Reptile & Amphibian Forums

how is it done?
is it possible that a 20 feet python will stay calm and use to pepole?
i am working with 15 feet burm python and she is crazy and agressive, she doesn't care what is coming in to her tank she will try to eat it.
what way there is to keep your big snakes nice when they are getting biger then you?
thank you for your time

The answer is easy to say but not allways easy to complete. You will both need time and patience.
Sit with her in a closed viv and you next to it. Watch her breathing, her eyes and her tongue specifically but generally watch her to see how she reacts to your sudden appearance and how she reacts as she settles down to your presence. Do this until you are confident you know her personal mannerisms. You will soon notice distinct differences in her behaviour depending on what she is thinking. She will act differently around food so be sure you watch her when food is about, mistaking curiosity with hunting could be fatal.
When you are both happy with each others presence open the door and be ready for her to get upset. Don't do it for too long and make no sudden or shakey movements, she has to trust you which at that point is more important than your trust in her.
She will want to wander about so give her space but be on your guard at all times, after a while she will come right out of the viv, over your legs if need be when you open up the doors.
As she starts to trust you she will be easier to manage and a whole lot less dangerous.

As long as you set a good routine of feeding on one specific day for the first few weeks/months and just sitting/interacting with her other days she will grow out of the automatic feeding response.

Others suggest using a hook to condition an animal to know when it is play time and when it is feeding time. This does work but i feel the way i suggested would be your better option as you will both regain some trust and tollerance of mistakes.

It is a long process but more than worth it when you have a manageable large snake at the end of it. The timescale will depend on your devotion and how the snake views human contact, it may never work at all. As long as you dont try to rush things (going back a step if need be when you move on but she doesn't) there is no real reason it wont work.

Good luck

you said let her come to you and go near your feet..
im sorry but im scared to do it, she is a kiiler right now when i open the cage she in a second look and goes over there to see if there is any food.

im too scared to try get her out... i afraid she will see me as food, and bite my leg.

do you guys think its possible to get her use to pepole again?

thank you

Since this animal is so big do not get too close to her if she is that aggresive. Use long hooks, objects and patience. If you continue to try and get her out then she strikes and you give up on trying to get her out, she will learn trying to bite as a good thing. If you are that nervous and know that she will bite once out, you need to pin her head down with an object such as a broom or any kind of long pole. She has to come out for cage cleaning eventually. Once you get her head pinned in the cage grab her quickly, make sure you have at least 2 people with you to help you, extra hands always help. Make sure you are never alone trying to do this. I hope this helps a little.

Why keep an animal that you are this afraid of? I personaly dont think you are ready dor the responsibility of keeping a large retic (not trying to be offencive). You may want to consider selling, adopting out, or tradeing what you have and start with a baby, so you have a little more time to work with it. just my $.02 though..

i know that she is a burm and that a retic forum but here she is the burm i was talking about.

Its done by raising them from babies for the most part. Retics are not a beginner snake by any stretch, especially not WC/CH, and to take on anything more than 5 ft without any previous experience is often the scenario that leads to big retics with poor temperments and reputations. CBB is your best choice for having nice adults

Retics dont turn "mean" as they grow up, you just perceive it as such because now its not a 4ft animal chewing on you, its a 12ft, or 15ft. The threat potential rises, creating fear or worry (often just), you give to the tempermental threats as their size increases which only perpetuates their reoccurances.

Working with a 20 ft retic takes experience as well as muscle. No short way around it, no crash course. People who can bench 300 can still have their butts kicked by a 15ft retic just wanting to "run and excercise" You must remember that calm at 8 ft, with crawling,climbing, and soon is the same at 18ft. Its just now there is a lot more to hold on to. I would say my retics became more laid back after exceeding 17, as opposed to their activity at 14ft. There is alot of mass added in those 3 little feet.

As well correct feeding often plays a part in 'mood'. A 9 ft retic or burm should be on rabbits, NOT rats, and a larger specimen would need larger amounts of food per feeding. Feeding proper amounts at regular intervals is also key to thwarting an often mislabeled "aggression" , which in all actually is hunger. Food Response is natural, but more often than not a result of lack of interaction between "keeper and kept" to quote an old phrase. So the snake is nippy, you handle less/none but still feed. The snake learns that when the door opens food comes in, so just strike and constrict. At 6ft this can be tolerable, you can still manhandle them, but at 13 this is now a burden. Once again, a label of "aggressive/mean" has been applied to an animal conditioned to act this way, not on purpose but unintentionally.

In the end, you dont keep them nice, you raise them nice and it carries through. Now there are exceptions where traumatic events(surgery,wound treatment,etc..) may cause temperment/attitude changes, but that is different. Retics especially, are intelligent enough to know, and in the opinion of many, remember attitudes towards them from owners.

So often we as humans anthropomorphize our pets. My retics are the same in disposition as they were when they were 10ft, its much more to handle when one wants to roam rather than return to its cage, and yeah things get knocked over, moved, maybe broken. But the snake is still NICE, just bigger with more consequences from its action. A food response can be very serious now should it happen, but the drive is no more then when they were 6ft. I start even when small to avoid programming. Brush the sides with hook handle or broom, cover the head with a deli cup or a trash can lid. There are many tried methods that work well.

Hope this has helped clear up some questions.
Notah

>>how is it done?
>>is it possible that a 20 feet python will stay calm and use to pepole?
>>i am working with 15 feet burm python and she is crazy and agressive, she doesn't care what is coming in to her tank she will try to eat it.
>>what way there is to keep your big snakes nice when they are getting biger then you?
>>thank you for your time
>>

I agree with everything Notah said. The very best route is getting babies and take those nips while very young and learn their behavior and routines. Some are forced to get larger specimens such as breeders, WC, or rescues and this can proove to be very difficult. It just takes time and caution each time you want to get them out. The very bad ones are generally restrained by the head. The nervous ones are treated with caution but give them a sense of ease that you are not there to hurt them. Theres not too much I can say that Notah didn't already.

I agree with a lot of what Notah said. One thing to also try, is feeding outside of their normal residing enclosure. This helps to train the snake that they are not getting fed when you put your hand or hook into their enclosure. Even with your larger retics, if you are able to come across a "feeding bin" or enclosure that you can move them into just for feeding, it makes them easier to handle when you want to get them out for play time. We do this with all of our snakes: boas, retics, pythons, and burms. We have only had 1 altercation in taking out our burm when it was not feeding day and that was when he was shedding (we needed to clean his enclosure, and he was in full shed). This may be something you might want to try in the future.

The other thing to remember is, you have to be comfortable with your snake. It may be a good idea to trade in your larger snake for one that is a baby. That way you grow with it. It may be a good idea to let a more experienced handler take your large burm. Your fear only adds to your snake's fear and aggression.