Boa temperament/bites

i've had a ball python and boa now for a year and overall both snakes have been great pets. they have never turned down a feeding and have shed well everytime.

after having them for a year, i've gotten a really good sense for each snake's temperament, etc. i feed both snakes in a separate bin like some on this site have suggested. my ball python has never even hinted at wanting to strike me at any point, whether in his normal bin or the feeding bin.

slowly with time, my Boa has definately become slightly more aggressive. to the point now that i have gotten tagged 3 times in about 2 months. the strikes usually occur around feeding time. the 1st time was easily my own fault, because i reached my hand in to the feeding bin to pick him up, which was really careless on my part, which i recognize.

but the other 2 times, have really just come out of nowhere to be honest. like today i had picked him up (after eating 2 adult frozen thawed already) and was transfering him back into his normal cage, and he sunk his teeth into my hand to the point that i had to pry him off. does anyone have any ideas on how to avoid or aid this type of thing? the bites aren't really a big deal to be honest, but at the same time i keep thinking to myself, with age he has become more and more aggressive. the bites are manageable now, but how will he be when he is full grown?

is there anything i can do to help curve his mood to make him become less aggessive? do i feed more often? or should i just expect him to be like this always around feeding and just to watch out? lol

thanks! :D

You could feed in the same cage and not change cages. Some people have their own opinions, I used to put the snakes in a separate cage for feeding but tried feeding in the same cage and never went back. Boas enjoy their food, and I think it shows before and after they feed.

I totally agree with Evan.
I would never consider taking my boas out on feeding day or messing with them in any way. They sure love their feedings!!!
You might really want to re-think your theory on moving the boa (and the ball for that matter) to a separate enclosure for feedings. With boas, this can be a danger!!!! :)

Ditto the above... feeding time puts some herps into the "mood". I have always, with the exception of monitors, feed my herps in the enclosures or tubs. I never have picked them up before a feeding for approx 24 hours as some seem to get scheduled. In addtion, I do not touch for 48 hours after a feed... One to let them settle a bit, and two my Kings and Boa from the past seemed to be "on it" for a bit after a fed. Kinda like Dad after turkey day... :)

Boas have a much stronger feeding response on average. Never saw one curl up in a ball when feeling threatened. boboso has a good aproach.

thanks for the replies!!!

i definately agree with you all there, i never handle either snake until 48 hours after they feed. its actually been really cool to have bought both snakes around the same time, because this past year has been really cool to learn and experience each snake's moods and personalities.

hannibal, my ball python, couldn't be more relaxed and chill. and attilla, the boa, for the most part is very relaxed as well, but come feeding time, all i have to do is walk by the terrarium, and he is at attention, lol.

at some point, i think i am going to go to tubs, seems like a lot of people do that here. i think that is one of the reasons i started feeding in a separate bin to begin with though, is because Hannibal, my ball, would get some of the substrate stuck on the side of his mouth every now and again. there was never any health problems or anything, but that repti-bark sometimes would be stuck at the edge of the mouth, so i would carefully remove for him.

i think i'll be taking the advice, and feeding the boa in the same place from now on though, it seems like the smarter thing to do.

but wow, does he have some sharp teeth, let me tell ya!!! lol :O :D

If you still want to keep the snake in a seperate feeding enclosure, you might consider a hook.

And maybe your hands still smell like food when you go to pick him up????

using a hook could be a possibility as well when he gets older....

i generally use tongs for the food, so i wouldn't think i'm smelling like the food, but that is also very possible.

the strange thing is that for almost an entire year, this is how i would normally do things week to week, and both snakes used to be completely and totally calm to and from their terrarium/feeding bin, which is like a 2 foot difference, its not like i'm handling them for that long. i literally would pick them up, turn around and put them down.

the boa would always would be a little more hesitant and attentive than the ball python, but would never do anything. especially one i actually picked him up, he would realize that.."oh, i'm being put back in my home now, i don't need to worry."

its only been in the last month that almost every time its been time to feed, he has thrown a bit of an attitude, lol.

i think i may just try feeding him on a 5 day schedule instead of the 7 i've been doing for both. maybe that way his stomach won't be making decisions for his teeth. :D hehe

thanks for the response again!

I don't know about the 5 day feedings for a yearling boa...

I feed all of mine every 10 days. I have two 1.5 year old boas and an 8 month old and I just moved them from 7 day feedings to 10 day feedings.

I really think that the issue with the boa lies in the moving of the boa. I would advise leaving the 7 day (or 10 day) feeding schedule alone and feed in the snake's environment.

i'm always looking for any advice people have on keeping their boas, etc. if you have had success feeding them every 7 to 10 days, i will definately stick with that.

like i said, the first year has been great, i have no regrets. and even though i've gotten tagged a few times, its really not something i'm losing sleep over because i was expecting it when i signed up for this.... :)

just out of curiousity, what do you generally feed a yearling boa? i have been going with the f/t adult mice that are just as big as the central part of their bodies, and they have no problems taking those down. is that good to keep going with or do you have any other suggestions?

thanks again!

My 07 males are on adult mice, my 07 females are on rat pups

Hey Pat- do you know the weight of the rat pups you're giving your females?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by starmom

Hey Pat- do you know the weight of the rat pups you're giving your females?

---

I have no idea, I have never really weighed a rat. I looked on rodent pro and I would say that they are about the 20-29 gram pup.

Hmmm- are these your Bci's?

I ask because I just upped my Bci's (year and a half old females) to 80g rats every 10 days. They (the snakes) weigh a little over 1000g and so I thought it was time. They also damn near took my hand off at every feeding!!! The snakes are in good muscular shape and get lots of exercise...

...but what do you think?

Yeah BCI's, I just go by the thickness of the snake. I acutally havent weighed the 07's I will do that in a bit.

To me it seems your biting problems are associated with feeding. I feed my boa inside its cage and have never had agression problems. She sometimes will hiss when she is having a bad day....but has never bit me. After feeding my boa I would not try to handle her in anyway for 24hrs....I can sense she is still excited from the food several hours after feeding.

I have 07 female BCI that eats medium to large rats. Little over 4ft and weighs about 1200g.

I would switch the boa from mice to rats as soon as possible and space out the feedings to 7-10 days.

I agree with everyone else here- never mess with him around feeding time.

I'm feeding my 1.5 year old females 80g rats and my little one is on 55g small rats; every 10 days.

yeah, like i was saying, the only real reason i picked up them up was to put them in the feeding bin, which i now realize, was completely useless, especially when dealing with boa's. :D
for some reason, when i first starting posting here, i had seen a bunch of posts about how some people fed in separate bins, which i guess may work for some species, like my ball python, Hannibal, doesn't know or care where he is around feeding, just as long as he's fed. He is always completely and totally calm. The boa, however, is a different story completely.

clapton (and everyone else)....i definately know what you mean about how boa's get excited while they are eating. its actually really, really cool to see. Attila is generally very calm during the week, but come feeding time, he is just all primed up before and even more so after.

this past week, i fed Attila in his cage, and i will continue to do so from now on for sure....

You might also want to get in the habit of using a snake hook. If you are serious about keeping a boa, it is a good idea. Boas are not massive like a Burm, but believe me, a bite from an 8', 30 lb. female HURTS.

My suggestion is not to ever reach into a boa cage. The cage is the snake's home, and a keeper should expect the snake to interpret the hand as either food or a threat. I handle all my boas, but the hook always enters the cage before the hand.

If not for safety, then perhaps respect. Good luck.

That sounds like the best thing to do, I think I may start getting used of using a hook for the boa.....because like you say, and even like i was saying in some other posts, my boa's general look and vibe are completely different from my ball python when i'm reaching my hand in to change the water, etc.

once you have hooked the boa and remove him from cage, is he generally calm after that? i know that once i've picked him up, he generally is calm and doesn't mind being handled.

where do you recommend buying a hook?

I buy my tools from Midwest, tongs.com

...and to answer your question, no snake is the same. Some are calm and some are not. Some snakes are rowdy as hell on Mondays and placid on Wednesdays. Part of maturing as a keeper is knowing what is going on with your animal. Some wisdom from the great Bill Haast:

Attitude, rather than disposition is more definitive of serpent behavior. From the moment they emerge into this world until they complete their life cycle, their attitude is "Don't tread on me. I am well equipped to defend myself, but content to pass through life unnoticed. I mean no harm to anything or anyone that our creator has not provided as my bill of fare; I am self sustaining and I like it that way, please pass me by." - W.E. Haast

thanks for the info...

and cool quote, for some reason even i like that way of thinking! :D