Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm looking to get a big python of some sort, and i've basically narrowed down my search to either a blood or a burmese. (previously, i've stuck with colubrids, and a children's python) i'm aware that most people here are probably partial to burms, but i was wondering if anyone has/had kept a blood also, and could give me a side-by-side comparison of the two. i like the look of bloods, and i also like that they don't get as long, but all the adults i've seen at local shows have looked pretty crappy, so i'm inclined to think they may be somewhat dificult to care for. burms are much more availible, and i've seen a number of quite healthy adults. which do you think would be best for a first "big" snake? i've also been thinking about anacondas... any opinions on those?

thanks-
-kyle
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LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE:
1.2 Kimberely rock monitor
1.1 Baja Cape Gophers
ANY Dendrobates pumillio
ANY Eastern glass lizards
thx.

I always tell people to get the smallest "big" snake that will make them happy. In this case, that would be the blood python. I must confess that I have very little experience with blood pythons -- they've just never really appealed to me. The last time I checked on their care in captivity, I remember them being more difficult to care for than burmese. As far as ease of care, it's hard to beat a burm. Very hardy animals. However, as you know, they get very large. I have two burmese -- an 11 foot male and a 14 foot female. The female is huge. She is also quite tame, but possesses an incredible feeding response. She is dangerous at meal times, and it takes some creativity to get food in the cage without becoming food yourself. I use both my burms in presentations (did one yesterday and two today), and they are dolls when being shown. But they are totally different creatures when rabbits are around. You must be ready for this, and you must understand that great care and caution are necessities with these snakes. Non venomous does not mean harmless and the tamest of tame burms can do some real damage in the right circumstances. And too often, you don't know the right circumstances until it's too late. I live in a small community and you would be surprised at the number of people who call me wanting to place their unwanted boas and pythons for them. I have a fellow right now from a neighboring county who wants to give me a big female albino. I see these things all the time, and it really is a shame. People only see the glamorous side of keeping big snakes -- the reaction people have when they see one, the attention they garner, all that. What people don't see are the feeding responses, the care and maintenance that go into keeping one healthy and happy, and of course the cage cleaning. When burms defecate, they really unload! It's like cleaning up after a horse.

All these things must be taken into consideration. Those cute little baby burms turn into real giants. If you're ready for all that, scratch the blood and go for the burm. But if you really don't want a 200 pound plus giant snake that can topple furniture and poop like a mule, go for the blood or a boa or something like that.

RP

I love this post!
Very informative yet simply done and very concise.

Amanda
Amanda's Menagerie
http://amandas_menagerie.tripod.com

Agreed. A perfect "do you really want a burm" post! Maybe those of us who are experienced with burms should make one of those "Do you really want a Burmese" posts and have it available always? We do seem to get plenty of those types of questions. Just a thought.

Ill add a bit to it myself:
Very quickly your cute baby will turn into a large animal impossible to handle alone (safety as well as sheer size). One must also consider housing such a large animal. Do you have the resources to purchase the largest Vision type cage or the skills to build an 8x4 sturdy enclosure (repeatedly since they can and will damage cages)? How about the prospect of feeding 15lb rabbits or even pigs to your snake every couple of weeks?

Any other additions?

I have a sumatran black blood python (python curtus curtus) and three burms... Now, I LOVE my blood python to death. She is my "prize" snake. Absolutly gorgeous, stunning, everything I could ever want a snake to look like it She is also fairly sweet as far as bloods go. (most bloods you come across are not barrels full of love) But the one thing about her is that she is soo easily stressed out. I only bother her when it comes time to change her cage and take some new pictures. She tends to be very shy, very 'reserved' and loves to keep herself hidden. I've heard this about a lot of bloods, that they are sort of high-strung and are *very* solitary, they just don't like the human interaction.

There are always exceptions in the blood world though. If you found the right blood, it could be a great pet.

Brms on the other hand... tend to be more socialable. The also get about three times larger than any blood gets. Bloods tend to be very FAT and stocky snakes(6-7ft, depends on the type of blood python), burms also get very fat, but are longer (20ft ).

So really.. I say go with whichever you really want. Bloods are beautiful (and addicting...), but a good burm will have a personality and a tremendous size. Remeber with the burms though.. these things get HUGE. Read back a couple days and you can find a bunch of posts about how much burms demand respect and why everyone should NOT own one.

And uhm.. I hope this helped a bit I kinda went on a ramble..
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Randilyn -;,-
Desolate Gray: Reptiles

thanks to all of you who contributed. you were very informative and impartial. i've decided to look for a male burm, because i want one that can be a "pet snake" rather than simply a display, as it seems a blood would be. i have, however, been dissuaded from the idea of buying a baby burmese. instead, i'm going to look to take in a "rescue," as long as i can find one that's in good condition, so that i don't contribute to what seems to be somewhat of an overpopulation issue.

thanks alot for your help-
kyle
-----
LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE:
1.2 Kimberely rock monitor
1.1 Baja Cape Gophers
ANY Dendrobates pumillio
ANY Eastern glass lizards
thx.