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Rude Awakening
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by Jahon on December 20, 2007
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Apparently, I had left my 6' boa constrictor's cage open, because I had the heat lamp clamped to the side of the cage. Anyways, I fell asleep with the boa constrictor's cage open and at 2:30AM I hear this loud crash. The boa constrictor had gotten out of his cage and slid on the desk and took my panamint rattlesnake's 10 gallon terrarium with him. So I wake up and the boa constrictor is dangling on the desk, and the panamint rattlesnake's cage is shattered on the ground. My first biggest fear was, not that it may have gotten away because I woke up right when the cage hit the ground, but the fact that my rattlesnake may have gotten killed or injured. Anyways, I got the rattlesnake in a snake bag and the boa constrictor back in his cage. Today I just bought a 20 gallon terrarium for my panamint and I keep the cages well away from the boa constrictor, never making that mistake again. Boa constrictor did not get injured, rattlesnake did not get injured, instead he got a new cage twice the size of his old one. Just another great day. =)
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RE: Rude Awakening
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by LarryDFishel on December 20, 2007
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This is one of the reasons I'm not a fan of glass aquariums, for any snake, let alone a venomous one.
A loose boa could knock a whole set of shelves over at once...
If the terrarium you're using now is glass, try to at least make sure it's on a shelf with a lip at the edge or find some other way to secure it so it can't be slid off. Also make sure that nothing else in the area can be knoked over and hit it.
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RE: Rude Awakening
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by Jahon on December 20, 2007
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I don't know, besides the fact that it may break, I don't think glass is too bad for small venomous such as the ones I have. I only have one snake in a glass terrarium and that is the stephensi. Both the boa constrictor and the pyrrhus are in rubbermaids. The problem I have with rubbermaids is that the snake cannot be viewed and it's really unattractive.
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RE: Rude Awakening
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by 23bms on December 20, 2007
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I have built all my cages myself. Every one has 1/4" acrylic instead of glass. Nothing short of the nearby 150 year old oak coming down is going to break the fronts.
Your story reminded me of when I went to summer boy scout camp some 45 years ago. My Boa Constrictor cage was on a counter with my younger brother's hamster cage. While I was gone, both somehow got out at the same time. The hamster lost. My mother and brother called me at camp, crying, shrieking and keening. 45 years later, my worthless wretched brother still has issues over this. For heavens sake. It was a crummy hamster. Get a life.
Jon B
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RE: Rude Awakening
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by Buzztail1 on December 20, 2007
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There are two central issues to this story that are disturbing.
FIRST: You keep venomous snakes and had a snake get out. Now, I recognize that it wasn't the venomous one that got out . . .
BUT
that you had an escape AT ALL shows a lack of attention to detail that, while keeping venomous, could get you killed.
SECOND: While it is no secret that I don't have a problem using glass cages for smaller venomous snakes, I DO have a problem that the cage could slide off of anything and break. Any venomous enclosure should be secured so that it can't just be slid off of its perch and break.
What if this had happened when you weren't home to hear the crash?
What if your mom had taken your laundry into your room and stepped on the loose rattlesnake before she knew it was out?
That is a very important aspect of keeping venomous. Planning for the what ifs.
Right now I am re-arranging and my herp room is a mess.
But, every single one of my cages is secure; from my Southern Copperheads right on down to my yearling Rubber Boas. Escapes, of anything, in the care of a venomous keeper are unconscionable.
R/
Karl H. Betz
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RE: Rude Awakening
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by Rob_Carmichael on December 20, 2007
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I couldn't agree more. Using glass tanks is not a good option UNLESS you make some major revisions to their design. I'm not a big fan of keeping large constrictors and/or monitors in the same room as hots for that very reason. The more you can eliminate human error, the better your chances of a safe atmosphere.
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Wow....ummm...
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by AzAtrox on December 20, 2007
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Not quite sure what to say to this....I'm glad you were able to secure both snakes without incident...HOWEVER the fact that this happened in the first place would indicate (to me anyway) that you need to seriously rethink your set up with regard to venomous.
I recently had a bit of a debate over the safety of glass aquaria with a few other reptile enthusiasts on another forum. They were of the mind that glass aquaria are fine, while I am partial to Visions or wooden enclosures. (We were talking about this in relation to native rattlesnakes.)
Anytime a venomous snake gets out, it is much more than an "Oh shucks! Can't let that happen again, can I?" People's lives are potentially at risk, laws are sure to be legislated, etc.etc.etc....Just bad news all the way around...I'd be interested to know whether or not the new enclosure is also glass, and if so what measures you have taken to ensure that this type of accident doesn't happen again....Even if your boa had knocked over a Vision or wooden cage, the chances are much less that the glass would have shattered...Possible? Yes, but much less likely....
Hopefully the cage is secured in such a fashion so as to prevent a tip over or fall...I really hate hearing stuff like this, but at the same time thank you for telling us because Lord knows there's probably plenty of other venomous keepers out there with similar setups....
PLEASE....BE SMART and BE SAFE!!!!!
-AzAtrox
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RE: Wow....ummm...
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by Chris_Harper on December 21, 2007
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That's why I've always built my own cages, and use only 1/4 inch tempered glass - floated in a silicone bead. You can bounce a baseball off of the glass that way. Glass is only on the front of my cages as well.
CH
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RE: Rude Awakening
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by timberrattlesnake89 on December 21, 2007
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I personally have been using glass for years with absoulutley no problems yet. Also though my venomous area is venomous only so I dont worry about other snakes messing anything up.
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