Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Rob,

You seem to be well experienced in keeping Burmese pythons (as well as other animals, I'm guessing). I've been reading your comments (and rants) about the problems and issues concerning the ownership of these pythons. What I would very much like to hear from you is your advice on how to responsibly keep a happy and healthy Burmese python. To this point, I believe I'm doing quite a good job with mine. I would just like it put out straight forward - what does a person do to keep these animals properly? To your comments I'll compare what I have been doing so far, and therefrom asess what I may be able to change or do better. Hopefully I won't find that I've been missing something altogether.

Thanks,
- Mark

Here he is (this is from late last year...)

Mark, first of all,that is a great looking burm. And for every handful of irresponsible keepers, there are wonderful, responsible and dedicated folks like you who I am sure give their burm a great home. My comments were a bit of a vent/rant and perhaps I should have just kept my opinions to myself but since this is a burm forum, I felt it was okay to talk about matters involving burms (not just talking about the latest morph).

I could write a book in answering your questions but I will just address a few:

Responsible ownership: If you truly want to keep a burm responsibly, you should keep them in a properly locked cage made specifically for reptiles and then that cage, in turn, kept in a locked room where young kids and folks not experienced in working with large snakes are denied access unless the owner is present.

The room where the burm lives in should have escape proof windows (they will quickly push out a screen window in the event of a rare escape). Vents should be sealed tightly.

When a large burm is taken out, there should be AT LEAST a couple of people on hand should something go wrong. Servicing cages by yourself and feeding by yourself, though we are all guilty of doing this at one time or another, is something that should be avoided if possible. Rooms should be uncluttered so that large burms don't get in trouble when they are out of their cage under highly supervised conditions.

One should have expderience in properly handling large snakes. There are right ways and wrong ways to take a burm out of its cage. The use of various hooks and shields go a long way towards preventing a disaster. Feeding, in my opinion, should be done INSIDE the snake's cage. Feeding in a separate cage is a recipe for disaster and also puts undue stress on the snake after eating a large meal.

Feeding should be done with LONG forceps....pretty basic common sense.

Giving medications and proper "packing" of snakes to take to the vet is another area but probably beyond the scope of your question.

Responsible ownership includes not taking the snake out in public in a forum; that is not a good idea (unless it is an education program, etc.).

Trouble Shooting: You should always be ready for something bad to happen. What will you do if you get nailed by your burm and it starts to constrict you? What are your emergency procedures? Do the local authorities know that you keep snakes? If not, they should so that the fire department can also be prepared well in advance.

These are just broad generalities but absolutes in my book when it comes to keeping large constrictors.

In terms of husbandry, there are many ways to keep a burm successfully. I prefer to keep things simple. Keep burms on newspaper or aspen bedding. Adult burms should have at least a 6' x 3' cage but preferably something larger such as 8' or 10'. They must have an appropriate thermal gradient. Temps ranging from 80-82 deg F. on the cool side and into the mid to upper 80'
s on the warm side with a basking area that reaches 90-94 deg F. is sufficient. My night temps typically do not fall below 80-84 deg F. Humidity levels are maintained at 80 to 88%. I provide fresh water daily and mist my cages once or twice a day. Diet consists of a variety of appropriately sized rodents ranging from mice, rats to rabbits. My adult burms are fed 1-2 large rabbits monthly and they stay in pefect shape. Some feed more often but you want to avoid obesity. Young burms should be fed more often. These are just generalities and there is MUCH more to good husbandry but I just thought I would throw out the basics.

Hope this answers your questions.

Rob Carmichael

Thanks very much Rob. Your reply definitely got me thinking of at least a couple of things I need to tend to.

First off - I need to be better prepared for the 'just in cases'. Currently, I have a bottle of mouth wash in the room - works remarkably great for getting an excited snake to release a bite. But to that point, I'm going to get some bandages, etc. - just to have handy, again - just in case. I do have a couple of mirrors placed strategically in the room to help me visually in case of an attempted constriction (to help find the 'ends'...). Though I think that sometime in the near future I'm going to start being sure to have a second person on hand when handling him. He's only about 9 feet now, but he's still growing at a good pace - so, soon enough I'll want that second person around at all times.

I have him in a Vision cage now (6'x3'); which I always keep locked. Personally, I love the cage - easy to clean, and, for now at least, very roomy for him. I don't however keep the room locked - I may reconsider that now. And while the room itself is escape proof as far as I can tell, I am guilty of clutter. And I pay for that whenever he knocks something over. It's my fault, I know - time to tidy up.

I don't use hooks/shields to get him out of his cage. I haven't had any problem in that regard. It seems that he knows quite well the difference between me and dinner time (I have strict "habits" I follow to help ensure this). Generally, I let him come out of his cage, most of the way at least, before I take him. Now I will seriously consider the use of a hook as he gets bigger. I'd like your comments on proper handling of large constrictors. Generally, I feel I do know how to handle snakes, being careful with large snakes to NOT drape them around my neck to carry them. Is there more to it than that?

I've always fed inside the cage. It never occurred to me to be better in any way to feed outside the cage. I've heard the arguments - but they just don't hold water as far as I'm concerned.

I haven't had a need to give any medications to my pets. But I am curious - what would be the proper way to 'pack' a snake for transport to the vet, or anywhere for that matter?

I have to say that I believe we are going to differ on the subject of taking a snake out in public. I'll admit, I do understand the arguments on both sides, but I have to have an opinion, and I don't think it's in line with yours (I'm not adverse to taking snakes out in public). This could be a debate in and of itself - let me say only that I am not a "hey check out what I got", stick it in your face kind of person with my snakes.

Thanks for getting me to think about trouble-shooting. I like being prepared for such things - gives me a degree of comfort without the complacency.

I hope to hear more,
Thanks again,
- Mark

Here's a more recent shot...

It sounds like you are going in the right direction. I don't expect people to agree with everything I say and I just merely share the 30 years of serious keeping and my years of being a professional herpetologist.

As far as your questions go, here's a couple of quick answers:

1) Proper handling: I like to use a small, hand held shield when taking my large burms out (over 16')...either that or a sturdy hook. What I try to do is to keep the "shield" between the snake's head and myself. That way, in the very unlikely event that the snake mistakes me for food, I have some protection. With my other hand and gently lift the snake from underneath at midbody and pull him/her towards me. Once I have them partially out, the rest is easy and the shield isn't necessary. For large burms, I simply let them crawl on the floor (another reason to not have a cluttered room)....this gives them a little stretch time and people interaction which is very important. Once back in its cage I disinfect the area where the snake was crawling around with quatricide pv by pharmacal (I prefer bare cement floors for this purpose).

2) transport: there are two acceptable methods for transporting large constrictors. Either secure in a heavy custom made snake bag with a secure knot, or, secure in a large plastic storage box WITH A LOCK ON BOTH SIDES. The hard part is finding a box large enough to accommodate a 18' burm...haven't found one yet. I am always aware of vehicle temperatures and either warm the car up or cool it down to an appropriate level before taking the snake to the car/van.

Hope this helps a little. Rob

When I mention that I feel that 99% of people wishing to get a burm, shouldn't, I think those stats are taken out of context. Irregardless of how responsible someone is and no matter how much they meet teh various requirements (according to my last message), MOST folks just are not equipped to take on teh task of caring for a MONSTER sized snake. It is really that simple.