Angry Boa issues

[reptilebrett]

Ok so I've been keeping snakes and studying them for years now, I have 3 boas 1 I've raised since a he was 4 weeks old and one since she was a year and I recently got a year and half old salmon and he hisses and strikes everytime i go near his cage. I have to pick him up with my snake tongs, I have spoken with several of my ball python and boa breeder friends and all have said I have to get bitten to get him to stop, any other ideas?

[mainbutter]

snake defensive striking 101:

He's uneasy, so put him at ease.

1) double check husbandry
2) make him feel secure and at home by providing burrowing material and/or hides
3) make sure he is fed a solid healthy diet.
4) short, regular handling sessions (even just hook riding) will help him to calm down if the above 3 are met. You don't need to get bit, but don't let him 'learn' that biting you makes you go away, it only reinforces the biting response.

[Oxylepy]

You do not need to get bitten to get him to stop. That's a terrible idea. I mean, if it's a feeding bite he will stop when he realizes you aren't food, but if it's defensive, he'll just keep striking until you go away.

[ladywhipple02]

[QUOTE=mainbutter;1193307]snake defensive striking 101:

He's uneasy, so put him at ease.

QUOTE]


I agree, something's making him unhappy. Is he eating enough? It may be that he's hungry. IDK what you're feeding him----or what he was eating before you got him--- but you might want to up it, just in case. Some boas tend to get real nippy when they're hungry (I have one of them myself!).

If that doesn't work, there's another trick that I've heard first hand that works: get a dirty old t-shirt of yours that hasn't been washed (maybe wear a shirt for some harder labor work, and use it for this purpose) and put that in his cage. Don't bother him for a week.

I know it sounds crazy---and it doesn't work every single time---but I HAVE seen it work.

[Oxylepy]

That'll make you smell like home :3

[Skiploder]

[QUOTE=ladywhipple02;1193522]

snake defensive striking 101:

He's uneasy, so put him at ease.

QUOTE]


I agree, something's making him unhappy. Is he eating enough? It may be that he's hungry. IDK what you're feeding him----or what he was eating before you got him--- but you might want to up it, just in case. Some boas tend to get real nippy when they're hungry (I have one of them myself!).

If that doesn't work, there's another trick that I've heard first hand that works: get a dirty old t-shirt of yours that hasn't been washed (maybe wear a shirt for some harder labor work, and use it for this purpose) and put that in his cage. Don't bother him for a week.

I know it sounds crazy---and it doesn't work every single time---but I HAVE seen it work.

Some snakes, for whatever reason, go through a stage where they decide that they are going to try their hand at intimidating you.

Thinking that letting him bite you is going to make him behave more civilly is idiotic. Maybe what they mean is that you need to suck it up and take a hit in order to show him his little tantrum isn't going to get him anywhere.

At this stage in his life, he knows you and your smell - that's should not be the issue.

Continue to handle him. Do not let his petulant little display deter you - for this will just make it harder to get him to stop.

If you have to use the hook to remove him - so be it. But whatever you do, do not let him intimidate you.

Once he figures out that his bad behavior will not be rewarded, he should stop acting like a little jerk.

[reptilebrett]

He's in a 29 gallon tank
has cypress mulch
has a huge hide thats even a little big for him
huge water dish
UTH and Heat lamp
Gets misted daily
offered food weekly, he's on rat pups
He was out last night for a bit

I got reptile gloves to first get him used to even being picked up then we will de-glove

[mooingtricycle]

How are you approaching him? When he gets all hissy, do you immediately go into defensive behavior yourself?

hesitating, and not being steady/direct will cause a snake to get jumpy, and more stressed out.


If using a snake hook/tongs keeps the stress down, then thats the way you want to go about it.

How about your enclosure, and how you approach the animal that way? Maybe a different enclosure is needed for this snake to feel secure when you work around it/with it?

All things to think about.

[reptilebrett]

he gets approached from the top and i try to behind him but he always is defensive. I need new snake tongs. His cage is a 29 tall aquarium