|
Temperment isn't the issue with green burms. Finding one that will survive past 5 years and not wipe out your whole collection with it is the issue. These snakes apparently had a bad gene introduced early on and as a result very few are surviving to a full lifespan. Sure some are making it to really large sizes but any burm can do that in a couple of years and even breed before they are overcome with chronic RI caused by a diminishing immuno system. Some will argue that BD (Burm's disease) is a myth. Perhaps it is but the fact remains that MANY burm breeders lost heart and stopped breeding burms after their collections died off soon after introducing green burms to their bloodlines. Personally, I wouldn't call BD a myth. It is too well documented. I think the problem lies in that no self respecting scientist or doctor would name a virus "Burm's Disease" so it has to be something else and just hasn't been properly named yet...unless it is some new strand of Ophidian paromoxyvirus or something. The symptoms are the same all except the incubation period is bizarre. OPMV usually hits hard and fast where BD rarely if ever shows even the first hint of trouble before the snake is 30 months old. It would be much easier to control if it did hit sooner because 30 months is plenty of time to spread it to the rest of your collection and even breed and pass it on to a whole new generation. New burm breeders coming along will tell you "ahh rubbish.. I have a 17 foot green burm that's never been sick." Perhaps they do. Perhaps they won't for long though. I'm not saying all green burms are marked for BD...I'm sure that there are some out there. But I care way too much for the rest of my collection than to ever risk it. It would be like going to a 3rd world country in Africa to find a hooker. Not wise.
Soooo My suggestion is enjoy what you have or add a boa. If you do go with an albino green burm....quarantine it for life far away from the rest of your collection and prepare yourself for a huge heartache. Watching a magnificant beast slowly choke to death on it's own phlegm is a tough pill to swallow. I went through it with a rescue Labrynith burm a couple of years ago.
|