When I had my burm, she was about 12' we had her hook trained. A tap on the nose and a stroke down the body just to wake her up and give her the heads up that we weren't food. Worked well for us but our hook was more or less a 3' long stick of bamboo, not an actual hook.
Getting a half dwarf burm.
- Thread starter A. gigas
- Start date
Like I said. I would be handling him with my hands, the only time I plan to use the hook at all would be to tell him that I'm not feeding him when I'm taking him out. You all seem to be under the impression that I plan to always use the hook when handling him, and are telling me that all I need the hook for is to tap or stroke him with to let him know that I am not food. That's exactly what I plan to do!A. gigas;4958891; said:
The only other time I would use the hook is when he's big, and suddenly gets aggressive for whatever reason. Such as when he's outside. The natural sunlight and everything else associated with the outdoors has been shown to evoke a change in the behavior of some reptiles, and they behave a little more like a wild one. In the event that this should happen, and he got defensive when I needed to take him back inside, I would use the hook to hold the front half of him, and support most of the weight with my hands. Not because I am extremely worried about a bite, but because if I could choose between getting bit and not getting bit, I would obviously choose to not get bit, as I believe anyone would.
I repeat, the only time I plan to always use the hook is when taking him out of his cage, to let him know he's not being fed.
1) This animal was bred by Tom Reagan, one of the best burm breeders out there. His females are holding at a little under 8' and his males are about 5'. http://tomreaganreptiles.com/Our_Projects.htmlermgravy;4959785; said:
2) I am not. As I said, if I could buy a full sized burm I would, which implies that having someone else to help handle it would not be a problem...
3) I have handled snakes with far worse of a temperament than a full dwarf..
4) This animal is docile, and only aggressive when it thinks it's about to be fed. In effect, It's the same as if it were cage defensive.
could one of you quit being negative and say "nice" or "congratulations" or offer some useful advice instead of treating him like a two year old who is getting a full grown retic
I think all of you guys are missing the point with "hook training Burms".
Hook training Burms is not saying they're being carried around with the hook. It simply means it puts an object on the snake first, before just reaching in and grabbing. I've used a roll of paper towels as a "hook" before. As someone else said, they used a bamboo pole...same thing. Anything that lets the snake know it's not being fed and after a while, they associate the "hook" with being removed from their cage.
Hook training, on any large snake, is an absolute must. Anyone who keeps large constrictors and has a common practice of just reaching in and grabbing said snakes...well, they're just asking for an incident.
Beyond that...it's a gorgeous Burm, Gigas. I will somewhat agree with what others have said about "half dwarf burms". He may very well max out at around 6' - 7'...but if it were me, I'd fully anticipate on him being closer to 10'. He may never reach that, but better to go ahead and prepare yourself for it.
Hook training Burms is not saying they're being carried around with the hook. It simply means it puts an object on the snake first, before just reaching in and grabbing. I've used a roll of paper towels as a "hook" before. As someone else said, they used a bamboo pole...same thing. Anything that lets the snake know it's not being fed and after a while, they associate the "hook" with being removed from their cage.
Hook training, on any large snake, is an absolute must. Anyone who keeps large constrictors and has a common practice of just reaching in and grabbing said snakes...well, they're just asking for an incident.
Beyond that...it's a gorgeous Burm, Gigas. I will somewhat agree with what others have said about "half dwarf burms". He may very well max out at around 6' - 7'...but if it were me, I'd fully anticipate on him being closer to 10'. He may never reach that, but better to go ahead and prepare yourself for it.
Hexarmor snake gloves are about $150. They are puncture and needled resistant! I handle venomous reptiles and plan to get a pair. I don't know how they would hold up to a gaboon or a full grown anaconda but I'd feel safer with them! Sweet pics good luck on your purchase. Hexarmor.com
Honestly, I don't think it's worth $150 for some gloves that just give the snake a reason to just bite your arm instead...Crotalus Scutulatus;4960654; said:
For something small yet extremely venomous, yeah that would be worth it, but for a burm to prevent a few puncture wounds, I'll pass.
A. gigas;4961460; said:Honestly, I don't think it's worth $150 for some gloves that just give the snake a reason to just bite your arm instead...
For something small yet extremely venomous, yeah that would be worth it, but for a burm to prevent a few puncture wounds, I'll pass.
I agree they are pricey but they go up to your elbows and there were issues on using a snake hook so I threw up the option. On the other hand I want everyone in the reptile community to check them out. I own a black throated monitor! See what I mean???
