CHRONICLE-HERALD (Halifax, Nova Scotia) 01 November 05 Some people like snakes (Rick Conrad)
I guess you haven't really lived until you've felt a two-metre boa constrictor tighten itself around your neck. And as you're standing there laughing nervously hoping that he's already eaten at least once this week, you keep reminding yourself he's just being cuddly.
My first experience getting kind of cozy with an animal who likes to hug his supper was pretty cool, even when my nose was mere centimetres from his tongue.
Inside, I was screaming like a gender-neutral young person (or at least like Ned Flanders), but Androgynous, the constrictor in question, was actually very cute, almost teddy bear-esque.
I met Andy at a recent monthly meeting of the Nova Scotia Herpetoculture Society at the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History in Halifax. He and about a dozen or so other herps and their humans got together to ooh and aah over each other's animals, share tips about caring for them and discuss issues affecting their world, such as Halifax Regional Municipality's pending animal bylaw.
His mom, Denise McKay, recently took him in after his original owner was unexpectedly called out of town for a while.
Denise, who is a lizard and reptile lover from way back, just added him to her already bustling brood of geckoes, rat snakes, cane toads, giant land snails, monitor lizards and African walking sticks.
She and other members of the society do a lot of public education about reptiles, lizards and amphibians to let the uninitiated cop a feel of their leathery loved ones. Once people get to know these pets, they usually want one of their own.
At the meeting, Denise was proudly popping Androgynous onto any willing recipient (and in this room, everyone was willing), proclaiming "he's my little boy."
It seems that once you fall under the spell of a guy like Andy and those adorable, beady little eyes, there's no turning back.
Katherine Nehiley has already been seduced by one slithery saint.
The 15-year-old has had Copper, a red albino corn snake, for four years. So it's no wonder she was as cool as a cucumber having Andy wrapped around her arm and neck, with his head resting on top of hers.
Even though she was smitten with the much larger boa, Copper's still her kid. "He is my baby. I love all snakes and I heard that corn snakes are good for beginner people, so I decided to get one and I got him and I just fell in love with him. I didn't think snakes had personalities but they do. And he watches me and I know when he's hungry and I know what he's thinking. When you're with him for four years, you kind of know that."
One of the biggest advantages to snakes, their parents say, is that they're relatively low maintenance - usually a twice-a-week feeding of rats or mice, a bath every couple of weeks and a change of water once a week, along with some regular slithering or climbing on a human to stay limber.
Denise's best friend Paula MacNeil and her husband have 29 snakes at their house in New Germany.
Paula concedes their family of sand and regular boas and rat, king, bull and western hog-nosed snakes is "pretty unique" in the area. The snakes even have their own room, which makes it easier to control temperature and to care for them.
She's been interested in serpents since she was a kid. Her parents would take the family on outings to a marshy spot in Grand Lake near Enfield every summer and she would try to catch some of the slippery, but not slimy, little guys.
"My father used to pick them up and show them to me. I was never scared of them, like some people."
In fact, at one time, Paula and her husband had close to 100 snakes in their house. They were fostering about 70 for a friend who couldn't keep them.
Even though they're back to the more manageable 29, she says it's still difficult to go on long trips.
"We don't get away a lot," she says. "We can get people to take care of our cats no problem. When it comes to reptiles, you have to choose someone that has reptiles or has had reptiles and you trust them with the animals."
Paula's taking some time away from the kids on this night, however, for the society's meeting.
But she has brought Babe, her eight-year-old eastern chain king snake.
King snakes tend to eat other snakes, especially rattlesnakes, so they're one of the least reviled of the slithery set, she says. "They don't specifically hunt rattlesnakes, they're a generalist. They'll eat anything that moves that's smaller than them."
So I guess that means my not-so-little boa buddy Androgynous is safe.
It's a good thing too.
I've grown somewhat attached to Andy, though only when he has a full stomach.
S[bleep]s
Interested in getting yourself a snake? Here are some tips.
- Shy away from pet stores and check out only reputable breeders or rescue groups. If you know someone with an apparently in-shape serpent, ask her for advice.
- Start out small. If you've never handled one before, a boa constrictor is probably not for you. A corn snake or rat snake is usually a good starter.
- Get a snake for the right reasons. Don't fall into pit-bull syndrome and use it to make yourself look macho or scary or whatever. Snakes make great pets as long as they find good owners.
- As with any pet, assume it's for life. Many snakes can live for more than 20 years, and some up to 50.
- Be prepared to handle rats or mice, especially dead ones. Many snake lovers recommend feeding only dead food to your snake.
- Get comfortable handling snakes. Attend a meeting of the Nova Scotia Herpetoculture Society before you adopt. Ask lots of questions and meet a few of the animals and their people. Society members don't bite and they're very willing to help.
- Most importantly, do your research. Go to your local library or bookstore. Or check out these websites for more information:
Nova Scotia Herpetoculture Society: http://users.eastlink.ca/~nshs/index.htm, www.4otis.com, http://serpentgardens.missyp.com.
Some people like snakes