Quote Originally Posted by starmom View Post
Having a little toddler in the house is similar to having a small dog, cats, birds, even you!! A good keeper does not permit a snake to roam the house unattended. A good keeper of snakes make certain that their snake-caging needs are taken care of completely.

With a Bci, a reptile cage is a really good plan given that they are so very strong. I have my three Bci females in 2x3x1 cages from RBI heated by RHP's. These cages are terrific and fit the bill quite nicely. Two of my girls are yearlings and I am just now starting to see new cages in their futures. As I have been planning for this eventuality for some time, and I will purchase them each their own AP T20 (6x2x2), with RHP's and glass doors.

My point is, if you purchase or build appropriate caging for the snake you choose, the only way for a snake to escape is through human error. That said, I am pretty certain that there has not ever been a human death related to a Bci. (Other members, please correct me if I am wrong!)

In my opinion, I don't beleive you are too young for a Bci with the caveat that you have adult back-up; and it sounds like your step-dad is happy to be your back-up! Lucky you!!

My opinion is bias as to the snake to choose; I only have Bci's. I love them....well, there is one who I choose to believe has it out for me!! Lol!!! I am trying to love her through it!!! Lol!!!!! I strongly recommend that if you choose to adopt a Bci that you speak with Jimi who is a mod on this forum. He knows the personalities of his snakes and their offspring and he is a real stand-up guy. He would absolutely be able to sell you a snake that is mellow and perfect for you. And, icing on the cake, his snakes are totally gorgeous!!!!

Lastly, maybe you could invite your mom to this forum so that she might be able to ask the questions she might have and air any concerns that might be bothering her. She would be able to receive reliable information which might allow her to feel more comfortable with the safety concerns she has shared with you.

Anyway, it is very cool that you are doing all of this investigation prior to adopting a snake. In the end, this will pay off for you and your family as you will choose the best type of snake and have your husbandry and caging in order.

Take care.
I think my mom was more talking about handling the snake around my little brother... but who knows. -shrugs- Luckily the snake is going to stay in my room, behind closed doors, with only other reptiles so I won't have to worry about some little kitten or something. Since I'm not at her house on the weekends the only pets I can have are rodents and reptiles.

Since the commercial cages are so expensive (I really don't have that much money. Its hard to make money when you're 12 and the only options you have are working for family members... Heh...) I think that I'm just going to buy the wood and have one of my step-dad's friends, him, and I build a cage. Who knows though, I'll think about that when the time comes. Luckily though my step-dad has lots of friends that will help in within a second if he asks for it. They already offered to help build my CWD's cage but we got a good deal on a 55 gallon.

Yeah, I'm going to make sure we have at least one lock on the cage then maybe secure it with bungee cords or belts. Whatever fits the bill.

Yep, I definatly have to bring some questions to Jimi once I start nearing the time when I can get my snake. (I have a hamster that has to die first. LOL. I can only have 3 pets at a time... >_>)

Hah, yeah, I am SOOO lucky that my step-dad is into reptiles. He really was the one that fueled my love for reptiles (he pushed me into getting a CWD when I was really ready for a Chinchilla or something like that) and I will thank him forever for that.

I WISH my mom would do something like that. If she would only take a look around this website I'd like scream and jump up and down. She'd realize then that snake people aren't weird, that snakes aren't scary, and that this is something I really love. Oh well, its not going to happen. The best I can hope for is that when I send her links to certain caresheets, and some quotes from breeders that she'll read that... Thats the one thing that I can do that I think might change her mind. She's a sucker for a cute picture. LOL. I pretty much won her over with a baby rattie picture when I wanted one a while ago but my step-dad over-ruled one that one. Oh, well, I'm glad for that one! I wouldn't be able to feed my reptiles rats if I had one across the room looking at me. Its hard enough with my hamster.

Wow, you take care to. I must say, that post really helped me think about different things... Thank you so very much. Having all you people help me is really making me believe that somehow, this whole Boa thing is going to work out.