I still get Goosebumps...

[Boaphile]

I remember going to the pet shop at the Woodfield Mall in the Chicago area when I was a kid and looking longingly at the baby Boas. I wanted one so bad! They were $18.99 each and that price was way out of my league when I was 12 or 13 years old. I couldn't afford to feed it either even if I had gotten one. I remember looking at them for long periods of time. Noticing their slender squared off body shape. Their elegant gray color and beautiful red tails. I was in love but didn't own one until I was 25 years of age. My first one cost me $100. A huge amount of cash for a very young father and husband eking out an existence in Clarksburg West Virginia. I then set about looking for the opposite sex of whatever mine was. I guessed that mine might be a female because I could not see any spurs on her. I found what I believed was a male for $50 and now I thought I had a pair. Turns out I did. I was very fortunate.

I thought to myself... this was back in 1985. There was no Reptiles magazine. No internet. I didn't even know about any Herp societies at this time. The only person that I knew that kept any reptiles was Greg Kuhar who I had bought "Big Mama" from. I didn't know if you could breed Boas like cats or dogs or not. I had no idea. That didn't stop me though. I never was one of those people who did or didn't do things based on what other people did or what I thought could or could not be done. I had read everything I could find about Boas. Set mine up in a very large 4' x 8' cage and gave the female a warmer area by placing a light bulb under a raised bottom under the cage. A bad idea in retrospect as this really burned the plywood bottom of the cage. Good thing we didn't burn up but an effective way to heat the cage. I adjusted the room temp until I found the Boas moving near the heat and then raised the temp just a few degrees. My caging has gotten a little more sophisticated to be sure but the system is basically the same.

I thought it would be so cool to actually have babies born of my own. Like I mentioned earlier I didn't know how to do it but was determined to make it happen. I was successful the first year I tried. When I found those first 16 babies you can't begin to imagine my excitement! I was so excited! I told the people I worked with. They thought I was nuts. I told several of my friends. None of them were herpers and they thought it was nice I had done something I had worked at but still did not seem like a big deal. I called my Dad who was more impressed when I would get a haircut. I still had hair then... So I had to be happy about this success alone. My wife was happy for me but not in the same way another herper would be.

Anyhow I had finally done it. I had made little gray baby Boas of my own! I felt like I would jump out of my skin. My collection grew from 2 to 18 Boas! Now these many years later a few more baby Boas have been born. I am still really really excited when I find those new baby Boas! I have seldom been 100% successful breeding my Boas since then but I will continue to work on it and am looking forward to my next litter of babies just like I did 17 years ago. It's all great fun and never ever gets old... .and you know what? I'm still that 12 or 13 year old kid fascinated with baby Boas. The only difference is that know I have a mess of them!

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	Spurs A pair of claws on each side of the cloaca which assist in mating. A spur is much more defined on a male

[shaolinzero]

youre definately the one and only. great story. i hope one day to experience those goosbumbs the first time i see a boa birth. i still get excited watching my little girl eat. shes my first and only. thatll probably chnage before too long, this herp stuff is addictive. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
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[Dr.Oviparous]

Good story! This kind of thought is truly the difference between a herper, and a non-herper. for most people that own a snake, it's just another pet, but for some, it is definetly a way of life. we get a certain somthing out of our reptiles that we can't get anywhere else. for me it's a feeling of contentment when I come after work and check on all my guys, and know their all getting the best I can give them. we pour hours a day into our herps, and it's worth every second. well said Jeff! -Juggalo
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[Boaguy]

$18??? wowwee i wish they were still that price [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
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[Ed_r]

Hmmm Boas in Woodfield Mall? I'll be P/c and not ask how long ago that was.Specially for $18.00 There were probably 4 stores in the mall at that time and it was probably also surrounded by farmland.
I think you need to move back to the Chicago area. Then I could go pick up my new cages instead of having them shipped. Instant gratification. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
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[Dr.Oviparous]

I for one am very glad Boas are not $18! when people are walking through the mall and decide to go into the petstore. they see cheap cute little Iguanas for $20, and get one. not knowing a thing about it, and it lives a short horrible life. if baby Iggys were the same price baby boas, most people would actully think about it before they get them. when was the last time you saw a piebald ball python having to be rehabbed because it was neglected [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img] . -Juggalo

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"Well, it didn't look like a one horse town, but try finding a decent hair jelly!" -Eulisses E McGill

[Ophiophagus-hannah]

Great story! Maybe you can get a publisher and put out a book someday?! "The Boaphile Then and Now" [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
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