Have you ever held a 20ft, 300lb snake?
Think about THAT question when you are looking at that cute yellow and white albino Burmese Python, or a normally colored green and tan.
That 18in cute critter is going to turn into a huge rabbit-eating machine, with the potential to cause harm to a person.
I own 2 Burms (Burmese python) at this time and I also have the means to take care of them also.
Think before you buy a potentially giant snake, it will save you a lot effort and grief.
There are WAY to many unwanted burms out there. If you have your heart set on a Burmese python you may want to go that route.
Burms come in a variety of colors and patterns. e.g. Labyrinth, Green, Albino, Granite, Albino Labyrinth, Albino Green, Albino Granite, Fader, and Blonde. I own a Labyrinth and an Albino.
Once you have thought long and hard about this decision , you have some planning to do.
Your new snake is going to need a few things heat, living quarters, water, food, and a nice hiding spot.
I will give you the basics and after each bit of information I will go into more detail on how to go about using it.
Housing
Ok, Let’s start with a new home.
The size of the enclosure depends on which road you want to venture, do you want to buy small now and buy bigger later or do you want to go ahead and get something big that will last a couple of years. Minimums… the enclosure should be, at the least, 30in x 12in x 12in.
Anything larger than that will be enough for a while. Remember you baby will outgrow this in about 3-4 months. Burms grow fast, especially with a good diet.
I keep my burms in a 96in x 28in x 24in Neodesha enclosure. This will suffice for a while. You could keep a burm in a 55gl Rubbermaidä.
I kept mine in this kind of tub from the time they were 4ft – 8ft. This gives them plenty of room to grow, for a short time of course. It is a very low cost way of caging a burm or other snakes for that matter.
Substrate
As far as a bedding goes, I use cypress mulch for pythons and boas for the purpose of humidity mostly. There are other beddings out on the market that can be used. E.g. Aspen shavings, barks
When using cypress mulch, which is very inexpensive,
I mist it lightly to keep a good ambient humidity.
This will help during shedding. If you keep aspen to humid you will end up with mold growing in your enclosures, which is why I use cypress.
Which ever bedding you decide to use, please make sure you watch out for any shavings being swallowed during feedings. Of course this is assuming you are feeding in the enclosure.
Make sure you always secure the top or doors of the enclosure you use, there’s nothing worse than not knowing where your snake is.
You should provide something for your burm to hide in. You can go to the pet store and buy a manufactured hide or you can make one yourself. Remember if you make your own to make sure there will be enough room for your snake to go in and out with ease. You can also use cardboard boxes, but these do have to be thrown out as soon as they are soiled, and after a couple of weeks.
Cardboard boxes will be, most likely, your best bet when your burm gets to be over 5ft. Some people use over turned litter pans and dark colored Rubbermaidsä with holes cut into the side of them.
Temperatures
Your burm will need sufficient heat to be able to grow up healthy and for food digestion.
A temp gradient should always be provided, cold to hot on either side of the enclosure. For a warm side the temps should be around 85º-88ºF, for a cold side 77º-80º. For night time allow the temps to drop about 5º, this will give your snake a nice cool night to sleep in.
Well how do I get temps like this? There are many ways to accomplish this. e.g. heat lamps, spot light bulbs, ceramic heaters, undertank heaters. Depending on the size of the enclosure you will need to experiment on the size of bulb. A household bulb will do, for a 55gl tub a 60w bulb should suffice. When using undertank heaters keep them on the warm side along with the heat lamp, if using both in conjunction. A few people will say not to leave the heat pads on all night, but if you keep turning them on and off every day, they will not provide the heat your burm needs.
It will take about 24hrs to get to full heat emission for undertank heating pads. The use of digital thermometers will greatly improve the accuracy of ambient temperatures in the enclosure(s).
Temps should be checked at ground level and at basking spots. Basking spots can be provided for your snakes.
A basking spot can just be a branch, elevated shelf or rock that sits directly under the the heat lamp.
Monitor strict temps on basking spots at all times.
It is very easy for your burm to get burned under a heat supply. Undertank heaters should also be supervised as it can get very hot at the point of contact. If your undertank heater and heat lamp are getting too hot use a thermostat or a dimmer switch. I will make "blueprints" on how to make your own on another page. Especially if it is attached to the bottom of an aquarium. Never allow the enclosure to rest directly on the heating element or the pads cord. A crimped cord could possibly start a fire or electricity could be cut off from the pad.
Water
Fresh water should always be provided, stagnant water is unhealthy for your burm. Some people will say “Snakes drink worse water in the wild.” One thing to remember is that your snake is not in the wild and most likely has never even seen the outside world to know the difference. A water bowl large enough for your burm to soak in should be used. If the water bowl cuts into too much of the floor space then a new enclosure should be considered. Never allow your snake to go without water, dehydration is a killer.
Furniture
You can make your burms enclosure look very natural or plain, that all depends on personal tastes. Always make sure you sanitize any wood products that will be introduced into the environment. You should bake the wood in the oven at 250º for a couple of hours. Check on the wood periodically to prevent fire.
Before introducing a new burm to your collection, you should follow a strict quarantine for a minimum of 4 months. A lot of things could be going on inside your new arrival that could bring on a mass infection through out your collection. There have been a lot of stories and experiences from relaxed quarantines, as to loss of entire collections.
Feeding
There are different opinions as to feeding your burms inside of their enclosure, because of food training. It is said that a snake will recognize the opening of the enclosure as feeding time and result in feeding responses.
A bite from a feeding response could be worse than a self-defense bite because the snake could start to constrict the victim.
A burm will change prey items as it grows from a cute baby to a gorgeous giant. It will start out with weaned mice or fuzzy rats.
AS it grows it will be able to consume rats, guinea pigs, rabbits and as a giant could possibly feed on small livestock. They are a few ways to feed your burm… Live prey, pre-killed or Frozen/Thawed. I prefer frozen/thawed because it completely reduces the chances of your burm to be hurt by the prey.
A threatened mouse, rat or rabbit can inflict serious and life threatening injuries to your snake.
My suggestion would be to start feeding f/t prey as soon as possible. I have never experienced this but I could just imagine how hard and dangerous it would be to feed a live 10-15 pound rabbit to a huge burm. Please think long and hard before you decide on how you feed your burm(s).
Handling
When you handle your burm always be cautious of the snake, yourself and others. There is nothing worse as a bite to an innocent person, especially if your trying to teach someone and explain to them that snakes are not dangerous. Daily handling will calm and keep a burm calm throughout its life. As the snake grows make sure you are able to handle the snake yourself, if not, do not handle alone. My rule is Do not handle a snake longer than 9ft without someone else with you. A simple handling session could become a life-threatening situation.
Never ever absolutely under no conditions should you handle a large snake if it makes you nervous about the situation. I believe snakes can sense our insecurities, as far as being afraid and nervous.
Good luck with your new Burmese Python(s), they are one of my all time favorite snakes and I enjoy caring for mine everyday. If you have any question or you disagree with the information provided here, do not hesitate to email me.
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