I was cruising Craigslist and I found a lady with a 9 month old Nicaraguan Boa for sale. She seems like she knows the basics about snakes but a few things she said threw red flags....
1. She said she is selling him because her ball python hates him and won’t tolerate him. I have no idea why they are together for any reason and it seems like a silly reason to rehome him.
2. He won’t constrict his food. She is feeding him pinkies and she said he just strikes and swallows it down. He looks big enough to take larger prey so that might be the problem and he physically can’t constrict anything that small.
3. She said he isn’t like most snakes and he has a hard time hanging on to her with anything other than his tail. She said she has to support his weight with her hands.
4. I have a PVC enclosure with a RHP but she says he hates a basking light and prefers his heat pad. She said she has in on a thermostat but I’m sure he isn’t thrilled with a bright hot light in his face so I wasn’t to concerned about that.
5. If he isn’t handled daily she said he gets snippy. He doesn’t bite but he opens his mouth and protests being handled. She went on to say to say he has more personality than all her other pets put together and is generally a very sweet snake.
He is about 2 hours away and my experience is limited to ball pythons. Does any of this sound like normal boa behavior or should I move on? He comes with a 10 gallon tank, heat mat, cage furnishings and the snake for $250 dollars. I’m interested in a 5 footsnake with personality, good feeding response, and a laid back attitude.
Thanks for any advice you have to offer...
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