Rainbow Boas

I think these guys look really cool and I have been doing research and kind of want one. I hear that they are pretty nippy. I am no a very experienced herper so I dont want to be getting bit alot by a bigger one. I could care less if it is a little guy biting me. I work in a pet store and get bit by little snakes all the time. I just want to know if they calm down by the time they reach the size they can actually do some damage.

If you handle it enough when it is a baby it should calm down.

I had someone tell me to spray them with a water {a light mist} before picking up if their where being nippy. It work real good on my ball and jungle carpet. Never had to do it with any other of my snake. It's the same thing some people do for training cat an dog. When i would spray mine they mellow out after one spray then i pick up no problem. Also wearing rubber gloves when handling will help. They'll only bite you a couple times and realize they hate the taste of rubber.

I have a 1 yr old female BRB ... she is not nippy at all. I even take her to educational outreachs through my Herp Society. Now mind you, I do hold her every other day for at least an hour sometimes longer and have been doing this since I got her back in June.

How long could I expect to house one in a 20 gallon long?

I have a two BRBs. When I got them (babies) they were both very nippy. I hold them once a week for five to ten minutes. After about 6 months they were considerably less nippy, and now they are yearlings and aren't nippy at all. I can't even remember the last time one struck.