Nippy Baby Rainbow Boa

Hey everyone! So I'm new at snake care and got a Brazilian rainbow boa at my local herp show more than a week ago and I'm having problems picking him up. When I got him at the breeder he was easy to pick up and after I got him home I left him alone for a week so he wouldn't be stressed. The weird thing is, he doesn't mind being held. When you do get a hold of him he relaxes then starts slithering on your hand in a slow, relaxed way. So the real question is can I get him out of his tank without being bitten and have him still learn to trust people or am I just going to have to get bitten a lot before he realizes that I mean him no harm? I really don't want an adult snake that will bite whenever I put my hand in the tank since that would be a lot more painful than it is now!

i just got a baby boa and am going the whole "tap a hook on the top of her head" route. i just put something in front of her face, right now its a little plastic blue shovel, while picking her up as she is a little hissy when i put my hand in and like your BRB, is fine as soon as she's out of her tub. it seems a lot of ppl have their boas do this and they tend to grow out of it but yes you'll probably get tagged a lot, and even though i havent been yet i just know the day is coming.

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Originally Posted by pbjtime8908

i just got a baby boa and am going the whole "tap a hook on the top of her head" route. i just put something in front of her face, right now its a little plastic blue shovel, while picking her up as she is a little hissy when i put my hand in and like your BRB, is fine as soon as she's out of her tub. it seems a lot of ppl have their boas do this and they tend to grow out of it but yes you'll probably get tagged a lot, and even though i havent been yet i just know the day is coming.

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Don't worry, being bit doesn't hurt. It's more of a surprise than anything. I'm just worried I'm going to drop him when I get bit and have him get really hurt.

This is a common issue with different types of snakes. Once they are in your hands they calm down. You haven't had him that long so give him time to get settled. When you do go to pick him up do it confidentially. I swear they can sense hesitation and it makes them more likely to strike.

BRB are notorious for being nippy as babies and MOST calm down with age.
What you could you could try is as soon as you open the cage just pick him up, no hesitation, no fear, just go for it. He may tag your palm but it wont be bad at all. or you could cover him with a paper towel then pick him up onto your hand.
good luck

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Originally Posted by Andrew00

When you do go to pick him up do it confidentially. I swear they can sense hesitation and it makes them more likely to strike.

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Took me a bit to figure this out but I agree 100%.

Thank you all for the advice!

Brazilian Rainbow Boas can be nippy as babies, but grow out of it fairly quickly with handling. I prefer to pick up snakes by sliding my hand under its body on the side away from their head in a steady motion. Here is a video showing How To Pick Up A Snake.

If the snake bites you while picking him up, try to continue to hold him until he calms down. This will teach your snake that biting the big bad hand won't make it go away, and he'll learn that handling is a positive experience. I wouldn't worry too much. Most Brazilian Rainbow Boas calm down in time.

I agree. Confidence when picking up your snake is a big part of it. If you're nervous about getting nipped though, and would like to avoid the experience for a bit longer, I suggest picking up a small snake hook from your local petstore. They are around 10 dollars and wonderful little tools for a nippy snake. Obviously this won't work once they get bigger, so confidence when handling is key. But a snake hook is always an option. Just make sure its end is blunt and not sharp, so as to pick them up without harming them. And never pull them off of a climbing branch, or poke at them with it. Just loop it through a coil and up they go!

Good luck! :)