Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everybody!

I'm really looking into a BRB. I think they are gorgeous, and I hear they aren't as nippy as some of the other snakes I was interested in (Blood pythons and others of the short-tailed pythons).

Questions for BRB owners:

1. Does your BRB accept f/t rodents?
2. How "nippy"? (I don't mind a few good bites, but I don't want anything over the top.)
3. This one is somewhat of an opinion. I will take all of your comments into consideration. I have owned a ball python for over 9 months now. She is very tame, but VERY finicky. She's been eating about once a month. So, she is more work than I asked for, but hey, she's a great snake, I wouldn't trade her in for the world. I also (as of last week) own a Bearded Dragon, which is a solid 2 hours of work every day. I also have read about all different types of reptiles. I wouldn't call myself an expert, but because of all the research I've done, I wouldn't call myself a beginner either. Probably intermediate. So, here's where I need your opinions. Do you think a BRB is a good snake for me, or am I biting off a bit more than I can chew? I am a very dedicated owner and will do all the reading I can before aquiring it. I am ok with maitenance. I am also ok with high humidity, even though I live in a desert. In Cu's bin, the humidity is usually over 80%, when she has her water bowl inside her bin. What do you guys think? Am I ready for a BRB?

Thanks to all!!

~CrazyForHerps
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CrazyForHerps
0.1 Ball Python, Culebra (Cu)
1.0 Bearded Dragon, unnamed (waiting for me in CA!)
1.0 Tabby cat, Iraland (Ira)
Various feeder rats

Really like hearing you're looking into it BEFORE getting one.

To answer your questions...

No, they're not nippy, babies usually are nippy for the first few weeks but settle down easily.

I raise my own feeders but from what I hear, they take F/T just fine. They are voracious eaters, rarely skipping a meal with no reason to like in shed or breeding season.

Yeah, BP's are notorious for being finicky eaters, mostly in the winter. I had some for a while and they'd shut down eating for a few months at a time.

Also had beardies and yeah they take a fair amount of daily care.

BRB's are great, while they should be checked on daily can go days on end withn minimal care. I even set up my collection so I can be gone for a week at a time!!! And they do just fine.

A properly set up cage will make the difference on how well they do. Yeah they need higher humidity but simply limiting the exchange of air goes a long way towards maintaining higher humidity. Add in a damp moss hide box and perfect!!!

IMO BRB's are overrated as dificult to keep. It's back to the simple point of having a proper cage set up!!!

Only you can decide if you're ready!!
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Thank you very much!

Awesome website! You have some great-looking snakes. When (if?) I start looking to buy, which all depends on how much money I can get together by this spring, I will not overlook you!
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CrazyForHerps
0.1 Ball Python, Culebra (Cu)
1.0 Bearded Dragon, unnamed (waiting for me in CA!)
1.0 Tabby cat, Iraland (Ira)
Various feeder rats

I think you are more than ready and capable of owning a BRB. They are not that difficult to maintain..and sure there is humidity requirements but a good cage makes all the difference, especially if your environment is dry for the most part.

A cage with sliding glass doors and solid top with small vents would be the best sort of cage for your adult BRB. Rubbermaid shoe or sweater box for a baby BRB is a good way to start. A few holes drilled in the sides for ventilation, daily mistings and a water dish big enough to soak in and/or a moist hide..and all the humidity requirements will be met.

BRB's don't need high humidity really, so 60-80% is more than enough which should not be constant (to prevent bacterial growth etc.)

Young BRB's are a little nippy but being small, bites are not bad. Regular gentle handling calms them down. Handling and cleaning the cage during the day works too...as they are not looking for food so much at that time...evening is feeding time.

I never had problems with either of my BRB's taking frozen thawed, pre killed or live mice or rats and even switching back and forth rarely has them refuse food. IN the 5 years of having BRB I think I only had a couple missed meals. I tend to always offer more pre killed or frozen thawed to my BRB's than live...as they do take med. to large rats which can to alot of damage if left alone with a snake. In fact my BRB feeding responses are often very strong and more than once I had to leave them half hanging out of their cage because the grabbed the rat from the tongs before i could even lower it into the cage.

As boas go they are a nice length (average around 6 feet (rarely over 7, or at least I haven't heard of BRB's over 7 feet long), are girthy but not as girthy as say a red tail and thus provide a nice boa experience without being too much to handle for a single person. (or at least for a single female who is in lousy shape..I would hate to have to wrestle with a 9 foot boa that weights 40 pounds or more)
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PHLdyPayne

I agree, I find my two BRB's much easier than my BP, but my python has never eaten for me on his own and is kind of a nightmare I think that because BRBs aren't that common in pet stores (compared to corns, ball pythons or boa constrictors) they're often treated like any other 'beginner' snake and given a small tank with aspen bedding, a ceramic or other too hot bulb and a screen lid - perfect conditions to bake them to a crisp.

My yearling has always been a little quirky and doesn't like to eat if I'm around so I cover his cage if I'm still going to be in the room, but are great feeders compared to other snakes like ball pythons. IMO boas are more fun to handle too because they aren't as timid as BPs I've held. The only greater challenge is that you have to be more diligent about cleaning since mold can start to form if you don't check often and keep an eye on the temps so that they don't get too high. Other than that once you know what you're doing (which it seems you're figuring that out just fine) they're not too difficult and are a lot of fun!
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Danne
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1.0 '07 BRB "Monroe"
1.0 '08 BRB 66% het Anery "Ace"
1.0 '08 Pastel BP "Sebastian"
1.1 Leos "Bowser & Peach"
0.2 Dumbo (non-feeder) rats "Josie & Holly"

Email = dshoback@eden.rutgers.edu

Danne,
....Your BP has never eaten on it's own? Are you force feeding it every meal? Healthy BPs can and often do go months without eating. They are not very active and so need very little caloric intake. Many of them do not eat well because they are stressed. Every time you force feed you are just adding to that stress. I cannot say for sure that your BP will eat on it's own if you quit force feeding but IMO it is worth a several month try. On the other hand if it is seriously emaciated it may not be able to survive long without food.
Jeff

>>I agree, I find my two BRB's much easier than my BP, but my python has never eaten for me on his own and is kind of a nightmare I think that because BRBs aren't that common in pet stores (compared to corns, ball pythons or boa constrictors) they're often treated like any other 'beginner' snake and given a small tank with aspen bedding, a ceramic or other too hot bulb and a screen lid - perfect conditions to bake them to a crisp.
>>
>>My yearling has always been a little quirky and doesn't like to eat if I'm around so I cover his cage if I'm still going to be in the room, but are great feeders compared to other snakes like ball pythons. IMO boas are more fun to handle too because they aren't as timid as BPs I've held. The only greater challenge is that you have to be more diligent about cleaning since mold can start to form if you don't check often and keep an eye on the temps so that they don't get too high. Other than that once you know what you're doing (which it seems you're figuring that out just fine) they're not too difficult and are a lot of fun!
>>-----
>> Danne
>>---------
>>1.0 '07 BRB "Monroe"
>>1.0 '08 BRB 66% het Anery "Ace"
>>1.0 '08 Pastel BP "Sebastian"
>>1.1 Leos "Bowser & Peach"
>>0.2 Dumbo (non-feeder) rats "Josie & Holly"
>>
>>
>>Email = dshoback@eden.rutgers.edu

Thanks for the concern Jeff (and sorry for steering this OT for CrazyforHerps). I've been on the BP forums with the issue a bit, and to a vet as well. I got him as a hatchling and I think he hadn't eaten for them either. He was down to 38g and was looking really gross so I started up "assist feeding". Now that I've got him up to around 50g again he could probably go on a break for a bit soon and try a live pinky or even gerbil pinky overnight if I can get my hands on one. Thanks for the concern and input on it though I feel so stupid for having so much trouble all over this python hatchling!
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Danne
---------
1.0 '07 BRB "Monroe"
1.0 '08 BRB 66% het Anery "Ace"
1.0 '08 Pastel BP "Sebastian"
1.1 Leos "Bowser & Peach"
0.2 Dumbo (non-feeder) rats "Josie & Holly"

Email = dshoback@eden.rutgers.edu

Danne,
....Lots of people have problems getting BPs to eat.
Jeff

>>Thanks for the concern Jeff (and sorry for steering this OT for CrazyforHerps). I've been on the BP forums with the issue a bit, and to a vet as well. I got him as a hatchling and I think he hadn't eaten for them either. He was down to 38g and was looking really gross so I started up "assist feeding". Now that I've got him up to around 50g again he could probably go on a break for a bit soon and try a live pinky or even gerbil pinky overnight if I can get my hands on one. Thanks for the concern and input on it though I feel so stupid for having so much trouble all over this python hatchling!
>>-----
>> Danne
>>---------
>>1.0 '07 BRB "Monroe"
>>1.0 '08 BRB 66% het Anery "Ace"
>>1.0 '08 Pastel BP "Sebastian"
>>1.1 Leos "Bowser & Peach"
>>0.2 Dumbo (non-feeder) rats "Josie & Holly"
>>
>>
>>Email = dshoback@eden.rutgers.edu

Myself included! Although not as many problems as you. I haven't had the need for an assist feed... I don't know if I could handle it! But Cu does fast a lot. She's eaten twice in the past 3 months, which isn't bad, but not good either.
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CrazyForHerps
0.1 Ball Python, Culebra (Cu)
1.0 Bearded Dragon, unnamed (waiting for me in CA!)
1.0 Tabby cat, Iraland (Ira)
Various feeder rats

Hi there!
I have 2 beardies and a couple cornsnakes and then recently picked up a BRB off of Dave.
She is sooo very easy and sooo very sweet.
Definitely less work than either beardie. Set up is sorta a similar deal. It's a pain to get your beardie set up right (what with MVBs, temps, etc)- but as soon as you do- you are golden.
Mira is the sweetest freakin snake. I was a bit nervous when I first got her, but she has never, ever displayed any sort of aggression or even an over enthusiastic feed response. She is super friendly, goes from being picked up to being stretched out all over a person (not just me even) in under 10 seconds.
And she's not remotely headshy. It's weird. My corns have been worked with a lot and I wouldn't call either of them headshy, but Mira really doesn't care. She doesn't back up at all.
Basically, she's easy to handle, good feeder, all around- provided you have the proper set up- a no stress snake.
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1.1.0 beardies
1.0.0 bloodred corn
0.1.0 striped anery corn
0.1.0 the cutest lil BRB ever- courtesy of Dave!
0.1.0 leopard gecko
0.1.0 golden gecko
0.2.0 mourning geckos
1.1.0 cats

Cool, always happy to hear one of my babies is doing well!!!

I can't stress it enough, proper setup and husbandry = low stress on snake = healthy, happy and calm snake!!!!
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

You can say that again, lol! Beardie setup is impossible! It took me over a month to get Budo's temps right. Of course, I made doubly sure that everything was perfect by the time he got here, but the process is a nightmare, with all the heating and UV and whatnot...
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CrazyForHerps
0.1 Ball Python, Culebra (Cu)
1.0 Bearded Dragon, unnamed (waiting for me in CA!)
1.0 Tabby cat, Iraland (Ira)
Various feeder rats