Snakes are my livestock

I was cleaning boa constrictor bins today and I started thinking about homesteading (I do that often), and I realized that these snakes are my first livestock. I may not be raising them for food, but I am going through all the other motions. I feed them, clean them, give them water, mist them to keep their humidity up, take them out for exercise, treat them when they're sick, strategically breed them, and sell their offspring. 

I have purposely put male animals with female animals and brought new life into the world. I didn't realize it until now, but breeding boas has been an odd sort of introduction to the lifestyle I most want to live. Someday alongside boas I'll be breeding chickens, goats, rabbits, and possibly pigs and reindeer. 

Snakes aren't most people's first pick for pets or as animal breeding projects, but that's partly why I was drawn to them. I have a passion for misunderstood creatures and I celebrate their place in the world. Snakes have had a bad rap for far too long, and so have rats, spiders, insects, bats, and to a lesser extent wolves and skunks. All of these creatures are beautiful. If people could get past their irrational fears and learn a little bit about the animals that scare them, they probably won't be so scary. If you let your fear turn to hate, that's unfortunate because you're missing out on a fascinating part of our world. Sorry for the mini-rant, but I'm passionate about the topic. 

Admit it, he's cute.

Ever since I learned what a snake was I enjoyed looking for them and attempting to catch them. I brought a garter snake to show and tell at school in an ice cream bucket with holes poked in the top when I was in 2nd grade. When I got my corn snake Nathara in college (November 2004) I was smitten.

I still have her. :)

Nathara was a great introduction to keeping snakes and provided me with some great lessons, such as the fact that baby snakes can disappear in an instant. I lost her in my dad's Suburban after she sneaked (snaked? haha) out of my sleeve on the way home from college, and she was found in a rolled up poster tube three days later. Or rather, our dog Rosie found her on the grass after she fell out of said rolled up poster. She was cold but otherwise fine!

Boas are my true snake love though. They have personality and style, and while some subspecies and localities can grow to 10+ feet, they're not unmanageable and tend to tame easily. Mine are considered dwarf localities originating from Southern Mexico and Central America and they tend to be darker and not get as big. I love all the different color and pattern morphs there are, with many more yet to be discovered. The idea that a new, never before seen morph could come out of a boa litter is very exciting, but baby boa day is exciting no matter what.

You may notice I said litter and not clutch. Boas give live birth, which is another plus in my opinion. If I bred corn snakes like Nathara I would need to get an incubator, but mama boa grows her babies while coiled up by the heat source in her enclosure for four months. It just seemed easier.

I'm not breeding anything this year, even though my male boas really want to and I feel bad denying them. I don't want to ship pregnant snakes and have to worry about babies this summer when I have moving to think about. My finances are still rocky so I'm working on downsizing what I can before I head north.

If anyone is interested in a boa as a pet, I have care sheet information available as well as baby snakes for sale. I can ship to any of the lower 48 states as soon as weather allows! Feel free to toss me an email - aurorawolf@gmail.com. They start at $100 (includes the $50 shipping fee).

Snakes are wonderful, misunderstood creatures and I will do what I can to spread their beautiful message.

Tiamat