Introducing yourself to a snake?

[GemSka]

How would one go about introducing themselves to a snake that you're thinking about taking in? Is there any specific manner with which to approach them? We're possibly taking in a Columbian Boa (7 feet) and I'd like to get off on a good start! Any suggestions are welcome.

[DJ_Bizarre]

I would put the snake in its new enclosure for about a week so it can get comfortable and used to it's new environment. After about a week you should feel free to gently take it out of the enclosure and handle it once or twice a day for a short period of time and you can lengthen the amount of time you handle it as time goes on and it gets more comfortable with you.

[GemSka]

When we get her, she'll be coming with her old enclosure.

[fire-eyes]

Ah, metro Detroit! I grew up there but now live in Nevada.

I am only on my first Boa, but I have two other snakes. I am by no means an expert but I've learned a few things.

Any snake is going to be stressed that first week, period. New smells, new vibrations, new patterns of light, and so on. Confirm you will have the husbandry correct, and then confirm it again. Make sure it will have a solid place to completely hide.

Find a good reptile vet (preferably a specialist) and make an appointment. Make sure they know that this isn't some little corn snake, but a 7 foot boa. If possible, bring a stool sample.

If you have other snakes, quarantine the new one for about three months. Keep it as far as possible away from the others. Be extra sure to wash your hands before and after handling any of your snakes.

Keep an unwashed shirt that you have worn around. Just leave it out of the standard "wash everything" rotation once or twice and you'll be good. Put the shirt somewhere in its enclosure. This is to introduce them to your specific smell and hopefully help ease the transition into you beginning to handle them.

For that first week, keep the entire enclosure covered well. In this way it can be truly left alone and calm down. This is very important: Leave it ALONE during this time.

At the end of this week, I would try to feed it. You'll need to know if it takes frozen/thawed or not. This is generally preferred to live, but whatever the case, have something on hand. The general rule is one item that will leave a slight bulge at the snakes widest point. So this will be a pretty big rat or failing that a very large mouse.

Use LONG tongs to present. If it's live, I suggest using them to grab it firmly by its back skin and present it this way. If it gets away inside the cage, just close it up but stay there and make sure the snake is not attacked. In any case you'll either get an insane feeding reaction or the snake may be afraid and take a long time to eat. If it's live, don't leave the snake alone with it.

If you can't get the snake to take it, don't worry just remove the item and watch out because the snake may come after you instead.

Cover everything back up for a few days and try again after that. Keep persisting until it does eat. If you just can't get it to eat after a few weeks, confirm your husbandry. If you still have problems, it may be worth another vet trip.

Things will probably go a lot smoother and simpler than I'm talking about. Be ready for the feeding response.

[Vypyrz]

Keep in mind that boas are not BP's. they don't ball up. They are more curious. Don't be suprised, after it settles in, when you go to open the enclosure and it starts moving towards you to check things out. You also might want to think about getting a hook to help get it out of the enclosure, at least until you figure out it's personality and temperment to handling.

Do you know what type of enclosure it is coming with?