Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi guys i am new to this forum my name is graham and i have a problem
i have just got a common boa about 3 feet but have recently seen pics of crazy sized common boas and have a 4 year old daughter in the house should i be concerned for her safety and what should i be concerned about
thank you for your valued time
graham

graham50@hotmail.com

No! Hold on...take a deep breath. Don't worry!!

First, make it a common practice to wash hands after holding any reptile and be very picky about keeping the cage clean. This will minimize the possibility of salmonella.

Next, make sure that the snake can't escape his enclosure but handle it often. Snakes know the difference between people and food, and learn that you aren't a threat. They can discern what size is too big for consumption and rarely constrict people more than what is required to make sure that they aren't going to fall. Also, they never kill just to kill...they kill for food, nothing else. They will evade if they feel threatened.

If your snake were to get out and find your daughter sleeping, the most he would do would be find a warm spot to cuddle up next to. It would be a bigger risk to your snake if he got out. He could get into something toxic, end up in a place to cold, get attacked by another animal...basically, anyway you look at it, it's a death sentence for the escaped animal.

In other words, take good care of your new boa and you will never have to worry.

That's got to be the best advice I've read in a long time.

Bill

Thank you, Bill. I've had a retic for 19 years. I'm a firm believer that if one is responsible, pays attention and uses common sense, keeping any snake can be accident free.

My retic did get out once and all he did was look for a nice cozy place to sleep. Since that day, I now keep utility (tie-down) straps on the cage! LOL!

Check out the Reticulated Python forum. There is a post on
there with a photo of Fluffy, a monstrous sized reticulated
python with two little girls right next to it. You can tell from
the photo that they'd both fit easily in its stomach.

I don't think you really should be concerned though. As long as
you are careful and responsible you should be fine. Your little
girl should grow a lot quicker than your boa. You definitely
should use locks on its cage though. Thanks.........tc

i dont want to scare anyone but, this a bite from the reticulated python i had for 7yrs. she was calm, and docile, but??? you never, never know. just be careful. i had a friend over while i had her out. she was 17ft and 70+ lbs. This was the only time she struck!!!

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IF YOU HAVE IT SHOW IT. IF YOU OWN IT FLAUNT IT!!

Oh no!! Don't scare the guy!! He's already having a hard time with this. Not to downsize your stitches but your retic accident wasn't the norm and he has a boa, a much more easy-going snake. Plus, your retic is probably double the size this boa will ever be!

sorry, just havin fun. i haev seen good bites from boas though. i just like to show this off, after all it was $17000.00 worth!so i need to play it.
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IF YOU HAVE IT SHOW IT. IF YOU OWN IT FLAUNT IT!!

Never ever make a habit of putting your snake around your neck. She may see you and copy you...and the snake may choke her just trying to hold on.

i'll tell ya,don't ever reach in to garb a rabbit that your snake didn't eat,use tongs or something,one time i had a very large 160 burm nail me good and she thought forsure i was a rabbit,i just payed it cool and grabed her head firmly and pushed the rest of her body back in the cage and keep her there,my best friends brother inlaw was over and ran to call 911,that was all i needed,, i made him came back in the room and stay calm,he was freaked out,i but about 80 lbs of torque on her head and she let up,wow it hurt so bad,but in time it healed very well,and no 911 that would have really sucked,,you must play it safe with these large snakes,they are what they are,,hope this helps someone out,,,Greg

Forever Trust In What You Are,And nothing Else Matters

the message is be safe. have a freind there if you are going to need it or if you think you will. not to scare but , i am glad i did!!
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IF YOU HAVE IT SHOW IT. IF YOU OWN IT FLAUNT IT!!

my buddys inlaw about [bleep] when i just clamly closed her door and went the the bath room squeezing my whole hand,sweet was just pouring down my face,from the pain,i said joe please get me a #4 suiture set over there,i can fix this,,,but i work as a taxidemest,so im used to stiching my self up,...Greg

But, your concerns are a valid one.

1) If you have children I really feel that you should invest in a REAL cage. I don't know what you have right now. But, buying a neodesha, boaphile, or vision cage is really what is needed in the future. Both cages a strong and lockable. This way the cage can be locked and you alone keep the keys. Stay away from aquarium type cages. They work for a while..........But, are useless IMHO when a boa has some size to it. This is a must in my book!!! And, you must also say to yourself......"If this boa gets out....I need to give it to someone". It sounds harsh I know. But, that really is my mentality. I have 10 boas right now and two kids. If one boa gets out. I personally have failed my children in keeping them safe. I am not willing to take the risk with my kids life. I really think that is the type of mentality people should have when owning a large boid when they have children.

2) Some type of seperation is a good thing as well. By this I mean don't keep the snake in an open area. Your first line of defense is locking the cage. Your second is having the snake behind a locked door. (ie your room, etc.)

3) If you are going to make this boa be a family "pet" it is up to you to teach your children about them. I am VERY anal about this. So, please excuse me. I just really feel it is serious in nature so it needs to be stressed. These animals, no matter how tame, will bite. That has to be understood. If your child is going to hold the snake get him/her into the practice of washing his/her hands before and after handling. This is mainly to remove smells that could trigger a strike and to keep your child healthy due to the animal crawling thru it's own urated, food, etc.

Always keep the snakes face away from yours or your childs. Again, boas are tame. But, that does not mean they can be trusted.

Teach you child to learn to "read" boas by their body language. If you are not able to do this yet....This really is important. Once you are able to "read" the snake teach your child about it. This really transfers into a lot of good in life. Reading people and animals is a talent that can be developed by anyone willing to take the time. This "reading" will keep you from being bitten more times then not. Look for basic signs. (Rapid breathing, S-Curved next, acting "head-shy", hissing, hunger movements, etc.)

4) This may upset some buy I am going to share it anyway. A boa's size can be controlled somewhat. And, there is a fine line between maintaining a desired size and starving you boa. So, if you want to have a "smaller" female you could feed it a diet of one large rat weekly. (When it is able to eat that sized prey) A feeding schedule like that should keep your female around the 6-8 foot range. When you start feeding multiple rats is when their true size/girth is attained. When you feed weekly you boa will hit a topping out point. This way you can keep your boa in that size range for some time. I don't recommend doing this it's whole life. But, I have seen some 15 year old boas that are maintained at that size that look wonderful and healthy. A weekly feeding is necessary to maintain proper caloric intake and keep essential minerals present for the boas development.
Most normal boas will hit the 6-7 foot range natually at 3years of age. At that point, is really when they start to thicken up.
This is only a suggestion. I prefer to keep my boas big. It means a lot more responsibility on my part. But, I like big animals.

5) Proper handling techniques are a must as well. It is pretty easy when they are babies. But, when they are adults it becomes really important that you have conditioned the animal already.

I hope this helps. Here are some links for you to look at as well.

John

http://www.boaphileplastics.com/cages.html
http://www.neodeshacages.com/products.php
http://www.pythons.net/handling.html
http://www.mccarthyboas.com/BigSnake.html
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"To be the best..........You must lose your mind."