nippy hypo bci need advice

hi guys I bought a male hypo red tail boa from the hamburg reptile show ive had him for almost 2 months I let him settle in his 30x12x12 tank for about a week then I wanted to attempt to handle him I had him out for about 10min and didn't even notice he struck me so I continued to hold him hoping he doesn't think im afraid of him and yes he bite me again then I placed him back in his tank and left him for about 2 days and went out and purchased some rubber gloves to handle him with ive been using the rubber gloves with him for 2 weeks and today I decided not too use them to give it a test run I got him out and was able to handle him for about 15 minutes and this whole time he looked very agitated he was in a striking pose most of the time so I went to go put him back in his tank and as im locking the top he begins to strike at the glass any thoughts or advice would be great :) this is some other info I have him in a 30x12x12 glass tank I use heat tape to heat a lil over a 3rd of it and use a viv 200d thermostat to control it I keep it set at 96 degrees and have a acurite thermometers probe on the bottom of the glass and that is around 93 degrees which leaves the substrate on top around 88-90 I have half of the screen top covered with plexiglass and his hot side is around 90 cool side is around 81 with 56% humidity he eats eats once a week and the snake is 24 in long

What size food is he eating? I have a Nic who acts like that also and it's just something they have to grow out of. After awhile they do calm down. When I have a second I will post a video of Satan for you to check out. Five months later he still doesn't enjoy being held but he no longer strikes at the tub, or even at me when I've had him out of his tub for regular cleaning. Just make sure you are feeding him enough. That makes even my sweeter boas become cranky.

First thing I would do is get him a hide box. Do you have one in the tank or not? That should help with the stress.

You may want to bring hot temps down a bit, maybe 91. I know what you read says to run BCI's a tad hotter than ball temps. But mine both seem to prefer it cooler. Do you have pics of your set up, and the snake? What size prey are you feeding also? If prey size is correct, he should be feeding every 10 days. Neither of my boas have ever been nippy or hard to handle. They both know feed day though. You aren't trying to handle him on feed day are you? Or do you smell like rodent at all when handling?

ive been feeding him 1 rat pup every week so far he hasn't missed a meal and even after I feed him he will strike at the enclosure after I place him in it

Are you moving him to feed him? And getting bit when he's in feed mode?

he has a great cage ill post a pic in a min and thermometers probe on the bottom of the glass and that is around 93 degrees which leaves the substrate on top around 88-90

Also, when feeding a boa, you want a meal that is just big enough it won't leave a noticeable lump. But make sure its not too small either. And boas have a slower metabolism, I would recommend a 10 day feed schedule.

yes I move him to a tub before I prep his rat and once I get his rat preped I wash my hands and grab the rat with tongs then give it to him and while he is eating ill re wash my hands prior to moving him back to his tank

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by enzos

he has a great cage ill post a pic in a min and thermometers probe on the bottom of the glass and that is around 93 degrees which leaves the substrate on top around 88-90

---

They can and will, burrow. You don't want the glass any hotter than your acceptable temp.

Feed in the tank from now on. Hook train him so that he knows when you go to get him, its not feeding time. This will require lots of handling so he knows the difference. This is a baby boa right?

http://i39.tinypic.com/2zdsrqe.jpg

yeah he is still a baby

This is Satan my T+ Nic. Nics are notorious for having poor attitudes and he is not an exception. I have had him since December, and this video was taken at the end of February. As you can see he is not friendly and I was hesitant to put my hand in there. This is just pulling him off the rack and placing him on the ground. Before I started filming he had already stuck and his mouth was a bit screwy because of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLH0u...ature=youtu.be

However hook training him, which I have been doing since day one he has gotten much better. He still eats a rat pup, but I have him on a 7 day schedule. This picture was taken April 22, and while he looks far from relaxed he has improved ten fold. He no longer strikes at the tub or at me. With age I expect him to calm down even more.

I did not do anything extra besides make sure I was handling him as I would any other snake. I try to get 5 min a day per snake, minus the day they eat and the day after. I do not push him for more time and I don't expect any drastic change over night. Just takes a lot of patience.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.n...58795171_n.jpg

http://i42.tinypic.com/2zs44fa.jpg

The setup looks good. Anyway to make that pic of him larger? If it is a Nic by chance this will explain the behavior. They are very nippy as youngsters.

I cant seem to figure out how to make this image bigger ><

http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/6366/sean3.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by enzos

http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/6366/sean3.jpg

---

Definitely doesn't appear to be a Nic. He looks nice though.

I would feed in the tank. Hook train. Keep handling frequently. If he's going to bite, better that its now and not 4 years from now when he's BIG.

Not sure where your tank is located but if there is a high amount of traffic passing it, he could get stressed.

alright atm I handle him every day even after he strikes or bites and ima start to use the hook and I have all my snakes located in a room just for them cus I use a heater to heat the whole room to around 80 so only person they really see is me lol