New Volta Girl Help

[Bogertophis]

I hear you, but I've got about 10 adults shipped in over the years. Plus more at shows. And my brothers have gotten more than me. And never had such a fearful ball. I've had her for a few weeks, but she hasn't been fed yet. Due to be fed this week

I picked up on the fact that this isn't your first rodeo, but there is still some percentage of c/b BPs that have this sort of personality. Same for other kinds of snakes too.

BTW, I've kept hundreds of various kinds of snakes, including about 10 BPs over almost 4 decades. One of the worst (at least at the beginning) was a yearling BCI that changed hands many times in her first terrifying year of life, before she was given to me as pretty much her last chance. Even a snake-keeping vet-tech gave up on her, she was so good at biting. I wasn't looking to have a larger boa & had a house full of snakes already, but I just figured maybe I could calm her down & then later on, rehome her. I'm pretty good at calming snakes down.

She constantly coiled & tried to strike, not bluffing at all, so I put a small towel over her so she was enclosed, & held her calmly on my lap for 30-45 minutes at a time. Most people say to keep handling short, but the most stressful thing is when we first approach & pick up a snake, & the second worst time for them (when they're most likely to bite) is when they're being put back into their homes. So I don't hold with short handling times, but rather slow & relaxed sessions, maybe 2-3 times a week, but not every day.

Snakes very seldom bite thru towels. In this way she learned my scent & touch- while feeling warm & safe, but without actually seeing this "big scary monster" that was holding her. Only after about a month or so of doing that was she calm enough to allow her to peek out. At first she coiled but realizing nothing had changed, she finally figured out that there was no enemy she needed to bite. Within 2 months of taking in this snap-dragon, she was okay to handle without a towel, & in all the years I had her, she never did bite me even once. In fact, she turned into such a big cuddly boa (over 7.5').

Anyway, that's how I'd handle this BP. Most snakes can be calmed down, & it's always worth trying, & trying hard. Put yourself in their scales...& remember that in the wild, according to their instincts, the only thing that picks them up is a predator that's about to eat them. We'd be hysterical too, I guarantee it.