When I had my boa as a younger lass, the response was mostly "cool!". It's a little more mixed with fascinated abhorrent shock now (followed by lots of questions), as soon as people start asking, "Wait, how many snakes do you have?!?!" Of course, I get a similarly shocked response when I mention my backyard chicken flock, so I guess many people just forget there are other animals than the furry and fishy kind.