Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am looking into getting an albino female 11 weeks old off of the classifieds. The breeder said she is very flighty but he hasent handled her much. He said she has an 80% chance of becoming tame. Is this true? Please help I really like her but I dont want a 15ft nippy snake!! lol!

11 weeks thats pretty young but why would you want a nippy snake that young. Its always better to buy one that you hold and does not bite you the first time then to take one that is nippy. And as far as the 80% goes, do you know that if you tell sombody somthing and use numbers like that its beleivable. You will have to handle the snake yourself and make your own call. I have a burm that is tame but has bitten me do to my own errors and never showed signes of aggression as a baby, I have a boa that I was able to handle all the time and now bites me if I keep her out or try to hold her for a period of time. Snakes are unpredictable. But, if it was me and I held it and it bite me or someone said it was nippy, I would find another, not to say it would never be tame, but why deal with it that way. And I know some breeders will tell you they do not have time to handle them and that is why they are nippy well I just see that as in it for the money and not wanting people to have good pets. I got a green anaconda from Kelly Haller that is very tame and am able to handle because he cares about what he sells.

Just my thoughts

Jeff
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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

Thank you. That is good advice. Im new to the whole buy over the internet thing so Im trying to be careful. I have owned burms before but I have always picked them out in person. Also I have heard that most young burms are nippy but my brother has 4 and none of them ever bit anyone we got 3 as hatchlings.

have to trust the breeder, what may look like a good deal may not be. You can tell some of the good breeders they hang out here in the forums. That shows me they care and if you have questions they are there. Again Just my thoughts. Good Luck.
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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

I am just curious-you mentioned that you 'have owned burms before.' What do you mean by this? Where are they now? Are you planning on giving up on this one as well?

No I did not give up on any burm. My brother and I took in a 6ft female we had her for 5 years (she was 17ft) she passed away, we took her body to have an autopsy done as my brother has other snakes and they couldnt find what killed her. We would never have thought of giving up on this wonderful and gentle creature. Thats why I posted on this board because although I have Owned and still own (bad choice of words I guess)burmese pythons I have never had one that was nippy or scared. I just want to make sure to talk with people that have more experiance with nippy or frightned snakes.

Thank you

I have had many burms, neos to huge adults and the only nippy ones I have had where babies. Fresh neos tend not to be but give them alittle time and they might just bite. I have found that the older the snake gets (burm) The more docile it will become. That is if they are handled on a regular basis. There are people that say african rocks cant be tamed but have owned and seen many that are. It is just based on how much time you want to spend on them. I am just saying please don't be afraid to get into the hobby of keeping burmese because of what a few people say. They are a big task to take on but it can be very rewarding.

Thanks

Not trying to start anything.

Sounds like you received some awful information. Who keeps stats like that where you can say with confidence that the snake has an 80% chance of being tame? That's ridiculous. Most baby burms are nippy; that's normal behavior and with consistent and gentle handling, MOST burms will settle down and become wonderfully docile pets. It really depends on the amount of time you invest. I have rottweilers at home and they get a bad rap but if in the right environment, they are the sweetest dogs on earth. I would recommend looking at an entire litter of burms and pick out the one that seems to be the most calm around you; that would be a good start.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center

>>I am looking into getting an albino female 11 weeks old off of the classifieds. The breeder said she is very flighty but he hasent handled her much. He said she has an 80% chance of becoming tame. Is this true? Please help I really like her but I dont want a 15ft nippy snake!! lol!
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL