Agression ?

[Hawthorne's Owner]

I have a 7 foot Col. Red Tail and she wasn't handled very well by her previous owners, I recieved her with deep burns and rat bites from nose to tail. I managed to help her heal her injuries and thanks to her new shed two weeks ago she is almost completely healed from the burns. But as i have multiple duties through out the day i can not take her out as often as i should so in turn my father agreed to help handle her. I just learned today that he doesnt know how to handle snakes safely and shes either smacked her head on a door frame or he accidently dropped her tail, As of this i went to take her out so i can make sure shes okay and she tried to over power me which is something she never has done. Usually shes one of the most gentle snakes i have ever owned but she pushed me away to get out of her cage and tried to hurrily escape from it. Im concerned because as well as other pets/snakes in the household we also have small children and a 5 month old baby a room away from where her tank is kept. I dont want her to get away one day if someone doesnt pay attention but i also dont want her to be abused or neglected. I love this snake just as i do my other pets but i need help on how to get her to be her old self, shes been showing signs of aggression and if i cant calm her down then i may have to find her a new home which will be my last resort because though my familys saftey in involved i truely want whats better for her. Please help

[xFenrir]

Sounds like she was just traumatized. If she's not injured, I'd leave her along for a few days to calm down, then try handling her again. Or if feeding day is within the week, leave her alone, feed her, then handle her a few days after.

[Mrl249]

How did you heal her wounds ? Did you soak her in Betadine solution? Or Did you just wait for her shed to do it on it's own?

[Hawthorne's Owner]

I used some kind of burn cream the vet gave me, i forget what its called and i also broke open a capsule of vitamin b everyday and mixed it with the creme and rubbed it over her burns, i kept her tank humid and never let her skin completely dry out and crack and i also let her free roam in a steamy bathroom and let her shed it out during that i also bath her once a week and clean her cage every two days as well as fresh water daily

[BWyant]

My personal policy is that if I think it's big, fast and strong enough to kill me, I'm not messing with it. That could change over time when I get more used to having snakes as a pet. But I think you just need to ask yourself your limits in risk. If it were me, and it was an aggressive snake, I'd play it safe and find the snake a new home. That's just me. "What do you think" is what it sounds like you really need to ask yourself. Just make sure you've got a standby for help when you handle her and double check the locks until you make a informed and confident decision.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

The burn cream is silver sulfadiazine, or silvadine cream. It's the only thing that should be applied to open wounds or burns on reptiles and works great. It's good your vet gave you this..

As for the aggression.. Try the head/face calming technique. It's something those of us who have experience handling large snakes knows works quite well.

First, I'd cover her head with a small hand towel and gently lift her out. Supporting her well. The head covering is just to avoid a bite. It tells her it's not feeding time and will distract her just long enough to get her out. When she starts running from you sit on the floor quickly so you can gather her close to you without fear of dropping any section of her body. Then take the hand closest to her head and come from behind her head with your hand slightly cupped. Come over her head gently touching it with your cupped hand. If she's head shy she may jerk back at first but she will immediately continue on her way to escape you do just do it again and gently, but quickly, come over her head and cup your hand around her face. Block her from going that direction.

She will pull back and try another way. Just keep doing it. The trick is to gently touch, and cup the head and nose without actually grabbing her or pressing on her hard. Just cup, and gently bring her head back in toward you once she slows down a bit and stops changing direction.

She will start pushing her nose against your palm once she realizes you are going to keep doing this and won't let her go another way. That's a good sign that she knows you're not going to hurt her or anything.

Once she calms and slows down, if you briskly walk around the house or yard while holding her, it should keep her from trying to speed away from you. She won't be able to get her bearings.

If she gets nervous and starts trying to get away again just keep covering her face and bringing her head back to you like this.

This works wonders! It's also cures them from being too head shy pretty quick.

If you're holding her and someone else comes near you and you notice her get nervous, or draw back into an S coil, cover and cup to snap her out it and avoid a strike.

[Salamander Rising]

Sounds like she was just traumatized. If she's not injured, I'd leave her along for a few days to calm down, then try handling her again. Or if feeding day is within the week, leave her alone, feed her, then handle her a few days after.

x2

[Vypyrz]

I don't think that it is actual agression. I think that as the wounds heal, she is getting back to her old self. Most boas are really active, or excited, when they come out of their enclosures. They want to go everywhere and check out everything. After a few minutes, they usually calm down. Just use the technique that Fosci described and you should be ok...

[meowmeowkazoo]

My personal policy is that if I think it's big, fast and strong enough to kill me, I'm not messing with it. That could change over time when I get more used to having snakes as a pet. But I think you just need to ask yourself your limits in risk. If it were me, and it was an aggressive snake, I'd play it safe and find the snake a new home. That's just me. "What do you think" is what it sounds like you really need to ask yourself. Just make sure you've got a standby for help when you handle her and double check the locks until you make a informed and confident decision.

I don't think any boa is big/strong enough to kill an adult human.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

I don't think any boa is big/strong enough to kill an adult human.

I too don't believe that it's "aggression" per-say.. I also don't believe even the largest of boas could kill a human adult IF you know what to do in the even of a problem. Anacondas are a different story though. I think a very large female green could overpower someone easily but then again, I'm sure you've seen nature shows where they've wrestled with them in the wild while taking census of them. It's really all in the knowledge of how the handle them, what to do, and the buddy system.

In the case of red tails tho.. This should never be a problem. Even if it's a particularly grumpy snake that's known to have issues with being handled, knowing how to handle, and what to do, is all that you need.

I don't think this is the issue with the OPs boa though. I think it's just remembering a bad experience and needs to be reassured and calmed. Hence my original post, which is not what I would have recommended for an "aggressive" snake.