Feel really stupid for saying this but here it goes....

[Bethstang]

I have the 9 month old hog island boa that has not eaten since Feb. 27th and still hasn't eaten yet, anyway, I have handled him twice, once I got him out and held him for just a few minutes several weeks ago and then last week I got him out to weigh him and he did fine, tonight I went to get him out to weigh him and he started hissing and it freaked me out. Bear in mind I have a ball python that has never hissed at me and has been nothing but laid back, this hog is only my second snake. What do I do, should I put gloves on and get him out, should I leave him alone? This is the first time I have heard a snake hiss. I'm hoping I didn't make a mistake buying this snake as my second snake, how do I overcome this situation.

Beth

[adamsky27]

I don't handle any of my snakes until they have eaten for me first. Only to move them if needed for tub cleaning. I would just make sure your temps and humidity are OK and try to feed every 5-7 days until it eats. After that you can start to handle it more.

[dragonboy4578]

What is your set up like. The more detail the better. If you can include pic's that would be great. It really sounds like he may be stressed. Also what food items have you offered it? Did the person that you got him off of tell you what they were feeding it? If not you may want to make a phone call and see if you can get that information.

[Bethstang]

I posted this thread on 3/28/2012, it explains what's been going on.
Juvenile hog island boa not eating.....help!!
Started by Bethstang, 03-28-2012 05:47 PM

I was going to weigh him and then move him to his new tub, but the hissing started and I wasn't sure what to do next, leave him alone or bring the gloves out and get over my fear, not sure what the best way to deal with this is.

[Evenstar]

So did you move him to the tub or not?? It's important to remember that boas are NOT ball pythons. They will generally not freak out in larger enclosures, handling them does not generally bother them too much, and they are generally garbage disposals when it comes to feeding. There are, of course, exceptions which is why I say "generally."

What is your set up like. The more detail the better. If you can include pic's that would be great. It really sounds like he may be stressed. Also what food items have you offered it? Did the person that you got him off of tell you what they were feeding it? If not you may want to make a phone call and see if you can get that information.

I agree with dragonboy. Your previous thread does not go into that much detail so its still hard to give advice when we don't know exactly what the situation is. Just how are you heating his current enclosure and how are you measuring your temps? It concerns me that you said he was always on the hot side. Your temps may actually be too cool. Pics would help a lot. In the meantime, here are a few additional tentative thoughts...

1) Use a temp gun to make sure you're heating up the prey item enough. The rodent should be at about 98-100 degrees. Know, don't guess. Or try feeding live a couple of times before going back to f/t.

2) Has he defecated for you? If so, what was it like? Was it normal or runny?

3) At this point, I would take him to a qualified herp vet just to be sure there's nothing physically wrong. Parasites could be an issue. If he checks out ok, you can relax and just let him settle in knowing he'll eat eventually. But have him looked over to be sure.

[Bethstang]

No, I did not move him to the tub due to the hissing, I wasn't sure if I should go ahead and pick him up or leave him alone for a few more days.

This is his setup: 30 gallon tank, aspen bedding, 2 hides, hot side temp 90 degrees, cool side 75-78 degrees, humidity 55% - 60%, 3 sides of the tank are covered with towels to prevent stress, tank is located in a unoccupied bedroom.
UTH for heat, I measure temps with digital thermometer, it thinks its accurite, its from Wal-mart. The only time he defecated was the day after he was shipped and it was normal. And he shed about 3 weeks ago. I'm not sure how to post pics. He still consistently stays on the hot side in his hide.

[TheWinWizard]

What are the ambient temps? Meaning the air temperature. I would bump the hot side up to 94. Humidity is good. What are you measuring that with?

[Bethstang]

What are the ambient temps? Meaning the air temperature. I would bump the hot side up to 94. Humidity is good. What are you measuring that with?

I am using the accurite, it measures ambient temp, has a temp probe and measures humidity

[sissysnakes]

Have you tried live food?...

Also I have a really aggressive Cay Caulker... little guy opens his mouth, hisses, strikes, uses fowl language... the whole nine yards. We are still working on the logistics of our relationship but when I needed to move him into the rack I just dove in and picked him up. I just tried to make it fast so I wouldnt stress him out.

[Ohlacey]

After ruling out medical issues, to address any aggression... I have a female BCI who is a little bit pissy most of the time, particularly around 'first contact' when I have to pick her up. What I recommend is simply diffusing the situation. Place your palm gently over his head and scoop him up from underneath. You can use a shirt or slightly damp rag if your nervous about being tagged, but I've been bitten several times by snakes of various size and it's never been too bad. Basically you want to 'be the ground'.

Make a habit out of this. If your snakes settled into his environment, start 'covering and supporting' for fifteen minutes or so, three or four times a week. I've had amazing luck with this, and I have experienced a good number of boas who are perfect (seemingly) at first, and then get a little aggressive. It's kind of common in babies, it seems.

Of course, all of this comes second to health check and regular feeding. Good luck! Keep us updated.