help

[tj60]

Afternoon all. I'm new to ssnakes and really need some help. Typical story. My son wanted an exotic pet and we finally gained a beautiful common boa almost three years ago. he was a rehome as his breeder had gone abroad to work so thought we were doing a good thing. My 14 year old has now lost interest with him. His last shed was just over 6 foot long. he eats well and does all he should but is not having any handling as my other two children are scared of him and i am super busy. I have tried advertising him for sale well before xmas (not prepared to sell him as a gift)- no response. I've rung rescue centres but all are unable to take him. I've contacted zoos but no luck but they did sugest I get in touch with a forum- never knew they existed. Has anyone any idea what else i can do? I hate Fred (i know!) not being handled. Hes starting to guard his viv when I feed him and if i get him out he hisses at me- something he never did before. All ideas or advice welcome. Please don't row at me for getting Fred- i berate myself enough. Thanking you all in advance. :)

[eminart]

Well, snakes don't need to be handled. People will argue otherwise, but it doesn't add anything to their lives. I'm not against handling, but snakes tolerate it rather than like it. So, in that sense, you're not harming the snake. As far as finding a home for him, you need to find the reptile nerds in Scotland. They're out there somewhere. ;)

[Tsubaki]

Have to agree here, for the snakes sake it doesn't matter whether or not he is handled regularly as long as his care is good. Food/water/clean and warm enclosure/keeping a regular eye out for his health. And he's golden.. I do understand you would rather rehome him, and I'm not judging you for that. These things happen. I'm afraid I live a little far to take him off your hands, there are snake loving Scotsmen out there though. For the animal it would be best if you found one of them. If need comes, you could always as a last resort find a proper reptile store and see if they'll take him.

[akane]

Without handling no he's not going to stay fully tame but it won't harm him to basically ignore him except to clean, water, and feed provided he has an enclosure he's happy sitting in. It's something I like about snakes over furry critters. They aren't real social and I make my enclosures bigger than suggested so if my chronic illness flares up they don't care if I do nothing with them for a few days. They don't really care if I do nothing with them for weeks but I'd rather they stay fairly tame and get them out to check their condition better. The young ones I might weigh weekly until they are on a steady food size and schedule. If you send him to a store or rescue he's probably going to get the same amount or less attention unless someone buys/adopts him which for an animal that has reached the point it takes more expensive housing and care it can be awhile. Many also argue that less attention on an animal that isn't a particularly social species is probably far less stressful than bouncing homes. If someone turned him into a store you are already his 3rd or 4th home to adjust to and probably enclosure changes as well. You could reduce the worry about his threats with a snake stick and/or if you aren't using them feeding tongs. I can understand if you really just don't want him around though. I'm just not sure what options there are for a snake too big to easily ship in a more isolated location as far as other reptile keepers go.

[TRD]

There are some UK reptile forums (google it, I'm not sure forum rules allow a direct link to other forums) where reptiles are offered for sale. It might be easier to find locals there in case you feel you can't properly keep him anymore. Ssnakess while awesome and all is generally crowded by people across the pond :)

Otherwise snakes can be pretty low demanding, but I understand your point there too.. they grow old, like 20+ years old, so it's quite a commitment and we should look from the animals point of view, not our own.