How to handle baby boas...

[neur0tix]

are boas in general just not like ball pythons at all... i have a baby columbian rainbow and she keeps nipping me for the silliest reasons... like once i touched her tail from behind by accident... i guess i need to understand there not the same as ballys

best get the biting done now and not when shes big lolol

[igotherps]

i'm new to boa's also i've had a red tail on layway for months now and he was the same way at first.i go for mice every week and hold him when im there and hes getting alot better.he dosnt try to bit anymore.ive asked around and most people i talk to say there just like that and need to get use to being held.so dont give up

[fndjason4]

Any boa i have owned has been much more active than the balls. They also tend to be more active as adults in my experience. The feeding resonse is also alot more aggressive in boas and they dont tend to go off feed like balls. Just my experience though and im no expert when it comes to boas.

[txherp]

I kept and bred boas long before balls. Yes baby boas are known for being nippy. One reason that my husband and I decided to switch our focus on balls over boas is because I am so tired of getting bit! Balls are so awesome, when they are afraid the just go into a ball. Boas on the other hand... BITE! Just keep handling your baby and he will get used to you. Just imagine being a snake that small, everything looks like a predator to you.

[BuckeyeBalls]

Heres what u do

If its in a really pissy mood when you go in to get it. Take the hand u do not use to handle her and quickly cover her head with a open palm. If she strikes its only gonna be a flat palm so nothing big. Grab the other hand pull her out.

Now hold her with just that one hand until she starts to loosen up and become more active (tongue flickering, moving around) Then u can "introduce" the second hand.

If she is still tagging u... Then let her tag you. I have a little female she tags me 4-5 times everytime i take her out. One taking her out and normally around 4 times just tagging my hand im holding her with. Eventually she will learn its no use....

Me what i say do is hold her maybe 30 mins every other day and maybe a 10 min on the non 30 min days. I do not like holding everyday for so long. except for feeding day and 2 days after.

Eventually she will figure out ur not a threat and stop tagging u. But keep on the CONSTANT handling sessions before her bites start to really hurt

[fire-eyes]

I don't have experience with rainbows, but I do have one BCI. As a baby it was exceptionally nasty, the descriptions surprised a lot of people. I was very worried it would never calm down.

During that time I made it a point not to let it intimidate me, no matter if it hissed or fake-struck or for-real-struck. The idea was to avoid it getting the idea that doing any of those things would make me go away. That would be a bad thing as an adult.

I had to persist for about five months, but it paid off and he suddenly calmed down, and is very calm now at about 1.5 years old.

Always move with confidence and try not to be afraid. The snake will pick up on any fear and just upset it more. When you reach for them if you stutter or stop, same thing. Just go for it and take nips and bites and try to act like they don't bother you, it should get the idea that it can't do those things to make you go away.

Handle it every few days and stick to that pattern. Eventually it should calm down, and at some point beyond that, it's time for what I call face training trust: Get it used to being close to your face. And gradually closer, pushing both your comfort limit and that of the snake. Eventually both of you should not be afraid of this.

Persist!

[Dundee]

the boas have been alot more tempermental in owning them over the years. good snakes to own if you got some experiance but there overall just tempermental. and there feeding response is like stated very agressive. my baby and my adult boa are both bottomless pits

[neur0tix]

I think mine is fine... it went at me twice, first time i barely even felt a thing, more like a prick, second time she kinda just knocked her head into me... i think i got the hang of things...

i thought she had a greyish tint to her color/pattern but found out she was going into shed. so she probably didn't want to be messed with.

all in all... i've held her 6 times, fed her twice... i figured if she isn't going to bite me after reaching into her feeding tub, chances are she's not going to.

[Wh00h0069]

I either use a glove or hook to get them out, then transfer to my hand. Keep their head away from your body, and they will calm down pretty quickly. Do this daily until they are comfortable with you.

[brian abrams]

What kind of a BCI do you have? Columbians have a rep of being docile, while CA and Mexica boas in particular are known for being nippy.