need help with 10ft burmese python

[mlouati1389]

i purchased a 10ft female albino burmese python about 4 days ago. she was very tame when i went to get her. very docile. i have had large snakes all of my life. but they have been boas. she is the first large python i have had. i fully understand the responsibility of owning a snake that may reach lengths of 16-20ft long. i have done all my research and i am just seeking a little bit of help. any advice would be appreciated.

she was docile for the first 3 days. then today i went to handle her, and she began hissing. i called her bluff and continued stroking her sides before i went to grab her. she hissed even louder when i wrapped my hands around her, and then she flexed her body as if to strike and quickly jerked her head away. i said okay and left her alone. i went back 3 hours later to attempt to take her out again, and she acted in the same manner.

i have owned large constrictors for as long as i can remember. anywhere from between 6-10ft. but she is the only one that has displayed this kind of aggression/defensiveness toward me. and i am fully aware and expecting to be bit at some point. but i would much prefer to avoid it if i can. and i would like to know how some of you might handle this situation. [email protected] look forward to hearing from someone soon. thank you. sorry if i might've posted in the wrong place.

 

[crookedantler]

Nice looking snake,is she in her cage when she acts like this? Maybe once you get her out of the cage she will be OK,I have seen this work with Burms and retics.

 

[RoadHouse of Retics]

Leave her alone a few days and try again. Sometimes they just don't want to be bothered. She may be ok once she is out. When did she eat last? Also dont expect to get bit, especially by a 10 ft burm. Just take your time with her and she will settle back in for you.

 

[abcs_exotics]

I gree give her a couple of days and try again. Are you feeding her in her cage? I would suggest feeding her in something else. sometimes burms can be hissy in their tank but calm down when you get them out.

 

[AbsoluteApril]

moving this to the discussion forums

 

[Utta]

I've never seen a burm that DIDN'T hiss.

If you want to see if she wants to come out, get her head out of the cage and about 2ft of her out as well. she'll come out on her own if she wants too, if she doesn't then she'll just crawl back in. otherwise just take the hissing into consideration, but watch body language too and take her out.

p.s. thanks April!

 

[AbsoluteApril]

Are you feeding her in her cage? I would suggest feeding her in something else.

I forgot I wanted to add a comment on this, I personally would not recommend feeding a large constrictor outside of their cage or in a seperate feeding container. Simply because burms and retics have such strong feeding responses and can stay in feed mode for a long time, there's a good chance of an accident happening when moving them back into the tank. I don't keep burms but basing this on stories I've heard/read. Maybe try hook training so she knows when you open the cage if it's going to be food or your hand coming in?


P.S.S.

p.s. thanks April!

as The Tick would say: No applause necessary, just doing my job.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFpGtSwCPBs
(ok so the quote is actually at 8:48 in part 2 but the opening is the best)

 

[reticguy76]

no worries. burms and rocks hiss. thats what they do best. give her a week to ten days to settle in. new surrounding, new person, etc, is reason enough to be a little cranky, plus add on they hiss, thats just what they do, she will be fine.
assuming she was hook trained, keep it up, if not, hook train her once she settles in. i would offer a smaller meal than normal for the first couple, just from the stress, we dont wanna even have a slightest chance of regurge or anything.

good luck. she will be fine

 

[mlouati1389]

id like to thank you all for your replies. it means a lot to me. you have been very helpful!! turns out, you were all right. she just hisses. she has yet to strike at me. she will hiss and tighten up her body. but she does NOT like the hook.. i am not sure why? she will tighten her body around the hook, as if tightening around pray. she breathes very heavily when i touch her with the hook. what i have found to work, and feel free to let me know if this is dangerous, as right now.. it isnt. but may when she gets bigger? i grab one of my tshirts and i just lightly put it on top of her head, and then i stroke her sides for about 30 seconds. when i feel she has calmed down, i take it off her then grab her and take her out of the cage. and she is perfect. (i put it on her with tongs just to be safe). as of right now, i am only feeding her colossal rats. she is used to eating medium/large rabbits, but i dont agree with live feedings. (cannot find a f/t rabbit anywhere) it is cruel to the prey and cruel to the snake. and i live in germany.. so i am unsure where to find a rodent shipper that will ship apo/fpo overseas... since i cant give her medium rabbits, i give her 2 colossal rats. and she seems fine with that. she is used to eating live, but she was easy and gentle switching to f/t. she did not even strike the rat. i held the rat above her head with xxl feeding tongs, and she looked at it, opened her mouth slowly and basically just took it as gently as she could. it was pretty amazing. she is a great snake. and again, i want to thank all of you for your help. i was nervous at first, but after reading all your responses, i did what yall said and she was fine oh, also wanted to add that i feed her in her cage. i have learned from my boas, that when they get about 5ft+, it is much easier in their cages. as april is correct from my experience. my boas would stay in feed mode for a long time after they were done eating.. so safer for me and less stressful for the snakes to feed large constrictors in the cages.. so that is where i feed her. id rather get territorial strikes than a feeding strike.

 

[JColt]

Melissa, did you ask original owner where he got his rabbits from? Find a local breeder that has meat rabbits for public. Shouldn't be too difficult to find one. If you do find one let them know it's for your burmese and ask if you can get ones that are stew quality and should be cheaper. Ask what quantities would be cheaper to buy and prepare freezer space.

 

[Helenthereef]

what i have found to work, and feel free to let me know if this is dangerous, as right now.. it isnt. but may when she gets bigger? i grab one of my tshirts and i just lightly put it on top of her head, and then i stroke her sides for about 30 seconds. when i feel she has calmed down, i take it off her then grab her and take her out of the cage. and she is perfect.

My experience is not with Burmese, so I'm prepared to be contradicted, but I had a cage-aggressive snake that I ALWAYS got out by dumping a pillowcase over her head before picking her up. Continued to work and saved us both stress....

 

[mercuryts]

i have a 12 foot burmese that was cage aggressive to begin with, what we found to be easiest us was to "stick" train him( using a snake stick or something else other than a hand to nudge him or get him out of the cage). eventually we were able to replace the snake stick with our hands, nudging him behind the head to let him know we werent feeding him, and were going to take him out. and also to feed him outside of his cage, this allowed the snake to associate the feeding area with food replacing the association with food in his cage.

 

[RoadHouse of Retics]

i have a 12 foot burmese that was cage aggressive to begin with, what we found to be easiest us was to "stick" train him( using a snake stick or something else other than a hand to nudge him or get him out of the cage). eventually we were able to replace the snake stick with our hands, nudging him behind the head to let him know we werent feeding him, and were going to take him out. and also to feed him outside of his cage, this allowed the snake to associate the feeding area with food replacing the association with food in his cage.

That's like playing with matches, your bound to get burnt someday. I couldn't imagine trying to feed a snake of that size outside of its cage. How is he when you try to put him back in his cage after feeding? I wonder how it came about to try something like that. It would take one time for you to startle him and you could end up with a serious injury. Not sure of your experience but that's a dangerous practice and wouldn't recommend that to anyone.

 

[reticguy76]

aside from the keeper, its dangerous for the snake to feed outside the cage. regurge chance increases dramatically. feeding should be done in the cage, no exceptions.

size of snake doesnt matter, all snakes from a baby hognose to a 25 foot retic can regurge when handled up to 24 hours (some up to 48 hours) after feeding.

 

[Helenthereef]

aside from the keeper, its dangerous for the snake to feed outside the cage. regurge chance increases dramatically. feeding should be done in the cage, no exceptions.

size of snake doesnt matter, all snakes from a baby hognose to a 25 foot retic can regurge when handled up to 24 hours (some up to 48 hours) after feeding.

Yeah, you see I always feed in food tubs outside the cage, (not Burms, smaller boas), often handle after feeding and never had an issue at all.... guess it proves there's just no absolutes in this hobby.....