Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey guys,

i really want to buy a baby columbian red tail boa, a boy to be axact, but my mom wont let me. no matter what i say to convince her,she doesnt want me having a snake.sooooo, could some experienced people post in this thread about how snakes are good pets?im going to have her read the thread once people respond with positive things to say.talk about how they are good animals,how feeding a frozen mouse isnt a big deal,ect.thanks a ton

-adam

Snakes are better pets than dogs or cats actually. They don't shed (on the carpet), they only need fed once a week, they are friendly, and they don't bark or roam the neighborhood. Frozen rats are excellent food, just keep a ziploc bag in the freezer with them. When it is feeding day, take a rat out, put it in a snack size ziploc, and put it into a bowl of hot water. Set a timer for 10 mins, put more hot water. After another 10 mins, it should be thawed enough to be fed. You can use steak tongs, forceps, or your hand (when it is still a baby) to feed the snake. I have had snakes for 8 years, and feeding day is my favorite day. Since the snake only eats once a week, it will only crap once a week or less. The only daily maintenance is rinsing out the water bowl, and disinfecting once a week. This is easy, on feeding day, when the snake is busy squeezing its meal, take the water bowl out and wash it with dawn. For people who think snakes bite, I have been bitten by many more dogs, cats, and gerbils (those definitely deserve to be at the bottom of the food chain) than I have by snakes. Boas are especially friendly. Size isn't a problem, people call them giant snakes, but they have the potential of about half the growth of a retic, burm, or anaconda. If you buy a male, expect 6 feet at most. It will take it about 4 years to get that big, so if you are in your teens, you will be out of the house by the time it is 5 or 6 feet long. The best thing you can do is buy books, and look at web sites. redtailboas.com has several great care sheets covering all aspects of keeping boas. If you decide to get a boa, I can give you a list of many reputable breeders. BTW, my mom used to hate snakes, but since she has been around them and realised how gentle and easy to care for they are, she now loves them.

Snakes are better pets than dogs or cats actually. They don't shed (on the carpet), they only need fed once a week, they are friendly, and they don't bark or roam the neighborhood. Frozen rats are excellent food, just keep a ziploc bag in the freezer with them. When it is feeding day, take a rat out, put it in a snack size ziploc, and put it into a bowl of hot water. Set a timer for 10 mins, put more hot water. After another 10 mins, it should be thawed enough to be fed. You can use steak tongs, forceps, or your hand (when it is still a baby) to feed the snake. I have had snakes for 8 years, and feeding day is my favorite day. Since the snake only eats once a week, it will only crap once a week or less. The only daily maintenance is rinsing out the water bowl, and disinfecting once a week. This is easy, on feeding day, when the snake is busy squeezing its meal, take the water bowl out and wash it with dawn. For people who think snakes bite, I have been bitten by many more dogs, cats, and gerbils (those definitely deserve to be at the bottom of the food chain) than I have by snakes. Boas are especially friendly. Size isn't a problem, people call them giant snakes, but they have the potential of about half the growth of a retic, burm, or anaconda. If you buy a male, expect 6 feet at most. It will take it about 4 years to get that big, so if you are in your teens, you will be out of the house by the time it is 5 or 6 feet long. The best thing you can do is buy books, and look at web sites. redtailboas.com has several great care sheets covering all aspects of keeping boas. If you decide to get a boa, I can give you a list of many reputable breeders. BTW, my mom used to hate snakes, but since she has been around them and realised how gentle and easy to care for they are, she now loves them. My dad breeds boas, and my mom gives them baths and showers when they need them. If your parents won't let you get a boa because 6 feet is too big, I suggest a ball python. Those are also good beginner snakes, and males stay about 3 feet, with females max 5 feet. If you get anything, be sure to spend about a month researching. Learn everything that can be learned through books and the net. Have the cage set up before you bring the animal home.

thank you so much for the useful info.yeah, im 15, so by the time it is full grown i will be living outside of the house. about the whole feeding thing, i will be feeding it frozen rats,when it thawes out, why dont i just throw it in the cage and let the snake do its thing?will they not eat it if it is not moving, so you move it around with the thongs so it appears alive? i have a leopard gecko, i did a ton of reasearch on them before i got my little guy. i know where to buy the food, where to get all of my supplies,and all of that good stuff.i was considering a ball python, but i think columbian RT boas look alot cooler compaired to the brown colored ball python, nothing bad towards BP owners, i just like the boa more.as far as a heating pad goes, do i need to adjust the temperature for it?with my leopard gecko cage, i just plug it in and its done, if the gecko is to hot then he moves to the other side of the cage, is that how it is for the snake?well,thanks alot

-adam

Hi Adam. The most useful and important thing you can do is as much or more research about boas as you did for your Leo. They are bigger, stronger, make smellier poops and cost more to feed at the least, so they are a far bigger commitment than a Leo. As far as the feeding thing goes, yes, once acclimated to thoroughly thawed food, you can usually just dangle it in front of the snake's nose with a pair of tongs or some will just take it off the floor. I have never had a boa that would not take pre-killed or frozen/thawed food.With regards to heating the enclosure, the key is to get a good temperature gradient going with a warm/basking area around 90 and the cool end around 80 for daytime temps, and nights can drop a little more (76-80). They need to be able to choose their temperature range. You will also need to provide at least two hides (one on the cool end and one on the warm end) while your snake is a juvie. Once they get bigger (four feet or so) I find they don't stress nearly as easily and you may be able to do away with the hides, depending on your individual snake's temperament. These are just sone of the very basics with regards to boa keeping, but if you arm yourself with as much good knowledge as possible, they can be fairly easy to raise and take care of. Good luck!

Billy

>>thank you so much for the useful info.yeah, im 15, so by the time it is full grown i will be living outside of the house. about the whole feeding thing, i will be feeding it frozen rats,when it thawes out, why dont i just throw it in the cage and let the snake do its thing?will they not eat it if it is not moving, so you move it around with the thongs so it appears alive? i have a leopard gecko, i did a ton of reasearch on them before i got my little guy. i know where to buy the food, where to get all of my supplies,and all of that good stuff.i was considering a ball python, but i think columbian RT boas look alot cooler compaired to the brown colored ball python, nothing bad towards BP owners, i just like the boa more.as far as a heating pad goes, do i need to adjust the temperature for it?with my leopard gecko cage, i just plug it in and its done, if the gecko is to hot then he moves to the other side of the cage, is that how it is for the snake?well,thanks alot
>>
>>-adam