should i adopt?

[TeaNinja]

Hog Island Boa - Rehoming for Small Fee (http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/pet/2333359616.html)

do you think the issues can be easily fixed?
i wouldn't want to adopt a snake knowing it's going to need a ton of vet care and such.

i emailed him and asked if he has ever seen any RI symptoms in the snake and how he heats the cage and his temps and such.

[Reptile_Reptile]

If i were you i would sit back and let a veteran take that one.

[TeaNinja]

if he has anything wrong with him except the nose rub i'm DEFINETLY going to hold off, but it just seems like there are so many reasons he could be nose rubbing. hunger, boredom, bad temperature gradient.

who knows, maybe its cage is too cold/hot and the snake is trying to rub its nose off trying to find somewhere better.

and if it's showing any RI signs i wouldn't want to dive into that ocean.

[Reptile_Reptile]

thats what i'm saying its also a very large boa, (or at least will be one) and its a big responsibility for such a short notice.

[TeaNinja]

true, i already have the big dum but he is really easy to take care of. i was just going to see what other people thought about adopting a boa with her "medical issues"

[Lankyrob]

Personally i would ask the owner to go halfs on a vet check - if the check comes back with just the nose rub then take it on - if the vet finds other things it is up to you to decide - at least that way the snake gets checked out if nothing else.

[stephanbakir]

She also has decent body shape and isnt overweight so you wont need to deal with that.
I wouldn't personally breed her though considering you dont know the background of the snake.

[sickvenom]

i wouldn't be so much worried about the nose rubbing, as i would be about the weird noise. could be RI, but you would definitely want to get it checked by a vet, and also put it in complete quarantine for at least 30 days.

[Jenn_06]

if it has RI its going to cost you more then the $50 he is selling it for. i would say no and look at getting one from a breeder.

[infernalis]

I just have to comment, That is one impressive craigslist ad compared to most I have seen. This guy actually cares about that boa.

[mykee]

I personally have never, nor will I ever "adopt" or "take in" another persons animals. (except for dogs).
I'm too concerned about existing medical issues and my healthy, large collection.
Not worth the risk IMO.

[TeaNinja]

this is interesting..this is what the guy said.

"The noise sounds like air being forced through a passage that's too small. It seems to be coming from her nose, as if it's a swollen nasal passage. That's my guess anyway. I have not seen any mucus, open-mouthed breathed, or other signs of RI. It's hard to describe the sound exactly. She stopped doing it yesterday, and I haven't heard it since.

Her cage temps are pretty ideal. She's in a 4-foot vision cage with a heat lamp on one side. The garage (temporary housing site) is kept at 70 degrees with a space heater. She's on top of another Vision cage that provides residual heat to the bottom of hers. With all of this in place, her cage is about 80 on the cooler side and 90+ on the warmer side. Directly under the basking light, it's closer to 96. The overall temps dip a little at night, but the red basking light stays on.

My primary concern is to find someone who is willing to take good care of her, no matter what it takes. If you're willing to do that, I can waive the $50 re-homing fee. I put the fee on there mainly to ward off freebie hunters who aren't fully dedicated to their animals. You seem pretty dedicated to me.

If you would like to come see the snake, and possibly take her home with you, I'm available Thursday and after that. She just ate a jumbo rat anyway, so she probably shouldn't be moved for a couple of days. Let me know if you're interested and we can coordinate the date and time. Thanks."


halfs on a vet check is a good idea rob.
and to jenn, i had that thought also. if the snake has RI i wouldn't really want to take it on.

[stephanbakir]

Good luck, I hope its something simple to cure. Great looking animal

[Jendee]

Id say go for it, All hogs tend to rub there nose and push out of their cage. So she would need a secure cage, and a feeding schedule as this will help her stay "still" lol As far as the breathing noise..it could be RI but it could just be some whistling, sometimes older bigger snakes will make a sound everyonce inawhile during breathing, but it wouldnt be every breath..literally just once in awhile. Id say check her out, if she whistles consitantly, has any type of obvious saliva its a no go. If her mouth and eyes look clear, go for it. The nose rub will heal with sheds but she will always have a sort of bump there.

I agree that he obviously cares about his animal, its not an "adoption" its really him selling his boa but he has to follow craigslist rules..Ive sold animals of of CL before lol with a "rehoming" fee ; ) So the whole "taking on" someones animal thing Mykee you cant tell me you have never bought an animal :D I would be wary though, make sure it was just a one time noise and regardless of how healthy the animal looks make sure!! make sure!! you quartine..Ive seen people quarintine for up 8-9 months before just so their beloved animals dont get sick or anything else...

[TeaNinja]

i'm just going to go take a look at her in a few days and check everything out. if she has any bubbles or mucus or a lot of wheezing or anything i definetly won't take her, but if everything seems pretty mellow i might take her home with me. she does look pretty nice.

[TeaNinja]

lol, nevermind! =/
he wants to hang on to her cage and lighting and everything and i certainly don't have an extra 4x2x2 viv laying around :x

[Reptile_Reptile]

haha people never want to give up their equipment

[TeaNinja]

the guy who gave me the dumerils gave me everything he had, which was nice of him. unfortunately he had him in a 40 gallon glass critter tank with 1 hide and a UTH with no rheostat. i ended up giving the 40 gallon tank to my friend who used it for her red eared slider and in exchange she bought me the 4x2x2 viv my dum has now for $75 from CL. so i ended up getting the right cage for free :)

i ended up using the UTH for my BP but it burned out. i'm looking to getting UTH's for my dum and my BP soon with rheostats.

who knows, maybe my dum doesn't want to eat because he has no belly heat.

[Jendee]

the guy who gave me the dumerils gave me everything he had, which was nice of him. unfortunately he had him in a 40 gallon glass critter tank with 1 hide and a UTH with no rheostat. i ended up giving the 40 gallon tank to my friend who used it for her red eared slider and in exchange she bought me the 4x2x2 viv my dum has now for $75 from CL. so i ended up getting the right cage for free :)

i ended up using the UTH for my BP but it burned out. i'm looking to getting UTH's for my dum and my BP soon with rheostats.

who knows, maybe my dum doesn't want to eat because he has no belly heat.

I dont know if he isnt eating because of the belly heat but you certainly cant go worng with getting some :yes: