Bought a Nicaraguan boa....

[dakski]

Do their personalities change a lot as they get older? I’m not quite sure what to expect and so far feeding is my only real issue if you can call it an issue at all. He is a year old today so I guess I expected a snake that was a little more adjusted.

I have left him alone the past 2 weeks to give him more adjustment time per Bogertophis’s suggestion. I think I’ll start handling sessions again next week and go from there.

I think it depends. I got Behira (BI) at about 1 year old, and the same with Feliz, (Dwarf BCC). They haven't changed too much, but have calmed a little bit and gotten a little braver with size and handling.

Behira was handled often by her breeder (for a breeder anyway), as was Feliz, because they were both holdbacks, and small breeders.

The bigger issues with your guy is that he's in a new environment and may not have been handled much. Keep up short, gentle, and persistent handling. Keep offering food and as long as he is eating, do not sweat how he takes it.

Not a boa, but my scaleless corn, Solana, is a voracious eater, just like my boas. However, the first 4-5 meals I gave her, she would only eat when I wasn't looking. Then she built her confidence and began pounding food.

Young snakes can be crazy eaters knowing they need to grow, or can be a little shy, but generally grow out of that.

If it hasn't been mentioned, I would recommend hook training as well. It will help avoid a bite long-term for you and when he has size that's a very good thing. However, it could also help his food drive. If he's nervous about you now, the hook will let him know it's handling time. Otherwise, he will think food and might be more inclined to be more aggressive eating.

Finally, if not mentioned yet, feed at night, with dim lighting. That's when they naturally hunt (they are nocturnal as is their prey) and will be more inclined to be interested and serious about food.