Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just read this at another website:

(about burmese pythons)-
"Males are smaller than females and seldom grow to more than 13 or 14 feet and 120 to 130 pounds. Exceptional females grow to 18 or 19 feet and weigh 350 to 400 pounds."

Does this sound accurate to any of you?

- Mark

Okay, Brian, you have made me feel guilty for not coming here more often so I will see if I can entice you to keep coming (and I will try harder to frequent here more often).

To answer your question, those numbers sound somewhat accurate, however, I always question various websites when they are based on word of mouth rather than "real" experience (that is, working with burms on a LONG term basis; keeping burms for 5 years doesn't come close to keeping them on a long term basis) in working with burmese pythons. You won't find too many "experts" (anyone claiming to be an expert, doesn't know squat) who have truly kept a burm (or several burms) on a long term basis. It wouldn't surprise me if you found that male burms reached average lengths surpassing 14-15' if given the proper environment and enough time. I have two males that are already over 13' at 6 years of age and they will continue to grow for many years to come. One of the largest burms I have ever seen was a huge male over 17'...absolutely massive girth. My young adult females (6-30 years of age) range from 14' to 19' and weights reaching 250 pounds....give them enough time and the proper environment, they will continue to grow until they die.

But, to make a long answer short, those numbers you mentioned are probably decent "average" numbers but I have found that when it comes to burmese pythons, "average" is all relative...an average sized adult burm is still one big pickin' snake!

Rob Carmichael, Director/Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
City of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation (IL)

Thanks for making an effort to be around more often. But now I feel bad for possibly dragging you away from an already hectic, fully booked schedule. But let's face it,.. I'm selfish. If I can just get a couple posts a week from you I'm happy.

And as for those average lengths and weights,.. The lengths sound pretty close to a realistic "average" (Like you said it's totally relative), but I have a problem with those weights in relation to the lengths given. I don't weigh my snakes very much these days, but I did weigh a lot of my pythons a LOT in the 70's and 80's when I was more obsessed with knowing every detail, and I must say,. 120 for a 13 foot male is highly unlikely. My 13 foot females back then were 100 to 110 lbs on average and they were OBESE then. So I don't see how a thinner bodied male could be heavier. (unless he's QUITE a male,.. just kidding) I could see 13 foot males being 70 to 80 pounds on average. (now it makes me want to go weigh my males. the only problem is I keep my males under 10 feet for optimum breeding purposes. I urge anyone with a 13 foot healthy male to get an acurate weigh and post it here) You could probably help here Rob. Go weigh one of your big boys when you get a chance.

And thanks again Rob (and everyone else that came out of the woodwork to support me sticking around) It really made a difference in my morale and gave me more of a positive outlook. I appreciate all of you and what you have done more than mere words can say. (can you feel the love?? lol) Seriously though,... Thank you.

>>Okay, Brian, you have made me feel guilty for not coming here more often so I will see if I can entice you to keep coming (and I will try harder to frequent here more often).
>>
>>To answer your question, those numbers sound somewhat accurate, however, I always question various websites when they are based on word of mouth rather than "real" experience (that is, working with burms on a LONG term basis; keeping burms for 5 years doesn't come close to keeping them on a long term basis) in working with burmese pythons. You won't find too many "experts" (anyone claiming to be an expert, doesn't know squat) who have truly kept a burm (or several burms) on a long term basis. It wouldn't surprise me if you found that male burms reached average lengths surpassing 14-15' if given the proper environment and enough time. I have two males that are already over 13' at 6 years of age and they will continue to grow for many years to come. One of the largest burms I have ever seen was a huge male over 17'...absolutely massive girth. My young adult females (6-30 years of age) range from 14' to 19' and weights reaching 250 pounds....give them enough time and the proper environment, they will continue to grow until they die.
>>
>>But, to make a long answer short, those numbers you mentioned are probably decent "average" numbers but I have found that when it comes to burmese pythons, "average" is all relative...an average sized adult burm is still one big pickin' snake!
>>
>>Rob Carmichael, Director/Curator
>>The Wildlife Discovery Center
>>City of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation (IL)
-----
It isn't "Ideas" that fail or succeed,... it is the "Sytstems" which are instilled to launch and sustain the idea that either fail or succeed.>[Me.]

I completely agree; those weights are FAR above average, even for a real big ol' male.

I was just wondering because I hear people posting here that their burms will grow 6-18" a month, and I just haven't noticed nearly that kind of growth out of my burms.

I bought my normal burm in February when he (though I don't know what sex "he" is yet) was about 3'10". That's not an exact number but I do know he was just under 4 feet. Now 5 months later he is right around 5 feet.

My albino was just under 3 feet on the first of March, now he (and I know he is a male) is about 3'6".

I feed the normal two medium rats and the albino three mice every week, except the normal wont eat during shed cycles.

I don't mind having them grow slowly, I'm sure they will be huge soon enough - just curious since they are growing about 3" a month max.

Thanks for any input,
Ben

My burm, a labyrinth, is about three years old now and is only about eight feet. That's not even three inches per month. He's very healthy (not thin or obese), eats every Sunday without fail, sheds well, and has an excellent disposition.

Personally, I don't care whether he grows quickly or slowly - I like him just the same, regardless of his growth rate. I can only guess that his slow growth rate may be in part related to the fact that he is a genetic morph (being labyrinth). I only say that because of things I've heard about abberant genetics having a negative affect on an animals fitness. For example, I've read that for snakes in general, not just burms, albinos are more prone to respiratory issues, as well as impaired vision, and other disorders, however great or slight. Perhaps stunted growth rate and/or size potential are also one of those slight side effects of the abberant genetics?

Does that sound plausable?

- Mark

Theres no reason why you should be feeding mice to your albino. A small to medium rat is better. If you think your burm can't get one down, it can. Switch to rats and the growth will increase.

350 to 400 lbs? I think thats a little high. Its not an anaconda for god's sake. Id think 200-250 is a better figure for a LARGE female.