Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is it not a shame that you can't count rings on a snake to tell its age? Would be great if you could, huh?
I got an albino green burm from a friend who could not take care of it anymore. Her information on it is questionable though. I looked at it and thought it was a 3 year old burm, but according to her it is 10 years old. He is all of about 7.5 feet in length.
Any thoughts?

It's very possible that your snake is 10 years old. Welcome to the flip side of power feeding, "underfeeding". It's fairly common, too.

Last year I rescued a female that the lady said she'd had since it was a hatchling. It was 7 1/2 feet long and 7yrs old. She has a feeding response like a retic on steroids.

I've got a het labyrinth Burmese Python that I recently got from a fella. It was about 3 1/2 feet long and 3 - 4yrs of age (he couldn't remember for sure).

I've also got some cornsnakes I recently acquired that are said to be about 9yrs old and measuring 3, maybe 3 1/2 feet in length.

Don't try to make up for lost feeding time too fast. I feel a gradual increase in the amount and/or frequency of feeding is the best way to go about it. Don't be surprised if her feeding response intensifies quite a bit. You couldn't pay me enough to step between my rescued female and a rabbit.

If you're not using them already, I suggest a pair of feeding tongs or cheap grabbers to feed with. My rescue is tame, but I don't mess with her a few days before or after feeding. She's got my respect. There's a big difference between her & my 12ft breeder, and the breeder is a good eater, too, just not an aggressive feeder like the rescue.

Good for you for taking in the ol' gal. I tip my hat to you & say, "Thanks!"

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

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