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Striking the Glass
Hey There....
I'm guessing this has been addressed before so I apologize for asking it again. I think Daski was having this same issue early on but not sure if it's continued w/ Behira.
Anyways, my Boa who is very food driven like almost every other Boa out there has a habit of striking the glass if you get too close when the lights are out. They are set on a timer so he's conditioned to know when it's food time. Last night after feeding, he struck twice and then again this morning. My question is should I be worried about him injuring himself and is this something that will continue? He's a little over a year old and he's about finished his last round of adult mice so I'll be converting him to weaned rats so I'm hopeful the bigger size will help fill him and reduce the striking.
Any thoughts? Thanks.
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They can remain foody for a while. I would just cover the front of the enclosure with a light blanket for a day after he eats, to give him time to settle down and start digesting.
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Re: Striking the Glass
Both my Boas do it, and not only when it's food time or after food time. I had to put a drape over Behira's tank (BI) permanently. It would probably be okay during the day, but at night, she goes after movement. Feliz (BCC) started doing the same thing a few months ago. Anticipating food.
Can he injure himself? Yes. Will he? Probably not. Behira bent a tooth once and that's when I put up the drape. Acrylic doors bend a little more than glass, but still, he probably/hopefully will not hurt himself.
I've heard as they get larger and do no need to grow as much they sometimes stop/grow out of it.
Like bcr229 said, if you are worried, cover the front of the tank.
This appears to be a Boa issue. I have spoken to Jeff Ronne (Boaphile) about it and he says some do it, some don't, and some grow out of it.
Last edited by dakski; 09-04-2019 at 11:34 AM.
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Yes, they CAN do damage to their faces if this continues...they can end up with an abscessed mouth that requires surgery, not to mention broken embedded
teeth, etc. So you want to minimize this...maybe locate the enclosure in a quieter place (so you aren't walking past?) or cover the cage (or use a room divider
folding screen) to block his view. (which defeats your easily observing your pet, unfortunately...) The BCI I had was quite food motivated but wasn't inclined
to hit the glass when it wasn't feeding time, & even so, it rarely happened. Maybe you need to avoid walking so close to his cage, & pay close attention if you do?
One way to quickly "change the channel" on an overly-food-driven snake is a quick spray of water to their face...it doesn't hurt them, just startles them & is a
complete let-down as it's nothing like prey. You might be able (translation: if I had your snake, I'd be inclined to try this) to "teach" him to back off & wait for
a more positive prey identification if you rigged up a little sprayer of water, with tubing so you could spray it when further away...as when you see he's tracking
your motion thru the glass & is in danger of striking the glass. Because one thing is certain: your boa's food drive will only increase, as will the force of his strike.
Boas are not shy like BPs, & I don't think you'll dissuade him from eating...you just want to slow him down, teach him not to chase every motion so much.
Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)
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Re: Striking the Glass
Thanks everyone! He didn't exhibit this behavior when he was smaller/younger so I'm 'hoping' the prey filled him up then and by offering something larger will help with this issue.
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Re: Striking the Glass
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
Yes, they CAN do damage to their faces if this continues...they can end up with an abscessed mouth that requires surgery, not to mention broken embedded
teeth, etc. So you want to minimize this...maybe locate the enclosure in a quieter place (so you aren't walking past?) or cover the cage (or use a room divider
folding screen) to block his view. (which defeats your easily observing your pet, unfortunately...) The BCI I had was quite food motivated but wasn't inclined
to hit the glass when it wasn't feeding time, & even so, it rarely happened. Maybe you need to avoid walking so close to his cage, & pay close attention if you do?
One way to quickly "change the channel" on an overly-food-driven snake is a quick spray of water to their face...it doesn't hurt them, just startles them & is a
complete let-down as it's nothing like prey. You might be able (translation: if I had your snake, I'd be inclined to try this) to "teach" him to back off & wait for
a more positive prey identification if you rigged up a little sprayer of water, with tubing so you could spray it when further away...as when you see he's tracking
your motion thru the glass & is in danger of striking the glass. Because one thing is certain: your boa's food drive will only increase, as will the force of his strike.
Boas are not shy like BPs, & I don't think you'll dissuade him from eating...you just want to slow him down, teach him not to chase every motion so much.
His enclosure is in a low traffic place and the strikes happened last night when I attempted to feed the BP who is situated on top of his AP enclosure and then this morning when I had to remove the F/T rat my BP refused
I've been tap training since Day 1 and it's working well. The strikes to the glass don't happen often and seem to occur when the prey size seems smaller then usual.
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Re: Striking the Glass
Originally Posted by ckuhn003
His enclosure is in a low traffic place and the strikes happened last night when I attempted to feed the BP who is situated on top of his AP enclosure and then this morning when I had to remove the F/T rat my BP refused
I've been tap training since Day 1 and it's working well. The strikes to the glass don't happen often and seem to occur when the prey size seems smaller then usual.
Well he was probably still in food mode with smelling the rat above him
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Re: Striking the Glass
Originally Posted by ckuhn003
His enclosure is in a low traffic place and the strikes happened last night when I attempted to feed the BP who is situated on top of his AP enclosure and then this morning when I had to remove the F/T rat my BP refused
I've been tap training since Day 1 and it's working well. The strikes to the glass don't happen often and seem to occur when the prey size seems smaller then usual.
Ah! I'm a glass tank fan, so I don't have stacking cages: my BCI (like many of my current snakes- large rat snakes+) was very aware when I was feeding snakes, & many others have noticed this too...that their snakes pick up on the scent. I think as long as you have stacking cages (or any other cage in close proximity to your boa) you may have this problem. Most snakes have extremely acute sense of smell...only a few molecules need to get picked up with their tongue flicks for them to identify & get excited. You'll likely be trying to feed your BP far more often than is good for your boa...I think you should reconsider the BP's location (or the boa's).
Last edited by Bogertophis; 09-04-2019 at 12:03 PM.
Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)
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Registered User
Re: Striking the Glass
Does he do it when there’s not prey in the room? You said he did it while you were trying to feed your boo which is on top of him?
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Re: Striking the Glass
Originally Posted by Waterman
Does he do it when there’s not prey in the room? You said he did it while you were trying to feed your boo which is on top of him?
Yes, he's done it when there's no prey in the room. Not often but it has happened. I think he's smart enough to realize when it's getting close to food time and that when the lights are off he 'might' get fed. My guess, in the year I've had him, he's don't it 6-8 times.
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