Hey all, just got back from an expo last Sunday with my first burm ( an albino female, along with an adult ghost corn for my sister and a JCP... super nippy but an awesome little snake). The burm is a sweet little gal, nice as can be. And she just ate a couple hours ago. I know, you're supposed to wait a good while before feeding a new snake but she looks thin, and was acting as if she hadn't eaten in a while. She took the f/t rat fuzzie (or pup? technically pups according to the guy but they're small) without even thinking of it. Just looked at it and... bang, snap. Gone. Not bad for her first f/t meal. ^_^ Anyway my question is, how big should an almost two month old female albino burmese python be? She's about 24" long and around 3/4 of an inch thick at the middle. Is this the normal size for a two month old? (will be in I believe a week and a half or so) Again this is my first burm and so it's a new experience for me. I'm used to the pythons and boas (got a bunch of them, balls to a dumril to RTB morphs), so it's not THAT new... but I just wanna make sure she's not undersized or whatever. Sorry for the confusing post, and thanks to any replies.
Hopefully someone with more burm experience can chime in - I mainly wanted to say congrats on the new addition! I can't help but eye some of the bigger boids at the shows... the albino burms are always some quality eye candy. May I request some photos to see this new little lady? = ) Always nice to have a snake with an appetite, I've learned after rearing BP's for the last few years not to take feeds for granted lol I will say this though; regardless of whether the animal was underfed or if she is undersized for her age she can always catch up once under proper care. In fact, some of the biggest animals we see in captivity are those that are raised up slower. Gus of Rio Bravo Reptiles has noted that his largest RTB's are those that have had the ability to experience winter cooling periods and are not always in a perfect summer super feast lifestyle. I'm sure this is applicable to most snakes, but those that are raised in the perfect world may attain larger lengths and weights initially (to in turn breed faster) but after several years those raised more slowly will overtake them in maximum overall size. Not sure if you were merely curious or if you were concerned with initial care potentially stunting your animal, but figured I'd just throw that in there if it might have been the latter = ) Good luck with the new burm! I'm getting jealous of these new snakes you've been adding to your collection, I need to get my rear to a show!
Yep, I'll be posting pics very soon... just letting her settle in a bit before taking her out for a photo shoot. Yeah, I was thinking she'd just catch up but wasn't sure how it worked for a snake. And honestly, she doesn't look that unhealthy at all... just a little "small" for a burm from what I've read. the only thing I did notice is that she's got a tiny bit of a sag to her skin, usually on the inside of her body when she's curved... is this normal? I've seen it on younger RTBs too but mine have always firmed up extremely fast (they grow like weeds ) and it doesn't happen as much. Maybe I'm just being paranoid or whatever, it is my first burm. haha, first... almost came home with two others at the show, a normal Het for albino and a granite 50% het for I believe it was albino granite (unsure of that, they were purty little fellas though).
It's probably nothing to be overly concerned about right now, but loose skin is generally a sign of lack of thorough hydration and sometimes malnutrition depending on the severity of it. Make sure she has plenty of fresh water to drink if she chooses and keep a good feeding regime going and you'll likely start to notice less of this sagginess. A bath might not be a half bad idea in a couple of days as they can take water in through their vent as well... I have zero concern honestly, she's in good hands now - I'm sure the stress of moving around during the show and settling into the new home play factors as well. Sometimes vendors will opt to not feed or water their animals a few days before a show to ensure that they do not soil themselves or their display during the stress of the movement. And don't you sometimes just hate this hobby? So many morphs and colors to choose from we just naturally want to collect them all! I get the idea of a new snake in mind and I feel like I have to flip a coin a dozen times to decide which phenotype will be the first in the collection! =D
I know I'm a little late on this, but I just joined and figured I'd answer the question- Thats pretty average for that age, IMO. As for the sagging and stuff I soak every new animal as soon as I get home. I need to set up the cages anyway, might as well let them drink in the meantime, as well as wash off some of whatever may be hitching a ride on their skin. Most animals at a show are pretty dehydrated and just out of sorts. How is she doing now? Hit the 3' mark yet?
Just got onto this thread. Congrats on the new burm. as I have only had boas, pythons, kings and such. I will have to check out burms. A note to Jeff and others who envy new acquisitions. (""need to get my rear to a show"). I decided that it was time to not have any more children when I thought I should put in one of those systems you see at the deli. "For better service, take a number." We only have so much time and energy. Now no one better quote this back to me when I admit to having acquired any large number of special friends...
