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My boyfriend wants an Amazon Tree Boa as his first snake

antsterr said:
You might get a bad feeder, a rotten tempered or frustratingly inactive pet.
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Occasionally bad feeder / rotten tempered cornsnakes come along too. ;)

I kind of think that if your boyfriend REALLY wants this Amazon he should get it. If after a ton of research he can provide good care for it then what's the issue? Of course there are snakes that are going to be easier to keep than others, but to be honest I'm not really in to this "what are you thinking buying one of those when you haven't kept one of these yet!" It's not like you're incapable of providing proper care to an arboreal snake if you've never kept a corn or king before. :shrugs: As The Nothing has shown 'advanced' and arboreal snakes CAN be successfully kept as a first-time snake.
 
the nothing is joking when he says dont handle these. i would even get hooks and/or gloves.

being bitten isnt fun, it sucks and bleeds a ton
 
rekn said:
the nothing is joking when he says dont handle these. i would even get hooks and/or gloves.

being bitten isnt fun, it sucks and bleeds a ton
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I do not think he was joking when he stated it a few times. He is usually spot on with his Tree boids.
 
I'm not saying he could not handle one, I'm sure he could but he can't house a snake that will grow to be so large. Plus I don't think it's safe because he has a little brother who listens like a brick. I mean there are reasons other then the fact that such a snake is not a good starting snake. I mean you guys already proved my point that I was trying to make to him, ATB are not to be handled a lot. He wants a snake that he will be able to handle when he feels like it.

ATBs are amazing looking snakes and if he got the room I think that it would be fine but not now. I should have known that someone woul dtake his side. Understand that I'm not trying to push him away from anything I'm just being the voice of reason. I don't want him to jump into something and have the snake suffer. He will do some looking around and reading but for the most part I'll be picking up the slack and having to know more about the snake. Also, I don't want him to end up with this huge snake that needs two people to handle it just in case something happens between us. I hope all this is understandable, I try to see every angle before jumping in.

I don't want to push him toward one snake or another but I do want him to know what he is getting into which is the main reason for this thread. I want info on the idea and the snake so that I can understand. I think that a Bull snake would be a great snake for him but if he really wants an ATB or RTB then I'm just going to make sure that he sees everything I can make him read and understand everything. I', trying to think what is best for the snake over what is best for him.
 
Nicole,

You could always suggest a Hog Island Boa to your boyfriend. They're very similar in looks and care to RTB's.

The main difference is size - full blooded Hog's will typically get no larger than 6', with preferred size to be 4'-5'. Adults are easily handled by a single person, and the couple I've handled have been absolute sweethearts.

Another option would be a Brazilian Rainbow Boa - they're a tad harder to take care of due to humidity requirements, but they're a larger snake that typically doesn't get too much larger than 5-6'.

The bad part about these, imo, is their tag. I got hit by one about a month ago. Pretty sure I almost pis*** myself.

Not saying that those are the best or easiest to take care of or what-not, but they are a couple more suggestions to look in to. :)
 
why cant i edit my own post, i know it sounds funny with the rest of the context but i would like to add in the NOT part.
 
NFS07 said:
I should have known that someone woul dtake his side.
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Whoa.... you did ask for our opinions :shrugs:

For the record, I wasn't disagreeing with you or trying to make you change your mind. It doesn't matter one bit to me which snake you get so long as it's well looked after. I was just pointing out that IF research is done and the animal's needs are met, there's no reason why a beginner shouldn't keep it. I wasn't even trying to take in to account your personal factors like space and so forth.
 
rekn said:
why cant i edit my own post, i know it sounds funny with the rest of the context but i would like to add in the NOT part.
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You need to be a contributing member to be able to edit your posts. :)
 
Matthew I knew you were going to post. lol. I'll look into those snakes and offer them to him as a choice. Would it be easy to find one at a snake show?

Rekn, I understood what you said the first time. It's all good.
 
NFS07 said:
Matthew I knew you were going to post. lol. I'll look into those snakes and offer them to him as a choice. Would it be easy to find one at a snake show?

Rekn, I understood what you said the first time. It's all good.
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Uh oh. How'd you know that? o_O

And yes, both Hog's and BRB's are easy to find at Reptile shows. BRB's seem to tend to be a bit more popular, but Hog's are fairly common too. The one in Indy is tiny and even a couple vendors have both types, so I have no doubt you'd be able to find one at a local show.
 
Plissken I'm sorry that came off wrong. It was ment more as a joking comment. As I posted the first one I said to myself. "There will be at least one person who takes his side." Just so happens that someone did. I really did not mean for it to sound rude or anything. I did post to get opinions and each one is being taken into account.
 
Just because I knew you would. Call it being a women. lol. You just have posted to almost all of my other threads so it was not hard to assume you would.
 
ive been bitten by an adult etb. it wasnt fun. it hurt and took a trip to the hospital.


im just thankful i didnt get any disfiguring scars and the scars it did give went away.
 
Ok, so for your first snake, why would you want one that you couldn't handle as much as you wanted, without risking getting bitten? I'd rather have a snake I could take out and handle and not feel like I was ruining its day.

Nanci
 
Yeah, Nanci he wants to be able to handle the snake.

Matt do you know any good sites with good info on those types of snakes?
 
Those are some very wise words you have posted on this. I have seen first hand bad husbandry with a ATB. It was going through a bad shed (shreds of dead skin on it) and it had mouth rot and serious infection in its jaw. the outline of the spin was on the snake as well. It looked horrid.

But another thing about the bull is that is a cheaper snake than a ATB. Look at it this way it isnt going to hurt the pocketbook to much.
Oh and here is that site again.
http://homegrownherps.com/bull_snakes_prices.htm
 
the blue beauty is a nice snake, check out bluegorgon.com for pics and comentary. mines still a hatchling but hers are full adults.


you cant handle an atb at all. i wish i had saved the pic that someone posted here of its teeth
 
rekn said:
the blue beauty is a nice snake, check out bluegorgon.com for pics and comentary. mines still a hatchling but hers are full adults.


you cant handle an atb at all. i wish i had saved the pic that someone posted here of its teeth
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I have seen some Blues though that make me prefer a ATB.. lol We own a pair as well and they are beautiful snakes but have a temper as well.
 
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