Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What happens to the big ones. I get about 1-2 calls each months of people wanting me to take thier snake and most are big burms or boas. In the case of burms what does one do with a 20ft female. We have a lake called Lake Elizabeth here in Fremont Ca and I have heard twice of the former owners talking about just letting their snake go there. I think it is utterly ridiculous. I let my kids play at that lake and there is no reason why a big burm couldn't live there and thrive as in the case of the Floridian burms. That is just an accident waiting to happen. The zoos won't take them nor will local wildlife shelters. The only people that I know of that will take them are people who want to breed them and make more future giants. Again I'm not against big snakes being that I have 17ft normal retics and 17ft burms that I raised from hatchlings but is there a place where a big one can find sanctuary without being a novelty item to be discarded in the future.
Thanks,
Alex

One could only speculate what happens to these snakes, I am sure some unscrupulous people liberate them into the wild, which as you stated is ludicrous. God forbid any thing would ever happen to any ones children because of such irresponsible individuals. I keep several big python species as well and have been approached about taking unwanted animals. I have three that I have taken in, but can no longer be the one to have these unwanted pets dumped on me by people who do not think down the road about how large these animals actually get. Problem with this " scenario / liberated Pythons " is it will force law makers to implement stricter laws without taking responsible reptile keepers into account. You could give future people the below link to hopefully properly place the animal. Other than that, I have no idea where these snakes go or who else to tell them to contact.
Possible Places you could tell people who contact you to take their animals

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Frank Roberts
R&R Herpetological Frank Roberts & John Rodriguez

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Roberts'Realm of Reptile Research

most of those links do not go anywhere, I just checked thinking it was a good place to send people, guess what probably not.
Now that is sad
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Frank Roberts
R&R Herpetological Frank Roberts & John Rodriguez

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Roberts'Realm of Reptile Research

I really feel obligated to be able to tell my customers where they can go if they absolutely have to get rid of the animal. One question came up asking if the shelter would kill it because he was afraid to pick. That was pretty disturbing.

Well I tried to be helpful lol
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Frank Roberts
R&R Herpetological Frank Roberts & John Rodriguez

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Roberts'Realm of Reptile Research

I saw somthing at one of the herp shows here where there is a guy who said he will take anything any size or disposition. Not sure what his name is but he is at the Lee Watson Swap in IL.

It is scary, I guess the best thing we can do is when someone wants one show them how big it gets. Not that this will work all the time but some parents people may say Ok thanks but no thanks. A pet store here use to sell burmese pythons but soon stopped when people tried to return their 7 footers.

Its sad that it may be easier on people to just let it go not thinking that one day it could hurt a kid rather than own up take responsibility and do what one must to find it a good home. But this is a very sad thing, I never have thought to deep about it until tonight.
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0.2 Rotts
1.0 Super Tiger
0.1 Green Burm
0.1 Ball Python
0.1 Red Tail
0.1 Blood Python
1.0 Green Ananconda
1.0 Emerald Tree Boa

Is it possible to deport the unwanted non-albinos back to asia? This way the natural burm populations may increase and there are less chances for another everglades incident to happen. Any burms caught in the everglades could also be deported.
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0.1 Burmese Python
1.10 Ball Pythons (Salazar and Slytherin, nameless)
1.0 Pastel Ball het axanthic Python
1.1 Black Samatran Blood Pythons
0.0.3 Spotted Pythons
0.1 Sinaloan Milksnake (looking for a breedable male)
1.1 Snow and Albino Cornsnakes

I have seen the "send them home" idea before with other animals, especially big cats like tigers. The problem is, the high degree of inbreeding in captivity would actually hurt wild populations-albino Burms are so cheap very few people care about hets, so a lot would be released as "true" normals for one thing. Those hets would breed, more albinos than normal would be hatched, and they would either be eaten by predators or caught and returned to the pet trade-maybe even called"NEW BLOODLINE".The only options I see if a big snake s offered is keep it yourself(quickly becomes too many) or pass it on to someone you KNOW will not breed it(difficult if not impossible).

Check with your local Herpetological society if you have one. I am a member of mine and we take in unwanted reptiles every month and find good homes for them within the members. I also mail out our newsletter and they go to just about every state in the US ... except Alaska and Hawaii .. LOL

Good luck.
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Pete

1- 0.1 Boa Constrictor
1- 1.0 Patternless Green Burm
1- 0.1 Pueblan Milksnake - Apricot phase
1- 0.0.1 Honduran Milksnake - Tangerine phase
1- 1.0 Ball Python
1- 0.1 Rainbow Boa
1- 0.0.1 Cornsnake - Blood