The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/8/09 Section: Variety

Media Credit: LESLEY ONSTOTT Matt Bailey holds his pet snake, Big Terry, in his apartment on Tuesday. [Click to enlarge]

Editor's Note: Each week, reporter Courtney Smith will profile a quirky pet that belongs to someone on campus. This is the fifth installment in the series. If you or someone you know has a unique pet you'd like the University to know about, e-mail Courtney Smith at c5s@uga.edu.

Sinaloan milk snake Big Terry loves being the life of the party, and when he is invited to partake in festivities, his muscular, three-foot body, friendly demeanor and well-chilled food choices prove to either enthrall or terrify his fellow revelers.

"I will usually bring him out at parties and generally half of the people will flock toward me, and the other half will back just as fast as they can," said owner Matt Bailey, a junior math major from Decatur.

"It's really funny to watch because I know that the snake is so harmless that it's like I am just carrying out a baby kitten."

But, Bailey understands that the partiers' negative reactions to Big Terry's big debut shouldn't be taken to heart because they are driven by common misconceptions.

"It looks like a coral snake because it is red, black and yellow, but the colors are in a different order, so he is not poisonous," he said.

"A lot of people are also afraid that he will bite, but his type of snake never bites - even for defense. The worst he will do is hold onto your arm or try to burrow under your clothes."

Once a shy snake of only eight inches, Big Terry has become increasingly outgoing - a personality trait that Bailey attributes to regular handling - since Bailey was given him as a present on his 16th birthday.

"The thing about snakes is that they don't really have a lot of personality, but Big Terry is cool because, unlike a lot of snakes, he isn't afraid of people and isn't shy at all," he said. "When I bring him out at parties it can be loud, crowded and rowdy, but he will remain unfazed."

Although Terry enjoys being the big surprise at every bash, partiers in search of ice may find a surprise that isn't quite as pleasant or friendly.

"Sometimes, when people go looking in the freezer for ice they are pretty grossed out by Terry's frozen mice I keep in there," Bailey said. "But my roommates don't mind having dead mice in the freezer at all."

However, just because Big Terry's intimidating presence has the power to send party-goers running doesn't mean he doesn't appreciate a little help now and again - particularly around the area of the couch.

"One time he got away when my roommates were playing with him and got up inside the bottom of the couch," Bailey said. "He didn't come out for like two days, and I thought he was stuck, and we had to cut open the bottom of the couch to free him because I thought he was going to die in there."

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