Emerald tree boa

[KMG]

My GTP is a really good boy.....during the day.

At night he is open to bite anything and everything that he can.

I have sliding glass doors on his cage so during feeding I slide it open just enough to reach the tongs through and use the glass as a shield for my hand. Sometimes he is already at the door and ready to strike so I distract him by getting him to check out the shadow of my hand on his cage ceiling using my feeding head lamp. This gives me the room I need to get his food through the door without getting tagged.

Anybody that tries to move a GTP or ETB in feed mode probably should not own one. They are somewhat fragile and can be very aggressive. Moving them takes a special touch but trying to do that while they are ready to eat is just ignorant.

Get you a set of long tongs and you will be fine.

[enginee837]

That vid is not an etb, it is a chondro. Much smaller teeth and more forgiving. Looks like he intentionally too. If you learn your snakes body language you can tell the difference between feeding agression and defensive posture and treat accordingly. No reason to ever get bit like that.

[Reinz]

Haha, yeah and no reason to offer a snake a meal while you are grasping the rodent by the body.

[Sauzo]

I've fed all my snakes in their cages from babies and I reach in and pick them up from front, back or sideways all the time. As long as you handle them regularly, they wont associate the cage opening as feeding time although Vicky always thinks its feeding time. Also for a tree boa or python, trying to unwind them or remove the whole branch while they smell a rat in the room will probably end up with you in pain and blood and the snake wondering why your hand isn't hairy like a rat. I know all my girls coil up and are waiting at the front of the cages when I walk in the room with rats.