[snake] I'm planning to buy a boa.

[darxus]

Anybody know any good breeders in the area?

I had grand plans to build it an 8'x2'x3' cage (between my front speakers, under my projector screen, designed to be disassembled for moving), but everybody is telling me that that much space would terrify a baby to the point it wouldn't eat. And in fact it is likely to grow out of anything appropriately small by 6 months. So as much as I'm resistant to the idea, I'll be starting it off in a big rubbermaid tub (as everyone recommends), which I plan to buy tonight. Then when it outgrows that I'm planning on a 4'x2'x1', and finally doing the 8' I originally planned.

The only other equipment I'm planning to buy is a Zoo Med Under Tank Heater (6"x8"), and a thermometer / hygrometer (humidity) set.

I'm still very interested in suggestions. I was planning to get an anerythristic red tail boa, but I may have been convinced to get a nice normal to avoid the health problems associated with the inbreeding required to create morphs. I'd love a snow, but I'm not willing to pay thousands of dollars for it.

I've been strangely enjoying going through long lists of baby names.

This is reasonably likely to be a 30 year commitment. I've been doing a lot of research.

Photo of a baby hypo-melanistic Boa Constrictor Imperator normal.

Comments

[motomuffin.livejournal.com]

They get huge.

Looked at Ball Pythons? They don't get as huge, are lovely pets, very good temperament, don't get as huge, easily "jewelry-train"able, don't get as huge.

I miss my Ball Python. She was a sweetie.

[superfinemind.livejournal.com]

that much space would terrify a baby to the point it wouldn't eat

I suspect you've encountered this in your readings, but you know you should never feed and house a snake in the same enclosure? Doing so greatly enhances the likelihood of being bitten. (If you haven't encountered it, somewhere on the internet is a listing of Stupid Feeding Errors that was very helpful to my family when we boarded two ball pythons.)

Also, I would love to help you socialize your snake. I've been quite herp-deprived for some time now.

[beowabbit]

*Squee!* I loves me some snakes. If I were going to get a pet, it would probably be another Ball python.

(I wonder if abutting the habitat to the speakers would create disturbing vibrations for the snake. Do you know how they react to vibration and/or noise? I don't.)

[temalyen.livejournal.com]

I don't think I could do that, even though I wanted a snake when I was younger.

Recently, I've been tending to get nervous if I think about getting an animal that isn't born mostly domesticated. (ie, cats, dogs, fish... I'd be okay with birds as well.)

In fact, about 4-5 days ago, I had a dream that I had a giant pet tarantula and ended up having to stomp it to death because it was trying to eat my cat. (Which makes absolutely no sense... but my dreams rarely do.)