Calling any snake lovers!

[Miss Sparkly]

I posted on a reptile forum about this but it doesn't see nearly as much traffic as PS. Are there any snake lovers who are familiar with the Dumeril's boa and Hog Island boa? I'm torn between the two! Both are great eaters, good personality, about the same age and very good snakes. The Dumerils seems quite pricey at $249 but is from a very reputable home/garden/semi pet store which hires members of the local herp society to care for their exotic animals. The Hog is from a local guy who is just looking to sell her and doesn't want her anymore. Both snakes are quite difficult to find in my area and if I could have them both I would The other great thing about them is that neither grows beyond 6-7 feet. I'm not interested in having a 12 foot plus full grown snake on my hands. I feed my snakes live so no issues on my end with feeding either (as I know some breeds just will not take frozen).

Thanks!

 

[Gothgrrl]

Sorry, I am not familiar with those breeds. Good luck on finding one.

 

[cnspotts]

Snakes, One of my favorite topics!

I know nothing about the Hog Island snakes other than what I've read, so no help there but I do have 3 Madagascar ground boas, the very near relative of the Dumeril's. Some speculate that they are the same snake but developed slight differences due to their ranges in very different environmental areas, one dry, one jungle-ish. Mads are very colorful, very calm, and ticklish as it turns out. (yes, that's right! My biggest male hangs over my shoulder and lets me rub his belly and swings his head back and forth, up & down. If I stop he he swings his little face around to me until I start up again). They each have a different little personality once you get to know them. They're so easy to handle and keep that I've really enjoyed them.

I have 2 boys, and a girl each nearing 6 ft at 3 years old, they should top out around 9-10 ft or so. Honestly I never imagined how easy they would be to care for. From the day they all arrived they've eaten every meal everytime. Infact, they're quite lazy now and seem to understand somehow that the meal is ready to eat, no need to squeeze (frozen large rats, 1 monthly) having progressed from live mice (humanely killed) after a few horrendous squeals from live ones. I have co2 on hand for beer brewing/ kegging. Eating is NEVER and issue and I can count on 5 days later the meal has been processed, and a shed will typically occur since they're still growing. The processed rat is rather stinky but efficiently digested and easy to clean up. These guys like aspen bedding to hid in since they're ground dwellers naturally though they liked to be high in the branches when they were small.

I actually kept them in an outdoor 4 "story" cage this summer without shavings but they had "hides" with damp moss, and buckets of water to soak in. They really seemed to enjoy the "summer home." Currently they live in 40 gal long shallow aquariums but once my renovations are finished we're planning to build them a custom home in our basement with a portion of their floor having heating under tiles, like we're doing in our kitchen. These snakes were not inexpensive, they're fairly rare and have low birth rates so I want to provide the best environment I can for them. I hope to obtain another female as well down the road. Since they eat "whole food" they do not require special lighting, only light to distinguish day/night. I prefer floor heating to "basking" lights, heated rocks, etc and a temp gun is your best friend. Infact a plastic container & lid with a hole cut in the side filled with floral moss that is damp placed over a heat mat works wonderfully for a humid hide. Just clean it weekly with a little bleach water and refill. Another bowl/bucket of water is great for drinking and soaking. I forget the exact temp ranges but here in AL the temp is easy to keep steady for their needs and moving them to my basement will be perfect with a thermostat controlled tile floor for them about 82 degrees F. Again I cannot stress how easy they are to care for, they really are plus they're super friendly and not scary at feeding time. A big bonus when they're getting larger by the month. I'd attach some pictures but they're on my other computer, so I'll try tomorrow after work.

I guess my advice would be to know the difference between a healthy snake and a sick snake. I hear too many stories about people selling sick animals and having lost several lizards to disease in the past couple years (came to me that way unknowingly, spent hundreds $$, and many man hours dosing with meds for months, ever try to prop open 10 little lizard mouths so you can insert a little syringe twice a day? not fun)

gosh, sorry to have gotten OT, and sooooo long. Good luck with what you decide!