Dumeril's male strikes continuously!

[Steve'O]

I have a beautiful male Dumeril's that I purchased about 8 months ago. He was calm as could be when I got him at the local reptile show. I took him home and set him up in 10 gallon reptile aquarium with aspen bedding ( I know how they like to burrow ) and over head ceramic heat. I left him to himself for the first week and attempted to feed him at night there after. The first time I took him out of his cage he hissed and struck at me several times. I let him explore the room a bit and put him back in his cage. I summed this up to being a baby. Every time I tried to take him out after that, he has hissed and struck continuously at me. If i hold him, he stays coiled and ready to strike at anything that moves. I have used F/T mice and hairless rat pups. He has never fed well. Will strike defensively and then leave it to rot. He has only successfully fed about 3 times. He strikes continuously at the glass if you even walk by his cage. I now hook him to remove him and hold him with gloved hands, as he will continously bite. Did I get the worlds only angry Dumeril. I got him because i have numerous pythons and rat snakes and wanted to try a boa. Dumeril's have a good rep as a docile beginners boa. Not this guy, lol. We named him Rorschach, which seems appropriate. Anyone have any suggestions for calming this guy down, or is he just always gonna be this pissy? I know snakes are like people, some are just not very social.

[Auletto]

I've owned a dumeril for a for good while. It sounds like he could be stressed. Glass tanks aren't the best for making a snake feel secure. Maybe trying switching him into a tub or try covering 3 sides of the tank. My dumeril would strike repeatedly when I dropped small rats into his tub, but other then that he was an angel. He would taken FT Rats, but hated live rats for some reason.

[PyroPython]

Does he have a hide, in addition to the aspen? I agree that stress is probably the main issue. I would switch him to a tub for a month or two, and keep handling him without over-handling.

[Steve'O]

Thanks for the replies. I will try moving him into a more opaque container and see if he is less stressed. How long before I should try to handle him again after that. Should I wait about a week?

[PyroPython]

At the least. I would personally wait two (Handling only, wouldn't stop feeding or filling water or anything.)

[singingtothewheat]

The combination of bad eating and aggressive behavior could also be related to a parasitic infection. Maybe it's time for a stool sample and vet check.

[Hapa_Haole]

Whats are the temps/humidity in the enclosure and what are you reading them with?

[Uncle Boo]

You could try putting a small cardboard box in the tank, put him in that, then drop the food item in. That worked for me even though mine still only eats live. Mine is a shy eater and must feel secure in the box. When she's done eating she usually climbs out herself and I take the box out.

[CoolioTiffany]

My Dumeril's boa was a pain in the ass when I first got her. She didn't eat for 2 months, then she ate live until 5 months later until she took her first F/T, then she started to refuse randomly when I offered it. She would hiss and strike if I really got her pissed. So, Dumeril's boas, IMO, can have an attitude. They are generally very docile, but just a mess to try to get to eat. Your Dumeril's sounds stressed out, and it could be due to husbandry issues. I would like to see pics if you can put some up, but if not I would like to know how everything is set up, including humidity & temps. Everything is important so I can help.

Dumeril's boas are beautiful and great boas to have, but the feeding is a pain. I gave mine away a while ago because I didn't need her anymore since I'm mainly starting my collection up of pythons. I guess I'm starting fresh.