Selfish Acts

Question: What exactly is love for another living being?
Love can be defined many ways. One of the best examples of love is the sacrifice. If you love something enough to let it go for the greater good of that particular thing, then you must love it unconditionally. There are more cases of people keeping an animal in unfair conditions because of their fear of separation do to their love of that animal. Is that what love is really about? Keeping the animal no matter what the circumstances are?
We as care takers of these magnificent creatures should constantly be asking ourselves are we providing the best care for our loved animals. Now life, as it is, may bring unfortunate circumstances to us but should our beloved pets suffer because of these fallacies.Our pets are trusting us to make the right decisions for them. It’s vary similar to taking care of a child. The animals basic needs must be met no matter what. Basic needs go way beyond “food, water, and shelter”. Like humans most animals need some type of enrichment and interaction. Without these two key elements an animal will suffer a great deal.

A few good examples are birds and reptiles. If a parrot isn’t given the attention it deserves that parrot may begin to mutilate itself or a snake who hasn’t been held in a long time will revert back to it’s wild ways. It’s the job of the care taker to meet these “basic” needs.
Exotic pets aren’t like dogs and cats. While, they too, need enrichment and interaction most are content with just being by our side. Dogs and cats have been domesticated for a long time. Where as most exotics have only been “pets” for a minute compared to the domestication of dogs and cats.
Keeping an animal that is missing these two essential element is selfish. If for whatever reason that animal can’t be given either of these, the animal should find a new home. While some may say it’s a little irresponsible to get an animal that must be given up. It is understandable that life is constantly changing and things can come up without notice but we must always consider our animals as our children. All to often, a bird, snake, dog, or cat is kept because of separation anxiety but keeping them knowing that the animals interests aren’t at heart is selfish and isn’t an unconditional love.

Thanks for Reading!
James Ward

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Large Constrictors as Pets.

The first time I had fell in love with large snakes is when I was in the 1^st or 2^nd grade. My teacher had read a children’s book titled The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka Hakes Noble. The huge Boa Constrictor in the book just excited me. As she read on I realized that I had to have one of these “Big” snakes as a pet. That childhood book was the first time I came into contact with these wonderful creatures called boas or pythons.

Large Constrictors are impressive to look at and some species are quite popular in the pet trade. While I think some people are capable of taking great care and caution when raising one of these magnificent creatures, they are not for everyone. It takes great devotion to an animal that could reach 20 feet or more and weigh at or over 100 lbs.

Snakes that reach an adult size of 8 feet (2.44 meters) or more are considered to be large (http://www.anapsid.org/handling.html).  Many pythons and boa species can easily obtain this size in a relatively short period of time.  For instance in a year or so a baby Burmese Python can turn into 9-12 foot snake. While some species are easier to handle some have vary nasty attitudes. Examples of more manageable snakes are the Redtail Boa and Carpet Python. Others such as the African Rock Python or the Reticulated Python may be more for the experienced individuals. Most Burmese Pythons tame down quite well if handled regularly but there are some that have bad temperaments as well.

These large constrictors can be as dangerous as a loaded gun in the hands of a child. A large python or boa can potentially kill a human being and if that human happens to be an infant then the risk is more significant. If your bitten by one of these larger snakes, one way to get them to release from the bite is to place a little vinegar in their mouth around the bite. They also can be a danger to your friends and family because all reptiles can have salmonella on their bodies without proper hygiene then this bacterium could make someone very sick. In warmer climates if allowed to escape they can pose a serious threat to the environment. So if this is your pet of choice be cautious and do your homework.

Most large constrictors can be kept at temperatures around 85-95°F with a basking spot at around 95°F. The best substrate for them is something that is easily cleaned and holds some moisture like a reptile carpet that is sold in most pet stores. Cyprus and repti-bark could work as well. Depending on the size of the snake you would either feed it every other day to weekly. Babies to juveniles will eat every other day and the large snakes will it once to twice weekly. Snakes do not need UVB lighting because the prey items have calcium (Bones) along with other nutrients. While it doesn’t hurt to have a UVB light it isn’t necessary. They heat light should be relative to the size of the enclosure. Temperature and humidity gauges are a must for most all reptiles. 

A few years back one of the most amazing pythons ever came into my life. He was an albino Burmese python named Zeus. When I got Zeus he was around 8 feet long. As I took care of him he just grew and grew. I eventually ended up having my Dad make him a cage out of a cargo crate. He was one of the gentlest snakes I’ve had for his size. Zeus would look up from the cage when I came up to it, showing me that he wanted to be let out. Before I had to adopt him out, he got to a size of about 14 feet. He was a BIG boy. I had to feed him a large rabbit once a week. Looking back I remember how beautiful he was. I was always cautious but he never attempted to strike at me. 

This is a photo of Zeus back in 2006.

I can’t condemn people who want large constrictors as pets. They are truly amazing giants. Most folks can not see the beauty and grace these animals have but just looking into their eyes seems to be inspiring in its own sense.

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