When I was a child I was completely and totally obsessed with reptiles. Dinosaurs were my first interest and I could effectively spell "Tyrannosaurus" before I could correctly spell my middle name. I went from dinosaurs to iguanas, and then I saw it. There at the zoo, coiled up in a beautiful setup, was the most gorgeous animal I had ever seen! A Columbian Red-Tailed Boa Constrictor! It was definitely love at first sight. From that day on I periodically begged my parents to allow me to have a boa constrictor. Sadly, they always told me the same thing; "You can have a boa... when you grow up and move out!"
Years and years went by... no boas... no reptiles... nothing (I did manage to catch a grass snake once but my parents wouldn't let me keep it). Finally, in my 22nd year of life I was blessed with a beautiful baby boa who dramatically changed the course of my life forever. It started when I had just finished my shift at work and was leaving the office for the day. One of my co-workers stopped me with, "You'll never guess what we found in our apartment the other day!" "What?" "A baby red-tailed boa! We're going to take it to the Herpetological Society so it can be adopted out." "Can I have it?" "Sure."
It didn't take long before I had secured a place to keep my new pet (my not-at-the-time ex-boyfriend's house), an old aquarium (from my brother) with a screen top, a water bowl, a half-log hide, an UTH (under tank heater), a ceramic heat light, and a plethora of thermometers and hydrometers. A week from that fateful day I drove to my friend's apartment to pick up the boa.
I walked into my friend's apartment and there she was, perched on my friend's shoulder. It was love at first sight all over again. She slithered from my friend to me and went into my coat and coiled herself tightly around my arm. My friend gave me a small package with the remainder of the pinky mice the boa had been eating and I went to take my new baby, Shiva, to her new home.
That was the beginning of it all, and probably one of the most memorable times of my life.
(above photo: Shiva the day she was brought home)Years and years went by... no boas... no reptiles... nothing (I did manage to catch a grass snake once but my parents wouldn't let me keep it). Finally, in my 22nd year of life I was blessed with a beautiful baby boa who dramatically changed the course of my life forever. It started when I had just finished my shift at work and was leaving the office for the day. One of my co-workers stopped me with, "You'll never guess what we found in our apartment the other day!" "What?" "A baby red-tailed boa! We're going to take it to the Herpetological Society so it can be adopted out." "Can I have it?" "Sure."
It didn't take long before I had secured a place to keep my new pet (my not-at-the-time ex-boyfriend's house), an old aquarium (from my brother) with a screen top, a water bowl, a half-log hide, an UTH (under tank heater), a ceramic heat light, and a plethora of thermometers and hydrometers. A week from that fateful day I drove to my friend's apartment to pick up the boa.
I walked into my friend's apartment and there she was, perched on my friend's shoulder. It was love at first sight all over again. She slithered from my friend to me and went into my coat and coiled herself tightly around my arm. My friend gave me a small package with the remainder of the pinky mice the boa had been eating and I went to take my new baby, Shiva, to her new home.
That was the beginning of it all, and probably one of the most memorable times of my life.
No comments:
Post a Comment