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I have a baby green albino burmese i just recived about a 2 week ago Very awsome looking burm (female) The problem i am having with her is that she is extremly agressive strikes alot i can seldomly hold or handle her she's probally about 2 or 3 months old how can i break this pattern i havent came across this problem with any of the other burms,balls, or boa's i own that and the fact i got her for a steal of a price i really need to get her to come around so i can use her in my future breeding plans any help is appricated SORRY ABOUT THE PIC OF THE NORMAL BALL I COULDNT GET THE PIC TO LOAD RIGHT

This is only my opinion, and I am sure it will have "people" disagree with it...

First off what springs into my mind off the bat is you are dealing with a baby Burmese Python, A snappy Burmse Python baby is COMPLETLEY Normal in my opinion. Thats how lots of them are...Its something you are going to have to work through, if that means little love bites so be it, its a baby burmese python its not gonig to be that bad, and its something you have to get past if you want a mellow adult. Handling on a regular schedule should mellow the little baby out in a short period of time.

What more concerns me is the statement that you are wanting to mellow him out so you can breed him in the future, My first question is why? Why do you want to breed burmese pythons? What concerns me is the point in time when/if you breed them you will have 30 baby Burmese Pythons that could very well be just like the one you just got, if you aren't able to handle this 1 fiesty baby, how are you going to handle 30 of them?

If you just got the Burmese, it could be under lots of stress still, you didn't mention how you where keeping it, where you where keeping it?, how many times a day have you been trying handle it? I always suggest giving a new snake a period of "adjustment"...after you get them, they shouldn't be messed with, give them time to adjust to thier new surroundings. Many people can't resist and want to handle them all the time right away, which can stress them out.

First I would make sure husbandry wise everything is ok, give him time to settle in, maybe feed him a couple of times, then start handling him on a regular basis, This is how many burmese python owners had to start out, Our burmese python tried to bite my face off when we first got him, and now he is very mellow, its part of dealing with baby burmeses. Its a common thing, but usually very short lived...so thats a good thing...

Best of luck with him, Check your setup, make sure its right temps ect, give him a chance to adjust and try not to stress him out with 20 times a day opening his enclosure and picking him up, I personally think its best to bring him out for 20 minutes of gentle handling, then put him back...you don't want to be in and out in and out...a bunch of times, that can be stressful.

And just think to yourself....do I want to hatch out 30 of these things...?....lol
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Executive Reptiles
Amanda Kingsbury & David Kendrick
www.executivereptiles.com

You have a very good point on the "why do you want to breed burmese pythons" comment. Right know we do not need any more burmese pythons bred there are already to many of them out there. I am a reptile keeper at a zoo and literally every day we get a call about someone wanting to donate a burm. I don't believe the average hobbyist should breed expecially large constricters. with the profesional breeders the need for burms is covered. If you want to breed work with a rare animal or a more difficult to breed animal. But please everyone on this list if you don't need to breed burms ar any herp for that matter don't breed them. Enjoy them as a pet not a moneymaker. I guess that was a little off the original topic sorry but i wanted to expand on your comment. i have a feeling this post is gonna get some people talking
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"Create then surpass your expectations"

Hi!
It's not unusual for baby burms to be nippy. Some are & some aren't. The secret to taming a nippy Burmese python is making it feel secure, both, in its cage & in your hands.

First, you need to make sure your cage temperatures aren't too high as temps that are too high can cause such behavior in snakes. So, double check you cage temps & humidity level to make sure everything's where it should be.

There are different ways of making a snake feel secure in its cage. The most widely used method is to provide a hide one the hot end & another hide on the cool end. These hides should be just big enough for the snake to coil inside of without having a whole lot of extra room. The tighter fit the better, because it makes them feel more secure.

Handling:
In general, I believe it's best to give a new snake a few days - 1 week to adjust to its new environment. After that, you can begin handling it once every other day, for about 10 - 20 minutes each session. Depending on the personality of the snake these sessions can be more or less frequent, but once every other day is a good starting point.

After the first week, if improvements in handleability improve you can handle more often & for longer periods. However, you have to be careful not to overdo it, like handling it many times a day, everyday, because that will most likely stress the snake. Simply put yourself in the snake's place - would you like to be dragged out of your living room several times a day to be handled by the Jolly Green Giant? Ha! Ha!

When removing young snakes from their cage there are various methods that can be used. Some people don't like or want to be bitten. Use gloves & a long sleeve shirt if you don't want to be bitten. Whether bare hands or gloves, you have to learn to fight the reflex of jerking back when getting struck at or bitten as this can cause broken teeth or teeth snagging on gloves/shirt, creating more stress for the snake.

More often than not, baby snakes are more defensive while in their cage and usually calm down once out of it. I usually suggest using a hook, umbrella, or coat hangar bent as a hook, to remove the snake and then place it in your hands. Although, I most always just reach in with bare hands & remove them. It usually only takes a few times of gentle, secure, removing & handling for them to realize that you're not to out to hurt them and they'll calm down.

While in your hands, don't reach towards their head from the front, side or above. If you need to reach for their head, do so from behind, whith your hand as close to their body (above their back) as possible, or, slide your hand along their body until you reach their head.

All of your movements should be gentle & deliberate. Not too fast & not too slow. Let them crawl through your fingers while you support the majority of their body. As they crawl out of one hand and they're still in the other, take the hand they just crawled out of and gingerly move it underneath them to where it's in front of the other hand. You have to support their body at all times. Very much of their body dangling unsuopported makes them feel insecure.

After a few handling sessions & once they begin to crawl through your hands & appear not to be afraid of you, you can slowly place one hand in front of them, enticing them to crawl to it.

If you get a stike or get bit during handling, don't stop the seesion & put the snake up as this can condition them to strike/bite and get left alone. Keep on handling at least a few minutes more after a strike or bite. Always end handling sessions on a good note, with the snake in a good attitude.

Now, about breeding - I think the other people replying mean well and for the most part I agree with them. However, there's more to it than what they mentioned. It's more complexed.

Let me stick with the breeding of Burmese pythons to keep it in perspective. Breeders, or potential breeders, should always take into consideration "supply & demand" of the specific morph they're considering breeding.

For the last several years there appears to have been an ample supply of normal Burmese pythons. Due to their low cost & abundance these are generally entry-level Burmese pythons. These are the most common being turned into zoos & rescues. Normal albinos are beginning to show up more at these places also. You don't see very many of the higher-end morphs being discarded by owners, though. So, selective breeding serves our industry well.

Even though there may be an abundance of albino greens, yours could have something exceptional about them that some people would love to incorporate into their projects. Maybe, maybe not. Plus, by the time yours are able to breed albino greens may be scarce or there may be kaboodles of them available all throughout the year & not just seasonal. It is something to keep in mind.

Whether a person is in it for the love or for the money, not many people want to spend the amount of money it takes for caging/feeding large snakes just to sell them for $80 a piece. These are usually newcomers that are trying their hand at breeding and generally move on to more costly morphs if their successful. Not many professional breeders breed normal burms because of the low turnover. I believe that the majority of normals produced come from newcomers, and for the most part are needed, or else there wouldn't be any normals available. With that said, we still don't need everyone producing them.

Sorry for the long reply. I hope I've helped you, or someone else, at least.

Have a great day!
HH
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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

I think HH summed it up pretty well on the handling and the breeding. The only things I have to add are when handling a burm we always recommend using a hook to remove the burm from its enclosure, feed it in the cage and don't use the hook during feeding time. All of our burms lose the feeding response when we touch them with the hook, then we can reach in and pick them up. Another suggestion for nippy burms is to wear a pair of work gloves, this way if you do get bit you won't react and the burm will soon realize that biting isn't going to affect you.

On the breeding side, I agree with everything that has been said. I feel that there are far too many normals and albinos out there already and if fewer were breeding them then the desire for them might increase. A good example of this is the labyrinth burm. So many people incorperated the albino into them that there is now more demand for labyrinths than for albino labyrinths.
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Randy and Michelle
Art In Scales
(719) 439-4199
info@artinscales.com

Thanks for mentioning hook training, Randy. I was going to mention it but because I got so detailed & long-winded I purposely left it out to avoid "info overload" at one time. I was gonna come back & mention it, making it a two-day course instead of a one-day cram course if nobody else mentioned it. I reckon I'd might as well expound on it now.

Due to the size that these snakes get it is highly recommended that they be hook trained. As Randy said, you only use a hook to gently rub or tap the snake's head to signal to them that you're about to handle them. Also, as Randy said, never use a hook, or similar tapping/rubbing actions on a snake when feeding it.

Snakes learn what the hook means pretty fast, if its used/done the right way. By tapping/rubbing the snake with a hook before handling it also reduces the chance of the snake striking from instinct if they were to be asleep. Because they don't have eyelids it's hard to tell if they're asleep, in a daze, or conscious of what's going on if they're lying motionless.

You can begin hook training as early as you want. I suggest beginning it at least by the time the snake is 6ft long or so. Here's a set of instructions on how to make a cheap snake hook out of a commone camping fork. No special tools required, less than 30 minutes of work and you can have a hook for less than $5. $5 Snake Hook

Best wishes!
HH
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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

And this camp fork snake hook can also be used to retrieve roasting squirrels that fall into the campfire! I'm makin me one!

Hill billy snake hook!!! I love it!!!