The Snake Guru
02-14-2008, 02:52 AM
Burmese Python, PYTHONMOLURUS BIVITTATUS
Quick FAQs
SIZE: 10-20+ FEET
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE
TEMPS/HUMIDITY: 88-92 HIGH, 80-82 AMBIENT (never below 80!)/ 50-60%
Burmese pythons are found from India to lower China, the Malay Peninsula and some islands of the East Indies. Burmese pythons are a very large, heavy-bodied snake. Typically, their coloration consists of tan or dark brown spots outlined in yellow and black. The belly is white or cream colored. Juveniles and hatchlings can be somewhat nippy, but can become calm and easily handled with consistent and gentle handling. Due to their large size, burms are not recommended for beginner hobbiests. They can easily reach more than 20 feet in length and 200 pounds. We recommend those considering the purchase of a burm to do their research and decide if they can handle such a big-bodied snake that eats large and frequent meals. Wild caught specimens should be avoided. A wild caught adult burmese python is much more likely to keep their defensive nature, thus being much more prone to biting. Hmm, gigantic angry snake...no thank you!
Hatchling burmese pythons are approximately 18-24 inches. Mature females average 17-20 feet, while males average 10-15 feet. Sizes over 20 feet and 200 pounds are not uncommon. Burms can live to be 30 years old in captivity with proper husbandry and care.
Burmese Pythons, as with most snakes, should be housed in an enclosure that offers one square foot of space per foot of snake. Boa constrictors, and most reptiles, should be housed individually. Your enclosure can be a custom built cage or any of the widely available commercial cages. If you choose to use an aquarium for your cage, take into consideration you may have a difficult time maintaining the proper humidity. An aquarium will not last you long, and is very impractical. Your burm will grow 6-7 feet in the first year of it's life. We recommend a cage that will suit them until they are a year old, and then into their final home.
Proper heat can be optained by an under tank heater, heat cable, heat tape, or overhead bulb. Make sure your snake cannot come into direct contact with the heat source, as they may get burns. Also, NEVER NEVER NEVER use a heat rock! EVER! Your reptile can get very serious burns from this, not to mention it is not an effective means to heat your enclosure, as it only heats around the rock, one-two inches. The only safe heat rock is one with the cord cut off!
Substrate is variable. What works well for one person, may not for another. Some options are newspaper, craft paper, paper towels, aspen chips or shavings, or cypress mulch. You should NEVER keep your reptile on pine or cedar chips/shavings.
You should feed your snake an appropriately sized rodent weekly. We recommend starting them off on rats as soon as possible, moving up in size as your snake grows. Generally speaking, Burmese pythons have a very strong feeding response and are easy to convert to frozen/thawed or pre-killed rodents. We do not advise that you feed your snake live. Never leave a live rodent with a snake unattended. Eventually, you will have to feed your snake very large prey items (rabbits). Potential buyers should take this expense into consideration before purchasing. Too many new owners depend greatly on being able to find it another home once it gets to a size that is unmanagable to them. Obviously, this is a very serious problem with these large constrictors. A burmese python is a lifetime commitment that should not be entered into lightly. Please make sure that this is something that you can commit to BEFORE purchasing your animal.
Burmese pythons are sexually mature from 18 months to 4 years old. Breeding size is 6-9 feet (males) and 9 feet or more (females). The captive breeding season ranges from November through March. Feeding should be stopped at this time and a cooling period should be started. Your animals should be in top condition before any breeding is attempted. Breeding can be "suggested" by reducing the photo period to 8-10 hours of daytime and cooling the overnight temperatures to the mid 70s. You should introduce the female into the male's cage. Breeding in the wild also takes place during the rainy season. Many breeders mist their animals to emulate this. Females typically shed 14-20 days post-ovulation and eggs are generally laid 30 days following the shed. The average clutch size ranges from 20 to 80 or more eggs. With an incubation temperature of 88-90 degrees, the eggs should hatch in about 55-70 days.
*This is by no means a complete caresheet, just an informational article. Please do your research before purchasing your animal!
Quick FAQs
SIZE: 10-20+ FEET
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE
TEMPS/HUMIDITY: 88-92 HIGH, 80-82 AMBIENT (never below 80!)/ 50-60%
Burmese pythons are found from India to lower China, the Malay Peninsula and some islands of the East Indies. Burmese pythons are a very large, heavy-bodied snake. Typically, their coloration consists of tan or dark brown spots outlined in yellow and black. The belly is white or cream colored. Juveniles and hatchlings can be somewhat nippy, but can become calm and easily handled with consistent and gentle handling. Due to their large size, burms are not recommended for beginner hobbiests. They can easily reach more than 20 feet in length and 200 pounds. We recommend those considering the purchase of a burm to do their research and decide if they can handle such a big-bodied snake that eats large and frequent meals. Wild caught specimens should be avoided. A wild caught adult burmese python is much more likely to keep their defensive nature, thus being much more prone to biting. Hmm, gigantic angry snake...no thank you!
Hatchling burmese pythons are approximately 18-24 inches. Mature females average 17-20 feet, while males average 10-15 feet. Sizes over 20 feet and 200 pounds are not uncommon. Burms can live to be 30 years old in captivity with proper husbandry and care.
Burmese Pythons, as with most snakes, should be housed in an enclosure that offers one square foot of space per foot of snake. Boa constrictors, and most reptiles, should be housed individually. Your enclosure can be a custom built cage or any of the widely available commercial cages. If you choose to use an aquarium for your cage, take into consideration you may have a difficult time maintaining the proper humidity. An aquarium will not last you long, and is very impractical. Your burm will grow 6-7 feet in the first year of it's life. We recommend a cage that will suit them until they are a year old, and then into their final home.
Proper heat can be optained by an under tank heater, heat cable, heat tape, or overhead bulb. Make sure your snake cannot come into direct contact with the heat source, as they may get burns. Also, NEVER NEVER NEVER use a heat rock! EVER! Your reptile can get very serious burns from this, not to mention it is not an effective means to heat your enclosure, as it only heats around the rock, one-two inches. The only safe heat rock is one with the cord cut off!
Substrate is variable. What works well for one person, may not for another. Some options are newspaper, craft paper, paper towels, aspen chips or shavings, or cypress mulch. You should NEVER keep your reptile on pine or cedar chips/shavings.
You should feed your snake an appropriately sized rodent weekly. We recommend starting them off on rats as soon as possible, moving up in size as your snake grows. Generally speaking, Burmese pythons have a very strong feeding response and are easy to convert to frozen/thawed or pre-killed rodents. We do not advise that you feed your snake live. Never leave a live rodent with a snake unattended. Eventually, you will have to feed your snake very large prey items (rabbits). Potential buyers should take this expense into consideration before purchasing. Too many new owners depend greatly on being able to find it another home once it gets to a size that is unmanagable to them. Obviously, this is a very serious problem with these large constrictors. A burmese python is a lifetime commitment that should not be entered into lightly. Please make sure that this is something that you can commit to BEFORE purchasing your animal.
Burmese pythons are sexually mature from 18 months to 4 years old. Breeding size is 6-9 feet (males) and 9 feet or more (females). The captive breeding season ranges from November through March. Feeding should be stopped at this time and a cooling period should be started. Your animals should be in top condition before any breeding is attempted. Breeding can be "suggested" by reducing the photo period to 8-10 hours of daytime and cooling the overnight temperatures to the mid 70s. You should introduce the female into the male's cage. Breeding in the wild also takes place during the rainy season. Many breeders mist their animals to emulate this. Females typically shed 14-20 days post-ovulation and eggs are generally laid 30 days following the shed. The average clutch size ranges from 20 to 80 or more eggs. With an incubation temperature of 88-90 degrees, the eggs should hatch in about 55-70 days.
*This is by no means a complete caresheet, just an informational article. Please do your research before purchasing your animal!