Next snake........

Depends on what you get.

I acquired an adult female milk, and she was never handled. I have had her for about 5 months, and she still musks.

And yeah, when she does... it is nasty! :)

But I know people that have milks that acquired them at a young age and were able to tame them out really nicely.

They are an awesome snake though. Fast and sleek.

But with my adult female... her being fast, sleek, and covered in musk is a bit of a drawback... as I am handling her she has her tail flicking like a crazy snake... as she is musking.

*nasty. nasty. nasty*

But again, she is a nervous adult that isn't used to being handled, and as much as I would like to tame her out I have to decide on what is too stresful for her. Handling her is not a prereq to keeping her.

And there are ways to tame out a snake over time without handling excessively, we have opted to go that route with her. Maybe she'll tame out, maybe not, either way she'll still have a home with us.

Bruce

Last time i was thinking about what to get next i had my heart set on a chondro but i saw some pastel boa's and i loved them so much i bought two. If you're not sure though just keep saving til you know exactly what you want.

As far as the BCI, or any large snake. Knowing that you can provide for a large snake is critical.

They are easy to come by, so hard to rehome, zoos do not want them and rescues often limit the number of large snakes they take. So you want to ensure you can provide for it long term.

Also mixed collections...

- you need different husbandry for each new species, so ensuring you have the appropriate technology is important. Adding a new snake of the same species can be *easier* if all the snakes are connected to the same setup (thermometer, heating system, etc.).
- and you want to ensure compatibility of the snakes. The most commonly noted is that boas can carry IMBD, benign in boas, but fatal to pythons. Does not mean you cannot mix them, but you need to be cautious.

Bruce

PS: I hear you on the boas. I love them, but have not kept one yet as I do not feel confident that I have the room. Also I want to save up and get a non-breeding morph. Pet only, but I am drawn to some of the morphs moreso than others.

yeah i feel the same way as you...love the boas but just not confident yet I can provide a 5 foot longer enclosure yet....

i would love to see some full size comparison to a male and a female at adult size.

Get a dwarf boa of some sort if you are worried about size and want Redtail.

Heres a 2+ year old male Sonoran Desert Boa. He came from a large breeder so he wasn't handled much and still isn't a bad animal once hes out of the tub. If kept as a pet, I couldn't imagine how calm he would be!
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...s/DSC01131.jpg

Here is a 22 month old male, no dwarf blood at all. Eats small rats every 2 weeks and is healthy as a horse
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...z/DSC01323.jpg

If size is an issure, I wouldn't steer clear of redtails just yet. Very few B.c.i. will turn into the 12' monster you hear of

Depends on what you already have! I voted for the milksnake just b/c it would add variety to MY own collection - I have two pythons and one boa - why not go for the colubrid??

But, yes, do what YOU want. I would never vote "save $$" - how BORING! Once, when I wasn't sure if I should spring for a leather jacket to replace one that had been stolen, a friend asked me, "Would you be happier with that jacket on your back or the $500 in your bank account?" I bought the jacket; and she was right - it was a good way to make my decision.

Pastel females are a great foundation for BP breeding projects(spiders too)

well being the market in Balls isn't necessarily increasing or even really staying level, I found a black milksnake for $50 from a guy online, I saw pictures, and it was shipped to me for $100...perfect good snake, good health, eating great.

Hay this is bp.net we love our bp's I'm not surprised whats on top.