Lunch

[ithacaartist]

Rich, I've been somewhat of an herpetologist all along. I also had a boa when in my 20s, like my son. Amazingly, mine (Sidney) went for over a year without a meal. It was my fault, because I unwittingly did not add extra heat to his environment, and unless it is around 85, their metabolism slows to a crawl--no pun intended. At the proper temps, they are active and hungry. Basically due to apartment living, I sold him to a lady in Walcott NY, and the environment she'd built, which he shared with a large king snake, was warmer and he thrived and grew thereafter.
The most common snake in our area is the eastern garter snake, the ones with 3 yellow stripes on a blackish green body and yellow-tan underside. Their diet consists of earthworms and frogs, and they're not constrictors. Sorry, the shed snake probably succumbed to the cold, as they cannot survive near or below freezing temps. Take the next one found in winter to the animal shelter or veterinary college (Cornell is here) to get it into the proper environment!
Other local inhabitants include water snakes, milk snakes, DeKay's and red-bellied snakes, green snakes, and indigo snakes (black racer), among others. We're too far North for most venomous models, but one might encounter timber rattlers in the Catskills and remote areas closer to Pa. (Ya hear this, Ed?), some of which can be monsters.

Jerry, I remember that story...major bummer. Fortunately for us, it does not seem to have affected your fine technical skills in leather work! Esmeralda bit me once, but I don't blame her. She was due for a meal, and I put my hand into her tank a little too fast while retrieving her water dish. Boas have heat-sensing "pits" on their upper lips--like a rattler (pit vper), so she zeroed in on my hand. It was a glancing blow, resulting in a row of pin pricks. Later on, something was "catchy" in that area, and I discovered the tip of one of her needle-like teeth broken off and imbedded in the skin on the back of my hand.