Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok... So I finally decided to fullfil my childhood dream of owning a few pet snakes. After spending the last 2 months searching and reading, I've made my decision on a Columbian Boa. I've talked to the breeder and he says that they are very calm and rarely bite.

My only concern is not for my self but for my daughter (I figure if I can handle my neighbors rottwhiler grabbing onto my leg, a snake is the least of my worries). She's 4 and lives with her mom, but comes to visit every weekend. Is it safe to have a snake in an apartment with that young of a child?

The enclosure is out of her reach, but I'm paranoid that it may escape and find its way to her room while she's sleeping... am I just being paranoid? Is it safe for a smaller snake like a columbian to be around children of that age?

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Stiffy

I have a 5 year old, 3 year old and 9 month old along with 16 snakes. The "danger" factor involved with owning a boa constrictor and small children does exist but no more then owning a dog and having small children. If you follow safe practices you won't have to worry about anything happening to your daughter. Also the boa will not be large enough to inflict any serious damage to anyone including a small child until it is a few years old and has put on some decent size. If you are paranoid (which in my opinion is a good thing when keeping an animal that is misunderstood by such a large portion of the population) I suggest investing in an enclosure that has a lock on the doors to lower the chance of an escape. Also one statistic that many people who are new to boa constrictors may not know is there are no recorded instances of fatalities with boa constrictors, so they are not known as highly dangerous animals as opposed to Burmese pythons/reticulated pythons etc.

Sorry if I rambled a bit, I still need my morning caffiene.

Later
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Randall L Turner Jr.
www.aircapitalconstrictors.com

I agree with Randall, I too have a 7, 4, 2, and a 10 month old children. Just make sure the cage will lock and you should not have any problems. My children never hold there snake unless I am with them. Yes my two older boys have there own pet snake. I am planning on giving my 2 year old daughter her own snake when she is 4 years old. One of the most important things we can do for our reptiles is to educate ourselves on their care.
Here are some pictures of my kids with some of my snakes.

Here is a link that has pictures of other children at some of the Reptile Educational Seminar I have done. They all love holding the boas and some of the other reptile.
www.mccarthyboas.com/Snakepix15.html

Here is a care sheet link for you.
www.mccarthyboas.com/CareSheets.html

Take care
Tom

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McCarthyBoas.com