Burm or Boa

[draco842]

I have bought a Boa from NERD and I am waiting for the check to clear, but for some reason I still want a Burm and I want a big one. I don't move out for two more years and it sucks. I need some info fast because once they clear the check there going to arrange shipping. I have an adequite(spelling) caging for a year( boaphile 4 x 2 x 12 ) flourecent light, flexwatt, radient heat panel from pro products. I was wondering how big a male burm would be in say a year if I only feeding it every 10 days? If that is not enough what would be the least with a very healthy snake. I need it to stay around 7 feet max if possible the first year. If not I will stay with the red-tail and wait 2 years, but I would rather do it the other way around. If I get the Burm one of my friends has a perminent cage(vision model 622) he will give me his male died of RI I think they call it and he needs a male to breed it with and he says I am the only one he trust so either he keeps it and buys a male or gives it to me in exchange for my male breeding with his female and he keeps the offspring. Sounded like a good deal to me and I love the burms.
p.s how long would it be before I would switch to rabbits....my mom should love that.

[LORI]

Re: Burm or Boa

First off, burms are growing machines ! they can reach up to lengths of like 9' in their first year btw.
You really need to answer this one first though before setting yourself up with a burm IMO. Are you going to have someone around at ALL times to help handle the burm ? If not, then a burm is not for you either. They get to be HUGE snakes and also get like that in no time soon also. they should NEVER be handled, not even a cage water changing done, without a second person present that is willing to, and able to help handle the snake either.
From my experience with the two ss that you have listed off of the boids, the burms are the ones that are less trustworthy also. I have boa that i truest no doubt that are HUGE.. I do NOT trust a single one of my burms at all to anywhere near the degree that i do my boas though. That's just in the basics of dealing with them and their husbandry even. Basically it is the will it strike at me etc thing though.
As for your questions regarding the feeding, NO it is not a thing to be doing to stunt their growth at all ! If you need to even contemplate doing such then stick with the boa is all. You also should go with the boa in order to get more experience in working with a large boid rather than jumping into one that will be HUGE in no time at all also.
Babies need to be fed weekly.. yearlings like every 10 days and older ones 14 days.. once they get older and larger and move to HUGE prey they can be fed every 3 weeks then at that point. They should also be fed according to the girth ruling.
Oh and btw.. A hungry burm is not something you will want to deal with either ! Especially if they are HUGE !
FYI.. In striking the burms will always strike and wrap simultaneously.. the boas on the other hand will usually just strike. The burms also maintain contact once they strike and the boas will usually strike..hit and release.
Burms.. The reptile sharing the #1 spot in available rescues for reptiles. There's a reason for this also.. Their HUGE size and the short time it takes to get there.
Stick with a redtail and get more experience with large boids before moving onto something like a burm. You won't regret doing such

[Red]

Re: Burm or Boa

I some bad new's for you vision does not make a permant cage for a burm... A burm in just a matter of 3 years will need a very large cage... even if you go foot to foot... which is suggested with burm's or bigger... then you would need like a 13-15' cage... that is big... do you even have a wall that long to put a cage that big on... I know I don't and I live on my own and could clear any wall I please... Rabbit's will come real soon after getting a burm long before you move out of the house... have you ever prekilled a rabbit?? good luck... I would say just wait to get a burm... Bob clark (I know you and bob have had word's.. but he is like the leading expert in large pythons..) say's owning a burm is like rock climing or sky diving is it life threating and a good keep could and probley will be fine through there life but sombody that is inexperenced should be very timid at first and should start with smaller large snakes... Like a boa, or a carpet python.. just get a boa dude it is worth it... I would personly keep the carpet python they get to be just like a boa in disposion and get like 6-10 long stay a weight that any body could handdle and they are semi-arboreal... but that is just me... You know a boa will just hide most of the time...
Eric aka...Red

[draco842]

Re: Burm or Boa

Thats what I was wanting to hear. Everyone that I told I was getting a boa said that if your going to get a boa why not go all the way and get a burm. So I decieded ask what everyone else thought. I will stick with a boa. I can just buy a add on for my boaphile late november and then I will be set. I am actully waiting to order my Boaphile and have got the 421D in mind with a flourecent light for viewing and heat tape or a radient heat panel for the heating and of course the expandble end. I did keep my Carpet Python I just couldn't give it away. It isn't like me to give my pets away and I thouhgt about what everyone had told me. I think I my be to easily influnced. I should get my boa this Monday my first red tail and I am so excited. Burms I can see are way to much responsabilty for a 16 year old.

[Red]

Re: Burm or Boa

good choice... I am glad to here that you did not give away your snake... It is funny because I started to investagate the carpet pythons and I have to say I would probley like the carpet more then a redtail...
They are just cooler if you ask me... how they hang around in there cage and stuff like that...
Eric aka...Red

[draco842]

Re: Burm or Boa

My carpet loves the water man. I keep high hummidity, but he loves the water. I took the water bowl that he soaks in out, but left a smaller drinking bowl in there for him to see if hummidty wans't high enough, but he still had a perfect shed so he has some conda in him
p.s he dosen't like to stay still. He is always on the move and he likes to have his body spread out across many branches unlike a emerald which is coiled around one. He can be a handfull let me tell you. I turned my head for 1 second and he is gone. Then you go through a 30 min ordeal to find that he just put himself back in the cage. He is smarter then me apparently lol ???

[LORI]

Re: Burm or Boa

GOOD CHOICE ! I forgot how young you were even. You have TONS of time on your hands to get more experience with other "more handable" boids than a burm atm IMO anyways. I have kept for 25+ years now and I didn't even get into keeping burms myself in my personal collection until like last year basically. Not saying you have to wait that long even though, I just did as I know what they consist of and are capable of being the HUGE animals that they are lol. Plus I had to make sure that someone would ALWAYS be present to help with them also.. AND there's always the space they need too.
BOAS / RTB's are GREAT snakes to keep. Stick with that one and grow with it. You'll learn more in regards to keeping the HUGE boids ss' and will not regret doing such either.
This pic is one of my largest bURMS we keep here. She , AMAZON, is 15+', 3' girth and weighs 125-150lbs. She is a handful to say the least when working with her lol. A great animal none the less, but nothing I would reccomend to anyone who doesn't have experience with other "more manageable" LARGE boids first either.

[LORI]

Re: Burm or Boa

BTW.. AMAZON is the albino one in the pic. The other one is MONTY another female burm we have here in our collection. She is also 15+', has a 14" girth [ was underfed..by previous owners..UGH] and is about 45lbs. This pic is of her full body. That's my daughter, Pamella, with her. There were 2 other adults [ right near her and the snake just outside the pic frame btw just in case] on hand to help out with the snake etc.

AMAZON is 6 years old and MONTY is 4 years old.

[draco842]

Re: Burm or Boa

I have been talking to Paden and he told me exactly what I am have been hearing from the this fourm. I know that many of the other post I put up were on retic and burm sites for the most part and paden said that burm and retics owners usually play down other boas and pythons for some odd reason. BTW he has now got dwarf tigers and actually will be breeding them soon. He got a great pair from Bob Clark and is about to buy another pair. This and 2 guyanas that are beauties are the only boas/pythons that he is keeping any more. When he gets his feet on the ground again and starts breeding the dwarf tigers and guyanas I am going to get one of each. It will be a while cause I have got alot to learn and have to atleast wait another 2 years before I think I can handle any more then I already have.

[Red]

Re: Burm or Boa

the dwarf tiger is alot better then a burm... they will get about the same size but the tiger's are great snakes... well at least look look great... I have never knowen any body with one..
Well have a good one..
Eric aka...Red

[draco842]

Re: Burm or Boa

I am helping Paden every day after school now and plan to for the next 2 years. He said I will have enough experiance by that time to get one for myself. Then he's going to give me one.

[tofutedm]

Re:Burm or Boa

Hey Diablos, this is a very old post from 2002. :rofl: I never see Lori or Draco around here. You probably won't get a reply.

[Dan]

Re:Burm or Boa

carpet pythons all the way dude, they rock, my favourite snake anyhow, my jcp just shed and boy she is looking pritty perty
how do i change over to rat pups though

[tofutedm]

Re:Burm or Boa

I do wholeheartedly agree with you though Diablos. We need to trust our pets. We all know the old saying about "smelling fear", well, it's quite true. Although you can't blame a snake for being a snake. We all know that the wild animal instincts do appear from time to time. But knowing your snakes personality, and body language, and treating it with the respect it deserves is vitally important to a snake/handler relationship.