I Am Scared Of My Boa

Hey guys, so I have this male RTB that I have had for pretty much his whole life. He is currently 2 years and some odd months old and about 4.5 feet. And boy he has an attitude. When out of his enclosure, he is very squirmy, and darts around randomly it seems like, which makes him hard to handle because of his hide, and almost every time I try to control his movements, he tries to bite me, or at least hisses/puffs at me. I try to handle him as much as I can, but he doesn't seem to be mellowing out. My other RTB is a complete sweetheart, and I wish I didn't dread handling my other one. Any tips, stories, etc? Also he is in an AP 3 tier rack, with a 92 degree hotspot, ~80 degree ambient, and 60%ish humidity.

How are you reacting to the bites? If you're putting him up right after a tag, he's training you. Always try returning him to his enclosure at a positive point in your interactions. Even if it's just a minute after the last tag, that's 1 minute of how you want him to act. Then you can go for 2 minutes, 3 minutes, etc. The same goes for the squirminess. Try to wait until he's a bit calmer before returning him home, for an increasing duration each session.

That's my preferred method anyway. Some folks go for the forced, basically dominating, long duration handling sessions but I'd rather build trust over time.

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Originally Posted by John1982

How are you reacting to the bites? If you're putting him up right after a tag, he's training you. Always try returning him to his enclosure at a positive point in your interactions. Even if it's just a minute after the last tag, that's 1 minute of how you want him to act. Then you can go for 2 minutes, 3 minutes, etc. The same goes for the squirminess. Try to wait until he's a bit calmer before returning him home, for an increasing duration each session.

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Originally Posted by John1982

That's my preferred method anyway. Some folks go for the forced, basically dominating, long duration handling sessions but I'd rather build trust over time.

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I try to never put him back right after he tags me. And okay ill try doing that, i don't want to be forceful either. Thanks for the advice!

You also get the occasional snake that simply refuses to relax no matter how much time and effort you put into them. Best bet with these is to just set them up as a nice display animal and reduce handling to the bare minimum - then everyone is happy.

I agree with John regarding certain snake's individual attitudes. It is definitely disheartening, but sometimes no matter how hard you try there are some reptiles that just are completely intractable.

However, that doesn't mean that you still shouldn't try to develop some sort of trust between you two, and maybe things will calm down in the future. I have had snakes that have never even struck at me, and some that were unbelievably aggressive.

I recommend getting some type of work gloves to wear when ha fling the snake. Reduces your flinching when struck at, and has seemed to work for me in the past.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you have breeding age males in with females, there is always the chance that the male is getting hormonally revved up when in proximity to females. I've noticed that my males get extra ornery this time of year. We usually see that respond in burms and retics, but it's just as plausible for boas.

Setup sounds good. Is the boa bcc or bci? What do you keep your humidity at and how often do you feed? I agree with the above stated of not letting the snake train you but instead continually building trust. Good for you for taking it to the forum instead of writing him off as "aggressive" =)

My biggest bci is also the one I trust the least. I spent years trying to get her to accept handling, but she is unpredictable, cage and food aggressive. We have moments where she tolerates handling well, but those are few and far between.

You might have more luck with yours, but my Pandora gets bare minimum human contact, just for health checks and routine maintenance. I have plenty of animals that handle well, so it's okay that I have a few display animals.

My girl is now just over 6 feet, about 12 lbs, and is a very beautiful snake to stare at.

This was her in the holding bin a few months ago.....so pretty, but every animal is unique, you know?


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Originally Posted by JoshSloane

I agree with John regarding certain snake's individual attitudes. It is definitely disheartening, but sometimes no matter how hard you try there are some reptiles that just are completely intractable.

However, that doesn't mean that you still shouldn't try to develop some sort of trust between you two, and maybe things will calm down in the future. I have had snakes that have never even struck at me, and some that were unbelievably aggressive.

I recommend getting some type of work gloves to wear when ha fling the snake. Reduces your flinching when struck at, and has seemed to work for me in the past.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you have breeding age males in with females, there is always the chance that the male is getting hormonally revved up when in proximity to females. I've noticed that my males get extra ornery this time of year. We usually see that respond in burms and retics, but it's just as plausible for boas.

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thats a good idea i might get some gloves, and the mating thing sounds possible too, he is right above my female

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Originally Posted by Herpenthusiast3

Setup sounds good. Is the boa bcc or bci? What do you keep your humidity at and how often do you feed? I agree with the above stated of not letting the snake train you but instead continually building trust. Good for you for taking it to the forum instead of writing him off as "aggressive" =)

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He is BCI i try to keep humidity around 60% and i feed every 2 weeks

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Originally Posted by Marissa@MKmorphs

My biggest bci is also the one I trust the least. I spent years trying to get her to accept handling, but she is unpredictable, cage and food aggressive. We have moments where she tolerates handling well, but those are few and far between.

You might have more luck with yours, but my Pandora gets bare minimum human contact, just for health checks and routine maintenance. I have plenty of animals that handle well, so it's okay that I have a few display animals.

My girl is now just over 6 feet, about 12 lbs, and is a very beautiful snake to stare at.

This was her in the holding bin a few months ago.....so pretty, but every animal is unique, you know?


http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11...1981b69c57.jpg

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

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Gorgeous animal!

Is your other boa a female? And has this boa had this disposition its whole life?

One thing to consider might be to bump up your feeding schedule to weekly. You can cut down on the size of the feeders so that you don't end up over-feeding. I have always fed every boa I have weekly, no matter the age or size. I find that animals with full stomachs tend to be on the less aggressive side.

Evolution primed these animals to coordinate aggression with hunger. There is nothing wrong with feeding smaller items more frequently. I personally feel that it is less taxing on the animal, makes for steadier healthy growth, and also keeps the snake satiated and full.

Im sure its not this but its worth a shot, check for mites. I got a big female boa from a local breeder who had an attitude. about a week after I got him I noticed he had LOTS of mites, I dont Know how I didnt notice but oh well. I treated her and she is a sweat heart now. Its worth a try to check, maybe your boa is just irritated from mites.

Is this the same male that bit you last year and you've had problems with for a while? If so I don't think the proximity to your female is the problem, I think this is just how he is. I have some adult female ball pythons that are the same way, they are just super defensive, and I keep them well away from my face or I risk getting an unwanted nose piercing.

So... what to do about it? You can continue to try to tame him down, and if he's flighty when being handled then he may not only be scared of you, but also he may be worried initially about falling. Then, because he's a decent-sized snake, when he gets squirrelly and you have to take hold to prevent a fall, your grip is probably firm enough that he feels trapped, so he strikes out.

Assuming you have the space available, try sitting on the floor, put him on your lap, and guide his movements instead of holding and controlling him. When you pick him up, slip a hook under him or even let him crawl over it on his own, and then slide a hand under and lift him off the floor rather than grabbing him from above, so he avoids that trapped feeling and doesn't panic.

Finally, he's a common male BCI. If you give it your best efforts, this guy isn't coming around for you, he's a pet, and you just aren't enjoying him as a pet, there's nothing wrong keeping him as a display animal and handling him minimally for the rest of his life, or with finding a new home for him if you prefer to get a more tolerant snake.

Yep, give it your best shot. In the end he might never come around. It sucks, but sometimes you just get a lemon.

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Originally Posted by JoshSloane

One thing to consider might be to bump up your feeding schedule to weekly. You can cut down on the size of the feeders so that you don't end up over-feeding. I have always fed every boa I have weekly, no matter the age or size. I find that animals with full stomachs tend to be on the less aggressive side.

Evolution primed these animals to coordinate aggression with hunger. There is nothing wrong with feeding smaller items more frequently. I personally feel that it is less taxing on the animal, makes for steadier healthy growth, and also keeps the snake satiated and full.

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This is a good idea, I will try this starting next feed period

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Originally Posted by Cbean

Im sure its not this but its worth a shot, check for mites. I got a big female boa from a local breeder who had an attitude. about a week after I got him I noticed he had LOTS of mites, I dont Know how I didnt notice but oh well. I treated her and she is a sweat heart now. Its worth a try to check, maybe your boa is just irritated from mites.

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I know what you mean, but it is not mites

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Is this the same male that bit you last year and you've had problems with for a while? If so I don't think the proximity to your female is the problem, I think this is just how he is. I have some adult female ball pythons that are the same way, they are just super defensive, and I keep them well away from my face or I risk getting an unwanted nose piercing.

So... what to do about it? You can continue to try to tame him down, and if he's flighty when being handled then he may not only be scared of you, but also he may be worried initially about falling. Then, because he's a decent-sized snake, when he gets squirrelly and you have to take hold to prevent a fall, your grip is probably firm enough that he feels trapped, so he strikes out.

Assuming you have the space available, try sitting on the floor, put him on your lap, and guide his movements instead of holding and controlling him. When you pick him up, slip a hook under him or even let him crawl over it on his own, and then slide a hand under and lift him off the floor rather than grabbing him from above, so he avoids that trapped feeling and doesn't panic.

Finally, he's a common male BCI. If you give it your best efforts, this guy isn't coming around for you, he's a pet, and you just aren't enjoying him as a pet, there's nothing wrong keeping him as a display animal and handling him minimally for the rest of his life, or with finding a new home for him if you prefer to get a more tolerant snake.

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Yes it is the same animal, and thanks for the advice, next time I handle I will do so on the floor

I don't agree with changing the feeding period, a boa over a year old shouldn't be eating weekly. I'd continue biweekly until it gets older (like 3 years plus) and then continuing to space feeding out. It's best for snakes to have periods where they aren't digesting food, which is why properly spacing feeding is important.

The issue could be in the way the snake is being handled, or it could the smells of females as another user mentioned, or it could even be something else.


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