Do Red-Tail Boa's stay sweet and gentle as they do when they or 3 months old?

I have a red-tail male boa that i got when he was 3 months old and
I have had him now for 2 months and he seems to love to hang out with me
and never wants to be put up and wants to be held alot. He is so sweet and loving in his on little ways. So I want to take a poll on this to see if everyone else that has one are they like this all the time.

I've actually heard they tend to calm down with age... I have an 8 month old baby that is nippy and defensive, so I'm hoping it turns out to be true.

From what ive seen They only get better with age and handling.....

Most larger snakes do.....smaller colubrid snakes can still be kinda nippy even as adults....boas are super mellow usually.

I have experience that they do sometimes calm down as they get older. But it doesn't happen all the time, just keep handling the boa and it should be fine.
With my year and 4 month old hypo he is still really aggressive and i try to pick him up when i can.

I guess small snakes are like little dogs. Yippy and mean. Same how big boas are mellow like great danes. :D

Well with our limited experience with the 3 boa's I'd say they stay pretty mellow as far as temperment. However, that has to be balanced with the knowledge that a big snake is a big snake and good natured or not you have to respect that every minute you are handling/feeding/cage cleaning. Boa's also have amazing feeding strikes both in range and pure power so it's not something to play around with especially with a big female.

I think it's like any snake really, you learn to read the snake, you make sure you are a smart handler using smart precautions and always...respect the snake for what it is and what it isn't. :)

BCI are pretty mellow snakes, really. The babies can be a little nippy and defensive---but I think I might try to bite if a giant creature swooped down out of the sky and grabbed ahold of me!

It's odd to think about, but even snakes have personalities. Some are so sweet... and some have a major 'tude. You could get a nippy baby who is just scared, and chills as he gets older. Or, you might have a nippy baby who simply likes to nip, and continues being nippy for his entire life.

Another thing to remember---and Jo said it well---though we've taken them out of the wild, these snakes still have the instincts of a wild animal. If something takes them off guard or scares them or irritates them, they won't hesitate to defend themselves and/or tell you to BACK OFF! Always show the respect due to a hunter that was perfected millions of years ago.

I am a huge, mean, killer snake...move!...I can't see the game!...now I missed a goal! HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...I/GameisOn.jpg

Yes I'm very....hmmmm this is a lovely blankie...errrr...VERY mean big snake...ohhh nice pillow too!....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...tforumsize.jpg

Just had to share these pics of the big boa for fun. She was and remains a wonderfully good natured snake but she's now around the 8 foot mark so Becky tells me. 8 feet of big bodied, strong as a bull snake is nothing to mess with when she's not in the mood to be messed with. Lovely as boa's can be, never forget for a moment that you have to respect that many feet of raw muscle power.

P.S. I didn't set up that blankie pic. I had been laying down resting while my husband had the big snake out. I got up to get a drink and I guess she figured she'd grab my nice warm spot on the couch! LOL All I did was put the blanket over her, joking to Mike that I'd "tucked her in", pretty much expecting her to slither off immediately. The crazy big girl just lay there, totally relaxed, occasionally flicking her tongue for the better part of an hour. At that point I basically dragged her big, lazy butt off my darn spot on the couch!

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Well with our limited experience with the 3 boa's I'd say they stay pretty mellow as far as temperment. However, that has to be balanced with the knowledge that a big snake is a big snake and good natured or not you have to respect that every minute you are handling/feeding/cage cleaning. Boa's also have amazing feeding strikes both in range and pure power so it's not something to play around with especially with a big female.

I think it's like any snake really, you learn to read the snake, you make sure you are a smart handler using smart precautions and always...respect the snake for what it is and what it isn't. :)

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Great post, Jo! You hit the nail right on the head.

I love that picture of "Rauri" (I can't remember her girly name! doh!)...=D

There are, of course, variances even within boas (athough mine is a slightly different species to the standard "colombian" or "red tail"):

My BCC girly is 2 yrs old, @5.5' and couple 3-4lbs and CLINGY! We handle her regularly. She has never tried to strike either of us...she even takes a while to strike at prey (but oh boy when she does...*CRUNCH!*).

She'll relax eventually when she's out, but Carmen will probably (unfortunately) be a clingy snake (clingy = strong, death constrict grip), which will not be good when she's 9-10' long. =P

I think the one that i have is probably 2 months old. He's a sweetheart, loves to be handled, always curious when outside the cage, never wants to go back in. Much more mellower than how my BP was when i got it young.

I always see at zoos kids holding large RTB's and what not, seems to be the snake that even though large, still safe enough for the people/kids to handle.

I do realize all snakes do have different personalities, would alot of you say that plenty of handling is a big part in keeping the snake calm, and laid back?

I think perhaps it's more about the habits of handling than the amount of time. Snakes may not do higher math but they seem to recognize, in a simple way, routines. When those routines present them with no danger, no reason to feel defensive, and are repeated over and over, then it becomes a part of their existance and nothing much to fuss about. When we first got into snakes we were advised to create routines that worked for the snakes and for our family when it came to safety with the bigger snake, feeding routines, handling, cage maintainence, whatever. We still follow that good advise and it's never steered us wrong yet.

Would you mind if i asked what some of that advice was?

Just curious, i'm new to the RTB.

Anything other than the obvious you were told about?

Some of the advice was (in no particularily order of importance)...

- to create a feeding routine, to stick to the same night, same time or thereabouts, the same manner of feeding i.e. how the live prey is introduced, etc. so that the snake's became used to this means it's time to eat

- learn different methods for W/C snakes - they need it, they deserve it and they are a major challenge

- if your going to rescue or rehab - either do it right or don't do it - taking on a snake with issues isn't helping the snake if you can't deal with those issues better than it's previous owners

- make it part of every single routine to double check enclosure security - before we leave the snake room we visually scan and verbally count closed tubs to make sure we don't leave anyone's clips off - it's a little thing but one lost snake makes you never forget that one again

- to have distinctly different habits when it came to cage cleaning, handling, etc., for instance when it comes to cage cleaning we simply go in and clean, don't touch or bother the snakes, just tidy up and out of the enclosure, for handling, we lift the hide if they are in there, gently stroke their lower body then lift them out, feeding day, there's no contact other than a quick clean enclosure check....they know when the tubs start opening that night...it's time to eat and they are all pretty much primed for it

- handling routines so the snake feels safe (room is quiet, other pets are not there, no bouncing noisy kids racing around), with the big snake she didn't come out unless my husband was home as she was over 6 feet and I'm only barely over 5 feet, no snakes around a child's neck ever even a small snake - we want to encourage our kids to be safe with snakes so it's an across the board policy that they have to live with until they are adults - also it encourages them to sit down and be still with the snakes - so the snakes are safer

- no feeding ever from the hand

- respect the snake, learn it's cues and don't be careless and forget it's an instinctive creature that will do things you don't understand - don't blame the snake for being a snake - don't treat it like a puppy or any other pet you've ever had because it's just not

- get to know the snake - it's not just "a snake" - it's that partcular snake and needs to be dealt with in ways that make sense for that snake and it's best interests so it can live healthy in your care

- with our kids (ages 19 down to 6) it's basically if you can't respect the snake, you don't touch the snake - snakes aren't a status symbol to show off to your buds when the snake's just ate yesterday - the kids all had to learn that the snake's needs come before their wants

- understand your feeding method choice so you can do it right and safely - take the time to learn about rodents and their life cycles so you can pick the right prey size and know what a healthy top quality prey looks like - respect the living prey - it's the only thing your snake eats and deserve their due for keeping our snakes in top condition

Just some of the wonderful wisdome shared by members of BPNet with our family. Best advice though....keep learning....never close your mind to learning something about your snake or how to care for it or why nature designed it a certain way. That's the best advice I ever got or can ever pass on....the passion for these wonderous creatures. :)

I can go and pick up any 5 of my boas any time I want. Maybe its just that I've always had very mellow snakes, but I've only been struck at once. I need to handle a nippy snake. Maybe its something I have with reptiles but I never get struck at.

My boa (bci, subadult male) does get a little flighty when I am about to open his cage. I gently tap him on the nose with an mpty water bottle, and it takes him out of feeding mode. I then scoop him out. But as with any snake, yo have to respect their head area; grabbing right for their face is a sure way to say (please bite me, snakey.) :)
Some snakes are pretty aggro before you take them out, but cool off once out of the cage. For them, i would recommend using a thick towel; place over the snake, and remove, again staying away from a head-on, threatening gesture. A snake that S-shapes at you needs a light (I am not talking smack) tap on the nose with a bottle.

:) Thanks you guys for all the replys keep them coming i need all the advise i can get on redtails boa's and i love all the pictures that all have posted the best one is the one on the couch that is the cutes one i hope my stays sweet just like he is and he is growing everyday and he is more comer than than the 2 bp that have one is a normal female which is always nosie all the time but my albnio male is more laid back and the both are a year old so to me it seem that the males make better pets in the bps and red tails boas but hey that is just me i think it is how you handle them and raise them and spend time with them. thanks again for all the post and the votes keeping them coming.

Thanks Angela

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Originally Posted by Phanpy

I guess small snakes are like little dogs. Yippy and mean. Same how big boas are mellow like great danes. :D

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I would say it's more like the younger snakes are scared babies. OMG what's that huge thing....ahhh it's going to eat me....die! *bite*

As they age they get more used to you and the typical habits.

I think the easiest thing with any snake, boa or not, is to establish those simple routines that will help the snake identify feedings versus handling times, cage maintenance, etc. Snakes have simple brains but they seem to come to understand routines that are simple, straightforward and non-threatening to them.

The one I look after part time, George, seems to have always been quite calm and never really agressive. Then again, he never used to strike and now, very occasionally, he will when I go to open his enclosure. Normally he's as sweet as pie though and he'll just chill on my lap while I'm handling him, sometimes exploring the immediate area a bit. Plus, he never strikes once he's been removed from his vivarium. He's just a very, very, very enthusiastic feeder and I guess that carries over to other days sometimes.

I forgot to mention, I'll usually stroke him gently and let him know I'm there before handling. I don't want to give him any nasty surprises, which would give him just cause to bite. I'm also careful not to do any fast movements with my hands. Just try to be as respectful as possible and usually you won't have any problems.

My rule of thumb, never trust a red tail as much as you would a ball. I got a 7 foot male and he's a real sweatheart but occasionally out of nowhere he will hiss and has bitten me. Completely random bite, out of the blue.

your lucky. usually they are more nippy as babies and get better with age. sounds like an awesome rtb you have. mine is still a little beotch sometimes and shes not quite a year