Zahara my 20 yr old boa

Had Zahara out last night for some quality time and exercise. Since she turned 20 this year I figured it was time for some photos.

She was born in 1998 and I adopted her in 2002 from a guy on craigslist. She's the mother of Velvet and Candy that I posted here: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-the-harlequin

Hope you enjoy the photo spam!

She has super dark eyes
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/KJQhQze.jpg

tongue flicks!
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/A8DyNP3.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/GGiEj7R.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/hZGCCL8.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/buKnofs.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/pxeu1Qd.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/mjPaqeK.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/7EvVyJq.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/fhBy1yS.jpg

You both look great. Love her.

That is so cool. She's beautiful. I love seeing mature snakes. :)

There is NOTHING like the head of an older snake. They just look so wise and experienced.

That is one pretty pretty lady! Really love her colors and that tail... so awesome!

She really is stunning, I really love that adult head the boas get as they mature, my oldest female got jet black eyes like hers

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Two beautiful ladies, great pictures thank you ever so much for sharing and best wishes always..:gj:

Beauty!

Can’t wait until Behira gets that big......and hoping for 20+ years with her as well.

As always, love your animals.

We need more posts like this! Beautiful animal. Always curious how these little creatures will turn out once they get older & larger.

Thanks for the cool post. These animals are such a huge commitment I told my son he might have to take care of my animals one day, he said yes.

she is an incredible animal. that photo of her head is just awe-some and impressive.

#SnakeGoals right here [emoji119]🤩[emoji7]

thank you for sharing!

She is absolutely stunning!!!

Happy birthday! And mad respect to you for taking good care of a reptile for 16 years.

And that folks, is what a boa constrictor should be.

If you want to take lessons or get advice from a real and dedicated snake keeper; Look no further than this👍

I respect people that keep these animals properly and for the long haul.

That snake is beautiful and is a prime example of what “can be” if you raise them properly.

Well done👍 Salute!

Thank you for all the nice comments, I'm glad you enjoyed seeing her!
And Gio, thank you, that's really so kind of you, you made my day.

Incredible, awesome, thanks for sharing!

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Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

Thank you for all the nice comments, I'm glad you enjoyed seeing her!
And Gio, thank you, that's really so kind of you, you made my day.

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You are welcome. She's lovely.

I totally agree with Gio; it's obvious you both know what you are doing and care for your animals well.

You are one of the boa people on here I admire and respect the most.

You both look fantastic. She looks happy, healthy and gorgeous thanks to your care.

She sure is beatimus! Can't believe the size of that melon.

Glad to see she's doing well april. Good job and congrats to you. Been meaning to comment on this thread but I've been busy. I'm almost in that 20 year club too. I wish I had a very recent pic of my guy but he just ate so I want leave him alone for a while. Incase you or any else is wondering my boa's are doing just fine.

I just want to comment on this again because I find it so satisfying.

I'm no long time keeper, at least by my standards, but I have seen a lot in my short time the last 7 or so years.

One thing I have seen frequently is the "all out" mentality. I understand the excitement as I felt it the same as most I assume, but what happens in many situations is that folks new to the hobby become so infatuated with things and want everything NOW. They don't sit back and enjoy, study or appreciate what they have. All too often the whole collection ends up sold or placed and the interest in the hobby dies when things move too fast.

I understand not posting on a board for an eternity, I take breaks and am less active each year, but I still have the 4 snakes here, none of them are going anywhere and they are all doing well.

My hope is to eventually have animals like this featured boa. Something 20 or more years old is a goal. I feel that shows true dedication to the animal/species.

I don't need to breed anything, as I find there are enough breeders, and they are certainly more qualified than I. I just want to have my pets and enjoy them for what they are. I also want to learn/study their biology and continue learning.

April should really be looked at as a devoted, long time keeper and asset to the hobby.

I look around and I just don't find posts like this very often.

20 years and going strong! I'm impressed.

Once again I say,,,, WELL DONE.

Beautiful girl. So very cool to see other keepers that have had their animals long term. They’re such great pets and very rewarding to watch them grow from tiny neonates to the large adults. Whenever I have my big girl out (7’ Colombian redtail), I’m always amazed how far we’ve both come since I brought her home as a very small juvenile. :P

I love it! Thanks for sharing and kudos to you April. :)

Forgive me if I mix up these possible facts; didn’t you raise a 9 foot girl that lived long as well? Did you euthanize her due to arthritis? :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gio

One thing I have seen frequently is the "all out" mentality. I understand the excitement as I felt it the same as most I assume, but what happens in many situations is that folks new to the hobby become so infatuated with things and want everything NOW. They don't sit back and enjoy, study or appreciate what they have. All too often the whole collection ends up sold or placed and the interest in the hobby dies when things move too fast.

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I want to comment on this and thank you for posting this. As someone who suffers from the all-out mentality in literally every facet of life, I found snake keeping to be no different. In the short time I have been keeping snakes, I have definitely acquired 2.5x more than I really need. However, I am currently transitioning to making this my career so I am sort of committing myself to it in a few ways. That being said, I do NOT want to suffer from burnout simply because I moved too fast.

These words will stay in my head. Thank you, Gio.

Again, Zahara is just exquisite. Thank you for sharing.

She is so beautiful! Big girl. I bet she's had some adventures throughout her 20 years. I like the Destiny t-shirt by the way :)

Wow!! Looking stunning at 20 yrs old. Love her colors too. Thank you for sharing with us ..

Awesome job with her all these years!!! She looks fantastic!!! :gj:

Thanks again everyone! Yeah, we've had some adventures, she's moved from CA to Vegas, back to CA and now to UT with me. She's blessed with me with two beautiful litters along the way and is a wonderful boa.

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Originally Posted by Reinz

Forgive me if I mix up these possible facts; didn’t you raise a 9 foot girl that lived long as well? Did you euthanize her due to arthritis? :(

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You have a good memory! Yes, my very first boa Autumn.

She was born in 1989, original owner got her at a pet store. I was her third owner having adopted her from the PennySaver in 1998. Sadly she went blind her last few years and then the last year stopped feeding and started having movement control issues. Through it all and even on her last day when I took her to the vet to end any suffering in 2017, she always crawled into my arms. I'm getting teary remembering. I loved her very much. When I had her put to sleep, she was 28 years old.