columbian boa arrival

[Zoe]

i know what im getting into on feeding im already feeding a savannah monitor and he eats like a hog.

A savannah monitor is not an 8ft boa. nuff said.

what can mites and ticks get through?or should i say how can mites and ticks get through plywood and vents.

Easy. They are small, and will find access to a warm, constant source of food.

i cant control humidity or temp but i can change it with lamps heating pads and humidifiers,or dehumidifiers

Ah.. okay, that makes sense. Get HUGE humidifiers and heaters and change the climate of the country, then the snake will be okay.

Here is a list you asked for. Even ONE of these elements should be enough to deter you:
1. You CANNOT control humidity. Even if you get a humidifier. The snake is living outdoors, so unless you change the world's climate...
2. You CANNOT control temperature. Throwing a little heat pad in the cage when it hits the coldest day of winter is not going to do much.
3. The snake CANNOT thermoregulate. Nuff said.
4. If it escaped, the snake is lost forever. At least, if it escaped in your house, you will find it. And don't tell me you're making an escape proof cage, because there is always a chance.
5. Floods, freak weather, etc etc etc. Sure, it's fairly unlikely, but why take the change.
6. Do you honestly plan to have this snake living in your backyard for 30 years? You're probably going to move out in a few years and keep it with you then, right? So why just not wait till then? Get a cornsnake or something.
7. You don't know the difference between a BCI and a BCC. That just SCREAMS ignorance from a person who thinks they are ready to keep a snake outdoors.
8. Parasites.
9. Mites.
10. Predators. Sure, they might not be able to get into the cage, but why stress the poor snake out for nothing?
11. Polution. There is lots of junk in the air... pesticides, exhaust. All of which is harmful.
12. What happens when your snake gets sick and you need to take 24/7 care of it? What will you do then?
13. You live in Florida, not Colombia. They are two very different areas of the world and with very different climates.

That should be more than enough to deter you.






I know this girl, and she wants to keep a snake in a cage outside. That makes me so mad!!!! Any ideas of what to tell her to just accept it that it's a stupid idea, and cruel and irresponsible?

[Linds]

Owning snakes is not a right, its a priveledge. There are many animals I would LOVE to keep, but simply do not have the space to suitably house it, the money to feed it, or whatever... but just because I want it doesn't mean I can have it. It's not fair to the animal, and incredibly selfish. Maybe one day when I get a home I will be able to, but until then I just have to respect the circumstances and the animals. Not to mention the harm that such irresponsible behaviour can have on the hobby. There is reason we are constantly having to fight, and are losing against, bans on reptiles as pets.

There is absolutely nothing under the sun you can do to make housing your snake outside suitable. Unless you turn in to Mother Nature of course. As Zoe said, you live in Florida, not Colombia.

I'm a bit puzzled why you ask for advice and then argue it and completely disregard all of it when you get it? This isn't the first post that this has happened in. Some of us are new to the hobby, some of us are old, all we have here is the snakes best interest at heart, while all you seem to have is your own. Please take the advice given in this thread. The reason everyone is getting so upset is because we are all honestly afraid for both the snake and the hobby.

[LORI34205]

o ya
thanks jdouglas for the savannah monitor diet it sounds like its right,i havent fed her much crickets since she was a wee little baby,now ive ben throwin mice at her once or twice a week

[LORI34205]

this is possibly the fastest growing thread ive ever seen,it got big prettty quick.fast replies

[JDouglas]

Check out this post from the VPI mail bag regarding outdoor enclosures. I think many of you will be surprised!

Dear VPI,
How did your outdoor cages for large constrictors work out? I heard that you had lots of health problems with keeping them outside. Someone in our area is going to try to keep big snakes outside all year with a dog house and pig blankets, we were talking about if it would work. Thanks Mike



Dear Mike,
In our outdoor cages were several large retics, several scrub pythons, one African rock python, olive pythons, and a pair of Argentine boas and a couple of big common boa females. We didn't have any Burmese in those cages.

Such health problems as we had with the outdoor snakes had nothing to do with being outdoors. The problem that we did encounter was that only the boas seemed to understand the concept of damaging cold weather. I really thought that as smart as retics and rocks are, that they would always come into the warm indoor area when it got cold. That just wasn't the case.

I think that they understood the concept of it being "uncomfortably cold" but they just didn't grasp the concept of "fatally cold." By which I mean that they usually came in when it got cold--but not always. And I would always check them on cold nights about 10 pm to be sure that they were in. Several times during very cold nights, after I had checked them, I had snakes go out into subfreezing weather. I found them apparently frozen the next mornings--but if I warmed them up slowly, they did come back to life apparently unharmed. I darn near autopsied the African rock one morning before I realized that she was alive.

Anyway, we found it worked out best to keep them confined to indoors all winter.

The funny thing was that the retics were out all night every night, but I never saw a retic out in the day. Not once did a retic bask, not even in cool sunny weather. The other snakes were only rarely out and active in the day, but they did go out once in awhile. But all-in-all, I think that the outdoor cages were a great way to keep the big snakes. They are economical and they are a safer way to work with big constrictors. I’m surprised that more keepers of big snakes don’t do it. DGB



Keep in mind they are located in Texas which is much closer to a boas natural conditions. They are also reffering to huge enclosures, not cages.

Again for the record I am against keeping a boa outside!

[LORI34205]

once again thankyou for the diet ideas and notes,i am going to my pet store and buying him bout 80 crickets,but i still have to have him on some meet so what do you think a good based diet would be?

[LORI34205]

floridas winters dont get so bad that a heat pad and lamp wont fix the tempsBut honestly for all the people out there(i know there are alot)who feel bad for the snake, i want u to know i am working on my mom to allow it to come in the house,my 4x8x5 enclosure was a last resort kinda thing,wish me luck

[ohh_kristina]

Lori, I live in Florida. It DOES get cold every now and then. I've seen it get in the 20s some winters. That is not suitable for snakes. Hell, 60s aren't suitable for snakes. A heat pad and heat lamp won't fix it. My bedroom used to stay in the 60s, because I liked it cold, and I found that I could never get the temps right in my cages because of that. When I upped the temps in my room to 74-76, my enclosures heated perfectly.

[LORI34205]

I just spoke with my mom and she said "when it storms outside and when winter comes the snake can stay in your room but if it comes out and i see a snake in my house i will stab it in the head"

[LORI34205]

so now i have to work on my closet,uggghh
u think its big enough,6x2 and halfx8

[LORI34205]

i just wish i knew why she will hold and pet my savannah but wont look at a snake !!!!!!!!!!!

[JaredAren]

I think it is time you gave us a list.

List why you NEED a boa.

List why you WANT a boa.

One list should be much longer than the other but I would guess that both would be very short.

Read books to see if you have the facts.

Have you considered starting with a colubrid? Some of them get large, are very hardy, and can withstand cooler temps. For example a bull or pine snake. These would be easier to keep for a novice and require much less space and can be kept at a much lower humidity.

I am not suggesting that they be kept outside either. I am just saying that they would be easier for your to keep indoors.

Once you have decided what you want, read as many educational books as you can about the animal. If you cannot follow the husbandry standards in these books then you should not get the animal as a pet.

[Zoe]

What a lovely predicament for this poor creature!

I just spoke with my mom and she said "when it storms outside and when winter comes the snake can stay in your room but if it comes out and i see a snake in my house i will stab it in the head"

I agree, give us a list. I'd like you to answer these questions too:

Why do you NEED a boa NOW?
Why can't you start with a COLUBRID?
What will you do with this boa when you move out?

Zoe

[spyderman]

IMHO. An outdoor snake is a wild one. Why not just go outside & watch the snakes you have in the wild & enjoy them!?!?!

I TOTALLY agree with everyone else on this one. How irresponsible can you & your friend be?

[spyderman]

Another point!!! What if your snake does escape & your Mom "stabs it in the head??? How will you feel?

Reconsider until you can responsibly look after a Boa in the right conditions, Please. I'm by no means putting you or anyone else down, but you MUST think of the snakes wellbeing.