Shi Jimin and his pet boa have become popular attractions among neighbors.(Photo/Chinanews.com)

A 68-year-old man has been turning heads with a 60 kilogram, 3.7-meter-long boa constrictor for a pet, which he treats as if it were his own child.

Shi Jimin and his pet snake have become popular attractions among neighbors and even local children are not scared to interact with the animal.

"The boa is very tame and listens to Shi Jimin," one of Shi's neighbors told China News Service. "Everyone has watched it grow -- just like watching a child grow up."

Shi, a resident of Haikou in Hainan Province, bought the snake seven years ago from a fish vendor. Over the years, he has lived with the boa and tamed it, and his home has become like an amusement park. He even named the animal Shi Nanwang.

The boa eats once a week and is served eight or nine live chickens, each weighing about one kilogram, according to Shi.

Shi walks the boa and gives it a daily bath, as well as disinfecting it every two or three days.

"Half of my monthly pension goes to the boa. I never hesitate when it comes to spending money on it," Shi said. "It's like my own child."

Shi speaks to the boa in the kind of coaxing manner you would use for a child, and he allows the snake to give him a daily massage.

"I was sort of scared at first but got used to it over the past eight years," said Shi's wife while patting its tail.

When Shi told China News Service that he planned to send it to a zoo when he was too old to take care of it, the boa stopped moving and stayed in his lap quietly.

"Don't worry, that would be some ten years away," Shi said. He kissed the boa, which mirrored him with a brisk movement of its forked tongue.