Remember that regardless of how tame your Burmese becomes, and no matter how long you have had it, it is still a wild animal and as such is to be considered unpredictable and potentially dangerous. (A tame 8', 56 lb one, free roaming since the family bought it as a hatchling, killed the family's 14 year old, 5 ft. tall, 99 LB son who was apparently napping at the time of the attack...the autopsy evidence showed that the boy tried to get the snake's mouth and body off of him - his hands were perforated with teeth marks, his torso bearing bruise marks from the constriction...[Colorado, 1994]. In this particular case, there was no apparent reason for the attack.

Call around for the pricing and check with the law in your state some states you can not have Burmese pythons as pets

Burmese Python grow pretty quick. you will end up buy a new tank every 3 months giving you heads up on that but they are very beautiful snakes and they are very dangerous to keep as pets. and also when you leave for vacation remember it might be hard to get a snake sitter!!

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).

Incase your snake is a escape artist and they will get out very easy unless you have a locking top on =)
Some exotic pets are pretty good escape artists, and are also good at avoiding capture. Here is a game plan to help you find a lost pet in your house.

Start your search near the cage and go from there.

Check behind furniture along the baseboards.

Check under the furniture.

Check inside cabinets, drawers, shelves and bookcases. Check behind, in, and under any items in these places.

Remove cushions from couches and chairs, and check down the sides and back of the furniture.

Check the underside of furniture and beds for any holes through which a creature could climb inside the furniture/bed.

Check inside any boxes you have around the house, including tissue boxes.

Look inside any backpacks, purses, or other bags.

Look in boots and shoes, or any other small, dark hiding places you can think of.

Check the undersides and backs of appliances for holes your pet could have climbed into.

Make sure cage is left open, and place favorite treat or food around and in cage.

Place foil around the room (or crinkly plastic) in potential hiding places so you can hear your pet moving around.

Sprinkle some flour on the floor in areas where you suspect your pet might be hiding - you might get a set of footprints to help you.

Tips:
Don't discount a hiding place because you think it is too small or inaccessible - snakes, lizards and even small mammals can fit through surprisingly small spaces.

If your pet is nocturnal, consider putting out its favorite treat after dark (e.g. in the cage), turning out the lights, and waiting.

Many pets do consider their cage their home, and will return to it given the chance. Make sure your home is safe, and that your pet can get some food and water if they

have been missing for longer than 12-24 hrs.

Friendly reminder: Constricting snakes can get a diesease

Inclusion body disease (IBD) has been increasingly diagnosed in boas and pythons ("boids"). It is believed to be a retrovirus. The way it affects these two groups of snakes is slightly different but the long term effects are the same: the disease is terminal in those animals who exhibit symptoms of the disease.

Pythons, although their symptoms may be somewhat less, are just as affected as boas. There are asymptomatic carriers, so the fact that a boa or python within an infected collection does not show signs of the illness should not be taken to mean that it is immune to it. Boas are most associated with being asymptomatic carriers.

Signs of infection in boas include central nervous system disorders such as paralysis, being unable to right itself when turned over, "star-gazing", inability to strike or constrict. Other signs include chronic regurgitation, extreme weight loss, respiratory infections, and dysecdysis due to the inability to control body movements enough to rub off the old skin. The disease is rapidly fatal in young and juvenile boas, typified by rapid onset of flaccid paralysis.

In pythons, the disease progresses much more rapidly than in boas. Along with the above symptoms (excluding the chronic regurgitation), pythons also tend toward infectious stomatitis ("mouth rot"), heightened or exaggerated reflex responses, disorientation (which may be precipitated by the onset of central blindness) and loss of motor coordination.

What causes this disease? Intracytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusion bodies have been identified in the epithelial cells of the kidneys and pancreas. Neuronal degeneration and lesions form in the spinal cord and brain, and may be accompanied by myelin degeneration and nerve damage. Damage to the spleen is also found, with that organ being grossly atrophied and fibrosed. Electron microscopy has found that the organism falls into the retrovirus category.

The snake mite, Ophionyssus natricis, has been found in collections in which IBD has occurred but it is not implicated in all cases of infection.

As this has been identified as a viral entity, it may spread like a virus, through contact between infectious organisms (such as housing an infected snake with a previously healthy one) or through airborne aerosolized secretions, or by the keeper passing secretions from one snake or enclosure to another during the course of handling or cleaning (when strict quarantine and cleaning procedures are not followed).

There is at this time no treatment for the disease and, as it is at this time always fatal and highly contagious, euthanasia is the course of action recommended. Even if the snake can be kept alive through supportive measures (hydration and force-feeding), the damage to the nerves, brain, spinal cord and internal organs is so great--and progressive--that live is only prolonged with an ever decreasing quality and increasing pain.

Due to the increasing incidence of this disease, it cannot be stated or urged strongly enough to QUARANTINE ALL NEW BOIDS upon acquisition for at least 3-6 months, and to take precautions when visiting other collections, pet stores and expos/swaps.

Informating about your hatchlings
Now that it is nearing the time for snake eggs to start hatching, here are some general guidelines for getting baby snakes to start eating.

Be sure to keep the snake warm and dry.

Place the snake in a small enough container [deli cup, paper bag, cloth sack] so that it will readily encounter the intended meal.

Whenever possible, keep the hatchlings in separate containers so as to avoid having two animals grab the same food item. This also prevents any shy snakes from being intimidated by a more aggressive cagemate. [Note: Depending upon the species, hatchlings may be housed together and just separated at feeding time.]

Provide a shelter or other place for the snake to hide itself.

Keep the food items small. Small items are more easily digested than larger items. A general guideline would be to offer a single mouse of about the same girth as the snake.

Some hatchlings may feed as soon as they emerge from the egg, but most probably will not. Do not feel compelled to try to feed the snakes until after they've shed for the first time, which will be about a week or two after hatching.

Snakes should start feeding within a month or so of hatching. Starvation probably will not occur for several more weeks, but it is best to have the snakes feeding as soon as possible. How long the hatchlings can survive without starving depends upon how much yolk reserve the snake has at the time of hatching, the temperature the snake is kept at, and how active the snake is.

A percentage of hatchling snakes will begin eating newborn mice without any problems and once started will generally continue to feed without problem. However, many snakes will be reluctant to start feeding. Here is a list of steps to use to start the hatchlings feeding:

Place a live pinky mouse in with the snake for a few hours. If uneaten, replace for awhile with a dead pinky.

Wash the pinky in soap and water, rinse and dry. Then present to the snake. Try a live, then a dead, one. Washing will remove some scent that can inhibit eating by some hatchlings.

Rub a pinky with a small lizard such as an anole, swift, or fence lizard, to transfer some of the scent. Place a moistened section of a skin or shed skin from a lizard on the head and back of a pre-killed pinky.

Offer a small lizard or a frog. Every effort should be made to get the snakes to switch to mice as soon as possible, as lizards and frogs are not as readily available as mice, nor as cheap.

If the different techniques to get a hatchling snake feeding on its own fail, force feeding can be resorted to but is not recommended as it is highly stressful to an already weakened snake.

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