What am I going to do with these kids?
So, I go to the Tinley park show in the Chicago area, and a lady who is selling nothing but colubrids and lizards comes over to my table and says, "I have some weird Boas over here. Can you look at them and tell me what you think of them?" "Sure," I said. I like to see weird Boas right? But they usually are not weird Boas. Just regular Boas like I have seen many times before but they looked weird to them. She was set up at the table right next to me too by the way. So I walk all the way over, this is about 18 feet mind you as I have to walk all the way around my tables and hers to get to see these babies. An exhausting walk and I am hoping not to hurt her feelings too bad when I tell her that her Boas are simply that, Boas. This can be devastating to some folks you know. So she gets back to her table. Reaches under that table covered with stuff more appropriate to a bait shop than a Reptile sale, (just kidding you colubrid people), and she pulls up this large deli dish. This thing was about a two gallon sized dish you would put a salad in. I had never seen one so large. She pulls it up and tries to hand it to me. I look for a moment and then only after seeing the little creatures, reach out and take the bait, so to speak, I swallow the hook. Hook, line and sinker! Holy Mackerel! I did NOT need to open the container. I asked the very first question that came to my aging and feeble mind, "are these for sale?" She replied, "yes" and that she was selling them for Lee Watson. Lee Watson puts on the Streamwood Swap meet in Streamwood Illinois as he has for something like 18 years now. I was at the first swap meet Lee put on way way back then so I know Lee pretty well. The next question is obvious, "How much are they?" She says, well I would like to get $1500.00 for them. I said, "For all of them?" She said yes. I did not let go of the container for a moment. I dared not. I shielded them from the view of passers by lest one of them might catch a glimpse and make a stink in front of this nice lady before I could get my money in her hand AND make my escape with them. I reached into my pocket with one hand and as quickly as I could, with one hand, pealed off $1500, handed it to the nice lady, and then ran back the 18' to other side of my table where I ditched the little guys. I did look them over a little more closely a while after I had calmed down. I was very nervous after may little acquisition. Very nervous. I was not going to buy anything at the show. In fact I tried not to look around as I am often tempted by the goodies I see around Reptile shows. I wasn't nervous because I had spent the money but only because I had landed them, and once they were in the boat, I headed for shore to get them weighed. They were mine ALL MINE! Later Lee came by and I thanked him and told him I bought his Boas.
Lee explained that some kid, that he had not seen before, I walked into his swap meet in Streamwood and offered this much smaller deli dish with these babies in it to him for $50. Lee, seeing that they were brand new babies and they looked cool, took them off the lads hands. Lee said he had not seen the kid since. They appear and act like Central American something or others. They have very little color and nothing that says anything to me but Central American. They are actually down right mean snakes. They hit with a vengeance and ask questions later.
So what do you think about these? What am I going to do with them? Don't say send them to me which all too predictable and seems is a very frequent reply. I wouldn't mind selling them but, I would not want to be locked out of the project. I could not be. The 18' walk and the little money paid for them was a small price to pay for what are... really very cool looking Boas. I only wish they didn't hate me so much... What shall I do?
This is the only male:
These are four females:
Take extra good care of him.
