Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I wanted to run a sorry to say sad story about a burmese python I owned as a 14 year old boy. I first acquired a baby burmese python that dies due to ibd in a few months. That was an albino. The snake I replaced the snake with was a subaduklt albino that had an absolutely horrible temperment. I was very scared and I thought I had donem y homework- I didnt think they were any nastier than any other snake. So I decided to put the snake down myself without talking to the vet- it was striking the cage and hissing as soon as I entered room- with shelter etc. I guess I just want rto say im sorry and to see if any of you think I shouldnt own a repttile as a 25 yr old- thanks and im sorry to be so sad-
Zachary

So if I am reading this correctly you killed an animal because you couldn't properly care for it.

If you had done that to a dog, cat, or horse you'd be in jail.

No, you should not be keeping reptiles. You need to understand that not all captive animals are tame, and must be willing to deal with them, or find someone to adopt them that can.

If I read your post correctly I am completely sick about that.
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http://www.GilbertBoas.com/
http://www.BoaList.com/

Your welcome to your opinion- and I knew the requirements- Ist of all i was 14 so I wouldnt be in jail- second that shouldnt happen with a cb erptile- and I am showing a conscience so I think I deserves some respect- thankyoun for your time,
Zachary

I don't think age has anything to do with it, and people that use that as an excuse won't earn my respect. I've been keeping Boids since I was 14, bred my first Boa species at 15, and am now 19 and fairly well integrated into the boa world.

My concern is the issue that you killed an animal because it did not behave as you wanted it to or expected it to. One of my boas I have had since a baby was always extremely tame, in the last month she has turned into a demon and will strike and bite at anything. Should I kill her or sell her because she changed her attitude? No. I made a commitment when I got her, and I will not allow this change in her demeanor affect her future.
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http://www.GilbertBoas.com/
http://www.BoaList.com/

Some people have issues of there own and can't understand that a teenager can grow into a responsible adult and be remorseful for what they have done in the past. Pay no attention to garbage like this

"I don't think age has anything to do with it, and people that use that as an excuse won't earn my respect. I've been keeping Boids since I was 14, bred my first Boa species at 15, and am now 19 and fairly well integrated into the boa world."

Quite frankly people who are so close minded to the possibility of change don't deserve respect themselves and seldom get it which is probably why they are so wound up.

On the other hand, now that you have matured, you should make the hard nosed committment with the attitude of "I made a commitment when I got her, and I will not allow this change in her demeanor affect her future." to the best of your ability. A burm may not be for you but go about it with respect for the species you wish to own and with respect for the fact that captive animals are our responsibility and remember, not all of us were so perfect at 14 as Mr. Gilbert.
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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

i have a burm myself and cant see why you would kill it or any reptile. however i agree with captain hook.you were fourteen now you are in your 20's. Just learn from your past and dont do that [bleep] ever again.Get a herp that is right for you. maybe something that has a less potential to be agressive. just because something is captive bred doesn't mean it is not going to be agressive. think carefully about what you are getting. if you get something then stay committed to it. but take your time

>>So if I am reading this correctly you killed an animal because you couldn't properly care for it.
>>
>>If you had done that to a dog, cat, or horse you'd be in jail.

Perhaps some time sitting in the waiting room of your local Animal Services department would put things in perspective for you. It is VERY common for people to have dogs and cats put down becuase they do not behave as expected. I've seen people sitting in the waiting room, waiting to have a perfectly healthy and well behaved middle-aged dog put down while discussing with their kids what kind of dog to get next. They were just tired of that one.
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What goes up must come down...unless it exceeds escape velocity.

Easy on there feller. He said he was 14 years old at the time. How many 14 year olds make stupid decisions? EVERY ONE OF THEM. Personally, if I were this person, I wouldn't share that info on a public forum where all kinds of idiots abound but you need to cut him a bit of slack. My recommendation to this person is to NOT start with a burmese python but rather keep a smaller sized python like an olive, blood, borneo, etc..these all get to be impressive sizes without getting unmanageable. I would urge the person making the original post to take some time to proof your message - if you are 25 years old you need to make some improvements in your writing.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center

>>So if I am reading this correctly you killed an animal because you couldn't properly care for it.
>>
>>If you had done that to a dog, cat, or horse you'd be in jail.
>>
>>No, you should not be keeping reptiles. You need to understand that not all captive animals are tame, and must be willing to deal with them, or find someone to adopt them that can.
>>
>>If I read your post correctly I am completely sick about that.
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>>http://www.GilbertBoas.com/
>>http://www.BoaList.com/
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

No offense, but are you SURE it was a CB animal? Sounds wild caught to me. If so it sounds like it was most likely mistreated by someone before it came to you. I realize at the age of 14 most people don't have the knowledge, intelligence, or strength for that matter to care for a burm, even a tame one.

That being said, I still don't believe it was reason enough to put it down.

The big question is, do you feel you have matured enough to take the responsibility of another one, reguardless of it's temprament? Even CB can be mean for different reasons. Illness, mistreatment and simple stress all have negative affects. In the 11 years since, have you researched burms well enough to be able to house and care for it properly. Financially, are you able to house it correctly, feed it what it will need as an adult? If I were you, I'd give this a LOT of thought. Just my opinion.

Quig
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Don't interupt me when I'm talkin' to myself

thankyou much for your advice- no have no plan on buying a burmese- i just felt horrible about it even though it was years ago- the big constrictors have been outlawed in ny anyways- Arent the odds of it being wc and albino almost astronomical- thought they were- thanks for your insight-
Zachary

LOL, for some reason I didn't think albino when I responded. My bad
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Don't interupt me when I'm talkin' to myself

I'll go out on a limb and say that it is possible for you to own a reptile again. When I first read this, quite frankly, it sounded like a "troll". At the end of your post, you said a reptile and didn't specifically mention a burm.

I think if you are truly remorseful and it's 11 years later, you might try another reptile. But for heaven's sake, a large boid probably isn't a good starter snake for someone with such a history. Why not go with a more docile snake such a corn in a hot morph or a ball python? Learn all about them before you make your purchase so that you are prepared for certain situations. Most of my corns are sweet, but I have a cranky one who has bitten me. Snakes are rather instinctual and predictable, but that also makes them rather easy to handle, if you are prepared and calm. If you react with a short-temper and lash back at an animal, any work you have with animals is doomed.

By no means do I condone your actions as a teenager, but I do believe people can learn from their mistakes.

Honestly, why are you posting this "sad story"?

and now my comments on it:
1) you mention that you killed it without talking to the vet. Does this indicate that you are remorseful for killing it? Are you saying you should have had the vet kill it?

2) I have a young burmese python who absolutely hates me. She strikes at the cage, hisses, and bites. I would never think about killing her for this. She is captive bred. It is her temperment (for now) and it doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with her. Snakes are not dogs. They shouldn't be expected to conform to your idea of a pet.

3) How long did you have this snake before killing it? All snakes require adjustment periods. Some can take as long as half a year or more before they feel comfortable in a new environment. This snake may have just been scared of being in a new place and was reacting defensively. That is perfectly normal.

4)Why didn't you take it back to where you bought it from? Or sell it? Plenty of people are willing to take aggressive snakes, especially ones that aren't full grown. Other people understand that snakes aren't lap pets.

5)In your posts you still seem to be blaming your actions on the snake. It wasn't even an adult. You took its life away before it even had the chance to grow up. Unless you realise and are remorseful for the fact that you MURDERED a young snake because you didn't like its personality, then I don't think you should get another pet at all. Are you going to kill a kitten if it bites you? That's pathetic.

So many people seem to have unrealistic expectations of reptiles. People want to treat monitors and iguanas like dogs, or large snakes like cats, and it just doesn't work. It never will. For all we know, this "aggressive" snake may have just been in too high of temperatures. That makes them act aggressively.

You should be sad.
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~Sara~
5 ball pythons
1.0 Black-lined plated lizard (Lizzy Butt)
0.1 Burmese Python (Pixil)
lots of Rats
1.1 Dogs (Ozzie and Mandy)
0.1 Cat (Isis)
0.0.1 Synodontis Catfish (Big Spotty Fish)
0.1 Convict Cichlid
0.0.1 blood parrot cichlid
0.0.1 African Featherfin Catfish

how did you put it down?