Not understandin....???

[Ballpython2]

I’m very confused, do BCIs have mood swings? Just last night before I went out between 7pm and 8:24pm I went in my snake lair (AKA a closet with snakes in it lol) and I was at first just checking up on the snakes and misting the ones in shed mode.

Of course K.S.A. wants to act like I JUST took him out the bag. He was inside his enclosure making a lot of hissing noises, puffing his body up to make him self look bigger and striking at the side of the enclosure when he thought I’d be too close.

So what I did was left him alone for 10 minutes to see if he would calm down. So I came back and he still being Mr. Tough guy…left for 10 more minutes and came back again he was still on that imaginary Popeye spinach lol.

So after the second time I just left him alone clearly he didn’t want to be bothered. So I’m really hoping in my mind that, he doesn’t keep this habit up once he reaches three or four feet because those teeth may end up being as long as my pinky finger and I don’t need any at home surgeries done by Doctor K.S.A. lol…

Did I do something wrong? Like should I have tried to hold him at the time he was striking at me to show him that, that isn’t going to get me to go away and he should just calm down?

Or did I do the right thing by leaving him alone this time?

So what I did now is I took him out of his enclosure to hold him for a few minutes and before I took him out I put on my gloves and a long sleeve shirt just in case he ended up biting me. Oddly enough, he was acting as if last night never happened. He didn’t hiss, strike or even puff up his body.

So I beg to ask again….Do BCIs have mood swings or do they just not mind being held at certain times of the day? Since he was being good I took some pictures of him.

Oh yea, I forgot to mention at certain times of me holding him today he would try to hide his head but then a few seconds later he would explore and try to go up my arm. However, since I don’t feel too safe with him (yet) I kept him at a distance and away from my face.

This whole biting phase, is it the nippy stage of BCIs? Or do they not have one?


http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/inde...ageID=35594451

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/inde...ageID=35594455

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/inde...ageID=35594446

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/inde...ageID=35594442

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/inde...ageID=35594439

[JimiSnakes]

He never acted like that here bro. Give him some better hides and just leave him alone for a few days. His teeth will never get as big as your pinky finger, lol. I've been bit by 8 foot females and no surgery was needed. He'll settle in, just give him some quiet dark time for a few days.

[starmom]

Lol...

When boas hiss and act all scary....freaks me out!!!!! Seriously. Something about that hissing sound- like a rattlesnake rattle sound- just stops me cold in my tracks!!

Jimi's snakes are the most mellow on this planet and so I'm thinking something else must be going on. Question: Do you have this guy in QT? Just wondering cause it is always a really good idea to QT all new snakes and to not keep a QT'd boa with any pythons.

Do you have this fella in a tank? Perhaps covering the sides and back of the tank with dark paper will add to the snake's sense of security.

Are you certain that the temps are bang on and all husbandry is amazingly correct?

I gotta share that my boa from Jimi never even uses a hide~ she just hangs on branches and cork wood and wonders when her next meal will be!! She is uber calm and steady and really very cool. My boas all live in my living room and so can check us all out at their desire. Ya know, they are more curious (much more curious) than ball pythons.... do you think it might be best to take your boa out of your lair and have him in a more accessible (to other life forms) place?

Methinks some variable other than the snake is going on.............

[MeMe]

The only time my rtb ever hisses at me is when he's in shed and he doesn't want anybody...in his space. But he has never struck at me.

I dunno but I am with McKinsey...when Prince hisses I know he isn't playin' ...I move quick,fast, and in a hurry!

[Ballpython2]

Ok i'll explain the closet for yalll..

When you walk in the closet on the left on the rug is a humidifier that is always going so the room stays very humid. I have a window in there but i never use it cause it would defeat the point of having it humid in there.

on the bottom is a tank that I had a kingsnake in but I had to take him out because since he was surrounded by snakes I could never get him to completely turn off his feeding response and he'd be very aggressive even after being fed.

So now there is an empty tank on the floor. on top of that empty tank is Salmon's enclosure (the female that came with the male i got from jimi). in her enclosure is a water dish and a pot turned up side down with a hole in the bottom and inside it is moss i keept moist for her shedding.

On top of her enclosure is K.S.A.'s enclosure (a picture to come soon) and he has the same thing in hers that she has. This being an upside down pot with moist moss and a water dish.

Both have newspaper substrate to keep it easy. I do know have tempeture meters in either of their tubs. However I will be buying some today or tomorrow and I know I should get the flukers digital ones because they work the best. And I also know these thermometers have to be placed near the floor of the tank because thats where we need the tempeture to be correct at, right?

Behind their tanks on the floor is my Brazilian rainbow boa's tub. in there I use cypress mulch only because brazilian rainbows need more humidity than BCIs. on the other side of the the closet is my ball python in its 55 gallon tank with under tank heater and two hides.

Under that tank is my other Boa constrictor which has two hides and a big water dish.

The reason I only have one hide in there with K.S.A. (the sometimes nippy male) is because since I have gotten him, and he has been in this enclosure he NEVER uses a hide at all..

But I don't have an issue with providing more hides for each of them.

So on my list to buy asap is going to be two heat mats and two thermo meters.

By the way they are both in 66QT tubs.

I was told tubs are better for snakes because they hold in
in humidity bettter.

I'm going to add some pictures to this before I send it out

I just realized QT stands for quarenteed not quart lol (). but they arent quarenteed at all but the ball python i have had for close to, two months eating healthy no disease,illnesses etc.

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/inde...ageID=35607083

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/inde...ageID=35607095

[starmom]

So, they don't have heat? Is this why you need to purchase UTH's and thermometer/hygrometer units?

I like the 12 dollar Acurite digital thermo/hygrometer units. Cheap and accurate enough to tell me at a glance what is going on. I have a digital temp gun that I use for all tubs and cages~ especially important for tub use.

As for quarantine procedures (QT) and why they ought to be implemented, I suggest that you do a search for all of the threads. It is really very important for the health of the snakes. QT typically lasts for a period of three months, though I keep my boas and balls separated for six months given that IBD can be asymptomatic in boas for that long but can pass to pythons and be fatal within a period of two weeks. QT is really uber important.

Perhaps putting into the tub an area of aspen for the male to 'snuggle' into. Some who don't use hides seem to like to burrow.

Each of my three boas have an RBI 3x2x1 reptile cage, heated by RHP's and they also hold humidity very well. Two of my boas really enjoy climbing (one of them is the one I got from Jimi) and so I have climbing stuff in there for them. Going to different heights also affords greater thermoregulation opportunities!!

I keep my bci's at about 90F for their 'basking' spot and then the rest of the cage varies in temps lower than 90F. Ambient temps are always around 78-80F. I keep their humidity at around 60% all of the time. And, of course, I monitor temps and humidity with the in cage Acurite and with the temp gun.

I really hope this might help you and I really urge you to find the threads that deal with QT procedures. I think there might be a sticky on QT procedures in the ball python section- maybe under husbandry....

Take care.

[Ballpython2]

So, they don't have heat? Is this why you need to purchase UTH's and thermometer/hygrometer units?

I like the 12 dollar Acurite digital thermo/hygrometer units. Cheap and accurate enough to tell me at a glance what is going on. I have a digital temp gun that I use for all tubs and cages~ especially important for tub use.

As for quarantine procedures (QT) and why they ought to be implemented, I suggest that you do a search for all of the threads. It is really very important for the health of the snakes. QT typically lasts for a period of three months, though I keep my boas and balls separated for six months given that IBD can be asymptomatic in boas for that long but can pass to pythons and be fatal within a period of two weeks. QT is really uber important.

Perhaps putting into the tub an area of aspen for the male to 'snuggle' into. Some who don't use hides seem to like to burrow.

Each of my three boas have an RBI 3x2x1 reptile cage, heated by RHP's and they also hold humidity very well. Two of my boas really enjoy climbing (one of them is the one I got from Jimi) and so I have climbing stuff in there for them. Going to different heights also affords greater thermoregulation opportunities!!

I keep my bci's at about 90F for their 'basking' spot and then the rest of the cage varies in temps lower than 90F. Ambient temps are always around 78-80F. I keep their humidity at around 60% all of the time. And, of course, I monitor temps and humidity with the in cage Acurite and with the temp gun.

I really hope this might help you and I really urge you to find the threads that deal with QT procedures. I think there might be a sticky on QT procedures in the ball python section- maybe under husbandry....

Take care.

Thanks very much will do.

[sweety314]

Leave him for a week. Being a baby is one reason for the hissy-ness, being newly shipped and jostled, new smells and unfamiliar surroundings is another reason for the hiss-and-spit.

Give him a week to settle into his new home. Then for QT purposes, be sure to feed and handle him last.

If the heat and humidity and hides are all good (my baby boas used hides for about 12-18 months) and dead-on, then he should calm down enough to start handling < after he's eating reliably, of course >.

Wrigley was VERY hissy as a baby, Petey wasn't, and Apollo and Pinky were so-so inbetween. Just depends on the baby.

[frankykeno]

Skipping quarantine is a dangerous habit to be getting into this early in your snakekeeping experience. Even though you bought from a highly regarded person, I think Jimi would be the first to tell you that quarantine is just a smart thing to do no matter where you got your snake.

Sounds like you have some areas of concern with how you heat, control the heat and monitor the heat for this snake. Those need addressed quickly so the snake can be housed in the proper way it should be.

As far as "moods"......snakes, while not being able to do higher math, are quite able to take issue with something in their environment - sometimes that something is you. Sometimes it's about them being hungry, or their temps are off, or they are in shed, or interested in breeding and not in being hauled out by a human or stressed or heck, they just felt like it at that moment in time. In other words, snakes are snakes - they sometimes hiss, they sometimes strike, they sometimes are just laid back sweethearts.

Your job is simple really. Provide a proper environment for that specific snake appropriate to its species and size/age. Provide healthy food on a regular basis. Clean its home as needed. Handle in a manner that respects the snake. Pretty simple really.

If the snake is acting out of character, look to your husbandry first. If that's bang on then it's likely something else triggering the snake's need to strike. Eventually experience with that snake will tell you the most likely reason it's acting this way and whether to worry about it or not.

[littleindiangirl]

Curious about this as well....


You have a humdifier to keep the room very humid

You have a humid hide in the enclosures as the only hide

You mist daily


How wet do you have their enclosures?? Boas really only need 60% humidity. Keeping it too wet can have results like an RI, increased bacteria, mold and mildew, not to mention a pissy boa.