What to do when things go wrong? Discussion.

[Dianne]

And now my taste for Boas is going away. Maybe I should just go with earth worms?

For what it is worth, I don’t think you should discount boas because of these shared experiences on this thread. In my first example, the bite was absolutely my fault. Following safe handling protocols would have prevented it if I’d used a hook with the snake in the tub like normal. Same thing with my burm, I should have used the hook. In both cases I took a shortcut and didn’t follow my own handling procedures. As for the incident at the show, at home you would not repeatedly be taking the snake in and out of an enclosure within a period of a few hours.

Out of 27+ years keeping snakes, I’ve only had the three significant bites. I wouldn’t trade my experience with my large boas for anything. They have been great pets. That I’ve kept my original pair of boas for their whole life speaks to that. I lost my male, Sir Hiss, in late 2017 at age 26. He was my very first snake that I bought as a neonate in 1991. I still have my female, Duncan, who will be 27 this year. The only reason I wouldn’t buy another large constrictor at this point is that I want to be sure I can care for the snake for its entire lifetime. At 48, any snake I purchase will likely still be in my care at 70...so I want to be sure the future me can uphold the commitment I make to the animals I purchase now.