My burm has begun striking at me and I'm not sure what I should do.?

Question

I have had my burm for probably about 6 months or so, not positive, but it has been a while, he is probably around, or a little over 2 feet. When I first got him he was a little head shy, but would let me handle him. Usually he would be a little cautious but once I had him in my hands, he was fine and rather social. But a few weeks ago I went to take him out and he struck at me and was acting overly defensive. And since he has refused to eat. I try to handle him every other day or so (which at this point has gotten rather difficult), but his attitude is not changing, if anything it has gotten worse, and I'm not exactly sure what to do. I have never had an issue like this with any of the snakes I have own. I have own ball pythons and many different red tail boas. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Answer 1

They do need daily handling to stay tame.  You definitely want him tame if eventually he is going to be up to 20 feet long and 200 lbs.  Hopefully you are prepared for that.  Any snake over 10 feet should always be handled by 2 people or more to prevent danger to the handler.  Has he been vet checked for parasites?  What are your temps and humidity?  Does he have a pool to soak in?  Is he getting ready to shed?  Maybe join a burmese python forum and ask.  

http://www.constrictors.com/forums/forum...

http://forum.kingsnake.com/burmese/index...

Answer 2

Maybe he's feeling cranky because he's getting ready to shed his skin?

Answer 3

You've had him for 6 months and he's only 2 feet long? That's your problem. At six months of age, he should be 4 to 6 feet long. And Burms have great appetites, so if yours isn't eating, there's a definite problem. Have you noticed any sneezing or runny noses? Burms are very susceptible to respiratory infections. Make sure its temperatures are good, and if you notice the symptoms I mentioned, take it to a vet. As for taming it, Burms can become very tame with gentle handling often.