30,000 Burmese Pythons in the southern U.S.!
By dragon54u
@dragon54u (31636)
United States
May 13, 2008 1:06pm CST
Apparently, irresponsible pet owners are releasing these beautiful reptiles when they get too big to handle and the southern part of the states is being overrun with them! Here's the story:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,355104,00.html
I had a Burmese once, got him from a doper friend and he was sick and malnourished. I nursed him back to health and after a few years couldn't keep him because I had to move to a place that didn't allow pets of any kind. I gave him to a herpetologist and he had a wonderful, huge cage with trees and a little pool to swim in (he loved the bathtub!). But he was about 12' long and very heavy by that time!
I don't see how people can just turn these poor creatures loose!
1 person likes this
4 responses
@allen0187 (58444)
• Philippines
13 May 08
hi dragon.
those are some very irresponsible owners. i also took care of a burmese python. got it from one of my friends as a birthday gift. when it was beginning to be a bother, i just took the python to a local zoo so that it will be taken care of better.
2 people like this
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
13 May 08
They're usually a lot happier in zoos and with experts who appreciate them. They have a lot more space and can live more comfortably. As much as we try to cater to them, nothing is quite like living in a place where they're familiar with their needs.
Donovan used to crawl into my bed in the winter when the gas heater shut off. He was almost like a dog and very good company! But I'm sure he would rather have had a nice hot-rock and other expensive things that zoos can afford!
1 person likes this
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
13 May 08
I live in south Florida and this has been an ongoing problem. The irresponsible people who release these snakes into the wild didn't plan ahead for their growth and certainly didn't think about the consequences of setting them free. Huge snakes have been spotted & trapped in several communities down here and some small pets have also been killed.
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
13 May 08
With people like that, it's not that they don't think or plan ahead, they just don't care!
Many of these people get the snakes and other exotic "pets" because they want to be cool. They don't care about the reptiles or animals. Here in Ohio, there's an ongoing problem with people that "own" big cats like tigers or lions. Naturally, they sometimes are attacked. Well, DUH!! It's a wild animal and they have no business trying to keep it in a domestic setting! I think they get what they deserve. Sorry, but I have no sympathy for such people.
As for those who set their pets "free", they should be also be set free with in a foreign country with no tools or supplies and see what it's like!
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
13 May 08
There is no way you could fully tame down a snake that big, and unfortunately, they are now coming in designer colors, like wild color and white. That lures even more dips into the reptile trade.
*
A pied ball python to give you an idea~
http://www.chelydra.org/ball_web06.jpg
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
15 May 08
The breeders are as far as I know breeding for designer color. I hope there aren't mutation breedings going on, like we see in hyper bred siamese cats.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
13 May 08
Oh no, you mean they're breeding them like they've done to dogs?! That will destroy them! It should be illegal, it's bad enough that they manipulate the breeding in dogs and cats but wild animals? That's sacrilege of the worst sort! 
1 person likes this
@breepeace (3014)
• Canada
13 May 08
That's so sad that people would abandon their pets, and even more so that the poor snakes are doing what comes naturally and feeding themselves on other people's small pets.
No one should have to suffer because someone else was that irresponsible!
I can't imagine the heartbreak one would feel to discover that an abandoned pet snake had ate your house-cat. You know you can't blame the snake, but losing a pet is really tough.
I thought about getting a Burmese Python when I was older, but I did years of research and decided that having dogs, cats and a giant snake would be far too difficult. I can always admire pictures of them or go to a reptile sanctuary.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
13 May 08
I'm glad you decided against it, those kinds of animals have no business in peoples' homes, it's not good for them or the people! Mine was a rescue, very sick when I got him and I wish there had been rescue organizations for them back then.
