Bought a Nicaraguan boa....

[Bogertophis]

Thank you. I’m not as much into looks as I am personality and he seems to be easy going. He is young and edgy, so I hope he calms down quickly. The breeder admits he is feisty at first but calms down quickly after he is picked up so I hope to have an easy transition with him.

It’s a huge leap of faith to order a snake online but I think we will work out the kinks with time. Nics are known to be edgy and I’m prepared for that.

Does anyone have any handling tips that would be useful for a young boa? I understand tap training and not picking them up from above like a predator....

I'm with you...personality is way more important than the "paint job".

Many years back I took in a terrified yearling female BCI that had changed hands a number of times & was now totally unwanted & out of options, due to her biting.
I knew she was just defensive & after working with her for maybe 2 months tops, she never bit me even once, nor in all the years I had her...in fact she was very cuddly.

What I did was to pick her up with a small towel over her & hold her on my lap for about 30 minutes or so, without letting her look out: this gave her time to learn to
recognize my touch & scent, and that she was safe with me. Most snakes ARE afraid of these "giant potential predators" (us!) that keep approaching them, but if that
little hissing snap-dragon could learn, I think most all of them can. Once she got used to my handling her with the towel, I gradually let her look out & get used to
seeing me, & she turned into such a fun sweet boa after just that initial patience on my part. Once she got to be a big adult, my biggest difficulty was getting her
back in her enclosure, as she liked being out with me, watching a movie or something.

On rare occasions when I'd go to take her out, like for a cage cleaning, she'd sit there & hiss up a storm: when she did that, she never turned to bite me when I'd reach in & pet her coils. I did that for a few minutes, while she mostly stopped the hiss & seemed to "remember she knew me", & then I'd just pick her up...she never bit me & was her usual friendly self, always. I think how we communicate to our snakes is the key. That & patience. Snakes just need to feel safe with us, & nearly all can learn that. (she got to be 7.5'+)