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I am interested in finding dealers/breeders who might have smaller than average burms. I would like to emphasize that I am -not- looking for underfed or malnourished pythons, but rather, genuinely diminutive specimens. Can any of you refer me towards a particular breeder, or steer me in the direction of someone who might know. I have been daydreaming on a breeding project for a couple years now, and I figure it is about time to try it out. Thanks

Cheers,
Michael

To my knowledge (and Im assuming no one elses either) no one has produced a dwarf burm. He who produces a dwarf albino burm shall be a millionaire....

Although I have seen smaller than average adult size burms, I don't believe we have any recognized "dwarfs" out there (unlike the widely distributed reticulated python which has some true dwarf like island forms). I suppose that with selective breeding, we can "produce" a smaller burm, however, based on the gene pool we have available, I don't see this happening any time soon. If size is a concern, you are better off going with a different species. As mentioned, there are some true "dwarf" retics that I would highly recommend (adult females only reaching 8-12' while males getting much smaller)...these are beautiful animals too. Mike Willbanks and Bob Clark would be good people to start with (and there are many others but my mind is blank at the moment). Good luck.

First let me say,.. it is good to have you back around on a more regular basis. Your temporary absence here was deafening. (Now we just need to get Marcia back)

I agree with all that you said here. While there may sometimes be smaller burms (11 feet as opposed to 16, lol) they are still quite big and any attempt to selectively breed a dwarf out of these genes would entail more generations than a human life has years. I am currently working on something myself but I can not post what it involves, unfortunately. Too top secret. But I can say that it is a bit of a longshot and that my chances that this will be successful are probably slim. It's more likely that it will be similar to the beautiful dwarf that throws regular babies, type thing. But if it does prove to be successful, I could be within 6 years (3 generations) of producing much smaller burms. Don't count on it though, the odds are stacked against me. But one upside is that I am using only fine high end morphs to do this project, so even the "failures" will be beautiful. And before anyone askes me, NO, I will not be crossing them with dwarf retics. That wouldn't be a burm. Only burm blood would make a true burm in my book.

>>Although I have seen smaller than average adult size burms, I don't believe we have any recognized "dwarfs" out there (unlike the widely distributed reticulated python which has some true dwarf like island forms). I suppose that with selective breeding, we can "produce" a smaller burm, however, based on the gene pool we have available, I don't see this happening any time soon. If size is a concern, you are better off going with a different species. As mentioned, there are some true "dwarf" retics that I would highly recommend (adult females only reaching 8-12' while males getting much smaller)...these are beautiful animals too. Mike Willbanks and Bob Clark would be good people to start with (and there are many others but my mind is blank at the moment). Good luck.
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True "power" is not to be found in social or economic placement or stature, which are merely illusory, finite, frail and brief.
True power is to be found in one's sheer will and personal determination to achieve one's goals at ANY cost and at ANY sacrifice.

obviously, you have to maintain a certain amount of secrecy with a project of this nature, but can you tell us, how -much- smaller are we talking about? Or is this still so far off that you don't yet know the potential outcome.

michael

As even the original test group breeders are still young and thus not full grown, I don't even know what their eventual size will be. So it would be careless of me to speculate at this point. And even then, I would need to go by the offspring of these before I speculated, even if these did remain small, as their offspring may very well turn out to be normal behemoths. But if these future kids turn out to be small too (I should know this right when they hatch), I of course will continue with the project, raise and breed the smallest, and then we will know if this will result in 10 foot adults, 8 foot adults, or whatever. But I have to tell you,... in my opinion, the odds are very much not in my favor of this panning out. But I figured it couldn't hurt to try, you know?

>>obviously, you have to maintain a certain amount of secrecy with a project of this nature, but can you tell us, how -much- smaller are we talking about? Or is this still so far off that you don't yet know the potential outcome.
>>
>>michael
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True "power" is not to be found in social or economic placement or stature, which are merely illusory, finite, frail and brief.
True power is to be found in one's sheer will and personal determination to achieve one's goals at ANY cost and at ANY sacrifice.

yeah, I suppose the worst that happens is you end up with a few more babies, and a story to tell about that time you some crazy scheme. And if at best...well sign me up on the waiting list . Good luck Brian

>>yeah, I suppose the worst that happens is you end up with a few more babies, and a story to tell about that time you some crazy scheme. And if at best...well sign me up on the waiting list . Good luck Brian
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True "power" is not to be found in social or economic placement or stature, which are merely illusory, finite, frail and brief.
True power is to be found in one's sheer will and personal determination to achieve one's goals at ANY cost and at ANY sacrifice.

Thanks for the information. Fortunately space isn't the factor..or perhaps unfortunately..because it seems that space is a lot easer to come by than a dwarf burm. We'll have to wait for Brian to get it all figured out.
Cheers