People have a habit of allowing their large snake to drape across their shoulders. Although a boa couldn't eat an adult, if frightened, it could easily squeeze your neck hard enough to cut of your air supply and blood vessels.
Corn snakes are pretty. Usually have good tempers if they are handled regularly.
If you aren't already, use frozen dead rodents for food instead of live. I've seen shakes that were given a rat and when they didn't eat the rat, the rat chewd and ate the skin and muscle on the back until the vertebrae were exposed. Many people will put their snake in a seperate cage to feed. This is a good idea with the more aggressive eaters. That way, they know they will only get food in the other cage and not strike at your hand everytime you reach in because it thinks you have food.
If you do want to get a python in the future, ball pythons are by far the best tempered. They do have a tendency to have uneven sheds though and sometimes the eyecaps don't come off with the shed.
Don't be tempted to give your snake large prety. You will find articles that say you can give the snake any size it can swallow. While you can do that, its much easier on the snake to give smaller prey more often to avoid difficulty in digesting the prey.
There are a lot of articles about "belly heat" and keeping the snake with a heating pad under the cage and a hot rock in the the cage. Both of those things can be trouble. What you want is the correct ambient temperature which you can get by hanging a ceramic heater above the cage. Hot rocks can malfunction, and although snakes feel pain, they may lay on a hot rock until they have third degree burns.
Put two thermometers on the cage at the height where the snake will be. There should be a cool side and a warm side. Temperatures at night should not fall more than ten degrees from during the day.
Find yourself a good veterinarian who is used to handling snakes. They will check the snake for mites, intestinal parasites and feel the belly for obstructions or tumors. Its a good idea to have a working relationship with your vet so they know your snake and what is normal for it. The worst time to try and find a vet who sees snakes is when there has been an accident or your snake is ill.
sam1234
