So glad that Hissy has found a good temporary home. I've always loved snakes and have had them as pets since I was a child. Later, when I was in grad school and living in an apartment just off campus, my much younger brother brought a rat snake home from scout camp. Unfortunately, my father, who was terrified of snakes, announced that either the snake went or he would go, so naturally I took him off my brother's hands and installed him in a nice herpetarium in my apartment (at which point I discovered just who my friends were and weren't!) Kaa (as I named him, from Kipling of course) stayed with me until I had to move to another location, at which point I found a new home for him.I would love to have a snake pet again, but now I'm in a New York City apartment and haven't the room it would need. I'm hoping that Hissy will find a wonderful new home. Thanks to you for being so kind in rescuing him even though you weren't familiar with snakes!

Hi. I'm a new member and master gardener intern. If any of you use oyster shells to deter moles, could you share with us how to apply it? What I'm doing, which I am NOT sure is right, is digging the hole a little deeper than I need it to end up being, then sprinkling about 2 handsful of crushed oyster shell around the sides and into the bottom of the hole. Then I put a little bit of dirt over the shells and plant the hosta. I'm just in the process of doing this today and wanted to take a break and see if I'm doing it properly. Any experience out there in plant world? I'm looking forward to getting to know you all.

Jonesella - NO! Not poisonous. They will bite if you pick them up wrong, and it hurts, but they have no venom. Racers eat rodents and insects and small birds. Good things to have around your landscape. Not so good around a chicken coop if you have tiny chicks, but you can use screens and keep them out until the chicks are bigger.

Not really the appropriate forum for this, but it sounds like he has a respiratory infection. The "hissing" you are hearing is him wheezing. Generally just give access to heat (~90ðF) at one end of the cage will help clear this up if it is minor, but it might take veterinary intervention if it is more serious. Also, your heat source should be coming from below (a thermostatically controlled heat pad) not above by a lamp. Boas don't bask in sunlight in the wild. Try the boa forum at Kingsnake.com Here is a link that might be useful: Boa Forum