Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 1 1/2 year old burm who is in the range of four feet. I got him three weeks ago (from a guy who I realized after I got him had no idea of how to take care of snakes) and am wondering how to tame him because he has a nasty attitude. He's not hugry because he'll eat anything I give him. I'm having doubts on handling him because I have tried to handle him twice and he hisses alot whenever I try too. He has tried to many times and has bitten me once. How do I handle a short-tempered burm so that he won't strike and will be tame?

Patience is the key. Most likely the previous owner didn't handle him/her much. Just be persistent. If he bites, continue to hold him. If you put him down immediately when he bites, he will learn that he gets what he wants when he bites (to be put down). Gain his trust. Allow him time to settle in, cover his tank and make sure that his area is very quiet so he does not get too stressed out. After about a week or two, then try to hold him, some people use gloves, I personally dont. The reasons for using or not using them are as far and varied as the people themselves that give the reasons to you. Just be patient and I am sure he will mellow out before too long.

Stan

i dont believe any of us really ever tames a snake. snakes even after 10 and 15 years of being pets are still naturally wild animals they are just more comfortable being handled by humans than thier realatives in the wild. i had a very large retic that i had raised for 15 years , he never bit me then one day bit me in the shoulder and wrapped me so quick i freaked out! on the other hand i have recently aquired a beautiful pair of sibbling sri lankans and they were so aggressive when i got them that they were lunging out of the container at me, biting me everytime i tried to handle them , but as the last poster reccomended i handle them daily, sometimes a couple times a day and now they are both very sweet. thhey still hiss a little but when they feel my hand they relax . i suppose what i am babbling about is it is different for every snake, we dont generally know what they have been through as they cant talk to us and say " hey i was abused by the last guy that had me" or " i love the back of my head rubbed" so keep trying to handle him. let him bite you, it will happen, eventually he will realize that biting isnt going to make you leave him alone and that when you handle him he is not being hurt. enjoy your snake thats what it is all about anyway isnt it?

Try using gloves for a cuple of weeks to gain his trust.
or due like i do let him bit keep hold hime and he will quit
after awile. if he bits and you put him down he will keep doing it.

How would you guys go about calming down a big specimen? Maybe they came from a big breeder so were never acually "handled", instead just moved around when needed and what not. Now how do you go about dealing with them when you want to take them out and they let you know they dont want to be touched?

VERY CAREFULLY!!!

Usually, a snake hook is a very reliable tool in this incidence. By just giving them a gentle stroke on the back and let them realize that you are not going to hurt them, and moving slowly and cautiously, you can usually keep them cool. There are exceptions however and you need to be very careful in this position and make sure you aren't making yourself too vulnerable if they were to strike aggressively. They can be rather quick, so give yourself plenty of space between their head and you. Pay very close attention to it's movements and make sure that if you see that it is getting ready to give you some lip, BACK OFF IMMEDIATELY!!! Eventually they will calm down, but in the meantime, you have to take the utmost caution.

My big girl (almost 8 feet) usually hisses at me when I go to take her out. I just reach in with my snake hook and get her while she's hissing. Usually once I start to lift her she stops. Then when I put her back from holding her for a while, she strikes at thin air! I think she likes being held and doesn't like when I put her back. But she came from a bad background and maybe fears when the cage is opened, but as soon as she knows it's me, she calms right down.

Circusfan

Yeah, I was just curious to see what other people think about "taming" large snakes that already show aggresion due to no handling as juveniles. Maybe they are WC or just generally a bad attitude.

We have worked with a number of large, aggressive burms. Most will settle down nicely with consistent and proper handling while a few will always be inclined to defend themselves. In those cases, you just need to use extreme caution and good management techniques when working with them. The bottom line is that keepers of large burms should always assume that their beloved "pet" could turn on them at any given time. By taking this approach, you will do things properly such as using various hooks, shields and other devices when taking large burms out of their enclosures. I could write much more but its time to go to work...and work with reptiles (tough job but someone's has to do it). Rob

>>How would you guys go about calming down a big specimen? Maybe they came from a big breeder so were never acually "handled", instead just moved around when needed and what not. Now how do you go about dealing with them when you want to take them out and they let you know they dont want to be touched?
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL