agressive boa......

[nick654377]

So the bcc i got is very agressive. I have never owned an agressive snake before. had a ball and the dums and neither of those two were any bit agressive. my dums doesnt even strike the food when she eats. well this is a different story with "el diablo" his name fits him well.

I know i shouldnt be handling him but everyone says bcc husbandry has to be spot on as opposed to bci which are a little more tollerable. I had him in a glass aquarium just like my dums but figured i would stick him in the ap cage i got.

Husbandry in the tank is as follows
hot spot 92
ambient air is 80-82 across the board
cool floor is 78
3 hides one on hot side, one on cool side, one in the middle
big water bowl
humidity on cool side is around 65-68
humidity on hot side is around 50-55

I pulled him out of the glass tank to put him in the ap cage and had to set him on the floor for a second because i forgot to unlock the tank. when he was on the floor he followed me like a hawk. if i walked to the left he would turn to the left. if i went to the right he would go to the right. always in striking mode and struck about 7-10 times at me. kinda has me worried. will he calm down since he has proper husbandry and once he gets a few meals in him?

[xFenrir]

Sounds like typical hatchling behavior to me. Especially if he was on the floor and you were standing over him; most snakes don't like it if you're taller than them. And hatchling snakes are super defensive as well. It doesn't seem like anything that regular handling won't overcome.

[nick654377]

hes not a hatchling. he is about 3 1/2 feet maybe a little more. i believe he is a 2011 baby.

[Evenstar]

Sounds like typical hatchling behavior to me. Especially if he was on the floor and you were standing over him; most snakes don't like it if you're taller than them. And hatchling snakes are super defensive as well. It doesn't seem like anything that regular handling won't overcome.

hes not a hatchling. he is about 3 1/2 feet maybe a little more. i believe he is a 2011 baby.

But he IS still a baby. BCCs can be a bit more tempermental than BCIs as a general rule, but as xFenrir said, they usually do tame down with time. Give him that time. It's good that you fixed his enclosure, and you obviously had to handle him to move him, but give him some privacy until he's eaten at least once more for you. Then gentle daily handling should fix this in no time.

Also, he was probably extra intimidated being on the floor. I am positive he'll do much better in your hands.

Just to share my own story and help put you at ease, I have a female Argentine boa (and Argies really ARE known for being tempermental, lol). When I first bought her at the Tinley expo in October, we took her back to our hotel room right before the auction Saturday night. Once the auction was over, we returned to our room and I wanted to transfer her from her large deli cup to the travel tub I'd brought. WELL. She rose 2/3 out of that deli cup and did a FABulous impression of a king cobra.

I mean, you name it, hissing, puffing, s-coil, gaping mouth, she had it ALL. We had a little heart to heart, I managed to get her into her tub withOUT being bit (only God knows how, lol), and we've developed a nice relationship. She is a complete lady now. She never hisses or bluffs anymore and I've no worries at all about her biting. She's actually one of my sweetest snakes and a pleasure to handle. So have faith - your little guy will be just fine, just give him time.

[nick654377]

im taking it all into consideration. the breeder said he ate last tuesday. so he says. but i also want to keep the feeding on the same day as my dums and dont know how well she will take f/t so the extra 3 days may help her take the f/t. i understand no handling till they eat twice and poop once. but in all regaurds. even beening kept in the glass tank for 2 days. he does look alot better than when i first brought her home and took some pics of him. so there will be more picutres of "el diablo" towards the end of the month.

[Evenstar]

Don't worry about the f/t. Boas have amazing feed responses and he'll put your Dums to shame, lol. I doubt you'll have any trouble feeding him. Can't wait to see more pics!

[xFenrir]

There's a reason BCI's/BCC's are called "garbage disposals".

[nick654377]

well im sure ill be glad i ordered the 18 inch feeding tongs if he is going to strike his food like he was at me today.