New member about too get a boa

[Mr.west]

Hello i am new too this site and plan on getting a redtailed boa as my frist snake i have been reading care sheets books etc.I live alone and wanted too know is it safe too handle a 6+ foot snake alone and how would my dog(60 pound pitbull) react too the snake. thank you for your help

[Royal Python]

Mr. West, I would suggest a smaller snake first of all unless you have had more experience with them in both handling and caring for them. I am no expert and I am sure that others here could expand on this better. I would suggest a colubrid such as a corn snake. Boas can get from 6 to 10 feet long with the females being at the higher end of this range. No matter what snake you get, I would suggest that you keep it away from your pitbull. Whether it is a Red Tail Boa or a smaller snake that you end up getting, I wish you luck. I am also about to get my first snake. I am starting off slow with a Corn Snake. Then, it will be on to bigger snakes. Good luck!

Justin

	Corn Snake The Corn Snake or Red Rat Snake (Elaphe guttata) is a species of Rat Snake.

[Tom]

Hi Mr. west,

For your first boa I would get a baby boa to start with this way you will know the full history on the snake and how it reacts to you.
Don't worry it will be 6' + in 3 to 5 years with proper husbandry. As for handling large boas by your self most people say you should have someone with you. However I am guilty of doing this myself sometimes with Xena my female BCI boa. She is 58+ lbs and 9' 6" long. She is extreme strong, if she wanted to she would have no problem constricting me and there would be nothing I could do if I was by myself. Thank God she is very tame. I even let my 8 & 5 year old sons play with her when I am around. Anyway here are some pictures of her.

Take care
Tom
www.McCarthyBoas.com

	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

[charmoore]

Tom, every time I see your pics I can't believe how big she is!

[buck2003]

Thats one chunky boa, I'd hate to have to lift her out of that tree lol

[Tom]

Hi Mr. west,

As for your dog I would not let the dog by the boa. One or both may be hurt or killed. I have two dogs (1 Mutt and 1 Lab) and they stay away from my boas. My Lab was bite by a baby boa on the nose when he was a puppy. So when the snake are out he keeps a good distance away from them. As for my boas I think after years of having the dogs scent around they are not threatened by it and know they are not food. LOL Most of the boas don't even care if the dogs are in the same room now.

Hi Charmoore,

I know what you mean every time I take her out I say man what a big girl she is. LOL

Take care
Tom

[wreckwriter]

I would suggest something other than a snake which may, as you can see, reach a very large size as your first snake. Regardless of the fact that people do handle large snakes alone, the prevailing wisdom is that its a bad idea. Take a look at the snake pictured above. Think you could get that off of yourself? Think you could get her off your dog?

[psoulocybe]

I would definatly recomend a smaller first snake as well, but still go with a boa. Check out some of the smaller localities... like hogg islands for example

As for handling... That all depends on the person and the individual snake.

I've had 8 food boas that I never thought twice about taking out alone, and I've had 6 foot boas that I wouldn't take out alone for anything.

You'll learn that as you gain experience.

[Mr.west]

Originally Posted by wreckwriter

I would suggest something other than a snake which may, as you can see, reach a very large size as your first snake. Regardless of the fact that people do handle large snakes alone, the prevailing wisdom is that its a bad idea. Take a look at the snake pictured above. Think you could get that off of yourself? Think you could get her off your dog?

if a had snake that size too handle alone i would have a knife withen reach just in case sothing bad happed(no offense to anybody for that comment)

[trinitywolf]

Originally Posted by Mr.west

if a had snake that size too handle alone i would have a knife withen reach just in case sothing bad happed(no offense to anybody for that comment)

Actually that's not really necessary. If you have an arm free to do anything with, alcohol will most often get them to let go of you and quit constricting. Honestly, I would say any animal you think you might have to kill to save yourself from, you probably are not ready for. I say that will all due respect. It's not fair to the animal, nor yourself that you put yourself in a position where it could take your life. Furthermore, it's not fair to the snake owning community at large as we have a hard enough time keeping people from bastardizing the poor beast and wanting to outlaw their ownership.

Ted

[Tom]

Originally Posted by Mr.west

if a had snake that size too handle alone i would have a knife withen reach just in case sothing bad happed(no offense to anybody for that comment)

Hi Mr.west,

Even if you could get a knife which I don't think you could if a big boa was constricting you it would be a lot harder to cut the boa than you think.
I know Lou Daddano who owns "Baby" the biggest Burm in captivity. Anyway when he was attacked by one of his big constrictors one of his workers tried cutting the snake with a bowie knife and it had little to no effect on the snake. Lou was killed by the snake but was revived by paramedics and hospitalized for sometime. It is a long story about Lou and I don't feel like typing all night about it, but I think you under stand what I am trying to say. It is better to use alcohol or peroxide on the snakes head and mouth to get them off. I have been luck so far and only been bitten about 12 to 18 time in the last 27 years that I have owned boas and only one held on to me when she bit me. All I did was act calmly and removed the boa very easily off my neck. The boa bit me because I was a dumb 14 year old kid at the time. LOL I did not feed my boa for about 5 weeks and I was at a friends house with my boa and he owed a hamster at that time. Put two and two together and you see why I said I was a dumb kid. LOL

If you live is North West Indiana and would like to see if you can handle Xean you are more than welcome to stop by. She is not for sale just thought you might like to see just how strong a big boa can be. Just e-mail me and we can set something up.

Take care
Tom
mccarthyboas@comcast.net

[dhonaker]

tom that is a great looking snake is she ever has babyl let me know