Some Handling Techniques

[Hamsnacks]

My question isn't specific to Boas, but you Boa owners typically would have the largest of snakes.
I still consider myself somewhat an amateur in handling a large snake. I have a 6-6.5 FT Carpet Python, which was a big step from a corn snake.
Just wondering if you guys had some tips.

I typically grab my carpet and usually just put her around the back of my neck/shoulders, try to balance her out. She does move a lot so constantly have to move with her. But I kinda let her take control of where she wants to go. Now is that a mistake I'm doing? She's an absolute sweetheart but I feel like if I "push" her body to the direction I want her to go or bring her back, that might irritated her. Or when she puts her face right in front of mine lol, I usually allow it but can I push her upper body away?

Or how do you guys measure your snakes? Can you lay them down and actually hold them down? I know it depends on the species of the snake sometimes but in general if you have a large friendly snake is that something I could do?

Any tips on how you guys do it would be much appreciated or your experiences.

Thanks!

[Sauzo]

Tip #1: Point the bitey end away from the face.

I just grab my bigger boas and sling them over my shoulder or just let them hang off my arms.

Caesar the retic doesnt care much to be carried around but sometimes doesnt mind. Those moments, i mostly just hold onto him however i can lol. If it a moment where he decided sitting on me wasnt his thing, i try and reel him in as fast as possible before he finds something to grab onto and break or flops on the floor and wanders away to find something to break lol.

As for measuring my snakes, not going to happen. They usually dont stretch out and sit there. I usually just wait until they do stretch out in their cage and then use that to guesstimate their size. Thats why i think I'm way off on Caesar. I thought he was 7-8 feet but i am thinking he might be longer from when had out wrestling match over a snagged lip lol.

[Eramyl]

Use a length of yarn to measure your snake. Move a couple inches at a time along the snakes back until you get to the tip of the tail and measure how long the length of yarn is. That's the easiest way to measure a snake.

[Hamsnacks]

Tip #1: Point the bitey end away from the face.

Lool that's what I was thinking but then I started thinking maybe that's what other owners do, lets the snake know your scent and get a close up haha"

I couldn't imagine how you guys can handle your Retics, those guys are just too much haha. But overall you guys find being a little firm on your snakes never got you in trouble? They don't react in an aggressive way.

I think the yarn method is probably the best way to do it, beats using a measuring tape for sure lol

[Sauzo]

Well, I had to hold Caesar head and use a broken Q-Tip end to pull his lip down and unhook it from a tooth when he bit through his upper lip grabbing a guinea pig. He was NOT happy. He wrapped around my waist and down around my right leg 3 coils and was squeezing. We were both stressed. After i was done, he put him his cage and was expecting to get bit but he just laid there breathing hard and pissed off. I tried to console him and he would just shove my hand away lol. He did it for like 3 days. He would go away from me, not greet me, if i pet him he would shove my hand and wander away or go sit in a hide until i left and then come out. Clearly he was pissed. But after about 3 days, he started greeting me again at night and now he is back to his attention needy self lol.

He has never bit me or actually hissed at me. He did his, coil and open his mouth at the snake hook when i took peoples advice and tried to hook train him. He REALLY hated the hook. He didnt mind a twisted paper towel though and thats what i use when i open the cage if he gets excited. I just boop his snoot and top of his head with the twisted paper towel and he lays down and sits there.

Honestly, he is easier to read than my boas. The boas were much more questionable when you first opened their cages when i got them. They didnt bite but they werent as easy to read as Caesar. You know when Caesar thinks food is coming. The boas always act like food is coming haha.

Of course feeding time for the big boas and Caesar are just flat out no fun. They slam their food with authority and if they ever missed and hit me, i feel there would be lots of lady like screaming followed by a lot of my blood and probably a lot of my pee too. Then afterwards, lots of my tears

[Team Slytherin]

You can use serpwidgets to get a measurement on your snake!

[redshepherd]

I also just put my dumeril's boa (6 feet but thick) around my shoulders, but make sure she isn't able to wrap her tail or anywhere around my neck.

And I guess a general rule for handling any more defensive snake is make sure their nose isn't pointed in the direction of my face, like Sauzo said I just push their neck away, or directly push their head off to the side if they're being stubborn LOL. Sudden movements or moving too quickly is mostly what irritates snakes, but not slowly pushing them away.

I measure by letting them slide off my hands and onto somewhere where I'm pretty sure they'll move in a straight line and measure that way. Snakes can stretch out quite a bit when they're moving forward, so if you only measure them while they're curled up like with yarn, it actually gets you a shorter measurement.

[cchardwick]

Personally I'd never wrap a large snake around my shoulders or neck. A large snake can quickly wrap around you, just do a search for people killed by large snakes, it's the only way they can really take you out. It's better to use multiple people and handle them at about waist height like in this photo below. And it's best to always have multiple people around when you do handle them in case anything goes wrong. When I'm alone I typically just assist the snake to get from one tub to another or up onto the table. She is getting too big to risk getting wrapped up by her.

[Alter-Echo]

I don't yet own a boa, but I once babysat my friends nearly 12ft bcc female for a few weeks and to hold her I'd have to hoist her over my shoulder.. I'm not very tall so it was easier said than done. Lol

Thankfully, she is a sweetheart, but if you got one that was a bit more feisty... well, not sure it would be so easy.

[Momokahn]

Other than keeping a large snakes face away from my face, I just kind of go with the mood of the snake I'm holding and let them kind of dictate what they want to do.