They make some pretty nice boots, too...
Posted on 08/02/2007 8:26:56 AM PDT by george76
Burmese pythons are particularly popular for about $40 wholesale or just under $100 in a pet store, at about the size of a ruler. You feed a little one mice, and then rats, and then as it continues to grow in size and appetite, you offer up chickens and rabbits, the experts say.
You watch your snakeling graduate in about three years to a length of 10 or 12 feet, or longer. Ultimately it can reach 20 feet, and the heavyweights tip the scales at about 300 pounds, and live to about 25 years. Their defacatory production is renowned.
And while you're raising your young python, plan on accommodating its living needs, which make a teenager's look mild. At first, you can put it in a cage. Then you can put it in a very big cage. And finally, you'd just better give it an entire room, or the guest wing of your home. And if you get tired of feeding it four or five big rabbits at a time, go ahead and provide a small pig (or maybe an unruly child or, well, you get the picture).
Burmese pythons are breeding like rabbits.
Some wildlife biologists estimate their numbers in the park now at about 5,000, most of them wild-born offspring of animals from the pet trade either purposely released or escaped from owners after major storms...
"We had laws to control lions, tigers and poisonous snakes, the class one animals, but we didn't have a category to take care of invasive species - pythons, monitor lizards and iguanas, invasive rats down in the keys - things that are and can be super destructive to Florida's environment," ...
Just how destructive is anybody's guess.
"The devastating effect of the python is probably on the bird populations, young nesting birds,"
(Excerpt) Read more at florida-weekly.com ...
Not enough people willing to tromps and boat through the marshes to find them just for the fun of it.
Greed is a good thing in situations like this, it actually gets people working who would normally never lift a finger. Just tell them they can boat around and make money shooting big nasties, the job will be done before you know it.
Sympathies -
I lived in Homestead for 2 1/2 years in the mid 80’s, USAF.
Had all you describe.
They make some pretty nice boots, too...
Exotic Pets.
Scientific Name: Python molurus bivittatus
Life Span: 25 years or more
Size - Think Carefully Before Getting A Burmese: Huge! Expect an adult size of 15-20 feet long, and 100 to 200 pounds or more. Most burmese pythons, especially males, will be at the lower end of this range, but owners need to be prepared to deal with a snake at the larger end of the range if necessary. Their huge size makes them both expensive to keep and potentially dangerous, so think first about comitting to caring for a snake this size. It is not easy to find someone to take a large snake if you can no longer care for it.
Temperament: Burmese pythons are generally considered quite docile especially compared to other large snakes. Hatchlings can be quite skittish but are usually quite readily tamed with consistent handling. Still, these snakes are huge and quite aggressive feeders, and they can inflict serious injury to their handlers and have been involved in several fatalities (due to owner complacency, ignorance, or error). A second person should always be present when handling or feeding constrictors over 8 feet long.
Housing: A 55 gallon tank is fine for younger snakes, but as the snake grows, a larger and stronger enclosure will be necessary. After the first couple of years options include custom built wood and plexiglass cages, or modifying a large closet or room for your snake. These huge snakes are very good escape artists and are very strong, so any housing for these snakes must be large (e.g eight feet long, four feet wide and four feet tall), strong and very secure.
Substrate: For hatchlings, paper towel or unprinted paper can be used. These are easy to clean and make it easy to monitor the health of the snake. For bigger snakes, indoor/outdoor carpeting is easy to maintain (keep a few pieces on hand and just switch them out when it is time to clean and disinfect). Linoleum is also a good option for large snakes as it is easy to clean and disinfect.
Hides: For young snakes a half log or other hide sold at the pet store will work (even a cardboard box will suffice), but as they grow you will have to be more creative. Plastic storage bins make good hides for larger snakes - simply cut an access hole in one side (make sure there are no sharp edges though). A humidity retreat should also be provided, especially when shedding, by placing damp sphagnum moss in a hide. Hides should be provided at both ends of the temperature gradient.
Temperatures: Need a datime temperature of 85-88 F (29-31 C), with a basking area at 90-93 F (32-34 C). The temperature can drop to 78-80 F (25-27 C) at night. Spotlights, ceramic heat elements, and heating pads can be used to maintain temperatures, but make sure lights are shielded to prevent burns. For large snakes, a pig heating blanket is a good option for maintaining temperature.
Water: A dish of water should always be available for both drinking and soaking (for smaller snakes). The water will need to be changed frequently. As the snake gets larger it will no longer be able to soak in its dish so you will need to regularly allow the snake to soak in a tub or pool of water.
Feeding: Burmese pythons are usually good eaters and care must be taken not to overfeed or you will end up with an obese snake. Hatchlings can be fed mice or fuzzy rats, moving up to rats and eventually rabbits as the snake grows (feed prey pre-killed). The prey should be no larger than the width of the snake. Hatchlings can be fed 1-2 times a week but adult snakes only need to be fed every 2 weeks or so. Feed often enough to maintain optimum body condition but be careful not to over feed as these snakes are prone to obesity.
Handling: These snakes should be handled frequently from a young age or else will be difficult to handle as they get larger. Handle gently but firmly and be persistent if the snake resists at first. However, avoid handling for a couple of days after feeding or your snake my regurgitate. If your python wraps itself around you, unwind it starting at the tail. As your snake grows, it is recommended that you have at least one other person present when handling or feeding these strong snakes (once over 8 feet long, you should always have a second person available to help with handling, and in fact it is a good idea to have a person present for for each 4 feet of snake (so 3 people to handle a 12 foot snake and 4 people for a 16 foot snake).
So tell me how many snake/ pitbull owners do you know? Because if the answer is none .... Well let me suggest you look into your own prejudice.
Scary animals!
I wonder why that word isn't in my dictionary?
(Now watch the snake handlers/lovers come out of their holes to get me.)
Why do these pictures make my feet lift, involuntarily, off the floor?
It's a real dump, that's for sure.
Was going to suggest... 
we ship them up to Pelosi and Reid's offices
Then got to thinking... 
they would just breed bigger and meaner snakes!
Gadzooks! Someone delete this... 
before Bill O'Reilly quotes it as more FR hate speech!
I’m not prejudiced and neither are the studies that have been done which link pit-bulls and snakes to anti-social behavior characteristics in their owners.
Don’t flame me for pointing out the obvious - these creatures are dangerous and unstable. To want to own and possess one is unnatural.
‘E turned me into a neeoot!! Uh goht bettuh.....
Back in 1981, in central Colorado...there was a couple who drove up to some peak and committed suicide. The cops went back to their house and announced this to the neighbors...which some were very worried. Apparently, the couple of had around 20 various poisonous snakes....a mamba pair was amongst them. All were kept in the basement of the house. So the cops entered the basement...a bit scared...only to find all of the glass containers empty. Yep, not a single snake in the house.
So the cops called back up to the peak where they asked the deputy to open the trunk of the car. Whole bunch of canvas bags there....all empty. So....this idiot couple had let loose out in the Rockies...a bunch of exotic snakes...in April. The experts didn’t think most of them could survive out there...especially when November came. But he wasn’t 100 percent sure.
So today...almost no one out there remembers this episode. And you have to wonder...did all 20 die in the cold?
A few years after I left, they closed the base, blamed hurricane Andrew.
If it was needed it would have been repaired and kept open.
We can rebuild New Orleans, the most crime ridden city in America, back to it’s former glory ..
‘The most crime ridden city in America’.
Well.......
If we are going to cast aspersions on a group of people for keeping snakes, I would say turnabout is fair play.
People who say “Kill snakes” because they fear them out of Ignorance sound very much to me like an avreage moonbat liberal.
Snakes (non-venomous) have NO comparison to pitbulls in danger. I keep 5 snakes. 3 Kings, 1 Eastern Milk and a Yellow Anaconda. Have I been bitten? Yes. I also have cats. Guess what? I’ve been bitten and scratched. I’d rather be snake bit.
Advantages to snakes:
They do not bark, howl, or meow at night.
They do not poop on the carpet
They do not chew shoes up
They do not shed fur everywhere
They only feed weekly
People who keep reptiles are just like you, except we actually know something about the animals that you have irrational fears about.
That’s right. Let the sane people take over.
Kind sir,
Now that you have had your baseless liberal-like rant, explain to all these good folks how a King or Garter snake is ‘dangerous’? While the larger pythons and boids can pose risk, you did not call out those particular groups, just ‘snakes’ in general.
Then they need to hire some good ol Texas boys and gals.
Serpents used to fly, until Gen 3:14.
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