Possible Craigslist Rescue (Advice Needed)

[JinxtheBP]

Good morning!

I was browsing the pets section of craigslist today (which I really ought to stop doing...) and I saw this boa. I contacted the seller and this is the information I have. Not having any experience yet with boa constrictors, I wanted to see what you all think. His enclosure certainly caught my attention...

The seller claims that the snake came from a friend of a friend who couldn't care for him. He eats a live mouse about twice a month. He says that he is able to handle him, but is still bitten on occasion. He wasn't able to tell me the size of the tank, but I would guess it's a 20 gallon. He guessed that the boa is about 2-2.5 feet long. He says the friend of a friend told him the boa is about three years old...

He acknowledges that he can't take care of him properly and has actually waived the $100+ he was asking on craigslist AND has offered to deliver the snake to me.

Here he is.

[JinxtheBP]

[reptiledude987]

Dosent look to be in horrible shape. The one I took in recently was in alot worse shape tham that. He had the worst case of mites I had ever seen and was on the brink of a respatory infestion as his tank was bone dry and not heated at all and to top it off he was very underfed. Now mites are a thing of the past I've got his husbandry spot on and am just working on bulking him back up to a healthy weight.

[ManSlaughter33]

There is no hide and hoping that the infrared bulb isnt the only heat source.

[JinxtheBP]

At the very least, the enclosure is a disaster. The bulb is indeed the only heat source. He has no hides. That substrate looks pretty awful. He's clearly having junky, piecey sheds. And, as I said, I'm not familiar with boas, but he seems rather small for a three year old, no?

I initially contacted the seller to try to educate him, not to purchase the animal. He was very kind, but obviously just wants the thing gone.

[Minkness]

If he's free, I'd say take him, learn as you go and do the best that you can. If you decide you don't want to keep him, you can always rehome him after you know he's good to go later. =)

Ive that with horses before. Get a skinny, skitzoid horse, beef it up, calm it down, and spend a little time finding someone that's good for it.

Just my opinion of course. Good luck!

[Aaron_S]

Originally Posted by Minkness

If he's free, I'd say take him, learn as you go and do the best that you can.

I like the attitude of saving lives. It's awesome to see and I applaud it.

I see three things wrong with the quoted statement though.

1. Just because something is free it doesn't mean we should get it. Usually there's a reason something costs nothing. You get what you pay for.

2. No. With live animals it's not advisable to simply "learn as you go". Any animal, even the common "beginner" animals are huge responsbilities and deserve the respect any animal should. Proper research should be done ahead of time. Along with the fact that a rescue animal should not be used as a learning tool. If the original poster wants a boa they should get one in a better situation so as to avoid any issues that may occur. They would have to learn how to care for a boa but yet possibly have to deal with new issues as well. It can be a lot and that's not fair to the animal.

3. No it's not okay to simply "do the best you can" with live animals and ESPECIALLY a potential rescue. Animals need their needs met 100% at all times. This isn't up for debate. They rely on us to provide everything for them and it's a tragedy for an animal to not have them met because we can't. It is not advisable to just do "what we can offer" to satisfy our need of getting a great price of a free animal.

Put aside any human emotion and think of the animal first. In this case it's better to find a proper home with someone who has experience not only with boas but with animals who may have underlying issues.

[JinxtheBP]

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

I like the attitude of saving lives. It's awesome to see and I applaud it.

I see three things wrong with the quoted statement though.

1. Just because something is free it doesn't mean we should get it. Usually there's a reason something costs nothing. You get what you pay for.

2. No. With live animals it's not advisable to simply "learn as you go". Any animal, even the common "beginner" animals are huge responsbilities and deserve the respect any animal should. Proper research should be done ahead of time. Along with the fact that a rescue animal should not be used as a learning tool. If the original poster wants a boa they should get one in a better situation so as to avoid any issues that may occur. They would have to learn how to care for a boa but yet possibly have to deal with new issues as well. It can be a lot and that's not fair to the animal.

3. No it's not okay to simply "do the best you can" with live animals and ESPECIALLY a potential rescue. Animals need their needs met 100% at all times. This isn't up for debate. They rely on us to provide everything for them and it's a tragedy for an animal to not have them met because we can't. It is not advisable to just do "what we can offer" to satisfy our need of getting a great price of a free animal.

Put aside any human emotion and think of the animal first. In this case it's better to find a proper home with someone who has experience not only with boas but with animals who may have underlying issues.

I appreciate this comment immensely.

If this boa comes to stay with me, I will certainly be making sure that his needs are met. I didn't contact the seller because the animal was free. (In fact, it was listed for over a hundred bucks...) I contacted him because I know enough about snakes in general to be able to see that he's not in a good situation. I got in touch to provide him with a care sheet and some suggestions.

Even if I'm not an experienced keeper of boas, I AM an experienced keeper of snakes in general. And this would not be my first rescue, although the previous one was overweight, rather than stunted and underweight. This guy would be much better off with me, already, immediately upon arriving and being provided with a proper heat source, appropriate substrate, hides, etc.

If anyone has especially good resources specific to boas or rescuing reptiles, send 'em my way. In the meantime, I've already been doing my own research!

Thanks for the great points, Aaron.

[Aaron_S]

Originally Posted by JinxtheBP

I appreciate this comment immensely.

If this boa comes to stay with me, I will certainly be making sure that his needs are met. I didn't contact the seller because the animal was free. (In fact, it was listed for over a hundred bucks...) I contacted him because I know enough about snakes in general to be able to see that he's not in a good situation. I got in touch to provide him with a care sheet and some suggestions.

Even if I'm not an experienced keeper of boas, I AM an experienced keeper of snakes in general. And this would not be my first rescue, although the previous one was overweight, rather than stunted and underweight. This guy would be much better off with me, already, immediately upon arriving and being provided with a proper heat source, appropriate substrate, hides, etc.

If anyone has especially good resources specific to boas or rescuing reptiles, send 'em my way. In the meantime, I've already been doing my own research!

Thanks for the great points, Aaron.

Thanks for not taking my comments in bad taste. I should have mentioned I wasn't saying you WEREN'T going to do those things. Just that people in general need to ensure these things when looking to add a reptile or animal to their life.

[JinxtheBP]

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

Thanks for not taking my comments in bad taste. I should have mentioned I wasn't saying you WEREN'T going to do those things. Just that people in general need to ensure these things when looking to add a reptile or animal to their life.

It's okay! I knew you weren't say that!

[Kuamata]

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

I like the attitude of saving lives. It's awesome to see and I applaud it.

I see three things wrong with the quoted statement though.

1. Just because something is free it doesn't mean we should get it. Usually there's a reason something costs nothing. You get what you pay for.

2. No. With live animals it's not advisable to simply "learn as you go". Any animal, even the common "beginner" animals are huge responsbilities and deserve the respect any animal should. Proper research should be done ahead of time. Along with the fact that a rescue animal should not be used as a learning tool. If the original poster wants a boa they should get one in a better situation so as to avoid any issues that may occur. They would have to learn how to care for a boa but yet possibly have to deal with new issues as well. It can be a lot and that's not fair to the animal.

3. No it's not okay to simply "do the best you can" with live animals and ESPECIALLY a potential rescue. Animals need their needs met 100% at all times. This isn't up for debate. They rely on us to provide everything for them and it's a tragedy for an animal to not have them met because we can't. It is not advisable to just do "what we can offer" to satisfy our need of getting a great price of a free animal.

Put aside any human emotion and think of the animal first. In this case it's better to find a proper home with someone who has experience not only with boas but with animals who may have underlying issues.

^ This. Don't take it personal Mink, Aaron is just really passionate, and is making very valid points. Making certain mistakes will most definitely put the welfare of an animal at extreme risk. Dealing with exotics, I run into this EVERY DAY, and sometimes these are mistakes made by very well meaning people that would do anything for their pets.

Sure, Aaron's presentation may come off a little harsh to some, but that's who he is. I can come off the same way and often rub people the wrong way despite trying to help and having good intentions, but due to my blunt and honest personality, people tend to take offense or discredit me. I'm working on that, though, because my ultimate interest is for the animals, but people generally don't like to listen to people they perceive as butts. Trust me, he's the same person he was before I left this forum years ago. It's nothing personal, just who he is.


As for the OP, that enclosure is just horrendous, and for 3 years old, that RTB is no doubt stunted. No hides... Probably no humidity because that bulb is sucking it all out... No cover for the screen... not even a dish big enough to fully soak in. Horrible uneducated dolts.

PS: I may not have my boa yet(I hate you, winter), but I'm keeping her enclosure at about 57% humidity, but it can range 50-60%, warm side at 87F, basking spot at 92F, and cool side at 82F. Do not go below 75F. At three years and being the size of a yearling, I'd say he/she's probably nearly done growing... If I had to guess, assuming that's a 20L, then it's probably... 2 - 2.5ft long... and I'd guess a max of maybe 4 - 5 ft at 5 years of age. That may even be stretching it a little, I've never dealt with a stunted snake so I don't know their potential after so long. Definitely will be a small one, though.

[JinxtheBP]

Originally Posted by Kuamata

As for the OP, that enclosure is just horrendous, and for 3 years old, that RTB is no doubt stunted. No hides... Probably no humidity because that bulb is sucking it all out... No cover for the screen... not even a dish big enough to fully soak in. Horrible uneducated dolts.

Yeah, I've decided he's coming home with me. I'll keep you guys posted. I sent a message to confirm this with the seller, but haven't heard back yet...

[JinxtheBP]

Originally Posted by Kuamata

PS: I may not have my boa yet(I hate you, winter), but I'm keeping her enclosure at about 57% humidity, but it can range 50-60%, warm side at 87F, basking spot at 92F, and cool side at 82F. Do not go below 75F. At three years and being the size of a yearling, I'd say he/she's probably nearly done growing... If I had to guess, assuming that's a 20L, then it's probably... 2 - 2.5ft long... and I'd guess a max of maybe 4 - 5 ft at 5 years of age. That may even be stretching it a little, I've never dealt with a stunted snake so I don't know their potential after so long. Definitely will be a small one, though.

Excellent info! Thank you

Originally Posted by Minkness

Oh, I know. However the OP was asking for opinions on if he should rescue or not. Mine is that he should...

Neither here nor there, but...I'm a lady! LOL

[ManSlaughter33]

Looks stunted for a three year old. My boa is 1 and 3.5 ish feet long.
If hes free take him, help jim.. keep or rehome

[reptiledude987]

Ya from his size looks like 1 year or so.