Yes, this is common for hatchling and young burmese that were not handled much by the breeder or previous owner. Many of the dog-tame burmese I have now were aggressive biters when I first got them. But I simply gained their trust over time and once they understood that I was not something that wanted to harm them, they stopped being deffensive. Even some of the yearling albino granites I got a couple of years ago were like this. Simply because the breeder I got them from never really spent any time with them. Neither did the breeder that originally produced them. So they had very little interaction with humans other than being tossed rats occasionally. So, understanding that they were really just simply unfamiliar with humans,. I presented myself to them daily and aquainted them with a non-threatening human (me). With the hatchlings and younger snakes it takes only a few weeks, the yearlings and older burms took a couple of months, but the end result is a good one either way. With the smaller ones I allowed myself to be bitten during the "therapy". It really doesn't hurt too much and it speeds the process greatly. The little snake quickly grasps that regardless of what it does it is still going to be held, yet is not physically harmed. The lack of true threat eventually sinks in and the little snakes soon forget all about being defensive. With the older ones I allow them to strike towards me while holding them, but not to contact. They do hurt when they are over 6 feet and even though I am used to being bitten, I really don't like it when it hurts. But they can still get it out of their system by striking at the percieved threat. So I will allow them to strike toward my face, but to fall short an inch or two. They are especially threatened by the face, eyes and breath because to them, instinctually, this is the face of a potential preditor, so be very careful with where your face is until they are tame. Even though they won't always strike at a hand during handling, the face of a percieved preditor is another thing entirely. If you are not good at judging their striking distance and range capability, don't even consider trying this. It can be dangerous and one could lose an eye.
I hope this helps somehow in understanding better what is going on inside the realm of your little guy's instinct and why he or she does what he or she does when you approach.
>>Well I got my first burm the other day. I have been working with herps for about 11 years now and never owned one. I got a female. The problem is she is nippy and flighty. I have owned numerous snakes before and I understand that babies tend to be a little nippy at first. I was just asking for some tips from people experienced with burms. I have gotton bit 3 times and sprayed once. If you have any advice to calm her down please post.
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>>She is only about 23 in. so still very young. She is also eating frozen adult mice.
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>>AJ
>>Dekker
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Human "progress" equates to nature's demise.
