I went to the pet store to get frozen fuzzies for our three little snakes and hoppers for stubborn as a mule Spectre who still won't take adult mice. The guy helping me asked what I was feeding, and then asking me if I'd ever experienced a Dumeril's Boa. He took me to the back to let me hold the Dumeril's (which is $219...is that average?), and OH MY GOSH that was a wonderful snake. It's still a baby, really, although it's bigger than any of my little ones. Much smaller than Spectre though, who's half grown. This Dumeril's had some gorgeous blushy pink/peach in its coloring and its pattern was so striking! It was calm and so sweet! How do you resist it when you want another snake so badly, yet you know your spouse would chew you up and spit you out if you bought it because he only just tolerates the four snakes you already have? *sigh* He'd be especially mad about the expense...there's no way I can buy it, but boy, do I want it!

Just expressing myself here has helped a little, but I can feel the desire burning, and I have a feeling it won't go away! AIEEEEE!

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~Juliane~

It's a tough one, but I've pretty much been "cured" of the spontaneous buying. With all the hassles I've had with "Q", I just can't handle any more right now.
I just don't know how people manage to give enough love and attention to so many animals... not to mention "disaster management" when mites or other health problems kick in.

Dumeril's boas are beautiful, but they get pretty darn big! So sit down and do the bookkeeping on how much it will cost to house and feed it... that usually cures me.

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Andrea

Well I would say that is a bit high for a dumerils boa, but at stores they usually get things cheaper of course and usually try to get 100% mark up from what they paid for it, I know we have wholesaled them for $75 to $50 each as babies, and pairs for $225 last year. Dumerils are very great snakes, we have a breeding group of 2 males and 7-8 females, and we usually get babies from them every year, I have never been bit by one of our adults, or any babies for that matter. So for many pet stores I guess that would be the average price, but everything varies with those situations.

How to avoid getting new snakes here..well not having cage space for one, which is rare in the case of most things. All the big stuff like the dumerils and other boas, are happily housed in their 4 ft boaphile plastics cages, they even accomodate room for another during breeding season. Most of our adult females top out at 7 ft, we have a 9 yr old female who is just pushing 7 ft I would say. Dumerils really aren't bulky snakes, at least not as bulky as columbians, plus you have to love the colors on them, if you like dumerils boas, you will probably like the madagascar ground boas as well, but those still have a pretty nice price tag on them. Very similar looking and such to dumerils, but if you know your snakes, then you will definately see how they are different.

Not too expensive to really feed them if you just have one, it can be only a few hundred a year to feed a single snake, or less if you have a good supplier on froze, live is a different story in pricing of course. Of course here with so many snakes we spend thousands a year on food, and typically go through a hundred or more various rodents a week here.

Sorry for the long post..but I can go on and on about snakes and such.

[quote=BlackJack]
I just don't know how people manage to give enough love and attention to so many animals...

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It's like having a lot of children! It's very easy to love them all,because they have all their own personalities!
We got 2 dogs and 2 cats and my snake collection is growing,and the love and attention giving thing is part of the hobby!

It's so easy to do,why don't you try it?!I'm sure you ache for more snakes,like we all do who are hooked,lol!

Mite and health problems shouldn't be any sort of problem, other than the initial new animal, but will have no effect on the rest of the collection... as long as proper quarantine and separate caging are enforced!

As far as buying new animals and holding off goes... I can't help you there! I still accidentally buy pretty much any good deal I run across!

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Brent Strande
Check out my website!
Stop by the North Dakota Herpers Forum at www.ndherp.com !!!

I think Dumeril's are beautiful snakes and I could be easily tempted... my original answer to your question "How do you fight it?" is just try to know your limits and respect them.
"Limits" meaning space, finances, family members and time investment.
For me, it's quality not quantity that hooks me... the more time and energy I spend with each of the snakes I have, the more I learn and the better I can care for them.

As I've tried to warn everyone, I had to learn that the hard way. Two VERY costly, VERY exhausting mistakes that could/should have been avoided.

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Andrea

Brent said: "As far as buying new animals and holding off goes... I can't help you there! I still accidentally buy pretty much any good deal I run across!"
Ummm is that the new excuse for us? "Sorry honey, I accidently bought this , but it was a good deal!" LOL
I seriously don't see that excuse working in MY house! LOL

I'm cured for now.....I'm running out of room!

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Some think they can. Some wish they could. Some do.

I wish that I actually were able to use that excuse! I actually have to pass up MANY more deals than I'd like to see slip by! Somehow, however, I still manage to continually expand! I'm getting ANOTHER female boa that's close to breeding age plus some Leopard Geckos this weekend! I said 'No' to them for awhile, but finally broke down!

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Brent Strande
Check out my website!
Stop by the North Dakota Herpers Forum at www.ndherp.com !!!

Don't ya hate it when you get weak and finally give in? lol

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Some think they can. Some wish they could. Some do.

I have never had any disasters with my herps, and I love them all dearly, all 26 of them


The yearning will pass Juliane, I have been in that situation quite a few times, and I just think about what I have at home which helps, not a lot, but it helps, it usually lasts a few days, there are still lots of herps on my wish list, but I just check my monthly food bill which curbs my herp buying for now, plus I am running out of room.