Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok well my baby burm that i am goiong to ghet tomorrow will have to stay in the 55 gallon screen top cage until about 5 feet is that ok? after that i can afford to buy a neodesha 8'x30"x18" is that ok for full length of about 12 feet for males? and my last question is what do i feed him how often and how? thanks every1 u r all alot of help feel free to email me classclown7653@aol.com-----i no a childish screenname lol

I know you didn't ask this, but it is my FIRM belief that a person your age should not own a burm...but I will bite my lip and hold my thoughts....sort of.

A 55 gallon tank, in my opinion, is not a suitable nor responsible way of keeping a burm, even a 5' burm. A 3-4' burm possesses a lot of strength and will have no problem lifting off a screen top (even it you put weights on the corners). There are MANY other probems with glass aquaria such as the open top that makes heating the cage sufficiently very, very diffuclt (but not impossible). If you can't afford proper housing, I would recommend buying the cage first and then save up for a burm....if you can't afford a good cage (like a neodesha) how are you going to afford your first vet bill?...it will happen. I don't mean to lecture but it doesn't sound like you are quite ready to take on this resposibility; and it is a HUGE responsibility.

In terms of an optimal cage for an adult, an 8' neodesha will suffice for an average size male or small female but you may have to go bigger if your burm ends up to be a fairly large adult (we keep our large burms in a cage that measures 12' x 4' x 3').

This isn't meant to cut you down in any way. I have several very talented 15 year olds that work for me at my wildlife center.....but have you thought about what you are going to do with this snake should you go to college? Who else is going to help you handle this snake? Does everyone in your family share your zeal for reptiles? Do your parents know exactly what they are getting themselves into? Believe, I made many mistakes at your age and with age comes wisdom; sorry if this sounds harsh.

Ok, so you getting a burm. I do agree with one thing and you have to think about it because if you do go to college or plan to where ya going to put it. Unless you can have one of your buddies look out for it when your gone. Now if you dont plan on going then no problem there.

As far as glass tank 55 gallon and a screen top. There are some people who say no you should not use a glass tank. Well my burm is 7ft and in a glass tank with a screen top. The tops actually slide off and pin lock. Yes the snake could push through it. I know this and have heard the horror stories but then there are alot of people who have them and heating is not a problem. The tank is 5ft long and like a 1.5 feet long and about 2ft high. The rule that all the books say about tank size is this how it should be half the lenght of the snake so it can make a O type shape. And snakes do not need a ton of room. And yes I plan on moving her in to a 6ft vision in the next couple weeks. Remember this, snakes are masters at escaping. And I have seen the debates about kids owning big snakes the only thing I have an argument about is if that kids family is not willing to take care of it when I leave for school or whatever.
Now the feeding, feed your little burm from baby to 4ft one to two mice every three to four days. Then from 4ft to 6ft feed rats, and then 6ft on rabbits.Thats what the book says. The more you feed it the more it will grow like a weed trust me. But you could go with rat pinkies and so on. How do feed it, use frozen and use tongs and pick it up by the back and pretend like its alive, and walk it by the snake. If frozen does not work go with live for awhile but work towards frozen. If you need help with this e-mail me.
It sounds like to me that this will be your first snake. I would probably go with a ball python or somthing smaller, then when you get older go for the burm when you are situated. I am waiting to get a retic, but I need a house the condo is not big enough for another snake.
Good Luck if thats the road you go
Jeff

Alright, when I answered your first post I got the impression that you had done your research and had a ample amount of knowledge and experience. However after reading your response in regards to "snappyness of baby burms" I completely rescind those comments. If the only snake you have owned is a ball python and you resorted to pinning its head to handle it then you are know why ready to own larger more dangerous animals. You utilize poor practices and that won't work well with a burm. If you continue to pin the head of a burm that snake will never trust you and you will end up with a 12 foot snake that doesn't like to be held or taken out because it will associate this with having it's head pinned. I am not trying to be harsh but for real man you need to learn more and practice better handling techniques before you get a large python. Todd

These posts by the BurmKing are a joke, right? This guy can't be serious.

RP

For a minute there I was thinking the same thing. At one point I even thought that it was just someone "testing" us to see what we would say in the face of such absurdity.

Alas, there is no denying that there are actually such people out there.

>>These posts by the BurmKing are a joke, right? This guy can't be serious.
>>
>>RP

I agree with other email per Carmichael.Also you shouldn't be feeding every 3-4 days. That is absolutely insane and you will fry the snake's internal organs. A burmese at that age probally should be fed every 10-14 days.Trust me on this it will be grown properly.After it is about 8-10" slow feedings down to every 14 days or so.A mature adult at about 4 years can eat even less often

He is going to get one no matter what we say. Yes you can probably say he is not ready but that is not going to stop one from getting one. The best thing you can do is advise them, and tell them what could happen. Thats what these forums are for not for everyone to pass judgment. And say when someone is ready and not. You can only advise them to do the research.
And actually I did not say feed an adult burm every three days, I said a baby until it is 4ft, and everyone had there own feeding schedules. And at 4ft go to every 5 to 7 days then when mature feed it every 7 days. That my friend is in a book that a lot of people have. I could say feeding every 14 days is insane, you are starving it.

The information in some books is very inaccurate.The internal organs of any snake especially a large python feeding on rodents should not be exposed to that kind of wear and tear.This info I have gotten from zoologists and vets.These books often give us info on growing snakes fast which is not in the best interest of the animal.Feeding every 10-14 days at any age is far from starving a burmese python.