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Burmese python

The Burmese python, Python bivittatus, is one of the largest snakes in the world, native to the grassland, marsh and jungle of South and South-East Asia.

Adults commonly reach four metres and exceptional animals exceed five, weighing over 90 kilograms.

It is often described as docile, and individually that is frequently true. It is also an animal that can kill a person, and deaths of keepers are documented. Escaped and released pets established a breeding population in the Florida Everglades that has devastated native mammals, and US federal law now restricts interstate transport. This is not a beginner's snake, and in many places it is not a legal one.

Origin
South and South-East Asia
Adult size
3.7–5 m; over 90 kg
Lifespan
20–25 years
Basking temperature
31–33°C hot spot, 26–28°C ambient
Legal status
Restricted or prohibited in many jurisdictions
Handling
Two competent adults present, always

Related: Ball python · Blood python

2 burmese python photos, newest first

Burmese python feed
  • Fig III, a burmese python

    Fig III

    Fig III has appointed herself lifeguard, and the entire duck population has been moved to the shallow pool for safety.

    FrostyOtter · 1 week ago

  • Fig III, a burmese python

    Fig III

    I have never once won a staring contest with Fig III.

    MerryBadger · 2 weeks ago

Living with a burmese python

Check the law before anything else. Burmese pythons are prohibited or licensed in many countries, states and cities, and the US Lacey Act listing bans importation and interstate transport.

Never handle a large constrictor alone. The standing rule in the keeping community is one experienced adult per 1.5 metres of snake, and it exists because of fatalities.

An adult needs a custom-built, securely locking enclosure measured in metres, not a vivarium. Escape is the single biggest risk this species poses, to the snake and to everything around it.

Feed appropriately sized prey on a schedule, and never by hand — use tongs, and separate feeding from handling so the snake does not associate an opening door with food.

Rehoming an adult is very difficult. Rescues are full of them.

General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual reptiles vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.

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