Quote Originally Posted by Dianne View Post
I’ve had several bites over the years, only one that constricted though. The one with constriction was totally my fault. Back when I used feeding tubs (MANY years ago when that was common practice), I had put one of my adult boas (about 7’) in a tub to clean his cage. I didn’t use my snake hook like I usually did when taking him out of the tub. He saw a warm incoming object, my hand, and struck and constricted. That was the first time I used rubbing alcohol to make a snake spit me out...worked like a charm. I’ve had bites from a 13’ burm that I startled when I went to take her out if her cage to clean it, she was in shed and I didn’t realize it. When I touched her, she was startled and struck. Lesson learned, ALWAYS use a snake hook with the big ones.

The most spectacular bite was from an 8’ female boa at a show where I was trying to sell her. She had been taken out several times for prospective buyers and been fine, but decided she had enough and nailed me when I took her out again near the end of the show. I was dripping blood on the floor, the vendor next to us was freaking out and wanted to dial 911, and the guy’s girlfriend was a more than a bit freaked out as well. My other half used hand sanitizer to get her to let go, I wrapped my hand up with a towel and cleaned up the floor. I didn’t make that sale. Lesson there, no matter how calm they usually are, they are still wild animals and can be unpredictable.

I have housed snakes together in the past, mostly juvenile litter/clutch-mates (boas and corns), but it isn’t ideal. It makes feeding more difficult because you do have to put them in separate feeding tubs to prevent canibalism- which is still a risk when putting them back together even for species that typically don’t eat other snakes. It also makes tracking individual progress impossible. The adult corns I housed together at my Mom’s when I was buying my house turned out not to be the same sex, so I ended up with an unplanned clutch of eggs. Ultimately snakes are solitary creatures for the most part, cohabitating forces them to compete for the best hides and temperature gradient, literally leaving less dominant animals in the cold, which can cause regurgitation or other feeding issues. Housing them separately allows them to properly thermoregulate and there is no risk of feeding errors.
Those Boa's, huh

Thank you for sharing, Dianne! And yes, I could see how that would have been bad for the sale, LMAO !!!