Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm sure this topic has been posted before, maybe several times. I haven't checked out the Burm forum for awhile. What happens to all the little Burms once they become big ones? Most of what I see on the forums are babies or young snakes, or questions regarding baby Burms. I'm just curious, because I think it's unusual that in most other forums, you'll see photos of animals of all ages and sizes. I'm wondering if the lack of adult Burms on the forum is the result of them being unwanted as they mature.
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1.0 Solomen Island ground boa
1.0 green tree python
1.0 jungle carpet python
1.0 Boa constrictor imperator
0.1 Borneo short-tailed (blood) python
1.0 albino Burmese python
0.1 Woma
1.1 Children's pythons
and 0.0.1 European glass lizard

That's exactly what happens. Many burms, once they are adults, are too much for many owners and become abandoned. Our facility alone has rescued over 300 burms in the past 8 years; most were adults ranging from 8' to 18'. A large burm can make a rewarding captive with the proper precautions but most folks are not fully advised on what to expect when they purchase those baby burms. David Beauchanen at High End Herps seems to have the right approach when selling to prospective owners but the responsible breeders are few and far between. Making a quick buck is more important to them. Don't get me wrong, there are some incredibly talented and devoted keepers of burms and they spare no expense in giving these snakes the proper home but very few have the credentials to care for them properly for their entire life. When I see young people buying baby burms at reptile shows I just absolutely cringe because I know that probably 99% of the snakes will either die or become unwanted pets at some point. That's irresponsible for the people buying them and for the people selling them.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center

>>I'm sure this topic has been posted before, maybe several times. I haven't checked out the Burm forum for awhile. What happens to all the little Burms once they become big ones? Most of what I see on the forums are babies or young snakes, or questions regarding baby Burms. I'm just curious, because I think it's unusual that in most other forums, you'll see photos of animals of all ages and sizes. I'm wondering if the lack of adult Burms on the forum is the result of them being unwanted as they mature.
>>-----
>>1.0 Solomen Island ground boa
>>1.0 green tree python
>>1.0 jungle carpet python
>>1.0 Boa constrictor imperator
>>0.1 Borneo short-tailed (blood) python
>>1.0 albino Burmese python
>>0.1 Woma
>>1.1 Children's pythons
>>and 0.0.1 European glass lizard
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

we have big ones too..most of us do i have a 12' and a 13' as well as a 15' retic..thanks
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wife
snakes
lizards
kids
dogs
cats

An interesting study would be to track how many captive burms die prematurely and compare that to the estimates of how many burms live to adulthood in the wild. I be the chances of survival in captivity aren't much greater — if at all — in the captivity than they are in the wild.

I have one burm, a 15-foot male that I've had for six years. I rescued it from a friend in 2000 when it was 6 feet long and barely 20 pounds. I live in a small town, and I get a surprising number of calls from people asking me to take their snakes. In the last 18 months, I've taken in two boas and a ball python, and turned several others down. That's why I don't breed snakes.

RP

Mine are in my garage. I think that a lot of owners like myself stop taking pics once the major growth streak is over and the burms settle into adulthood. I personally usually take pics to document change or a new behavior. After the first two years there isn't much of either thus the lack of new pics and posts. just my 2 cents....John

Your thoughts as to why there is an apparent dirth of big burms is correct as Rob confirms. Of the thousands of babies sold, few survive to robust adulthood. The folks posting on this forum represent the exceptional keepers who take their role realistically and responsibly. I shudder too, when I see baby Burmese Pythons at shows and worse, pet stores. The chances of sucessful outcomes for those animals is next to zero. Its tragic. Regretably, the argument for some sort of control is an easy one to make.

Just dropping in two add my two centavos' to the subject:

Both the previous posters had said that they "SHUDDER" when they have witnessed new hobbyist purchasing baby burms at a show. I can second that and ADD to it. Several years ago, I was a vendor at a show in San Diego,Ca.. A NOVICE herper was looking over a table of truly stellar albino reticulated pythons. These snakes were,I believe, VERY EXPENSIVE at the time, as the morph was relatively new and I wondered how this individual could truly afford it. I spoke to him and he said that this RETIC was his FIRST snake. Now.....its not for me to tell someone else what to cut their baby teeth on, but an expensive albino retic doesnt strike me as the best choice. I told him that this snake would get very large(It was a female to boot) and require a large enclosure, no less than 8 ft in length. He told me that if and when it got that big it would be put in a spare bedroom and given the run of the room(Recipe for disaster).

The guys girlfriend said that the colors would match oh so well with their living room decor.And she thought it was a "pretty girl" (Sorry but cutesy names sicken me)

At that point I became ill.

Long story short. The vendor sold it. The guy bought it. And I would bet my breakfast wheaties(Breakfast of Champions) that he either offloaded it when it got to the 7-10 ft mark, or killed it from miscaring for it.

Think if it was an inexpensive normal instead of a high priced morph. He might have let it go. Which is insane.

Just my two cents.

Fred Albury