 |
 |
|
Black Pine Animal Park 1426 W. 300 N. P.O. Box 02 Albion, IN 46701 (260) 636-7383
©2008
Professional Animal Retirement Center, Inc.
|
Columbian (Red-Tail) Boa Constrictor "Choker" (pictured
immediately below) arrived at Black
Pine Animal Park in 2002. Raised by a loving young couple who had
cared for him from just after birth until he was seven years old, his
arrival was met a little trepidation by the staff. Like a great number of people, even the experienced staff at Black Pine were a little wary of welcoming a snake. The myths that surround these interesting reptiles vary from statements they are slimy to evil, though in reality they are mostly misunderstood. There are literally thousands of species of snakes throughout the world, many of which are poisonous. The boa, however, is not. This type of snake constricts its prey to kill, slowly suffocating it by squeezing tighter each time the prey exhales. The boa is easily confused with much more lethal and larger cousins that include pythons. Boas don't get that large and even at adulthood cannot consume anything much larger than a medium-sized rabbit. In January 2004, a second boa
constrictor named 'Slitheran' (right) was rescued. She, too, At full adulthood, the Columbian boa will only reach about 10 feet in length. The largest boa ever found was 18 feet long. Born live and about 24" long, boas grow continuously and can live up to 20 years of age. In South America, their native land, people often keep boas as pets in their homes to control the rat population. Likewise, people around the world have discovered that this species of snake is very docile, and rarely a threat to humans. As a result, they are a very common exotic pet. It is wise if interested in having a boa as a pet to first consider adopting one that is no longer wanted, since overpopulation is such a problem in captivity. To learn more about keeping animals like these as pets, click here. |
The Animals
was a pet in
need of a new home. She is shown at right. Younger than
Choker, this snake is also much smaller, at about four feet in length.