Is it safe to get a BCI (4 ft) with a small dog?
 

I'm brand new to this forum, and am hoping to get some advice. My girl and I are very seriously talking about getting a BCI (http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...d.php?t=648195), but there's only one hang up. We have a toy poodle that's 9 lbs (big for a toy) and a 13 lbs fat cat. I've heard from several boa owners that, so long as they're not left out unattended and the boa is fed appropriately, it should be totally safe. What thoughts do you have on the matter?

Thanks!
Raleigh

I have a cat and 5 snakes. The cat doesn't even seem to know the snakes exist. However I would not let them loose in the same room, and I'd make sure the cage door was very secure!

I agree that there should be no problem as long as they are no loose together. Remember too that this is a two way street, and just as a relatively small rat can hurt a large snake, so can a poodle. Poodles were originally bred to be hunting dogs.

The snake would be in much more danger from your dog than the dog would be from the snake. Maybe, maybe a huge Colombian or BCC would look at it as a meal, but that would be a very small percentage of Boas. I wouldn't encourage handling the snake with the cat or dog present though because either of them could easily injure the snake. Cats carry bacteria and other flora and fauna that can cause severe illness in reptiles. As Helen mentioned, my wife and I have a cat and a dog and a couple snakes and have no problems. Just a little forethought when handling the snakes.

To up the size scale a bit, we have retics and GSD's. Some of our eight foot long adult retic enclosures are on the first floor as they are too big and heavy to go up in the snake room. If we have to get a retic out the dogs must either go outside or get locked into another room.

Thank you for the feedback. It confirms what I've heard elsewhere and had already believed. I will certainly be careful and use forethought.

I keep large constrictors and my roommate has a cat. I don't handle the snakes when the cat is present, he is only allowed in the reptile room if the snakes are all put away. He will sometimes sniff the enclosures but otherwise does not bother anyone.

None of my boas are much over 4' at the moment, but along with our 3 medium/large breed dogs, we have a dachshund and a cat. I don't worry one bit about having them all at the same time. As others have already said, just exercise some caution and common sense and there should be no problems.

Honestly, at this point, I'm more worried about my pit bull being overly interested in the snakes than I am the reverse. She's an absolute sweetheart of a dog and the best behaved of the bunch most of the time, but she has already proven that she likes to catch, kill, and try to eat small wildlife... lol. Thankfully she ignores them if they're in their cages! The cat is the one who gets up and watches them (mainly my wife's kingsnakes).

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My cats once opened a garter snake tank, let them all out and then hunted them around the house - all survived with a few scratches and cuts. But my current cat doesn't even seem to see the boas - I don't think they move around enough, and she doesn't seem to recognise even their scent as another animal. Mind you, my cat is so mellow she's practically comatose.... :o

One thing I do do is wash my hands thoroughly after handling the cat before I hold a snake - I've never had a problem, but small mammal scent is small mammal scent and I don't want a mistaken food bite.

Helen makes an important point: always wash your hands between petting furry pets and handling snakes.