How to Tame a Boa

im just frustrated cause at the show and the first week he was SOOOOO nice and the last 2 weeks hes been an :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r:

i know some locals of boas seem to have more of an attitude then others just dont give up and youll have a great snake in no time

sorry for the double post my browser gliched up a lil bit

so we did the handle with gloves by his cage and he was fine..held him for 5 mins. put him back in his cage and well...ive never seen a more pissed off snake..he struck the glass at any movement. i mean like 15 times and i finally just through a towl over the cage to make it dark so he can calm down....im just frustrated cause first week he was fine. 2nd week he was fine. then 2 weekends ago i had 8 friends come and stay with me and the first day they were here i got him out and he was fine. he was nice to me and 2 of my friends held him and it was ok. then the 3rd day they were here i took him out again cause they wanted to say goodbye to Old Gregg and i got him out and he was latched around me so hard..and was in strike position and watching my friend Tyler every movement he made my snake watched him never struck but was ready and since then he has been pissed off and mad...i did catch some of my friends tapping on the glass at him when i was out of the room. do you think this could of caused some of his aggression? i mean he was MAD i've never even seen videos of a snake this mad

Alot of the snakes are calm at the shows because the temps are usually lower there. Once you bring them home and warm them up you will sometimes see an entirely different attitude. I always try to put my hand on their head a few times if they want to strike. Go from above so its harder for them to tag you :P I have also heard tossing a rag over their head helps. Can anyone else confirm that?

well i took the towel off..after his settle down time (and as soon i took it off he went back into strike mode!!!) but i noticed something and well hes shedding. he has it off his head now.

wait till he sheds feed him then start handling him 48 hours after feeding and yea i think your friends had alot to do with his anger. whenever anyone is over i tell them specifically not to tap on anything in glass cages. or there will be severe coinsquenses

Sounds like he was stress out to me. Many things can cause this. Starting to shed may be one of them.

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Originally Posted by eddyhead

i did catch some of my friends tapping on the glass at him when i was out of the room. do you think this could of caused some of his aggression?

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Yes, this could have definately stressed him out, on top of the shedding. Make sure you humidity is good, and wait until after he sheds to handle him.

You've had this snake for about three weeks - right?

If this is incorrect, then disregard what follows:

First, there is no such thing as taming a snake. You can acclimate a snake to your presence, to his surroundings, etc. but any things outside of the routine, or outside of what he has been acclimated to will result in defensive or stressed behavior.

Your boa is not striking because he's mean - he's striking because he is stressed. Bringing him home, putting him in a new enclosure, rearranging his environment and going through a shed are all individual stressors. Leave him alone for a while. Change his water if necessary, spot clean when applicable, but maintain routine. For the most part, stay away from his cage.

After you give him some time to acclimate and he begins to show signs of settling down, start out with short handling sessions. If you are afraid of being bitten and show nervousness or hesitation, use a hook or a glove to remove him from his enclosure. Start out with brief handling sessions, letting him move freely through your hands. Don't plop him on a couch, the floor, show him off to your friends, walk around with him, etc.

I picked up a cribo from Delta Dash last summer, after I got the snake home, I held it for about 30 minutes examining it and marveling at how well-behaved and calm it was.

That was the last peace I had with that animal for 5 weeks. It's very common to handle an animal with no issues at a show, a pet shop or a breeder with no issues and then have that same apparently calm snake do a 180 on you when you bring him home.