All About Autumn

I posted this a couple places and wanted to share here as well.

Autumn is 20 years old this year! This is her story (some pics at the end) -

She was born in 1989, purchased at a pet store as a baby. She suffered minor heat burns from an exposed light bulb and after 2 years was suddenly “getting too big” (we’ve all heard that before).

That person gave her to a lady in Venice, CA who took care of her for 7 years and named her Spot. However in 1998 the lady got a new puppy which would not leave the snake tank alone, jumping up at it constantly. Spot went off feed so the lady put her up for adoption (in the pennysaver).

I was living in SoCal and a few months prior had adopted my first snake, a corn, from a vet’s office as a ‘new adventure in pet keeping’. A friend knew I wanted a water dragon so he got me one, except it was an iguana (lol). My roommate and I shared custody of a ball python. I decided I really liked this reptile thing and got my very first boa: Spot! When I adopted her, the lady quizzed me, watched me remove her from the tank and handle her to make sure I knew what I doing. I re-named her Autumn because her tail saddle shapes and color remind me of dark autumn leaves.

Autumn has had a lot of adventures in my care; she has moved all over CA with me, even to Las Vegas and back. She taught me that I shouldn’t feed live, that some people get scared when you walk around outside with a large boa, that she can recognize certain people, that boas can learn and remember, that boas are very forgiving, that a locked cage doesn’t always mean it’s escape proof, that a feeding instinct will override tameness (ouch!), that boas don’t stop growing, and that there will always be more to learn and appreciate about these beautiful creatures.

She has been in my care for 11 years, is over 7.5’ in length, had one litter in 2003 (34 babies) and is an overall terrific boa! Hopefully she’ll stick around for another 11 years.

I found these old photos from when I first got her in 1998, she was about 5’ long and 9 yrs old:






Playing around outside in 2000:




Here she is following me in 2001. Every time I put her down, no matter where I went, she came right to me (I believe she associates me with safety).


Getting some exercise:


With the father of her babies:


Hiding after she escaped her locked enclosure, the brat!

And here she is today:








My beautiful girl:


Thanks for reading!
-April

I hope she is around with you for another 11+ years, good looking girl, gotta love the classic normal look.

That's a nice story April, thanks for sharing and thanks for caring. That story tells me you care lots about your animals. My first girl that I bought back in 2001 is still with me and although she doesn't really fit my breeding plans that well anymore, I still keep her, I wanna make sure she has a good home and a good life. She is like 8.5ft and weighs 30lbs.

I have one that comes to me every time too. But she's coming to get me, not for being social.





A great story you have there. I applaud you for your efforts. Nice pics of two great looking ladies also.


Thanks for sharing!

Excxellent story April, definitely food for my own reflections on current and past animal companions.

Thank you for the nice comments! I know she's just a common normal boa but she's very special to me.

Originally Posted by crotalusadamanteus

I have one that comes to me every time too. But she's coming to get me, not for being social.

LOL I have a couple that are like that as well.

Awesome love that story .

Figured I would update this - Autumn is still here. She's doing okay. She only eats sporadically which I don't like as she's been losing weight. She has also gone blind, possibly for over a year now. I have a feeling we are nearing the end pretty soon. Still such a sweet girl and I love her so much.

Sadness.