300 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
300 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
From: brigdit@aol.com (Brigdit)
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Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
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Subject: Re: BURMESE FAQ????
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Date: 20 Feb 1995 15:49:14 -0500
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Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
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Lines: 287
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Sender: root@newsbf02.news.aol.com
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Message-ID: <3iav8a$mgn@newsbf02.news.aol.com>
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References: <3iao56$560@solaris.cc.vt.edu>
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Reply-To: brigdit@aol.com (Brigdit)
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NNTP-Posting-Host: newsbf02.mail.aol.com
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BURMESE PYTHON
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Care In Captivity
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THINK!!!
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Do you _really_ want a snake that will grow more than 20 feet long
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or weigh over 200 pounds, urinate and defecate like a horse, will live
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more than 25 years and for whom you will have to kill mice, rats and,
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eventually, rabbits and chickens? Many people think that when they decide
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they don't want their Burmese any more--when it gets to be 8 or 10 or 15
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feet long--it will be easy to find someone who does. Take a look at the
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animal classifieds - they always have sale ads for big pythons. The zoo
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doesn't want any more - they already have one or more giant snakes. The
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local herpetology societies and reptile veterinarians always have big
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pythons for whom they are trying to find homes. At 10 feet and 40+
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pounds, a 3-year old Burmese is already eating rabbits a couple of times a
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month and is very difficult to handle alone. You have to interact with
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them constantly to keep them tame - do you want a hungry, cranky 100
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pound, 12 foot snake mistaking *your* face for prey? Who is going to help
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you clean its enclosure? take it to the vet when it's sick? take care of
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it when you go away to school or on vacation? No matter how much they
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love you, there are *some* things a mother, and your friends, will not do!
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*Owning a giant snake is not cool - it is a major, long-term, frequently
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very expensive responsibility.*
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NATURAL HISTORY
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The Burmese python (_Python molurus bivittatus_) is native
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throughout Southeast Asia including Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, southern
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China, and Indonesia. While Burmese are being captive bred in the U.S.
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and Europe, native populations are considered to be "threatened" and are
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listed on Appendix II of CITES (Convention on International Trade of
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Endangered Species). All the giant pythons (including the Indian, African
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Rock and Reticulated pythons) have historically been slaughtered to supply
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the international fashion industry with exotic skins. The exportation of
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young snakes for the pet trade and for their blood and gall as used in
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folk medicine has put additional pressures on the wild populations that
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cannot be sustained. If you must buy a Burmese, buy a captive-born
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animal.
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These diurnal rainforest dwellers range from areas of lush
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vegetation lining the river banks up to the montane forests. Equally at
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home on the ground and in trees, they are also excellent swimmers, and
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always enjoy a nice, long soak in warm water, especially just before they
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are ready to shed.
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Like all diurnal snakes, Burmese spend the morning hours soaking
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up the sun's warmth to enable them to begin moving around to look for
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food. In the wild, snakes do not eat every day, and are not always
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successful in capturing every prey animal at whom they strike. (Captive
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snake owners generally do not understand this and so it is all too common
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to see obese snakes in captivity.) If they are lucky enough to eat, they
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spend the rest of the afternoon, and the next several days or weeks,
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keeping warm enough to digest their meal.
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Burmese breed in the early spring. Females lay their eggs in
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March or April; their clutches range from 12-36 eggs. Females encircle
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their eggs, remaining with then from the time they are laid until they
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hatch; during this time, they will not leave the eggs and will not eat.
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While incubating, the females muscles twitch; these tremors apparently
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enable the female to raise the ambient temperature around the eggs several
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degrees. Once the hatchlings cut their way out of their eggs, they are on
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their own.
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Burmese pythons, like all pythons and boas, devour a variety of
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prey in the wild - amphibians, lizards, other snakes, birds and mammals.
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In captivity, they should be fed pre-killed mice, rats, rabbits and
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chickens. You can buy the prey at pet stores and from private breeders
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and suppliers to the herp trade; these animals have been specially raised
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and are clean, healthy and well-nourished, and you can always find a
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source who uses humane methods of euthanasia. Chickens can be purchased
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at hatcheries. *Under no circumstances should you feed your snakes
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wild-caught prey items.* Wild rodents and other animals carry a variety
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of parasites and bacteria for which your snakes have no immunity. If you
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cannot afford to buy the proper food, you should not buy the snake.
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Selecting Your Burmese Python
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Choose an animal that has clear firm skin, a rounded body shape,
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clean vent, clear eyes and that actively flicks its tongue around when
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handled. When held, the snake should grip you gently but firmly when
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moving around. It should be alert to its surroundings. All young snakes
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are food for other, larger snakes, birds, lizards and mammalian predators
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so your hatchling may be a bit nervous at first but should settle down
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quickly. Like all pythons and boas, Burmese have anal spurs. These
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single claws appearing on either side of the vent are the vestigial
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remains of the hind legs snakes lost during their evolution from lizard to
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snake millions of years ago. Males have longer spurs than do the females,
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and have tails that are wider at the base (tail-end of the vent);
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otherwise, there is little difference in temperament between the two
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sexes.
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GETTING STARTED
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@ Build or purchase a strong snake-proof enclosure. Select
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an enclosure especially designed for housing snakes, such as the Critter
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Cottages<EFBFBD> with the combination fixed screen/hinged glass top. All snakes
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are escape artists; Burmese are especially powerful when it comes to
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breaking out. A good starter tank for a hatchling is a 55 gallon tank.
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After the first couple of years, you will have to build your own enclosure
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out of wood and glass or plexiglass. Some people partition off a large
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part of a room or convert a walk-in closet into a suitable Burmese "tank".
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Be prepared - giant snakes need lots of room, not the least of which is
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room enough for you to get in there and clean it out! Remember that your
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snake will grow rapidly, even when fed conservatively, so you must always
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buy or build an enclosure much bigger than the present size of your
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Burmese.
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@ Suitable substrate. Use paper towels, butcher paper or
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unprinted newsprint at first. These are easily and quickly removed and
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replaced when soiled and will allow you to better monitor for the presence
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of mites and the condition of the feces. Once the animal is established,
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you can use decorative ground cover such as commercially prepared shredded
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cypress or fir bark; do not use orchid bark. Pine, cedar and redwood
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shavings should not be used as they can become lodged in the mouth while
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eating, and due to the oils, may cause respiratory infections and other
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problems. The shavings must be monitored closely and all soiled and wet
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shavings pulled out immediately to prevent bacteria and fungus growths.
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The utilitarian approach is to use inexpensive Astroturf<72> and linoleum.
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Extra pieces of Astroturf<72> can be kept in reserve and used when the soiled
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piece is removed for cleaning and drying (soak in one part bleach to 30
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parts water; rinse thoroughly, and dry *completely* before reuse).
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Remember: the easier it is to clean, the faster you'll do it! Linoleum is
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easy to clean and disinfect and, when used on the floor and a couple of
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inches up the walls of wooden enclosures, will help preserve the wood from
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the acidic urates.
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@ A hiding place should be provided for Burmese
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pythons. A half-log (available at pet stores), an empty cardboard box or
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upside-down opaque plastic container, the latter two with an access
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doorway cut into one end, can also be used. The plastic is easily cleaned
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when necessary; the box can be tossed out when soiled and replaced with a
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new one. Once your snake outgrows these easily replaced hide boxes, you
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will need to use your imagination. Eventually, you can use a large
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kitty-litter pan or suitably modified garbage can. Once the snake reaches
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ten feet, you will have to put your imagination (or hammer and nails and
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wood) to work to devise increasingly larger enclosures.
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@ Proper temperature range is essential to keeping your
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snake healthy. The ambient air temperature throughout the enclosure must
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be maintained between 85-88F during the day, with a basking area kept at
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90F. At night, the ambient air temperature may be allowed to drop down no
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lower than 78-80F. Special reptile heating pads that are manufactured to
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maintain a temperature about 20F higher than the air temperature may be
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used inside the enclosure. There are adhesive pads that can be stuck to
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the underside of a glass enclosure (unfortunately, when the time comes to
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move your snake to a larger tank, the heating pad cannot easily be removed
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from the old tank and reused). Heating pads made for people, found at all
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drug stores and supermarkets, are also available; these have built-in
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high-medium-low switches and can be used under or inside a glass or wood
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enclosure. You can also use incandescent light bulbs in porcelain and
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metal reflector hoods to provide the additional heat required for the
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basking area. *All lights* must be screened off to prevent the snake from
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burning itself, and bright lights must be turned off at least 12-14 hours
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a day to mimic a proper photoperiod; if kept under lights all the time,
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the snakes will stress and may become ill. If the proper temperatures
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cannot be maintained without the incandescent light, then you must use
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another source of non-light emitting or dim light emitting heat. All
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pythons are very susceptible to thermal burns and for this reason a hot
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rock must not be used. Buy at least two thermometers: one to use 1"
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above the enclosure floor in the cooler side, and the other 1" above the
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floor in the basking area. Don't try to guess the temperature. You will
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end up with a snake who will be too cold to eat and digest its food. Once
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your snake is bigger, invest in a pig blanket, a large rigid pad for which
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you can buy a thermostat to better control the temperature.
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@ No special lighting is needed. You may use a
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full-spectrum light or low wattage incandescent bulb in the enclosure
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during the day but snakes do not require full-spectrum light. Make sure
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the snake cannot get into direct contact with the light bulbs. If they
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climb into the fluorescent tube fixture, they may pop out and break the
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bulb--an expensive and potentially lethal accident.
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@ Feeding. Allow your snake to acclimate for a week or two
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to its new home. Start your hatchling (about 22" in length) off with a
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single pre-killed week to 10-day old "fuzzy" rat. A smaller sized
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hatchling may require a small mouse. Older Burmese may be fed larger
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pre-killed rats. The rule of thumb is that you can feed prey items that
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are no wider than the widest part of the snake's body. While Burmese
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(most of whom are bottomless pits when it comes to putting down food) will
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often gladly eat prey that is too large for their size, they will
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generally regurgitate the prey item one or more days later--not a pretty
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sight. If you have not had any experience force feeding a snake, you may
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not want to try it yourself until you have seen someone do it. It is very
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easy to overfeed Burmese as most of them are always eager for food,
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whether they need it or not. Be judicious--you will end up with a giant
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snake soon enough. Just feed enough to keep it healthy, not obese.
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@ Provide a bowl of fresh water at all times; your snake
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will both drink, soak and may defecate in it. Check it and replace with
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fresh water as necessary.
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@ Routine veterinary screening for newly acquired snakes is
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essential. Many of the parasites infesting Burmese and other reptiles can
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be transmitted to humans and other reptiles. Left untreated, such
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infestations can ultimately kill your snake. When your snake first
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defecates, collect the feces in a clean plastic bag, seal it, label it
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with the date, your name and phone number and the snake's name, and take
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it and your snake to a vet who is experienced with reptiles. There it
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will be tested for parasites (which the majority of pet trade reptiles
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have) and the proper medication given.
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@ Handling your new snake After giving your Burmese a
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couple of days to settle in, begin picking it up and handling it gently.
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It may try to move away from you and may threaten you by twitching its
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tail and hissing. Be gentle but persistent. Daily contact will begin to
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establish a level of trust and confidence between you and your snake. When
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it is comfortable with you, you can begin taking it around the house.
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Don't get over-confident! Given a chance and close proximity to seat
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cushions, your Burm will make a run (well, a slither) for it, easing down
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between the cushions and from there, to points possibly unknown. Always
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be gentle and try to avoid sudden movements. If the snake wraps around
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your arm or neck, you can unwind it by gently unwrapping it starting at
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the tail end, not the head.
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@ Necessities. Some things you should have on hand for
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general maintenance and first aid include: *Nolvasan(TM)* (_chlorhexidine
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diacetate_) for cleaning enclosures and disinfecting food and water bowls,
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litter boxes, tubs and sinks etc. *Betadine(TM)* (_povodine/iodine_) for
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cleansing scratches and wounds. Set aside feeding and water bowls, and a
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soaking bowl or tub for the sole use of your snake.
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BAD PRESS - AND OFTEN DESERVEDLY SO!
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Giant pythons have been in the press quite a bit lately, all due
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to the fact that their owners died as a result of improper handling of
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their snakes. While admittedly the press sensationalizes in order to
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better sell papers, the fact of the matter is that not only is there still
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a great deal of morbid fear on the part of the general public as regards
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snakes in general, and giant pythons in particular, but there is also a
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great deal of stupidity being displayed by many giant python owners (such
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as by those owners who are surprized to find that their ten foot snake
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left their backyard to go exploring the neighborhood when left outside for
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a bit of sun). And for every story that the press "neglects" to correct,
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such as the man who actually suffered a fatal heart attack while watching
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TV with his python, rather than being killed by it, the press also fails
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to point out what was being done improperly by the snake owner at the time
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of the "attack." If you smell like food to a snake, especially some of
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the giant pythons who seemingly contain a bottomless pit instead of a
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finite stomach, you will be grabbed. And since most people's reaction
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when being grabbed by a mouth full of fangs in a head the size of a
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cantaloupe is to flinch and draw away, the snake, sensing live "prey,"
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does what a snake ought to do--bite harder to retain a good grip on the
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"prey" (hopefully your arm and NOT your face) and coil and constrict
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around it to begin the process of suffocation. In the case of the
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unfortunate Canadian snake owner who was killed, his python was not very
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big, but a) the owner was highly intoxicated at the time, b) the snake was
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in shed and its eyes were fully opaque and c) the snake was known to be
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temperamental in general. So not only was the snake feeling particularly
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cranky and intolerable of human interaction, its human was too intoxicated
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to act, and react, appropriately. According to one hospital emergency
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room physician who has made a study of snake bites, he found that the
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majority of bites happen to young adult males (late teens through
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mid-twenties) who are intoxicated at the time of the "attack." On the
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flip side, though, is the unfortunate Colorado family whose young teenage
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son was napping when he was attacked and killed by the family's eight foot
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pet Burmese, a snake who had been free-roaming in the house ever since it
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was brought home as a hatchling.
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While it is true that you are more likely to die in an automobile
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accident, it is also true that in the past year alone, the number of
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deaths attributed to and actually caused by pet pythons has more than
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tripled. As a direct result of the irresponsible actions of these python
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owners, cities and states are enacting ordinances and legislation banning
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or severely restricting the private ownership of large pythons - in many
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cases any snake of any species which reaches 6 or more feet in length.
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BEFORE YOU BUY...
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Go to a zoo that has an adult specimen. Check out your local
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herpetological societies to find other giant python owners and ask if you
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can be allowed to visit their snake, and, if possible, handle it. Few pet
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stores actually have full-grown adult specimens.
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Check out your city, county and state laws to see if there are any
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restrictions on owning a giant python or boa. Cities who have experienced
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terror because someone let their Burmese get out of the house have been
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passing increasingly stringent regulations prohibiting, or severely
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governing, the ownership or possession of large snakes.
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If you have small children, or children will have access to the
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room in which the snake will be kept, ask yourself whether you can
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properly secure the snake so that, not only is there no chance for it to
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escape, but there is no way for young fingers to undo the cage.
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Remember that regardless of how tame your Burmese becomes, and no
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matter how long you have had it, it is still a wild animal and as such is
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to be considered unpredictable and potentially dangerous.
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Places to Go, Things to Do and See...
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Check your local pet stores and library for these and other python and
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reptile care books:
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*The General Care and Maintenance of Burmese Pythons*, by Philippe
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de Vosjoli. 1990. Advanced Vivarium Systems, Lakeside CA.
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*The Completely Illustrated Atlas of Reptiles and Amphibians,* by
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Obst, Richter and Jacob. 1988. TFH Publications, Inc. Neptune City, NJ.
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Snakes of the World,* by Scott Weidensaul. 1991. Chartwell
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Books, Seacacus, NJ.
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*Living Snakes of the World,* John M. Mehrtens. 1987. Sterling
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Publishing Co. New York.
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