water boa hellp!!!!!!

[reganngo]

i really nid help guys..today i went to the petshop here in phillipines because im gonna look for garter snakes...so i saw a garter snkes but it cost 4 dollars each(adult) an dthen i refused it then another owner asked me if i want a snke called a "Water Boa" and they said that its a harmless snake and it cost only 2 dollars each but when i looked at the snake i saw the snall snake about 12inches long and a big body really looks like a ANACONA(the huge snake )but i only want is a maybe a 30''inch snake for a pet not a 20feet snake i looked up in the internet what is a "water boa" is and i saw it in the internet that "water boa" means ANACONA but anacondas lives in the western side of the world not here in the phillipines so why are they selling it in a really low price ..lower than the garter...so i hope when i buy that snake it will not grow being a monster size pet but a 24''inch pet. so help me guys what is a water boa?? (may be the pet owner is wrong about the name)

[Stefan-A]

You didn't happen to make any specific observations, like the texture of its scales and skin (smooth, rough, or almost warty), the coloration, patterns or anything like that?

It didn't look anything like this, did it? http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/gart...ose-snake.html

[CrazyHedgehog]

I would save up and buy the garter, don't touch the otherone with a barge pole!

[drache]

yeah - don't take chances with something you don't know enough about

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

i really doubt its an andaconda because i think they run from $120-200

[Stefan-A]

I'm going to assume that the low price means that it's wildcaught, which means it's probably one of these: herpwatch.org - Snakes of the Philippines

On second thought, Cerberus spp. would fit the profile.
Edit: synonym for C. rynchops : Elaps boaeformis. It's a water snake and used to be called boaeformis. I'd guess it's the most likely candidate. "A mildly venomous, nocturnal aquatic snake, which feeds mainly on fish."

[adamanteus]

I must be honest here.... I would advise anyone to refrain from buying any animal if they don't even know what it is. How can you begin to provide proper care if you can't identify the snake? I would advocate some serious reading before making a purchase.

[Ameivaboy]

Well said James

[reganngo]

well me too i cant belive an anaconda would be sold in 2$, im going out right now to buy it ill post some pictures for an ID bye guys w8 for my pics(hope its not an anacona)

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

ok well be waiting im sure it cant be an andaconda