Behira - 2016 Female Ivory Ghost - First BCI

[CloudtheBoa]

I would advise against handling her that much, 2-3 times a week is a good maximum. If you handle them too often, it stresses them out, even if you can’t see it. Of course, there’s no set line for what is too much, but you definitely don’t want to be handling them nearly every day. If she’s docile, she’ll remain docile, but a defensive snake will act in much the same way a dog with learned helplessness would. By overhandling, you’re telling her that nothing is on her terms, she has no escape, and she will effectively “shut down” to deal with it. Any defensiveness will resume if they go without being handled, and may actually become more defensive later on. I actually don’t handle my snakes more than a couple times a month, which is still enough to reduce feeding responses when handling or defensive behaviors. If a snake doesn’t come around, I simply cater my handling to them, I don’t really believe in handling a snake into docility, it seems a little cruel. If they’re meant to be handled, they will take to handling. If all you’re worried about is a feeding strike, your hook should be more than enough to snap her out of it.

It’s good Katie is coming around! A bite from a boa really isn’t very bad, and it seems like Behira just made a mistake once, so it would have been a shame if that had caused a permanent falling out.


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