# Albino Burmese Python



## huntx7 (Nov 13, 2004)

Hi all,

Recently, (after many years of handling snakes) I decided that I should try my chances with a more aggressive/bigger snake for a while. He's about 4 feet right now.

Well, when I bought it I was informed that it would grow to be 15 feet, and a few other minor things. I just talked to another person at a different pet store who seemed to be more informed on these snakes, who said that they get around 23 feet.

He's a very aggressive sucker (meanest I've had so far), and I haven't had much time to handle him lately as things have happened within my family (father dying, mainly) but in a few days I'm bringing him to where I'm staying instead of just paying him visits to clean, change water, and feed.

But, down to the point... I'm looking to learn several things such as:

Exactly how big do they get?
What's their growing rate?
What is their perferred/natural temperature?
What type of gravel or whatever do they prefer?
Those who do/have own(ed) one, how did you enjoy it?
What is the temperment of most albino burmese pythons?
Is there anything special/different I should know about them that isn't known/done with other types of snakes (i.e. ball pythons, red tail boas, etc.)?

Also, one of the main problems now I'm having is that I bought an aquarium tank for him (75g) and was told they were out of terrarium lids that fit 75 gallon tanks. I was advised to get an aquarium tank because the glass is usually more thick than on terrariums, and the burmese get rather strong. I went to a more local petstore and asked if they had a screen for it, and they did... but the problem is, the only way it goes on is if I force it and they clamps barely stay on.

So, I was advised to build my own tank (or get someone else to build it) with some wood and wire... he gave me plans to do it, but I was wondering if anyone else had any plans they could share with me or ideas or personal experiences? Any advice on building it is appreciated.

Thanks!


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## PunkRockSkater39 (May 31, 2004)

2 words for u and ur snake: *Outside Enclosure*

*B-rad*


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## huntx7 (Nov 13, 2004)

He's not that big yet, if I decide to keep him at his full grown height I'll definitely have one of those.

Bah, and some sites say that females get 17-18 and males 14-16... no one's got this straight


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## PunkRockSkater39 (May 31, 2004)

sorry not a burmese person


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## dracofish (Jul 13, 2003)

I was told by the folks at NERD when I got mine that females get _around_ 20' and males a little smaller.

I would just skip the 75gal entirely, especially with a top that a corn snake could get out of. We have our male in a rack system for now, but your best bet for an enclosure would be something with a side-access sliding door. NERD uses these for their adult Burms and Retics.

As far as substrate, ours is currently on aspen, but newspaper is probably better for larger individuals. Temperaturewise, ours is kept in the same conditions as our Balls and Corn Snakes.

We love our guy immensely. He was extremely aggressive when we first got him home but now a couple months later he's turned into a kitty cat. We finally just found out that ours was a male because we wanted him to calm down before I tried probing him.

It took a while to get him to feed for the first time but now he'll hit at anything. He's fed frozen rats for now.

Haven't thought of a name for him yet, but I'm leaning towards Narcissus:


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## huntx7 (Nov 13, 2004)

Could you give me a link or some pictures or information side-accessing door tanks? Thanks for the information draco, appreciate it.


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## PunkRockSkater39 (May 31, 2004)

Sweet snake/pics draco!


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## spec-v (Feb 27, 2005)

Go to Kingsnake.com it is an imformation site with breeders and info for all sorts of reptiles. I would get a vision or other such cage that has already been mentioned. Burms get big I run a reptile rescue and get them all the time lucky I have a friend who is a breeder and takes them off my hands. it is a big commitment a berm can kill you that is a fact once a snake reaches 10 feet or mre you should have another person present durning maitenece also feed the snake in a seperate enclousre so that it dosen't assocate feeding with when ever the cage opens. I hope I could hel PM me if you need mre infoandcongrats on your snake. matt


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## huntx7 (Nov 13, 2004)

Thanks, I'll most likely be PMing you... thanks


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## Carnivoro (Oct 12, 2003)

Nice pick up. its CB or WC ?
Well, a HEALTHY Male bivittatus can grow more than 10' in the first year, A female more than 13'. A full grown male size is between 15'/17', and a full grown female between 18'/21+',But there is always exceptions.
But Do you really want a snake that can grow more than 15' long that need to be feed adult rabbits,ect.a and need a enclosure of a size of one small room ? you need to think about that and about what are you going to do if in a future you dont want it anymore.
~
They are diurnal snakes and preffer Temps about 85/88F during the day, at night the ambient temperature may be allowed to drop down no lower than 79/81F and a basking area of about 90F ,keep the humidity about 65/70%. They don't need special lighting.For substrate I use Repti-bark, you can use special substrate like Repti b.,ect or paper towels, news paper, carpet, ect.(like Draco says, is better for large indiv.)
If your burm is aggressive, that's their nature, and you Cant tame a reptile, its imposible but they can tolerate you and kind of trust you, just have patience and consistency. hope thats help a little. good luck

I enjoy keeping my burm and all my herps. Right now I keep mine in a 10x5x5.
Heres a pic, is a around 14'.


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## PunkRockSkater39 (May 31, 2004)

spec-v said:


> Go to Kingsnake.com it is an imformation site with breeders and info for all sorts of reptiles. I would get a vision or other such cage that has already been mentioned. Burms get big I run a reptile rescue and get them all the time lucky I have a friend who is a breeder and takes them off my hands. it is a big commitment a berm can kill you that is a fact once a snake reaches 10 feet or mre you should have another person present durning maitenece also feed the snake in a seperate enclousre so that it dosen't assocate feeding with when ever the cage opens. I hope I could hel PM me if you need mre infoandcongrats on your snake. matt
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes finally someone goes with my therory about feeding snakes







i have always fed all of my snakes in a box or something for the same reason, it is very critical now becausew i have a redtail boa


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## spec-v (Feb 27, 2005)

yeah it makes it easier I have had retics and burms and even a rock python given to me by people saying they were agressive and found that it was just a feeding response. They had conditioned there snakes to eat in the enclousre or they didn't feed them enough.


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## dracofish (Jul 13, 2003)

We tong-feed ours so they are conditioned to strike at that and not our hands. When our Burm gets some major size on him he will be fed in a separate room and handled only when both of us are present (with a weapon of some sort readily accessible...sad to say but it is a must).

We plan on breeding Burms someday and Retics after we get going with Corns and Balls. Our male is het for Granite so we want to pick up a female down the road relatively soon.


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## Atlanta Braves Baby! (Mar 12, 2003)

That snake will reach the 20' range when it is fully matured. I would just skip straight to building a cage for it. Will save you lots of money in the long run and it will be much happier. I built a 6'2'2' cage for my RTB and it really isnt as hard as you my think to do.


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## redbellypacu (Sep 21, 2003)

The Burmese Python is one of the largest snakes alive today. Though they can be docile animals, especially if handled often from a young age, the Burmese Python can also be quite aggressive and very dangerous. There are a large number of homeless Burmese Pythons in the United States because people do not realize the responsibility of keeping a giant Python. Ownership of a Burmese Python is not something to be entered into lightly.

The Burmese Python can be found on Asia and surrounding islands. They are semi-aquatic, meaning they spend quite a lot of their time in water. The Burmese Python feeds on birds, reptiles, frogs, fish, and mammals in the wild. Because of the very flexible jaw of the Burmese Python, they can swallow things several times the size of their head. Burmese Pythons find their prey using their excellent sense of smell along with the heat sensors along their upper lips. When handled from a young age, the Burmese Python can be quite tolerant of handling. Burmese Pythons must be handled regularly, even as they grow quite large, to remain tame. When handling a Burmese Python, especially a larger one, more than one person should be present. Burmese Pythons are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day. They spend most of the day basking in the sun.

An immensely large snake, the Burmese Python averages around 16 feet in length. It should be noted that females can, and often do grow even larger than this. Males are smaller and usually average between 9 and 13 feet in length. Some specimens have been recorded at lengths of up to twenty-five feet. The Burmese Python has a vibrant pattern, mostly in shades of brown and gold. The patches are usually outlined in a lighter color. The background color of the body is usually gray, yellowish-brown, and tan. Like many Pythons, the Burmese Python has two small spurs near its tail that are the remains of prehistoric legs.

Burmese Pythons are quite popular as pets. At least, they are popular until they grow to eight or ten feet long, at which point many owners abandon them to veterinarians or animal shelters.

Specific Care Information: 
Large adult Burmese Pythons will require large food items that may be expensive and difficult to procure year round. Though some people feed their pythons chickens, this is not recommended because of the risk of spreading salmonella to the snake. Like other snakes it may be better to feed in a different enclosure than the one they live in to prevent the snake from associating you with food and biting you.

Burmese Pythons are prone to Inclusion Body Disease. It is a fatal disease and all new Pythons should be carefully examined for the disease before introducing it to other animals.

Burmese Pythons grow very quickly and a full-grown Burmese Python requires a huge amount of room. Many people convert large walk-in closets into Python homes. Burmese Pythons are capable of producing a huge amount of feces and urine and the enclosure should be cleaned often. The Python should be provided with a place to hide such as a log or upside-down cardboard box. Larger snakes will likely require hand-built enclosures. The Burmese Python should always have access to a large water dish to drink from and soak in. They tend to defecate in their water, so it may need to be cleaned often.

The Burmese Python should be kept at a temperature of about 85 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, and between 75 and 80 degrees at night. They should also have a daytime basking area of around 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Breeding and Propagation: 
Female Burmese Pythons will lay a clutch of between 8 and 100 eggs, about three months after she mates with a male. She coils her body around the eggs and incubates them for between two and three months, keeping them warm with muscular contractions. The muscle contractions keep the eggs a few degrees above the ambient temperature. Hatchling Burmese Pythons suffer a great deal from predators, when young. However, they grow very quickly and the surviving babies quickly reach the size where few animals are a threat.


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## redbellypacu (Sep 21, 2003)

good luck with the snake man


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## PunkRockSkater39 (May 31, 2004)

*B-rad*


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## huntx7 (Nov 13, 2004)

Cool, got all the information I'm gunna be needing.

Thanks for the help guys!


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