Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My GF and I rescued quite a few larger snakes while we lived in California. One of the being a young Burmese Python. He was small at the time, only 4 feet in length. We were told he was about 2 years old. Does this sound right? We have had him now for about 6 months and he is already 7 feet long and is about ready to switch over from 3 x Jumbo Rats to Guinea Pigs which is what we feed most of our snakes. Is there any problem with the Burms taking G.Pigs? He also has a very annoying habbit of thinking that every time we open his cage that it is feeding time. I was hoping that he was just curious about the tank being opened and tested the waters... nope, he struck. Since then I've tried using the left opening for feeding and the right opening for taking him out. That makes no difference to him. An opening as far as he is concerned is a food hole. lol I've heard varied opinions about taking him out and feeding him in another container... the only reason I don't like this idea is that it seems when get gets larger this may be bad for him... Lifting say a 16' burm after he's eaten and trying to put him back in his cage? Any suggestions on that? Well... that's all for now, happy herping all!

Widj

"My GF and I rescued quite a few larger snakes while we lived in California. One of the being a young Burmese Python. He was small at the time, only 4 feet in length. We were told he was about 2 years old. Does this sound right?"
It's very possible that he was two at the time. If he was he is extremely undersized. When a snake is fed properly they grow and quickly. Without knowing his true history there is know way of saying if he was 2yrs or not when you got him.

"We have had him now for about 6 months and he is already 7 feet long and is about ready to switch over from 3 x Jumbo Rats to Guinea Pigs which is what we feed most of our snakes. Is there any problem with the Burms taking G.Pigs?"
Nope! Not one problem! G. Pigs are a rodent that are very often fed and loved by Burms. I've fed my medium sized Burms G Pigs before without issue.

"He also has a very annoying habbit of thinking that every time we open his cage that it is feeding time. I was hoping that he was just curious about the tank being opened and tested the waters... nope, he struck. Since then I've tried using the left opening for feeding and the right opening for taking him out. That makes no difference to him. An opening as far as he is concerned is a food hole. lol I've heard varied opinions about taking him out and feeding him in another container... the only reason I don't like this idea is that it seems when get gets larger this may be bad for him... Lifting say a 16' burm after he's eaten and trying to put him back in his cage?"
Welcome to normal Burm behavior! Burms are just like Retics in that they have an extremely aggressive feeding response. Whether it be fed in cage or out usually their reaction is the same. That being said removing ANY large python from it's enclosure (IMHO) should be done carefully and with snake hooks. To move a 16 + foot snake from cage to feeding bin to cage again is not (in my experiences) harmful to the snake when done slowly and gently. Just move him in sections supporting each section. Does all this make sense? I've moved 19' Retics this way after a feeding and I am only 5' 7". Again it's all about making slow deliberate movements and being VERY cautious.

Hope all this helps. Good luck with your rescue.

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Christine
Tails With Scales Reptiles
Looks, brains, and venom . . . . how do I stay single?