Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Sweet..thats the hide box...theres a normal back there also..20years old.

I may be wrong on this, if I am, someone please correct me.

I don't know what an average 20-yr old burm should look like but those things look grotesquely overweight.

Actually, I saw Bob Clark's 20t-plus retic on TV and it might've been 1/2 that diameter, max. Yeah someone could make the argument that burms are heavier bodied than retics but nowehere near that much difference.

That's actually a pretty sad picture.

Have a good one!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

Unless this snake absolutely stops where it dissppears I would say it's quite healthy. You can see the muscle definition in it's back and it does not look stuffed. The only thing said about it is I'm sure keeping up with an appropriate sized cage is no fun at all. Any other info on length and weight?
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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

You may be right, I can't say either way, for sure.

What I'm wondering is why the ribs extend above the spine at the joints. That line down its back is a depression, not a ridge. None of my snakes have that. But then again, none of 'em are 20yrs old, either.

Actually, to me, the ribs extending above the spine like they do signifies muscle weakness. I think the muscles are too weak to support the weight properly. That could be the result of overweight & lack of exercise. Bear in mind that this is just my hunch, and a strong one, too, but the truth is, I simply do not know for sure.

Take care!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

My burm, who is not nearly as big as this one, has the same depression on his back and he, or she, is underweight (13 feet, 65 pounds). Also when the snake turns (just behind the guy "riding" it) the skin ripples rather then bends. That would tell me the bulk is not "stuffing" the skin, rather it's filled proportionately. Either way, no matter. I showed this pic to my co-workers and they were all horrified. I'd love to see a pic of this one stretched out. I bet it's amaizing.
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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

Overweight or not, that's a crazy pic. I'd love to see any more pics on this you might have or any info.

>>Overweight or not, that's a crazy pic. I'd love to see any more pics on this you might have or any info.

Hi Mike ..I came across it on RDR message boards..it"s someone in canada and he gives a whole room for them...whats cool he has kept it healty in a cold area of the world..I looks great shape and not really over board for its size and age.Sure you don't have to feed as much..but I think hes done a great job as a keeper..Burms can get big.

THATS THE FAT ALBERT OF BURMESE. ITS MORBIDLY OBESE. TC

That's a gorgeous albino burmese. Mayhaps a tad bit chunky, but certainly not "morbidly obese" by any stretch of the imagination. It has very nice muscle tone and a firm build. I doubt it has ever skipped a meal though, lol.

Post more pics or information about the keepers if you have it/them.
Our Website!

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David Beauchemin
High End Herps.Inc
http://HighEndHerps.com

David, DZ, can either one of ya'll tell me what causes the ribs to extend higher than the spine? DZ, I agree that your 13 or 14-footer is a bit underwieght and yet you said its ribs were like that, too. Was it ever overweight?

I'm not trying to be a "smarty britches," I simply don't know what causes it but would like to. I've seen a few pics of a few 16 & 18-footers that definitely weren't obese or malnourished and yet they didn't have a sunken spine. I just can't help but feel that something's not right with that. But then again, I could be wrong, for the first time in my life. LOL! Just kidding!

Catch ya'll later!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

His ribs don't extend above his spine, that's muscle tissue. I believe an obese snake would have that "dip" if you will, full of fatty tissue and the back would be more rounded as well as the rest of the snake.
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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

My burm has never been overweight. More than likely he's always been underweight. He stops eating around october and doesn't start again until March or April. I don't power feed him to catch up for lost time, rather feed him normally during the summer and attempt to feed him monthly during the winter. I think it's a temp issue. I'm going to fix that with this new cage. Separate RHP with thermostat for the hide and for the soak tub. Nothing below 78 degrees.
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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

Hey!
Thanks for the input about the muscle.

Sounds like my male burm is like yours. The M/F pair I've got will be 3yrs old in September. Last year was the first time my male stopped feeding. He went from Sept. - April, refusing food every two weeks. The female kept feeding till she ovulated.

Since I was keeping them together I assumed it was due to breeding season & not temps, but temps could've been a factor, too. He's a finicky eater. Takes him awhile to get into feeding mode once a rodent's placed in his cage. F/T? Forget about it! I've tried everything in the world and have only been able to trick him 3, maybe 4 times. The female would eat a rat that was frozen solid if I'd let her. Because of his finicky eating habits he's also on the lean side. I have to watch her weight.

Catch ya later!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American