FaunaClassifieds - View Single Post

09-06-2002, 05:19 PM

I personally remember a long time ago searching a fairly "new" internet for information on the care and breeding of boa constrictors.  It seems as though Melissa's care sheet on boa constrictors was the only one around.  

Here is how it starts

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Take a moment....
...and ask yourself a couple of very important questions such as: do you really want a snake that will get to be 10 feet long, weigh over 50 pounds, urinate and defecate like a St. Bernard, should live more than 30 years and for whom you will have to kill mice, rats and, eventually, small rabbits? Many people think that it will be easy to find someone who will take it if they decide they don't want their Boa when it is 8 or 10 feet long. So, take a look at the classified ads--they always have sale ads for big pythons and boas. The zoo doesn't want any more--they already have more giant snakes than they need. The local herpetology societies and reptile veterinarians always have big snakes for whom they are trying to find homes. At 8 feet and 40 pounds, a 2-year old Boa may already be eating rabbits a couple of times a month and can be very unwieldy to handle alone. You have to interact with them constantly to keep them tame--do you want a hungry, cranky 10 foot snake mistaking your face for prey? Another consideration is who is going to help you clean its enclosure? take it to the vet when it's sick? take care of it when you go away to school or on vacation? No matter how much they love you, there are some things a mother, and your friends, will not do! Owning a big snake is not cool; it is a major, long-term commitment and responsibility.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

Now I am not saying that all this information is not true to some degree, however I question an 8 foot, 2 year old boa, and I question several other things throughout the remainder of her care guide, but this this type of information is exactly what you are talking about.

There are a ton of people that WANT to take responsible care of their boas and need a good source of reliable information that will empower them to do so.  Not someone to slam them down as a irresponsible human for wanting to even think about owning a boa constrictor.

It was Melissa's "care" guide that was the main reason my website exists today.  I have tried with exhausting research, and talking extensively with Jeff Ronne and others, to establish a true care guide that helps people be responsible and caring owners.

I always said "Knowledge is Power" with anything we do.  If we can educate people instead of slamming them, maybe there will be fewer occasions of irresponsible ownership.

I may be wrong, but that is how I see it.

09-06-2002, 05:19 PM	#8
redtailboas	I personally remember a long time ago searching a fairly "new" internet for information on the care and breeding of boa constrictors.  It seems as though Melissa's care sheet on boa constrictors was the only one around.   Here is how it starts </span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Take a moment.... ...and ask yourself a couple of very important questions such as: do you really want a snake that will get to be 10 feet long, weigh over 50 pounds, urinate and defecate like a St. Bernard, should live more than 30 years and for whom you will have to kill mice, rats and, eventually, small rabbits? Many people think that it will be easy to find someone who will take it if they decide they don't want their Boa when it is 8 or 10 feet long. So, take a look at the classified ads--they always have sale ads for big pythons and boas. The zoo doesn't want any more--they already have more giant snakes than they need. The local herpetology societies and reptile veterinarians always have big snakes for whom they are trying to find homes. At 8 feet and 40 pounds, a 2-year old Boa may already be eating rabbits a couple of times a month and can be very unwieldy to handle alone. You have to interact with them constantly to keep them tame--do you want a hungry, cranky 10 foot snake mistaking your face for prey? Another consideration is who is going to help you clean its enclosure? take it to the vet when it's sick? take care of it when you go away to school or on vacation? No matter how much they love you, there are some things a mother, and your friends, will not do! Owning a big snake is not cool; it is a major, long-term commitment and responsibility.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'> Now I am not saying that all this information is not true to some degree, however I question an 8 foot, 2 year old boa, and I question several other things throughout the remainder of her care guide, but this this type of information is exactly what you are talking about. There are a ton of people that WANT to take responsible care of their boas and need a good source of reliable information that will empower them to do so.  Not someone to slam them down as a irresponsible human for wanting to even think about owning a boa constrictor. It was Melissa's "care" guide that was the main reason my website exists today.  I have tried with exhausting research, and talking extensively with Jeff Ronne and others, to establish a true care guide that helps people be responsible and caring owners. I always said "Knowledge is Power" with anything we do.  If we can educate people instead of slamming them, maybe there will be fewer occasions of irresponsible ownership. I may be wrong, but that is how I see it.