, you must sacrifice time, attention and money. My life would be much simpler if I only had a dog. He's the only one who earns his keep around the house as he keeps the bad people away.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy Moses but there are times when I wish my life could slow down long enough to come up for air. To anyone seeking a burm for a pet, if you don't have allot of time and money to care for these animals, don't get one. If you're not sure, start small. If after sufficient time you are still interested and can afford it, work your way up. Hopefully this helps at least one person.
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DZ

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." -- George Orwell

Well i wasan't 16 but i was 17(close enough) im now 18(as of april 3rd) and i love my burmese, he is my 5th snake.