First things first:
I personally love burmese pythons. For the love of the snake I ask you, Do you
want a monster? So many people get these snakes and abandon them when they get
big. So ask yourself if you really want a snake that may grow to be 20 feet,
weigh upwards of 200 pounds and will eat rabbits or piglets? Although very rare,
the world record holder for a large snake ia a burmese named "Baby"
that weighs in at 403 pounds. If you think you can get rid of it when it gets
big, think again. Would you want a 15 foot snake you know nothing about? Most
people don't. Please don't buy a burmese python to be "cool". If it kills one
of your friends, roommates, children, etc you won't be cool in prison.(Well,
bubba might think you are) I don't say this to turn you away from a burmese
python. I say this to let you know what you are getting into. I will give you
a quick story from my own experience.. About 12 years ago I had a 15 foot burmese
python that lived in its own room. I came home to find my 3 foot niece unattended
in the room with the snake. As I approached the room, the snake was in "hunt"
mode stalking her. There is no gory end to this story, however, if I had been
5 minutes later this could have turned out very different. So please think about
it first. They are very cute when babies but a large burm can hurt you by mistake,
even the tamest. When they go into feed mode it is a wild instinct that takes
over. Do you want a 12 foot, 100 pound snake mistaking your face for a prey
item? If you smell like a rabbit, well you must be a big ass rabbit and I don't
care how much you can bench press, you will have a very hard time getting the
snake off of you if you get it off at all. Most people get hurt or killed because
of stupidity as a family in Colorado
found out the hard way. Even the nicest, most tame burms can become killers.This
is not a snake for a beginner but a great snake in my opinion.
Natural History:
The Burmese python is native throughout Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Southern China
and Indonesia. While the burmese python is breed in the U.S. they are actually
considered "threatened" and listed on CITES (Convention on International
Trade of Endangered Species) They have historically been slaughtered for there
skin. If you buy a burmese python, please buy a captive breed burmese python
and wild one. Besides, a captive breed burmese python will have a better temperament
than a wild caught one. These rainforest dwellers range from areas from lush
vegetation along the river bank to forests. Just as at home on the ground and
in tree, they are great swimmers, can stay under water for 30 minutes and love
to go for a long soak in warm water, especially right before they are ready
to shed. Like most diurnal snakes, burmese pythons spend hours in the morning
basking in the sun to enable them to begin moving around to look for food. In
the wild burmese pythons don't eat every day and don't always catch the prey
item they are after. Thus the reason you don't see obese burms in the wild.
If they do manage to eat, they will spend the rest of the day and next few days
basking in the sun to help digest the prey item. Burmese pythons breed in early
spring. Females lay there eggs in March or April. They can lay upwards of 35
eggs in one clutch. Once the female burmese lays her eggs she will coil up around
them to keep them warm. She will not leave her eggs to eat. A little known fact
about a female burmese python is that she can raise her own body heat by twitching
her muscles and by doing this can raise the ambient temperature of her eggs.
Once they eggs have hatched the babies will be on there own. A hatchling burm
can eat an adult mouse as soon as it is born.
Selecting a Burmese Python
When choosing your burmese python look for clear skin, a well rounded body,
clean vent area, clear eyes and make sure it is flicking its tongue allot when
handled. The snake should grip you when being handled, gently but firmly. The
burmese python should be alert of its surroundings. A baby burmese might be
nippy because it thinks you want to eat it. Remember, a baby snake is food for
all kinds of animals and out of instinct it is worried its going to be hurt.
On average, males will have larger spurs on either side of the vent. Other than
that there isn't much difference in a male and female burmese python as babies.
A female burmese, on average, will grow larger than a male.
Housing:
Ok, your burmese is going to grow fast. When I say fast, I mean it. Let one
of your friends see your burmese python one day and wait two weeks and let them
see it again. You will know what I mean by there reaction. So, when caging a
burmese python you need to think BIG. I use 8 foot Animal
Plastics cages for my burms. Some people have been known to partition off
part of a room for them or even use a large walk in closet. If you have the
room, use it. I don't recommend using aquariums for smaller burmese pythons.
I don't recommend aquariums for any snake for that matter but if its all you
have for now just make sure the top is covered with something to keep humidity
in. (we will get to that later). Burmese Pythons are masters at escaping so
make sure you have an enclosure that is escape proof. A brick on top of an aquarium
lid just isn't going to cut it, even for a baby.We wouldn't want Fluffy to be
missing in the morning only to return in a few day as a large dark blob if you
know what I mean. You will have to clean the enclose so you will want it to
be simple yet effective.
Substrate:
I like to use aspen bedding for my younger burms. However as they get larger
this becomes a hassle. I feel that the aspen gives them something to burrow
in and makes them feel safer. When they get large, changing aspen every time
in a 8 foot cage just isn't practical. News paper is a great substrate and easy
to change. You may also consider going to a paper plant and getting a role of
paper like they use on the tables in the doctors office. You can cut it to fit
your enclosure and change it in one fail swoop. After you get the big ass snake
off of it of coarse. Using a substrate that is decorative looks great but makes
it a little difficult to see if there is any feces or urate in it. As the snake
grows large, it will not be a problem. Aspen, shredded cypress bark (do not
use orchard bark) paper towels, newspaper, even astroturf and linoleum are all
good substrates to use. It just depends on how much work you want to do. Most
people start off with the decorative bedding because it looks good but soon
change to something easier to clean. Remember, the easier it is to clean, the
more you will do it. Keeping the bedding clean is vital to your burmese pythons
health.
Temperature:
Keeping the temperature range is very important to your burmese pythons health.
Burmese pythons are very susceptible to RI (Repertory Infection) The ambient
temperature throughout the enclosure should be 85-88 degrees during the day
with a basking area of 90 degrees. The ambient temperature at night can drop
no lower than 78-80 degrees. Belly heat can be provided in the form of a heating
blanket or heat tape. As your snake grows larger it will need something that
suits its needs better. A pig blanket is a good choice. Most custom cages can
be ordered with special belly heat options. A heat lamp can also be used as
long as you make sure there is a cage around it to keep the snake from burning
itself. Make sure you use a light form such as a red heat lamp or a CHE (ceramic
heat emitter) so the burmese is not effected by the light. If a heat source
that emits light is used it will stress the snake out. Using a heat rock is
out of the question. Don't even think about it. You should have at least, two
thermometers in the enclosure, one at the cool end and one at the warm end.
I use 4 thermometers. Thermostats are essential in keeping the temperature gradient
correct for your burmese.
Lighting:
No special lighting is required for a burmese python. You can use incandescent
bulbs during the day and a suitable red, blue or nocturnal reptile light at
night. Snakes do not need ultraviolet B wavelengths. Make sure the snake can
not get in contact with any of these lights to avoid burns.
Feeding:
Allow your snake to acclimate for a week or two to its new home. Start your hatchling off with a single pre-killed week to 10-day old "fuzzy" rat. A smaller sized hatchling may require a small mouse. Larger Burmese may be fed larger pre-killed rats. The rule of thumb is that you can feed prey items that are no wider than the widest part of the snake's body. While Burmese will eat prey that is too large for their size, they will generally regurgitate the prey item one or more days later--not a pretty sight. It is very easy to overfeed a burmese python as most of them are always eager for food, whether they need it or not. Just feed enough to keep it healthy, not obese.
Water:
Make sure your burmese has plenty of fresh water all the time. A snake will
drink, soak, and defecate in the same water bowl. Make sure you have a large
enough water bowl for your snake to soak in. I use 3 water bowls with my burms.
As the burm grows to large for a suitable water bowl it will have to be taken
out for a dip in the family bathtub.
Handling:
After your burmese python as had some time to acclimate you will want to handle
it quite a bit. A baby burm will be nippy in most case. This will fade in time.
Usually a short period of time. If your going to get bit now is the time. Do
not give up because you don't want a 12 foot burm that likes to nip because
at 12 feet, its no longer a nip but a chunk and possibly a hospital visit. If,
no, when you get bit, if the little guy wants to hold on DON"T pull your hand
back. It will cause more damage to you and can cause harm to your snake. Instead,
go to the bathroom or nearest sink and run warm water over the little guy. It
will let go.
