Boa Bite - Why?

[Eazyyyb]

Everyone loves a post about a snake bite so I'll get to that, hahah my red tail, dennis, almost 5' got me today and this was the result:




But why did he? He has bit me about 3 times all in the span of a couple weeks. He has always been insanely calm, but now he seems to be irritable, he is not hungry, in shed, or anything like that, so any guesses as to why? I was just handling him normally and all of a sudden - bam! could it be because i am dumb and let my cat sniff him and that made him mad/hungry or something? He ate 2 days ago

[Gio]

Everyone loves a post about a snake bite so I'll get to that, hahah my red tail, dennis, almost 5' got me today and this was the result:




But why did he? He has bit me about 3 times all in the span of a couple weeks. He has always been insanely calm, but now he seems to be irritable, he is not hungry, in shed, or anything like that, so any guesses as to why? I was just handling him normally and all of a sudden - bam! could it be because i am dumb and let my cat sniff him and that made him mad/hungry or something? He ate 2 days ago

Nice bite LOL!

I'd bet it was the cat and whether you think he's hungry or not, he'll take any opportunity to eat. This time of year is spring and there are subtle temp increases and certainly changes in daylight. Coming out of winter, boas will start to become more interested in eating.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YdGk7W0zLk

Cats are on the menu.

[Evenstar]

He bit you because he's a snake. Not a dog or cat that is trained and loyal. Snake's operate with a very primitive brain and they are ruled by their instincts. Sometimes that means they will bite you for no apparent reason whatsoever.

Having said that, it could have been a result of the cat sniffing him. Not because he was "mad" about it, but because he smelled a warm blooded animal and was likely reacting out of either a defensive or food-driven instinct.

Check your temps and humidity, make sure they are within optimal parameters and watch how often you are handling him. A stressed snake will be more aggressive or flighty.


Btw, that's a good gruesome bite!! lol....

[Tennessee]

I think snakes are smarter and more aware of their surroundings than you think. When I hold my girl she's very active and calm and will even come out of her cage right into my hand, whenever a friend holds her she balls up and is very skittish. Although this is only my second ball I've never been bitten or even struck at in 2 years, and I have friends that say there dogs are more likely to bite them then their snake is.

I have to to agree the cat probably pissed him off.

[Evenstar]

I think snakes are smarter and more aware of their surroundings than you think. When I hold my girl she's very active and calm and will even come out of her cage right into my hand, whenever a friend holds her she balls up and is very skittish. Although this is only my second ball I've never been bitten or even struck at in 2 years, and I have friends that say there dogs are more likely to bite them then their snake is.

I have to to agree the cat probably pissed him off.

Of course they are fully aware of their surroundings. And I do agree that they are smarter than most people give them credit for. But their reactions are still a result of millennia of instinct and not because he was "pissed off".

[Bluebonnet Herp]

Of course they are fully aware of their surroundings. And I do agree that they are smarter than most people give them credit for. But their reactions are still a result of millennia of instinct and not because he was "pissed off".

What they do when they react is pure instinct, just like when someone is aggravating you, you may turn around and shove or punch them which is an instinctual way to react.
However, OP's trying to find out why the boa bit him, and I'm interested to hear this as well. It could quite possibly be because of the cat as Gio pointed out, but there's still a bit of uncertainty.

[bcr229]

I can't speak to the OP's boas. Every bite I've gotten has been a food response rather than an aggressive or defensive response. My boas can go from zero to FOOD!!!! in about two seconds, so I don't handle them if I've been handling feeders, if I've been thawing feeders, or even around other animals like my dogs.

[Evenstar]

What they do when they react is pure instinct, just like when someone is aggravating you, you may turn around and shove or punch them which is an instinctual way to react.
However, OP's trying to find out why the boa bit him, and I'm interested to hear this as well. It could quite possibly be because of the cat as Gio pointed out, but there's still a bit of uncertainty.

And in my first response, I gave my opinion as to WHY I believe the snake bit him.....

He bit you because he's a snake. Not a dog or cat that is trained and loyal. Snake's operate with a very primitive brain and they are ruled by their instincts. Sometimes that means they will bite you for no apparent reason whatsoever.

Having said that, it could have been a result of the cat sniffing him. Not because he was "mad" about it, but because he smelled a warm blooded animal and was likely reacting out of either a defensive or food-driven instinct.

Check your temps and humidity, make sure they are within optimal parameters and watch how often you are handling him. A stressed snake will be more aggressive or flighty.


Btw, that's a good gruesome bite!! lol....

[vangarret2000]

It could be the cat but has the cat been involved each time? If not I doubt that was the cause, but is still a possibility. My reptiles are fine around my dog but I had one go crazy a couple weeks ago because the dog walked past it. It didn't stop hissing and striking, in its tank, for hours after.

I am wondering what might have happened during the first bite and what did you do after each bite? Did you put him back after? Did you keep holding him? Would he keep striking or just the one bite them be fine after?

I don't know what caused the first bite but how you react to it can sometimes cause it to continue. Generally though if it isn't a normally defensive snake it was something you didn't that startled it and it just reacted like a snake normally would. And I am not stating tht as a blame To you. I am just stating it because that is generally the cause. People might not always now they did something wrong.

[Borgy76]

Gonna have to get your boa into some counseling to figure this out.