Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, so I was at our reptile store this weekend, and needless to say I almost walked away with a grantie. I think its time to get another burm after losing mine a year and half ago. I know when I had my first one I let her stay in a glass tank for a year, until I decided to get her another cage. Anyone keep adults in glass tank. I have screen lids that slide off with a pin stopper. Tank is 5 ft long. I am thinking it will only be good to keep it in for maybe a little longer than a year.

The next questions is do I go with a male or a female. Last one was a female. I know males stay smaller but how much smaller. I do like the thickness.

Thanks
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0.2 Rotts
1.0 Super Tiger
1.0 Amel Retic
0.1 Ball Python
0.1 Red Tail
0.1 Blood Python
1.0 Green Ananconda
1.0 Emerald Tree Boa

My male is 10yo and 12ft. He was underfed for quite a while by previous owners and was only 35# at 11ft when I got him a year ago. He put on another foot in length and he's now 50#. I think this will probably be his top length, though. He's not a strong eater so I'm not sure if he'll get any thicker.

He was kept in a glass tank for his entire life before I got him. He was given to me in a 75 gallon tank that he had lived in for the previous 7 years. I couldn't get a basking spot large enough for him to fit underneath, but more importantly, I couldn't keep the humidity up very well. At some points he even had collapsed eyes. I misted him and put foil over the screen lid until his other cage arrived from Animal Plastics. He also rubbed his nose on the screen lid looking for the weak spot. Since screen gives a bit, it always encouraged him to keep going.

If you do keep a young snake in a tank, plan ahead for humidity control. I don't think I'd do it for an adult snake after seeing what mine went through. I had chatted about it here on this forum, but it seems like he has some possible kidney damage. maybe it was from low humidity, maybe not. He 'pees' twice a week, passing both urates and water, just a bit much for a typical Burm.

I remember reading that post and wish I knew peeing once a week or more was not a good sign. Mine did that. Its hard to forget the fact I screwed up somewhere and caused her to pass.

Thanks
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0.2 Rotts
1.0 Super Tiger
1.0 Amel Retic
0.1 Ball Python
0.1 Red Tail
0.1 Blood Python
1.0 Green Ananconda
1.0 Emerald Tree Boa

Hey Jeff!
Let me start out with saying something that you already know.

"Its hard to forget the fact I screwed up somewhere and caused her to pass."

Stuff happens, buddy. Ain't none of us perfect. I've done it once in an experimental situation and I've done it once in an ignorant, not knowing better, situation. The main thing is that we have learned from it. The hard part is accepting it and moving on to better ourselves and our captives.

Don't let it eat at you. Thank the one that passed away for teaching you something, remember the good times and let the lesson be blessing in disguise. Now, if only I could practice what I preach. Ha!

About tanks - They can work just fine, for just about any size/age, but have their drawbacks. The main drawback is what Laura mentioned, insufficient tops for maintaining temps & humidity.

Also, glass doesn't hold heat in very well but cutting a piece of the blue insulation board used in home construction and putting it on the bottom-side of the tank, and also around three sides if desired/needed, can help a lot.

Most of my setups at the moment are tanks (Gasp!). Anywhere from 15-gallon (for hatchling) to 55-gallon, to 125-gallon, for my burms.

Here's a pic of an easy to make top that works well.

I've got DIY plans on my site for that one and another style for use with belly heat instead of overhead heat. Check 'em out.

As for male versus female - I think typical male size is somewhere 12ft and females average between 14 - 16ft. Another difference between the sexes is it appears to me that more males are problem feeders, finicky eaters, etc, than females. I've got two male burms and they're both finicky eaters, where my 5 females are insatiable pigs.

You said you like the thickness, and to me, that thickness is usually found in females, not males. Because of my males' finicky eating habits they're thinner-bodied than my females. No, my females aren't fat or obese, either.

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

www.natures-signature.com

Hey, who knows about the peeing thing...mine seems to be doing fine now. I just keep his humidity up as best as I can and he pees away!

I've only had this one burm, but he is a picky eater. He just recently refused a F/T bunny even though he hadn't eaten in a month. Little bugger...then I had to go buy a freshly killed one that he played with for a while before eating.

I've used tanks in the past also. But as everyone has already said that heat and those mesh tops can be an issue. I've been building all my own cages now for years and personaly feel safer with my big snakes in them nad not in tanks.
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Education is Everything.......

Oops! Sorry, Laura, I forgot about replying to your post.

Yeah, I can't say with any certainty that your male likely has kidney damage like I had mentioned before. I've read reports of how severe, or long-term, dehydration can cause kidney damage in reptiles and I think back on the various Burmese Pythons I've had/have and how none of them were frequent urinaters (Is that a word? It is now. Ha!).

Out of curiousity, does your male drink a lot of water now that he's in the new cage? Seems like you said he drank a lot in his old cage and I was just wondering if since the new cage retained humidity better if he was still drinking a lot.

About picky eaters - my large female nudged a F/T rabbit around for a few hours the other night but would never take it. She'll eat a rat that's frozen solid if I'd let her but just won't take the plunge to rabbits, yet. I think if I'll scent the next with rats she go for it. We'll see.

Did you try heating the F/T rabbit with a hair dryer or something else? Took me 3 1/2 yrs but I finally got my picky male switched over to F/T rats. Talk about stubborn....

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

www.natures-signature.com

Oh, no biggie, Mike....

Yes, he still drinks water constantly. Sometimes we walk by his cage and his head is just hanging over the side of the container likes he's drowning himself. The kids like to yell, "No....Sammy, don't end it this way!" Weird inside joke. He has a kiddie pool that we put in the backyard that he likes to hang out in, too.

A matter of fact, since he just ate last weekend, he's got a nicely soaked cage for me to clean this morning. Yay.

He usually eats F/T rabbits and even guinea pigs with no problem. He just wasn't into this one. I tried feeding him rats once and he wouldn't even tongue flick them. I did defrost this rabbit with a rat for my boa and I wonder if it was a scent issue. I'll keep the blow dryer trick in mind, though.

I still fight a bit with the humidity in the AP cages. I have closed off some of the back vents, but I used black cardstock paper and I'm not sure if that's the best. I wanted something that still looks pretty decent on these cages. They're in a bit of a drafty location, but it's the best place I can put them for now. Also, even with the RHP on max power, I can only get a basking temp of 85-86. I would think that when they built these 6ft cages and fitted them them RHP's, they would have considered the proper size/wattage necessary to heat them. Unless it's my cheapo ZooMed thermostat that's holding it back. The set-up works fine for the boa cage on top of the Burm cage, but it's a bit smaller and has the benefit of rising heat.

So...sorry to have hijacked this thread and steered it completely off-topic! I keep lots of critters in tanks and didn't want to give the impression I thought it was poor practice for anyone else to do so. I just wanted to share my experience with a then 11ft python in a 75 gallon tank when no thought was ever given to his humidity except to give him a water bucket that took up half his floor space. He was so cramped! And he spent every evening rubbing his poor nose on the screen.

I am glad you said somthing, because I was very upset that the conversation is not about me and my problems. hahahahahahhahaha. Just kidding.
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0.2 Rotts
1.0 Super Tiger
1.0 Amel Retic
0.1 Ball Python
0.1 Red Tail
0.1 Blood Python
1.0 Green Ananconda
1.0 Emerald Tree Boa