MARSHALL INDEPENDENT (Minnesota) 28 June 08 Oh, boa! After nursing her new boa constrictor back to health, a Tracy snake lover decided to do the same with other snakes. (Deb Gau)
Tracy: When Carmelita Pfarr says half her living room is snakes, she's not kidding. There are two massive cages containing eight-foot boa constrictors, a couple smaller fish tanks and a tall set of shelves full of reptiles. And if you're not squeamish, Pfarr will gladly introduce you to some of her scaly friends.
"I've been an animal lover my whole life," said Pfarr, though she only started taking care of snakes during the past few years. "It's a passion I found that I didn't know I had."
Pfarr, who lives three miles south of Tracy, has become an informal expert on boids, the family of snakes including boas and pythons, and even gives educational presentations on snakes.
It all started with one pet snake. Pfarr's husband Dale Pfarr found an ad for a female boa constrictor in the Hy-Vee Trader back in 2003.
At the time, she said, "I had been researching (boas) for a month, trying to find out everything everything I could, is this a safe pet for my kids?"
Pfarr said she went to the Twin Cities to see the boa, "And I just fell in love with it." Once she got to hold the snake, she knew she wanted to take it home.
Not everything was fine for "Koa" the boa, however. Pfarr said the snake had been making unusual sounds ever since Pfarr first saw her. The wheezing noises turned out to be from a respiratory infection caused by improper temperatures in the boa's environment, probably long before Pfarr brought her home.
"It takes a long time for a snake to get sick, and it takes a long time for it to heal," Pfarr said. It took a lot of patience and medicine, but eventually Koa got better. Now, she's between 8 and 9 feet long, and weights 26 pounds.
"I'm still as in awe of her as when I first picked her up, that something that powerful will let me pet it, and hold it and take it on presentations," Pfarr said.
After nursing Koa back to health, Pfarr got involved with the Minnesota Herpetological Society's adoption program for abused or abandoned pet snakes.
Only four of the eight snakes currently at Pfarr's home belong to her. The rest are being treated for conditions like skin infections or starvation until they're ready to be adopted.
People often make the mistake of not researching boas and pythons before they buy them as pets, Pfarr said.
"You go into the pet store and you see this cute little baby snake," she said. "That lasts for a few months. In a couple of years it will be eight feet long and eating whole rabbits. People aren't prepared for that."
In many places it's not legal to own boas or pythons, Pfarr said, so the animals can end up getting confiscated.
"I checked with both Tracy and Murray County" before bringing Koa home, Pfarr said, to be sure it was legal.
Depending on species, snakes also have special temperature and diet needs - no live rats if you can help it, Pfarr said.
"I don't recommend live feeding," she said. "They (boids) aren't really aggressive. If the snake isn't hungry, it will leave (the prey) alone. And then if the mouse or the rat gets hungry, it'll take a bite out of the snake."
Dirty tanks or cages can lead to blister disease, a severe skin infection, Pfarr said.
Snakes, especially large or exotic species like boids, tend to have a reputation for being tough or scary, Pfarr said. But it's not always true. That's why she really loves getting to share her snakes with other people at presentations. She's taken her snakes to visit local Girl Scouts, to the Renaissance Festival with the Herpetological Society, and to special events like the Balaton Fun Fest.
"I love having big groups of people," Pfarr said. Lots of people are scared of snakes, but are willing to give them a second chance once they get close.
"Some people start out not wanting to touch the snake, but then over time you see them creeping closer, and closer, and then even if it's just with one finger, they'll touch the snake," she said. "I know they're not for everyone, but they're really incredible."
Oh, boa!