You're totally right, John - on everything you just said. Although I really respect the guys who are able to consistently produce BCC's, I have more respect for the guys who have been on this forum for longer than just a couple of years because it says that their hearts are truly in it for the right reasons - it's not just a passing fad. If I had a dollar for every guy (and girl) that has come and gone in the last 10 years I'd be a wealthy man. It seems like every year there's a whole new crop of names on this forum. What's up with that? And what happens to all of the boas that they bought up like hot cakes?
It's true that people put too much focus on producing boas instead of keeping the ones they own alive and thriving. Every day people put up pics of their newly aquired boas but only rarely does someone put up a pic of an older adult BCC. This is because most of them die before they ever reach that age. We know that boas can live 25 plus years but yet when do you see one make it that long? I know a lot of well known breeders personally who have shared with me how many losses of really high-end boas they suffer each year all in the name of breeding - and this is true of not just boas but other species as well. The numbers are staggering. Most of the best known boas from just as recent as 5 years ago have already died. People also make the mistake of collecting boas like stamps. It's very tempting to go crazy buying up boas but when the number of animals kept causes the quality of care to suffer, it's just not fair to the animals. If people would just realize that this hobby is not a race...and if people would realize it's about wanting the boas you have instead of having all the boas you want, both the animals and their keepers would be a whole lot happier. O.K., enough of my ranting, take care.--------RON

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