Here's a fun way to die

[bull]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16255785/?GT1=8816

Man apparently strangled by pet boa constrictor
Authorities say Ohioan found dead with 13-foot snake around his neck

CINCINNATI - A 13-foot boa constrictor wrapped itself around its owner's neck and killed the man in his home, authorities said.

An acquaintance found Ted Dres, 48, inside the snake's cage Saturday and called police, the Hamilton County Sheriff's office said.

The snake was still strangling Dres when deputies arrived, and the officers had to work with members of an animal protection group to remove the reptile, the sheriff's office said.

Dres' snake will be kept at an animal shelter awaiting instructions from police or Dres' family, said Andy Mahlman, spokesman for the Cincinnati Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

"People who keep these type of animals as pets should know exactly what they're doing and what they're capable of," Mahlman said.

He said he has seen photographs of reptile owners posing with snakes coiled around their necks.

"They don't realize they could be a few seconds away from death," he said.

[Todd Wilson]

A 13 foot boa isnt something that should be in a home anyways. That big of a snake could be a real problem real fast. I had friends with snakes half that size and smaller years ago and was amazed at the strength they have.



Todd

[TylerCharger69]

I have one that is pushing 8 feet in length...He's friendly...but he's getting too big to be a houshold pet.  He's going to the zoo after the first of the year.

[41husk]

good idea, send him to the zoo before he sends you to the morgue!

[PocketThunder]

I have one that is pushing 8 feet in length...He's friendly...but he's getting too big to be a houshold pet.  He's going to the zoo after the first of the year.

Got a picture of him?

[bigroge1]

damn....its nothing new about this kind of death. used to common in california

[TylerCharger69]

I'll post a pic....after he eats!!!...lol   

[TylerCharger69]

By the way..I watched a documentary about pet snakes......If for some reason  this happens.....the way you get the snake to release is to pour hot water on him and for some reason, it causes them to automatically release.   Doesn't have to be scalding hot....but  it works.

[Troy]

First thing, the reporter is a dolt - it was an 11' python. The guy's sister said it was over 100 pounds too. Also, it was not an "aquaintence" who happened to find him but the guy's girlfriend who was there the whole time. That's how the cops got there so fast. I suppose one of the rules when handling large snakes is to have a second person there - but I would hope that second person also knows how to handle the snake. If I remember right, the guy fell down and which may or may not have knocked him out so getting strangled was a little harder to avoid. He owned the snake for 15 years and has had several others so he wasn't exactly a novice. He had told his family that if he died (for any reason) that he didn't want the snake to be killed but none of them want it.

Troy

[TylerCharger69]

Yes...pythons are a lot more aggressive than boas.  It IS always best to have a second person present when handling snakes.  Mine  doesn't weigh 100 pounds, but can still do damage.  I have a central american boa (bricktail) that is almost 8 ft. long,  and weighs maybe 30 pounds...if that.   But...and 11 foot python weighing in at 100 pounds...well....it's pretty moronic to have something like that as a pet.  The experts even say.....these are animals that cannot be domesticated.   They are always wild and will always have those "wild" insticts.   Kinda like trying to keep a Bengal Tiger as a pet.    Just piss him off once  and let the games begin.   I've had many snakes in the past,  but at least I have enough common sense to realize when they get to be a certain size...it's time to send them someplace where they can be taken care of on a larger scale.   There was a guy who lived here in town some years back.   He, too, had a python that probably weighed 100 pounds....wasn't but about 6 ft. in length,  but the circumference of this thing was huge.   It constricted around his neck.  To make a long story short,  he grabbed a knife from the kitchen where he was and started stabbing the snake to get it to release.  In the process of stabbing this snake that was around his neck,  the knife went through the snake and ended up stabbing himself in the throat multiple times (if you can get a mental picture of that) which led him to his death.  Animal Control came in and seized about 12 large snakes, before the police could do their work.   If he just had hot water, the snake would've instinctively released.   That is one of the main things that I read before I took on the responsibility of owning one.  Steve Irwin (R.I.P.) also said the same thing about the hot water.  Knowledge is power.   But  when they get that big, it's time to send them to a new home where they can be taken care of professionally.

[Charger_Fan]

That's still a better way to go that slipping in the bath tub, or on the ice on your front steps, or putting up Christmas lights on an icy roof, or crossing the street, or...

[TylerCharger69]

.....pissing on an electric fence??

[bull]

.....pissing on an electric fence??

That won't kill you, just give you a permanent... nevermind.

[Steve P.]

I hate snakes... 

[41husk]

I just had to listen to my wife talk about what I need to do before Christmas day   I think I will get her a snake for Christmas, anyone got contact info on the orphaned killer snake

[bigroge1]

.....pissing on an electric fence??

That won't kill you, just give you a permanent... nevermind.

;DLMAO cattle electric fence are awesome

[Lowprofile]

I just had to listen to my wife talk about what I need to do before Christmas day   I think I will get her a snake for Christmas, anyone got contact info on the orphaned killer snake

So, I take it your wife never visits here?   Good luck with the new pet.

[Bandit72]

I hate snakes... 

the funniest thing i've probably heard is bill engvall talking about snakes in his "here's your sign" album....