Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.

Click for 65% off Shipping with Reptiles 2 You
Click for ZooMed
Click here for Dragon Serpents

Anaconda-head Burms?

Blue_Fox Mar 04, 2004 07:05 PM

OK, next question (ha ha.. Thanks to those who replied to my other question tho; I knew Burms grew fast, but not THAT fast!)

This afternoon I visited a college where I was told they had a 14 foot Burmese. I was very excited to see her, but when I first saw her I thought she had been mistakenly identified! Her head was very small for a Burm, very short, and triangular, and looked just like the head of a green Anaconda! Her eyes were tiny (one of them was very cloudy; sadly, I think it may have been blind) and close to the tip of her nose. I could tell from her markings that she was definitely a Burm, but I'd never seen a Burm with a head like that before.

Has anyone ever seen or heard of a Burm with a head like this? It was very cute-looking, actually -- but is it a birth defect? (That would be sad.) Or is it a proven strain that I've just never heard of? If it's a strain, I would like to find a breeder who breeds them -- as I said, she was very cute.

Anyway, just curious . . . I've never seen a Burm like that before, and I was wondering if anyone knew what was wrong with her, if anything.

Thanks,
-----
A. Fox

Replies (2)

BrianSmith Mar 04, 2004 08:20 PM

Yep, they can grow damn fast. My record is somewhere around 18 inches per month for the first 3 or 4 months on some females.

Anaconda head, huh? Sounds odd. The only thing I can think of is if it might be a "bateater" or partial bateater (part retic, part burm). They tend to have a more "anaconda look" to their heads with eyes that are placed higher on their head. Can you get a pic of it? That would help.

>>OK, next question (ha ha.. Thanks to those who replied to my other question tho; I knew Burms grew fast, but not THAT fast!)
>>
>>This afternoon I visited a college where I was told they had a 14 foot Burmese. I was very excited to see her, but when I first saw her I thought she had been mistakenly identified! Her head was very small for a Burm, very short, and triangular, and looked just like the head of a green Anaconda! Her eyes were tiny (one of them was very cloudy; sadly, I think it may have been blind) and close to the tip of her nose. I could tell from her markings that she was definitely a Burm, but I'd never seen a Burm with a head like that before.
>>
>>Has anyone ever seen or heard of a Burm with a head like this? It was very cute-looking, actually -- but is it a birth defect? (That would be sad.) Or is it a proven strain that I've just never heard of? If it's a strain, I would like to find a breeder who breeds them -- as I said, she was very cute.
>>
>>Anyway, just curious . . . I've never seen a Burm like that before, and I was wondering if anyone knew what was wrong with her, if anything.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>-----
>>A. Fox
-----
Believe in yourself and your abilities and you can accomplish anything.

Blue_Fox Mar 04, 2004 09:29 PM

No, it absolutely wasn't a bateater (though thanks for suggesting that -- up until now I thought a Bateater was just a different type of Retic. Now I will be less confused!)

Unfortunately I don't have a picture, but I can tell you that she really did look just like an Anaconda! (With the markings of a darkish normal Burm.)

The only thing I can think of was that her nose appeared really dry, perhaps scarred . . . Maybe she was in an accident? I tend to doubt it, as I actually saw her rub her nose on the plexiglas, so that was probably the cause of the dryness. My guess is that she's just a very different looking Burm.

In a way, it makes me wish that I could attend the school to try breeding her to prove out the mutation (if that's what it is.) Anaconda-headed Burms; that would be something new. Maybe I can convince the professor to breed her
-----
A. Fox

Site Tools