Where are they?

[Lucille]

I was just thinking (I have an active imagination:) about where all the boas are? I do not know of any of my local acquaintances who have a large boa.
Boas supposedly have large clutches of young and you see boas for sale around here constantly, where are they? I know the people on this forum must have multiple animals but that could not possibly account for all the little pet shop boas, the ones sold here, the ones sold at reptile fairs, and all of them must grow up sooner or later? I very rarely hear of a snake death, boas are fairly sturdy.
Could it be:
1) boas are not 'polite talk' like kitties or dogs so the person you might be chatting with at work might very well have a room full of vision cages with 10 foot boas in them?
2) Us ordinary humans are only aware of streets and subways and so on, there is also in existence but unknown to any but the most dedicated snake lovers, travelways built underground for snakes and a whole subculture that surrounds them?
or...
You tell me? Where are they?

[willykink]

well, out of the few people i really call friends and just about all my family that i know of and keep in contact with, only a good friend of mine in ny and my girlfriend that i live with are into snakes of any kind...everyone else ive tried to convince to take one of my baby boas off my hands seem to have snake phobias

so like you, where are they all being kept??

[jenn_jeffery]

I have one boa, one python, and one kingsnake. Very few people know I have these as they tend to label me a 'freak' or a 'weirdo'. Personally, I don't care for such labels. Heck, some of my own family doesn't even know I have them--though I will inform them should they ever decide to come visit. I've found a lot of people with snake/reptile phobia tend to transfer that phobia or include the owner in that phobia, so I just don't mention it.

[Ed Lilley]

Most of the boas bought in pet stores die... You don't hear about them because folks don't want to say " I had a boa... it died because I am an idiot" LOL... There are tons of people with boas and pythons. I get calls from local people all of the time, " UHH hey I herd you have alot of snakes, I got this boa I can't keep it any more" I go take the boas/pythons and give them to folks who have a clue.

There is a snake guy/girl or 2 in just about every town in the US... Thats a lot of people. None of those people I know have 1 snake they all have a grip of snakes. Could you have just 1?

[Glenn Bartley]

In my local herp society at least a couple to a few people keep Boa Constrictors. I see others at a local herp expo often. Heck we even have one guy who keeps burms...

[jenn]

Besides two other people in my herp society i don't know anyone who owns boas in my little hicksville town. But then again all of us who own any kind of reps in this town are concidered "freaks" Thats how closed minded people are here.

[AZ Dragoon]

I think Ed Lilley's post hit it on the head. The pet store boas usually die in a relatively short time for whatever reason. I have heard of a couple of people even placing their boas or other snakes in a freezer while on vacation thinking they would be in hibernation while they were away on vacation. Believe it or not, I even heard that recommended on a late night radio talk show by a caller and the ignorant host even agreed with her! He responded that it "makes perfect sense since reptiles hibernate". Do you think such people would ever admit they once owned a boa?

Kevin

[Glenn Bartley]

Now had they been North American Wood Frogs they might have done ok in the freezer. Man those poor boas....

[willykink]

i think reptiles and snakes in particular are like tattoos and potato chips, you can never have just one, theyre just to beautiful in my opinion

[Lucille]

I agree on the chips (I love Wavy Lays) and the snakes (I have several) but there must be something wrong with me, I have held the line at one tattoo......

[AZ Dragoon]

Lucille,

Yeah, but the key question is where is the one tattoo located on your body? My one tattoo is on my R biceps. Always regretted not getting that Winnie the Pooh tattoo on my R buttocks, however.

Kevin

[jenn]

I totally agree with the whole chip and tattoo. Not only do i love Lays Wave. But i have 6 tattoos and planning on number 7 soon. And also trying to decide what new snake or reptile i need now!:D







Jen

[Lucille]

Jenn, we need pix.......:)
Kevin, mine is a tastefully done twined rose that is on my wrist and fits under my watch.
As to Winnie the Pooh, how many people would get to see this work of art? (Or should I not ask....)
And now, back to the regularly scheduled reptile forum..
Ooops forgot to add I like home made spicy guacamole with my Wavy Lays, or French Onion dip, how about y'all?

[jenn]

I can comply with the pix of the tats. I only have one pix of my favorite.

[jenn]

And just so we keep it on the boa subject. I will now show you a pix of my new little girl! I got her from Ken's snakes. I will do business with him again. Here see why:D

[Lucille]

Beautiful tat and fine snake, you've definitely got it together, girl.

[jenn]

Thank you very much!! It took a lot of work to get it together. I mean i had to beat my husband almost every day untill i got my little girl!:D So it shows if you beat them no matter how bad they are scared of snakes they will give in!!!!! lol

[willykink]

well...3 tats, love doritos, and 18 beautiful boas(2 albinos, 2 hypo Ihle hypo salmons, 3 anerys, 2 stripers, and a few other normal bci's) and no pics to post of either tats or snakes from the puter at work, sorry

hope the boss doesnt like fauna too lol

[AZ Dragoon]

Jenn,

Yes I agree with Lucille, a beautiful tatoo and if I may so, a beautiful back too.

Lucille,

Your tat does sound tastefully done and my wish is to hopefully see it in person sometime. The Winnie the Pooh tattoo idea I got from a fellow freelancer who also worked as a paramedic in my EMS days. As far as how many would see it if I did have it, well not many, but I would definitely invite you for a private viewing at anytime, anyplace.

Kevin

[meretseger]

I somehow get the feeling that a lot of pet store Columbians max out at 6 or 7 feet. I'm very very far from an expert though. I did know a guy with a healthy adult, which was 9 years old and about 7 foot. The snake had health problems in the past, but was doing pretty well at the time.
I also saw an unhealthy adult at the park the other day, and was unsuccessful at telling the owners (who we knew in high school) that the tail was NOT supposed to be stubby like that, and that the shed on the face was advanced enough to a major problem.

Something else that sucks is that an owner of a local petstore had a Columbian and did everything right for it, and it ended up dying of... spond... sponydi... calcification of the spine. That just seems to happen, people who take really good care of their herps end up dealing with rare congenital diseases that aren't their fault. She wants another snake, to live in the store, and I'm trying to talk her into a Hogg Island.

[snakekid13]

This is my first boa i now have 3 more amazon tree boas ill get pics soon. She's a san felipe sorry for the crappy pic.

[jenn]

From what i can see she is very pretty. I love the colors!!! Can't wait to see more of your of babies.

[snakekid13]

thanks ill hopefully get a female for him.

[Lucille]

I know, how about a tat party!! We can all meet and show off our tats!!! (And just to keep the snake content so's this thread don't get yanked, I'll bring one of my boas, since all I have to do to show off my tat is to remove my watch......)

[jenn]

There you go we can have a tat and boa party!!! Showing off tats and boas what more could you want?:D

[AZ Dragoon]

as long as both Lucille and Jenn shows up!

Kevin

[jenn]

name the time and place!!!:D

[Lucille]

Jenn, let's move this to my post over on the lonely hearts forum so the airspace here can be used for boas, what do you say?

[Randy T.]

I thought I would add to the thread regarding "where are they at"

Well locally I have 4 friends who all keep snakes, one has only 1, one other has 3, and the other has around 17. I personally have somewhere around 18 (gotta recount)

I also think alot of the reasons you don't "see" other snake keepers is that they keep it to themselves usually due to the branding of rude names and opinions. This area could be a fluke though since I can fairly easily find and contact 20+ snake keepers at any given time, and that is not with a herp society, just talking to friends.

Later

[jenn]

Randy,
It must be nice to have that many people in your area(that isn't in a herp society) to be abel to talk to like that. Right now most of the big snake owners are scared to talk about them because of a stupid ordinance that is trying to be past.
But since i don't have many around my area i go and visit sites like this one. And talk to fellow "freaks";)

[Lucille]

Jenn, what kind of ordinance? I would think if they could establish previous ownership, the ordinance might not apply to existing owners?

[jenn]

It would, but the catch is you can not get anymore. NO MATTER WHAT!!!!!
The ordanice is a ban on all snakes that would be longer than 6ft in length. Plus all hots. I think after our county board meeting on thursday it will not make it pass the second reading in two weeks. I posted a copy of the ordanice in the law section, but you'll have to dig to find it because it was early last month. (i think)

[jenn]

Here is a link http://accforum.proboards23.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&num=1083291529
I had to find it on Ksshane's site, but here it is in all of its gorly.

[Lucille]

I read the proposed ordinance and then what everyone had to say; I do think you are right, that careful attention to what is going on is the only way to stop ordinances of this nature. Although I do in fact think there may be some validity to local city ordinances against big animals such as tigers and elephants, unless licensed.

[jenn]

I completely agree that some thing should be in place. I just don't think it should be done on ignorence(sp?) I mean a tiger should NOT be living in someones living room. But if they had permit to have it out on a farm or something like that. Plus most of the animals listed are already governed by the fed gov.
They would have to pry my boa out of my dead cold hands before i gave her up! After all she IS one of my kids. :D

[willykink]

i have kept my big momma colombian boa, dark brown an red coloring mostly since she was a little over 2 years old and shes about 9 at the moment, as long as ive kept her and as many trials and tribulations as weve been through together i would keep her even though shes nothing really special as far as genes are concerned over any of the stripers or albinos or anerys or salmons that i currently have too
i am VERY partial to my big momma snake (Ruby) so i dont think ANY kind of ordinance would make me give her up without a fight