Angry hoggie

Today is feeding day. Even though my Hog is in shed, he still eats. So I feed him and then proceed to feed everyone else. A few minutes later I hear what sounds like running water. I turn around and see him in his enclosure, open mouthed hissing at me non stop. He did this until I left the room. I have never seen him so agitated. Normally I feed him last and leave the room because any motion makes him strike the plastic. Outside of feeding time he is the sweetest snake. He once strike at me with a rat halfway in his mouth when I used to have him on Aspen and I tried to remove some from the rat while he was eating. Good stuff!

Yeah you know hog islands are a high-strung bunch. I have to feed mine last and then cover the front of her cage and leave the room before she'll eat.. also any movement outside the cage she will strike at.

I wonder why that is. The big girl could care less who is watching. The Hog just wants everyone gone and complete quiet.

I think they are just more nervous by nature. Colombian boas are much more calm..

Well, its back to feeding last. I am almost considering putting him in the rack system instead of in a standalone rubbermaid. Might give him a little more privacy.

Yeah mine's doing real well in her 421D boaphile. She hated being in a rubbermaid or tank.

My guy is still in a 36" long rubbermaid. He seems to have more than enough room but I have considered getting him an AP or Boaphile and giving him some climbing space (since that is all he wants to do when he is out).

Mine would never relax when in a tank or rubbermaid.. but she's pretty sedentary now in her boaphile.. unless she's hungry, then watch out!

Do you give her anything to climb on? Mine is pretty calm all week in the rubbermaid until Sunday!

my girl is the same way. i throw the mouse in there, wait til she grabs it, cover the rubbermaid and run out of the room. the only time i stayed in the room and attempted to watch she hissed like crazy with a mouse halfway down her throat.

Nope nothing to climb on.. she's a fatty, so anything I put in there she'd probably knock over or break. At 6' she's beyond the young boa 'gotta climb everything' stage.

My guy is getting bigger by the week. I suspect being an 03 he is prob done growing but he would eat every day if i let him. He has NEVER refused a meal.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hornsrule

my girl is the same way. i throw the mouse in there, wait til she grabs it, cover the rubbermaid and run out of the room. the only time i stayed in the room and attempted to watch she hissed like crazy with a mouse halfway down her throat.

---

Chris, it seems we are held hostage by our Hoggies. Do what they say, do what they say!

Yeah.. there's a reason mine's name is Diva! She rules the snake room.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Shelby

Yeah.. there's a reason mine's name is Diva! She rules the snake room.

---

Awesome! Mine is Handsome Rob but I think Angry Rob is more appropriate. I just checked on him and he is back to his normal self.

They are great with the mood swing thing.. fire and brimstone one minute, and lazy blob snake the next.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Shelby

They are great with the mood swing thing.. fire and brimstone one minute, and lazy blob snake the next.

---

haha..No doubt!

Not to compare Dum's to Hog's but my dum has never hissed at me at all.And I alway's watch her eat .

Most of my BPs could care less if I watch them eat. I have a couple males though that have become timid eaters in the last year. I throw the rat in and turn off the lights and leave.

My BP will let me watch him hunt, kill, and eat his rat.

My female dum hisses, but that's because I have to give her shots for her RI and she doesn't like me.

My male dum doesn't let me watch him eat.

Are you saying they'll strike and or hiss right when they are constricting?

My Hog will hiss and strike at absolutely any movement when he is in feeding mode. That includes striking at me with a mouth full of rat.

Well my hog island will drop her rat and go for me if I distract her after she's constricted the rat.

I guess when I get more boid's over time I'll have to react to each one's character or difference's.

That's what makes all different snakes so cool. All the different personalities and quirks.

Yep.. even among the same species they are different.

on the mood swing note when i take her out of her tub she is perfectly fine no aggression anything but when i go and put her back in, as soon as she is totally on the substrate she gets in a defensive position and starts acting tough. at that point i just have to say where was this attitude for the last 15 minutes. i can't imagine how much trouble she is goin to cause when she is out and the size of april's.

When my guy is out, he is in charge. Goes where he wants. He particularly loves to wrap himself around every wire in his path.

the main thing i think she will be cause trouble with is getting back in the cage. she is little and i have trouble getting her back in. i have to really try and pretty much trick her to get her off my hands. so different from my ball, he just makes his way to a hide when he realizes where he is. not her tries to climb back out up my arm and wont let go.

Haha..Sounds about right! Same thing here...

Mine is fine to get back in the cage.. she's not bad at all.. but my big BCC surinam is a real pain.

Your hog island will probably be better about going in the cage as she gets older.

hope so because if she doesnt get better it could take hours to get her back in otherwise. she gets quite determined that she is not goin back in.

so how do you get them back into their enclosure?

Its really not that bad. They have strong feeding responses and a strong will to stay out when they are out but they are hardly unmanageable. :)

i was being kinda sarcastic, mine is still real small ( check out the pics in my gallery ). she does try really hard and wrap every part of her body around my hands that she can get around until i trick her and get her back in.

giggling... sorry guys... i'm just trying to make a good decision... an informed one. i don't like to buy pets spontaneously... instead i try to really investigate them and if they are wrong for me, then i don't get them... better than rehoming later on.

:D thanks for your help... cause you are all being SOOOOOOO helpful!

No need to be sorry! Any exposure for these awesome Boas is ok with me!

they really are great and like jamie said that feeding response is insane.

Here are a couple of pics (sorry for the poor quality, but i didnt want to hassle him) of Rob and his feeding mode anger.

http://www.glassreptiles.com/picture.../angryrob1.jpg
http://www.glassreptiles.com/picture.../angryrob2.jpg

Rob is a little turd, isn't he? He's a bit more assertive than Diva is.. though you don't want to get your hand anywhere near her during feeding time.

There's a reason that those pics were taken through the plastic. If I had opened it, he would have lunged at my throat. I had him out for a little while today. He is too sweet...He is getting close to shed and has those weird orange dots..so funny..

nothing like scaring me the night before i go to buy my new boy...

:P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by recycling goddess

nothing like scaring me the night before i go to buy my new boy...

:P

---

No reason to be scared...Just leave them alone during feeding :)