I wanted to share a post about my first boa.
Autumn is 20 years old this year! This is her story (some pics at the end) -
She was born in 1989, purchased at a pet store as a baby by the original keeper. She suffered minor heat burns from an exposed light bulb and after 2 years was suddenly “getting too big” (we’ve all heard that before).
That person gave her to a lady in Venice, CA who took care of her for 7 years and named her Spot. However in 1998 the lady got a new puppy which would not leave the snake tank alone, jumping up at it constantly. Spot went off feed so the lady put her up for adoption (in the pennysaver).
I was living in SoCal and a few months prior had adopted my first snake, a corn, from a vet’s office as a ‘new adventure in pet keeping’. A friend knew I wanted a water dragon so he got me one, except it was an iguana (lol). My roommate and I shared custody of a ball python. I decided I really liked this reptile thing and got my very first boa: Spot! When I adopted her, the lady quizzed me, watched me remove her from the tank and handle her to make sure I knew what I doing. I re-named her Autumn because her tail saddle shapes and color remind me of dark autumn leaves.
Autumn has had a lot of adventures in my care; she has moved all over CA with me, even to Las Vegas and back. She taught me that I shouldn’t feed live, that some people get scared when you walk around outside with a large boa, that she can recognize certain people, that boas can learn and remember, that boas are very forgiving, that a locked cage doesn’t always mean it’s escape proof, that a feeding instinct will override tameness (ouch!), that boas don’t stop growing, and that there will always be more to learn and appreciate about these beautiful creatures.
She has been in my care for 11 years, is about 8' in length, had one litter in 2003 (34 babies) and is an overall terrific boa! Hopefully she’ll stick around for at least another 11 years.
I found these old photos from when I first got her in 1998, she was just over 5’ long and 9 yrs old:
Playing around outside in 2000:
Here she is following me in 2001. Every time I put her down, no matter where I went, she came right to me (I believe she associates me with safety).
Getting some exercise:
With the father of her babies:
Hiding after she escaped her locked enclosure, the brat!
And here she is today:
Thanks for reading!
-April
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'There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."' -Rainshadow
, and in a too small of a cage as well.
We really don't hear about older ones like this too often. Hopefully both of our 'old gals' will stick around quite a while longer. 
