What's seven feet, is even quieter than a mouse, and you hope to god it's not hungry? Ok, he's really not anywhere near that bad, but you're right. It's Vito, my 2 ½ year old Colombian Red Tail Boa. Now, it's true, he's about seven feet long (He won't stretch out completely, so I don't have an exact length) and except for an occasional hiss, he is defiantly quieter than a mouse (They do that squeak/chirp thing), but as far as hoping he's not hungry, well, that's not something you really have to worry about, unless you weigh under three pounds, and smell like rodent. And the myths about snakes? Well for one, he's not slimy at all, nor is he "mean-spirited" and while I can't say I get true "affection" from him, he's always happy (I think) when I take him out and handle him.

Can he bite? Of course. Anything with a mouth and teeth can bite. "Will he bite?" is a more appropriate way to phrase the question. I'd say with about 99% surety that, no, if you were to walk up to him, he would not just bite you for the hell of it. Now there are always a few exceptions to the rules, If you scared him for instance, so don't make sudden moves especially towards their head, don't try and grab their head.. don't smell like their food (Duh) and if the snake hisses at you when you try and take it out of it's cage.. well, here's a hint, it probably doesn't want to come out! Also, try not to handle a snake that's opaque (getting ready to shed) especially when their eyes are cloudy, since their already limited vision is reduced even further.

All curled up on a shelf, quite a sight to behold.

That's probably his favorite position to just "hang around" in.. it's commonly refered to as a "strike position" because he can be ready to strike at any instant. However, one of the reasons they do this is because in the wild they are oppertunistic feeders, and therefore must be willing to eat when the chance to grab a meal presents itself.  It is also a very common defensive posture.

Sorry Duncan. Sorry Daphne. It appears Vito's taken a liking to your cat condo (No, they were no where nearby when I put him up there). While he doesn't look that big, he is actually about seven feet long, and weighs 17 pounds (gets a little tiring on the arms). So in order to give myself a break without putting him back, I sometimes just plop him on the cat condo. He can roam and relax, and so can I, all while keeping an eye on him!
Once again taking over the cat condo. He can be seen here in a variation of what's called a "heat conservation mode" where he layers himself on top of himself, to help retain heat (They are cold blooded and need an external heat source to stay warm)

When you finally find somewhere that he wants to be, he can sit there for hours. Of course, it can take you several hours of him squirming just to find out where he wants to be! Believe it or not he's actually ticklish as well, if you were to reach over and start playing with the end of his tail, he normally would start squirming around, almost playful manner, and it's obvious he's not trying to get away, nor is he upset.

Ever thought seven feet wasn't that big? Think again. Now imaging him with about  two more feet added to his length, and another couple inches added to his girth, and then maybe another ten pounds added to his weight. That's what he'll probably be like when he's all grown up, he will be somewhere between 8-10 feet long and probably weight something around 20-30lb.