Albino Burmese too small?

Question

I am the proud owner an albino Burmese Named Aurora. I was working at a pet shop in Alabama at the time, and I fell in love with her because she was so sweet tempered. She has only bit once and that was my mistake. But I am a little concerned for her. Apparently she belonged to the man who was over reptiles at the time. She had a bad respiratory infection at the time and he was giving her shots of baytril however he didnt lift the scales therefore she has 3 scars about an inch long on her back. She was close to death and hadnt ate for a month when I got her. Took her to the vet and upped the heat and in a week she was fine. She has shed 3 times since i have had her (Almost a year now). But my concern is that she is (According to the previous owner) 4 years old, and only 5'4". Now when I got her I knew that she was going to get big. I read that most albino burms do most of their growing in the first 4 yrs and then gradually reduce growth. But the fact that she is so small and skinny worries me. This snake is my first and she is my baby. She knows who her momma is and shows affection just like the best dog would. I am just so worried about my baby. Can anyone explain this to me?

Answer 1

Yes, that is incredibly small. All of my Burms were around 8 to 9 feet long at a year of age. Normally they are between 6 to 10 feet long at a year of age. So to be barely over 5 feet long at 4 years of age indicates it received extremely poor care. However, this doesn't mean you can't turn things around, like it sounds like you already are. Just feed it well and hopefully it will live a long and healthy life as long as it has someone like you to care for it. Good luck!

Answer 2

I cant really explain but im sure people that follow my answer will but i would just say to try and up the food intake.  

Answer 3

It sounds like it's growth was stunted by improper temperatures (which is probably the cause of the respiratory infection) and not being fed enough (either not often enough or not large enough). It may have gone of feeding as a result of the respiratory infection resulting in weight loss.

I've seen a 2 year old burm at an expo that was maybe 3 feet long. The gentleman trying to sell it said it was kept from growing by only feeding it enough to survive. I was upset with the gentleman to say the least.

Answer 4

If it will affect the health of it in years to come, I would worry about it. But if it doesn't, I wouldn't worry about it.