The rate with which a burmese will grow is similar to the speeds reached by a coal burning locomotive. The more fuel you shove in, the greater the rate with which it goes.
In other words,.. the rate your python will grow is entirely dependant upon you and entirely dependant upon how much you choose to feed it. A python can remain somewhat petite, and it can become relatively monstrous and remain equally healthy. Here's basically what you can expect with different feeding regimines:
If you feed your burmese moderately little you should have a 4 to 6 foot yearling. If you feed it moderately well you can expect to have a 7 to 9 foot yearling. And if you feed it exceptionally well you shouldn't be surprised to have a 10 to 12 foot yearling.
Here I will describe these generalized methods of feeding so that there is no confusion. But I am by no means implying that these are the only acceptable methods of feeding. Undoubtedly there are likely hundreds of acceptable methods of feeding that result in a healthy well balanced snake:
Moderately little diet: AKA "Maintenence Diet". If you start your burmese out on one small meal and feed it every 7 to 10 days but rarely increase the size of the meal. The snake will remain healthy overall but doesn't ingest enough additional nutrition to contribute toward rapid growth. The result is that growth is minimal.
Moderately well diet: If you start your burmese out on a relatively large meal such as a small rat and feed it once a week and always compensate the snake's growth with larger food items. The snake will remain very healthy and will grow rapidly. In my opinion this diet is always best and the one I always advise. It's really a very general diet.
Exceptionally well diet: Again you start your burmese out on a large meal, as much to immediately get him/her accustomed to large meals as to deliver optimum fuel. You always increase the size of the meals and during the first 6 to 8 months you can safely feed them twice a week to once every 5 days. When they are young digestion is rapid and the snakes are often ready for another meal within a few days. On this diet the burmese is usually transfered to rabbits at about 6 feet and 4 months old. The snake will remain healthy and will grow incredibly fast. But I do caution that one should not allow this diet to continue past one year. As soon as the snake begins to slow down in growth and to put on more bulk than length you want to drastically slow the feeding. Otherwise this can and will result in an obese and potentially unhealthy snake. I usually only advise this method of feeding if one intends to breed and even then only for females as males only need to be 6 or 7 feet to successfully breed.
I hope this helps.
>>Hello everyone, I am somewhat new to pythons, but I have had my boa for about 3 years, nearly four (will be 4 this summer).
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>>Long story short I want a burmese python. Plain and simple. However, due to my future... conditions... I will be gone for an extended period of time. I do have care takers of course several at that (sometimes I think my faimly and friends worry more about my snake than me), but of course if its MY snake *I* want to raise it. Though my question is pretty simple, how fast do these grow? That is, in say two years, how big can I expect one to get? Reason I want to know is that I dont want to have to burden anyone here with having to get a bigger cage (besides, I want to make sure everything is set up right)...
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>>I would like to perhaps start with a baby, I will be here for a good 7-8 months before I leave for a while, so I am sure thats enough time to tame one, least my boa tamed in... well she was always tame... But yes, do I need to count on having a 20 foot burmese in two years, or a 4 foot one? (I know neither, I wanted to get my point across though lol, im not TOTALLY ignorant otherwise I wouldnt be possibly getting one).
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>>Thank you all for your help.
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>>Duster
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>>PS: on a side note, I do want an albino, anyone know of any good place to get these?
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