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I used to have a boa constrictor--I doubt most people could distinguish it
from a venomous snake at at glance, even if they knew it wasn't venomous,
and especially if they're in a hurry/keyed up anyway.  give it a
stick/pole (like a closet pole) and it'll 'hang out' all day, especially
if you get a emerald boa.  the red-tails sometimes prefer the ground, so
give it an elevated platform.  completely harmless to humans, especially
if smaller (under 4 feet or so), so long as you keep it fed and don't
try and use it as a necktie.  the teeth hurt, but they're not fangs.  I
doubt a burglar would hang around to find out; it used to freak out my
friends behind plate glass.  I'd be willing to bet the local reptile store
has a zero break-in rate out of the sheer 'freak out' factor.
just a thought
scott
On Mon, 27 Dec 1999, Dave Williams wrote:
> 
> 
> -> Actually, there used to be a machine shop somewhere in Texas, where
> -> the owner would release live Rattlesnakes into the shop everynight,
> -> then round them up each morning. He had no problems with breakins.
> 
>  Ed Welbon on the GN list breeds tarantulas and lets them wander free in
> his house.  He says they keep the flea and tick population from his
> hound dogs under control, and they're quite shy and not easily startled.
> 
>  I wouldn't mind something like that, but I'd always worry about
> accidentally stepping on one on a late-night bathroom trip and pissing
> it off.
> 
> ==dave.williams@chaos.lrk.ar.us======================================
> I've got a secret / I've been hiding / under my skin / | Who are you?
> my heart is human / my blood is boiling / my brain IBM |   who, who?
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