Taking Care Of An Adult Red Tail Boa

Harry has been here

for a month and a half now and he is
doing well. As I get to know him and handle him, I am finding he is very friendly. So far, he has not offered to bite, even once. He is impatient to get out of his far too small of a cage, but other than that, he is eating well and is healthy.

People do not realize when they purchase a little 14 - 22 inch snake at the pet store that happens to be a Red Tail Boa, for example, how big they get. The enclosure above I built for Jenny. She is now over 8 feet long and her cage has to be at least that long so she can stretch out. My whole body is in her cage with ample room to spare. Harry needs one nearly this large. Hopefully it will be completed by the end of January.

My message here is to remind you that if you are looking for a snake as a pet, keep in mind that snakes live to be at least 20 years old, and if you are in the market for a large snake, you have to have a lot of room for them to live and maintain a decent existence. Jenny and Harry will be taking up an entire room in my home when I am done with their enclosures. Make sure you are willing to make that kind of a commitment.

A Turkey Buzzard At My Door

All week long we have seen an injured Turkey Buzzard in the field above our house. His wing seemed to be broken and he could not fly. There was not a lot we could do, though we attempted to lure him closer to the house. After 5 days, he finally did get closer. He was eating what he could from some bones we had remaining from Deer Season. Following the advice of a woman we managed to get a hold of from Alchemy Acres, we took a sheet out and, once we cornered him near the house, gently wrapped the sheet around him and brought him in.

He seemed cold and tired. I have never seen one this close. He was not as large as I thought he would be, and I was not surprised to find out he was only a baby. We took him to Birds In Flight Sanctuary Inc. It is operated by a very nice lady named Heather Merritt. They have a web site. http://www.birdsinflightsanctuary.com

They take in raptors of all types, including endangered species. Heather told us that this guy was about 4 months old. He still had down feathers on his head. After giving him an examination, she determined that he had a broken wing, probably suffered while still in the nest. Turkey Buzzards fly south for the winter, and sadly his parents had to leave him behind. The break in his wing is severe and Heather does not think he will fly, ever. However, there is still hope. She will be x-raying him on Monday to determine how bad his wing is. She said they may be able to use him for educational purposes. They can rehabilitate him, and socialize him to use to teach people about him and birds like him. I sure hope so.

Birds of Flight Sanctuary is a non profit organization and really needs donations. If you are interested, please check their web site out to see what you can do to help.