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A while back I was browsing snake books in a pet store and came across an article on the care and feeding of boas. They're tropical snakes and need a tropical environment. They can also get to be quite large, about 12 feet. According to this article proper boa care required a cage about four feet on a side that could be kept at about 80% humidity and 80 degrees farenheit. Also, since snakes can't be housebroken, somebody (probably mama) has to go into the cage at least once a week to clean out snake waste. Then there's the little problem of keeping the mildew down in the snake's very moist and humid environment. The bottom line is that, if I were you, I'd be more inclided to get a less care intensive snake, like a North American Corn Snake, which is likely to grow to about 6 feet.

I actually have been thinking about a corn snake. I know first hand about the difficulties of keeping boas, having nursed my last one (back in the late 70s) through a bout of pneumonia (with attendant vet bills) due to improper climate conditions in the cage.

I appreciate your thoughts. I think you may be right about a corn snake. The local pet shop will be getting in a new shipment soon, and I will check it out. The thing I like about boas is that they move kind of slow, and are easy to handle in that respect. I have not had experiecne with a corn snake, but as you may know, some snakes -- like king snakes -- are not so mellow in the hands, and tend to movc rather more quickly and jerkily than boas.

If I like the way the corn snake moves, I will definitely choose that one over a boa. My last boa never got more than six feet, and at that length was still easily managed. I don't relish having one much bigger though, and I'm not sure it will be that easy to find someone who wants to adopt a 10-footer.

Thanks again for your thoughts.