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  1. #11
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Re: Unusual Behavior

    Quote Originally Posted by bns View Post
    When boas are young they need hides. As a boa gets older/larger and if it is being kept in a manner that allows it to become confident (very important -with many factors involved but indirect lighting will usually allow a boa to gain confidence while younger sooner) they will often give up hiding...
    I partly agree...they do seem to get more confident about their world, but also, their body gets bigger, more cumbersome to try to get in & out of most hides.

    For the most part, I've only kept the one large BCI (& for many years), & when she was large I hit on the idea of making her a more suitable hide than I could find to buy.

    It was rectangular & flat as many are, but one thing that I did very differently (besides making it relatively longer) was to put TWO doorways side by side at one end: once these boas get "older" they also get more heavy-bodied, & it's just a hassle for them to go all the way into their hides with one doorway. I was delighted to see that my BCI seemed to enjoy her newfound ease of entering & leaving thru her "double-door mansion"...I watched with a smile as she easily cruised her cage, passing herself coming & going thru the doorways. She seemed to be having fun, & she quickly settled into using the hide, both deep inside, and on top for basking.

    Just something to consider... Maybe my boa was aberrant in this, but it makes sense to me. Boas are not so shy (as some other snakes) that a double-opening feels too exposed...at least my big girl sure wasn't. But imagine yourself in their place, a long but hefty body trying to turn around inside a hide that only just fits them, you'd get tangled up inside. I liked the idea that once it was easier for her to move around in her cage, she did exactly that...which I think is healthy for a captive snake- a bit more exercise for good muscle tone.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 11-02-2019 at 12:35 PM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

  2. #12
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    Re: Unusual Behavior

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    I partly agree...they do seem to get more confident about their world, but also, their body gets bigger, more cumbersome to try to get in & out of most hides.

    For the most part, I've only kept the one large BCI (& for many years), & when she was large I hit on the idea of making her a more suitable hide than I could find to buy.

    It was rectangular & flat as many are, but one thing that I did very differently (besides making it relatively longer) was to put TWO doorways side by side at one end: once these boas get "older" they also get more heavy-bodied, & it's just a hassle for them to go all the way into their hides with one doorway. I was delighted to see that my BCI seemed to enjoy her newfound ease of entering & leaving thru her "double-door mansion"...I watched with a smile as she easily cruised her cage, passing herself coming & going thru the doorways. She seemed to be having fun, & she quickly settled into using the hide, both deep inside, and on top for basking.

    Just something to consider... Maybe my boa was aberrant in this, but it makes sense to me. Boas are not so shy (as some other snakes) that a double-opening feels too exposed...at least my big girl sure wasn't. But imagine yourself in their place, a long but hefty body trying to turn around inside a hide that only just fits them, you'd get tangled up inside. I liked the idea that once it was easier for her to move around in her cage, she did exactly that...which I think is healthy for a captive snake- a bit more exercise for good muscle tone.
    What do you disagree with?
    I've never seen an boa get tangled up...and I don't understand how a hide made it 'easier' for a boa to move around in her cage. I would suspect another issue.

    Boas are simple and boas are complex at the same time. Small things (such as indirect lighting) have an impact on their behavior (choices). The type of heat used to regulate the enclosure has an impact on their choices. How they lay in an enclosure speaks volumes about what is going on with a boa. A secure (mature) boa that is not digesting or developing new skin should be loosely spread out in his or her enclosure.

    I'm not saying a secure adult boa will not or should not use a hide but I would be concerned if I walked up to a mature boa in my care that was tightly coiled or trying to hide on a regular basis.

  3. #13
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Re: Unusual Behavior

    Quote Originally Posted by bns View Post
    What do you disagree with?
    I've never seen an boa get tangled up...and I don't understand how a hide made it 'easier' for a boa to move around in her cage. I would suspect another issue.

    Boas are simple and boas are complex at the same time. Small things (such as indirect lighting) have an impact on their behavior (choices). The type of heat used to regulate the enclosure has an impact on their choices. How they lay in an enclosure speaks volumes about what is going on with a boa. A secure (mature) boa that is not digesting or developing new skin should be loosely spread out in his or her enclosure.

    I'm not saying a secure adult boa will not or should not use a hide but I would be concerned if I walked up to a mature boa in my care that was tightly coiled or trying to hide on a regular basis.
    I am questioning the reason they seem to stop using their hides. Neither of us can be inside their hides to know for sure, nor can we be inside their cute scaly heads.

    I merely explained what worked well for me & my large BCI pet, & that she appeared to use it out of enjoyment, not fear. Having a hide can reduce their stress because
    they don't live out in the open in "real life" either. Can they survive without it? Sure. We can all "survive" without half "the stuff" we have, but the idea is to make lives
    more comfortable, whether for ourselves or for our pets. I realize those who breed boas find hides are inconvenient, they're just one more thing to supply & then have to
    wash, & may get in the way when snakes are trying to mate...I "get" all that. This forum is about sharing techniques that work for us & bring out the best in our pets, &
    sometimes it helps to figure out WHY some things work better.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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    Re: Unusual Behavior

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    I am questioning the reason they seem to stop using their hides. Neither of us can be inside their hides to know for sure, nor can we be inside their cute scaly heads.

    ...
    sometimes it helps to figure out WHY some things work better.
    The use of hides, the temps they choose, where they choose to be in an enclosure, the affect lighting has and how these choices vary by the time of year with the climate offered, the differences made by age, what do they do when you spot clean the enclosure are some of the things that allow us to be in their heads...the choices they make. Our job is to interpret those choices.

    I didn't mean for this to a be a urinating contest...I've been doing this a long time and I'm not a big breeder with a bunch of sweater boxes full of boas (-not that a properly sized opaque home can't be a good home because it can). I tell you this because I have been a student of reptiles by experimentation for most of my life and have yet to meet someone who has spent more time on WHY boas make choices. All adult boas here have 8 foot by 30 inch enclosures with in-floor heating. I've offered hides, lights, various forms of heat with cold sides to 65 and hot to 105, different substrates, climbing apparatus, swimming pools and experimented with the affects light plays in their choices and there is no question in my mind why adult boas will find less use for a hide.

  5. The Following User Says Thank You to bns For This Useful Post:

    jmcrook (11-02-2019)

  6. #15
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Re: Unusual Behavior

    Quote Originally Posted by bns View Post
    ...I've been doing this a long time and I'm not a big breeder with a bunch of sweater boxes full of boas...
    Same here, though mostly not boas. I am very observant & very good at interpreting snake behavior. And this is a forum- there's no law that says we have to have the
    same opinion. Cheers...
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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