If yes, please comment and tell me about it. I'm trying to convince certain people in my family to get a boa, but they're scared it will get too big and try to constrict someone... And nobody really cares (myself included ) if I get bit, so that's not an issue.
I would point out that snakes in general will only constrict something they think they can eat. Biting can be a "fear" reflex, if flight is not an option, but they will die if they try to kill and/or eat anything bigger and stronger than they can handle. That said, if the person in question is small enough to fit through the head and down the throat of the snake in question, they should be concerned. Barring that, there should be no worries. On the flip side, if they are truly concerned a snake might not be a good fit for them. If the snake senses fear in the person handling it regularly, it might never feel secure. That could lead to a bitey snake that doesn't like being handled. The last thing any pet owner wants is for the animal to dictate the terms of the relationship. In a naturally wild animal, it will always choose to be left alone. Unless the person is content just watching it (some snakes , chameleons, etc. are so beautiful they're worth it) that is not a good option. My 2 cents. Jeff
Thank you! I'm not even a little bit concerned; its my family. And they wouldn't be handling it. I guess they read something in the newspaper about a retic strangling someone, but retics get so big, the person was probably almost big enough to eat. And I really don't mind a nip or two.
So now I have convinced the family that boas don't strangle in self-defense. Now they're saying that a 6ft boa might eat me. I'm 5'2". Would/could a boa seriously mistake me as food? Again, it's not me that needs to be convinced.
If you have the smell of mouse/rat on your hand, and wave it past the snake's head, it might strike. Once it realizes you are too large (no, 5'2" is quite petite, but to a 6 foot snake it is large - sorry, I had to cover myself there) it will let go. My 8 1/2 foot Burmese (I feel like I am living my life through that snake nowadays) caught my hand twice - both times my own fault. It let go within seconds, and I am 5'9". That snake could not have gotten a 5'2" person down. No 6 foot snake could either. I'd recommend against falling asleep with the snake loose. That is a risk you need not take, just like you don't climb outside the safety railing on the Empire State Building. However, you would not avoid going to the top because it's a long way down. A six foot boa will eat rats. An 8-10 inch rat is huge - probably even too large. A 5'2" inch meal is impossible. I'd say get the snake very young. By the time it's 6 feet long (a couple of years at least) both you and your family will be so used to it nobody will even give it a second thought. That is, until it eats you (just kidding - I couldn't help myself). Have a Happy New Year, and good luck with the snake search. Jeff
