Posted by:
Bladespark
at Sun Jul 15 18:58:12 2007 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Bladespark ]
Hello! I thought I'd sign up here, so I can have somebody other than my boyfriend to babble at about how beautiful rainbow boas are! (I think he's getting sick of hearing about them, and I don't even have the snake yet!)
Anyhow, I figured I should say hello. I'm Stephanie, I go by spark or bladespark. I love animals of all sorts. I currently own two cats, and have had various cats,dogs, guinea pigs, gerbils, hamsters, fish, etc. growing up. I always wanted to have a snake, I used to catch king snakes a lot as a child. But my mom didn't like pets, and drew the line at snakes. No snakes in her house! Well, I'm 29 and well moved out of her house, and seeing some ball pythons at a (sadly dubious) pet store got me thinking about snakes again. I was considering getting a ball python for quite a while. Most people tell me they're easy starters (though of course people being people, some disagree.) And I think they're rather cute.
But then I saw a rainbow boa. Which is beyond "rather cute" and into "holy crap that is the most beautiful snake I've ever seen!" The base markings are attractive to begin with, but then you add that amazing rainbow sheen, and wow! I thought they were the most amazing things ever just from seeing photos. But the one place I encountered them on line at the time was only selling morphs, for BIG BUCKS, and as I wasn't familiar enough with them to realize these were morphs, and that normals might actually be within my price range, I wrote them off, with a mental "Well, if I'm ever rich I'll buy one."
Then I had a stroke of amazing good luck! Just a few blocks from where I live a new reptile-oriented pet store opened up. A pet store that sells only captive bred, and where the owner breeds his own turtles and tortises, and buys all his lizards and snakes from reliable breeders. Given that all the other local pet stores are either big box, (Petsmart, Petco,) or somewhat dubious (the place that had crickets in a ball python cage, the other place that had ball pythons and redtails in together, that kind of thing,) I was very pleased to find a sparkly-clean place with only one or two snakes per cage, where everybody seems to actually know what they're talking about.
I went in to see what they had, planning on asking them about ball pythons, as that was what I thought I wanted at the time.
But then I saw them... they had two baby Columbian Rainbow Boas! They were GORGEOUS! They were adorable! They were only $120! Wow, actually within my limited budget! The gal who works there fished one out for me to hold. It was a little nippy, I got my first snakebite right then. A very gentle introduction to the ranks of the bitten, given that its teeth are almost too small to see. None of those childhood king snakes had ever managed to tag me. I had loved seeing the photos, but I was totally enchanted by them in person I think I spent twenty minutes just letting her crawl all over me.
I'm still slightly torn on the issue of which snake to get. Over and over and over I've been told that rainbows are intermediate snakes, and that a beginner just can't handle them. But I've read EVERYTHING I can find on the internet about them, including pages and pages and pages of this forum, and a dozen care sheets, and all kinds of other random stuff. I know it will be a lot of work, and I'll need to pay very close attention to what's going on, especially right at first, but I am totally dedicated to getting the best information and putting in as much effort as it takes. I plan on getting the whole setup, tank and heater and light and hides and water and substrate and everything, and getting it running and the correct temps and humidity before I even buy the snake.
I've had several people tell me that I should start with the ball, and get the rainbow once I'm used to the ball. But I don't want two snakes! I live in a tiny apartment, I am not going to breed or collect or anything, I just want one display pet, that I can handle and have fun with now and then, that I can watch and enjoy the rest of the time. Two snakes are going to take more space than I care to give them, and it's not fair to the 'starter' snake, to get another snake that will take my attention away. I'd end up neglecting the first snake, I just know it. It's not like the cats, where I can't neglect my first cat, she jumps up into my lap and demands petting. Snakes can't tell you they need something.
So I'm trying to decide, but I'm really leaning towards getting the Columbian Rainbow. Everything I've read about them suggests they're what I want, as far as size, temperment, etc. goes, and they really are by FAR my favorites when it comes to appearance.
Anyhow, that's my rather rambling story. I'm taking a vacation next week, and when I get back and have money again (vacation is eating everything I've got this month) I'll be starting to buy the tank and other supplies, and then when that's all laid in, it'll be time to get my new baby! So I have until I start buying stuff to decide, as the two options do have slightly different housing requirements. Any advice for me?
(Wow, I wrote a novel! Sorry about that. But I'm really enthused just now about all this. I so can't wait to have a snake!)
[ Hide Replies ]
 New rainbow enthusiast - Bladespark, Sun Jul 15 18:58:12 2007
- RE: New rainbow enthusiast - waspinator421, Sun Jul 15 19:18:24 2007
- RE: New rainbow enthusiast - TimOsborne, Sun Jul 15 19:18:29 2007
- RE: New rainbow enthusiast - flavor, Sun Jul 15 19:37:37 2007
- WELCOME - IkeLightner, Sun Jul 15 20:30:39 2007
- RE: New rainbow enthusiast - Jeff Clark, Sun Jul 15 23:28:04 2007
- First off, Welcome to our forum!! no-DU - rainbowsrus, Mon Jul 16 02:19:31 2007
- Waaaaaassssssuuuuuuppppp...... - strictly4fun, Mon Jul 16 03:58:06 2007
- RE: New rainbow enthusiast - coluberking25, Mon Jul 16 13:31:55 2007
- RE: New rainbow enthusiast - atherisquamigera, Mon Jul 16 17:59:48 2007
- Thats nothing - rdude110, Tue Jul 17 08:42:30 2007
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