XoBoas - Jeffrey Alicea - Amazing breeder and wonderful guy!

Hello everyone. This is my first time posting a BOI thread. Usually I lurk these this board, and I don't usually contribute.. I also have never posted on this forum before, because I am quite timid.

A little background: I had three snakes and one recently passed away. I wanted something to fill the gap while I mourned over my boy, and I figured that a boa was the best fit for me. I've kept several snakes over the years, but I don't breed or anything.. I just keep them as pets and use them as teaching tools when I tour libraries.

I've always been partial to albino snakes, not only because their colors are amazing, but also because of the genetics behind them. After some searching, I found Xoboa's ad for albino boas, and I texted him. Here's where the amazing part came in.

I didn't have money on hand, so I asked the breeder to hold me one boa for the following week, and I'd tip him 25$ on top of the shipping and purchase price for the trouble. I explained this to him and I'll explain it again - I know the "window shopping" thing is generally looked down upon in the reptile hobby, and I hated to be someone who inconvenienced someone by asking to hold a critter without a deposit, but I am a person true to my word, and when someone does something for me, I let them know it doesn't go unappreciated. I don't think he wanted me to tip him at first, but I insisted I would (and if anything went wrong, he could keep the extra 25$ as a gift.) I am still pretty guilty that I asked this much of him, when he could've sold the little critter to someone else who did have the money on hand, but I am humbled that he trusted me, and I made sure he knew that.

Anyway, I paid that morning, and he shipped the snake that day. He texted me proof that he sent it via FedEx, and he texted me the tracking number. I didn't even ask for proof, I had a feeling he was a good guy anyway, but it was amazing that he was considerate enough to do that.

Today, the boa arrived, and he was not only healthy and lively, but also surprisingly docile. I'm definitely going to keep in touch with Mr. Alicea if anything comes up, because his customer service is top notch.

I just wanted to post this BOI thread because I noticed that he didn't have any, and I felt he deserved the publicity. He is a really good guy, and I'm super happy with my critter.


Hopemarie Snyder

Thank you for contributing to the Board of Inquiry with your experience.

Of course! I felt it was the right thing to do.

By the way, here is the picture of the little guy.. I named him Cream! (Because he reminds me of orange cream ice cream.)