I made the mistake of going through the reptile classifieds on Craigslist. I found this red tail boa for sale being kept in absolutely horrific conditions. Here's a couple screen shots:





That's right, that's a heating pad dangling into a glass tank, filthy haylike substrate I can't even identify, a tiny plastic water container, and (based on my limited knowledge) a snake that looks to be permanently stunted in size due to underfeeding.

I've read on the forums that local animal control isn't generally receptive to reptile welfare, but this horror show bothered me so much that I tried giving them a call. As soon as I said the word "boa", the person I spoke to gave me the number for Florida Fish and Wildlife.

So I called FWC and explained the situation. They directed me to the website where I could submit the information. I asked if they took care of animal welfare issues for snakes or just confiscation of illegal ones, since I didn't believe it was illegal to own the boa. I was told that it was illegal to SELL without a permit.

So my choices are to do nothing and leave the animal in disgusting conditions, hoping someone else buys it, or give FWC the information to have it confiscated and probably euthanized. Purchasing it myself is not an option.

Guys, what do I do? Any other suggestions?