Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have thought of getting a burmese python but i always here people talking about how hard it is to care for them. and that most people cant take care of them. i want to know whats the big difference in caring for a burmese than caring for a bcc. i guess it would help if everyone who responds has kept both or is keeping both. i'd love to know as much as possible. i never get snakes without knowing as much as i can. i like burms but i really need to know this question.
thanks yall

and keep those pics of the true redtails rolling

Well, at least some of it depends on how busy you are in you personnal life, " married with children, full time job, ect. " I would not reccommend a large python species to anyone that has young kids, unless EVERY PRECAUTION is taken to insure that they do not come into contact with the children. A B.C.C is going to usually max out around 10ft with a occasional exception to the rule and will maintain fine on rabbits. A burm, can easily attain lengths of 20ft and can be fed rabbits at that time, but you will have to feed them more and it is more costly. When a burm reaches its full potential, it will also need a large enclosure " much larger than a boa would ever need. " Plenty of breeders will tell you that they keep 20ft burms and retics in 8ft enclosures, it can be done, BUT the poor animal will be cramped and will never stay in real good shape as far as muscle tone is concerned.I kept burms, when I first got into the hobby 18yrs ago and when the price on them dropped to crap, it was no longer feasible to keep an animal that aquired so much space and so much food and had the potential to kill you. They did not even make enough to pay for their own upkeep. It is all in what you want to do and you have to ask yourself if you are ready for the extra responsibility and if you are responsible enough to own an animal that once it reaches its max size, could easily kill you. Also, ask yourself why you want one? Is it because you truly want to do something worthwhile with them or is it to look cool lugging a big constrictor around and be mancho. Only you, can answer these questions and in the end determine if it is worth it. If you bite off more than you can chew, it will be sad most of all for the animal, because it is hard to place burms with anyone and Zoos will not touch them. B.C.C. vs Burms ? B.C.C. anyday and for me, I sometimes wonder why I keep B.C.C. I am a Corallus man and they are almost self contained.......Good Luck.......Johnson Herp

i would want a burmese as a pet. not cause its cool. i have liked snakes since i was 8 years old. some get it for that reason but not me. i would never think of breeding it. i prefer a male. is it costly to keep males and females or are females more expensive. i know females get bigger. i was told that males get no bigger than 14 feet but i have seen post of males that were listed at 16 feet. i like the normal and albino normal burms i also like the labyrinth and albino labyrinths too. not really into the other burm morphs. but i do love that blond burm that bob clark has. i just recently saw that there is someone else who has one and his selling hets for that trait, but it is 7,500 thats to much for me.

also when u said that they didnt make u enough to help pay for their own upkeep are u talking about just the normal burm or all the morphs too.

the price came down on the normals and the albinos years ago and they are some expensive morphs out there now for sure BUT, Burms produce like rabbits and if well taken care of, they produce alot of babies with relative ease and because of that, the price drops quick on even the newer morphs. When the albinos first came out and were real hot, basically everyone that tried to breed them that had any common sense at all, did so successfully. Boas, are not as easy, " especially B.C.C. " and therefore more of a challenge and usually hold there value for a much longer period of time. As far as getting a male, they typically will stay smaller than females, but not much difference in the ease of keeping. Do what you fell you want to do, you do not need permission to do what you have probably already decided to do. You can ask for info and you can get plenty of that and plenty of opinions and or arguments, but if you have answered the questions that I put in the previous post to yourself, you should be able to make an appropriate decision. Good Luck.........Johnson Herp

I have kept both burms and BCC. IMO, they are at about the same level of care (except you have to be stronger to do the same things with an adult burm). Cage size and cost, as well as feeding bills, will be larger for the burm. Another factor to consider is that many localities, and even states, are passing ordinances prohibiting large constrictors. If you only want one as a pet, it may be worth it to you to pay the permit fee (if there is even a permit allowed), but there can be hoops to jump through and unwanted attention/aggravation. Also keep in mind that this is not a short term commitment. Burms can live in excess of 20 years (that's alot of rabbits), and they are not easy to get rid of when they get big.