question regarding ATB's aggression

[rynwilliams]

I have read many articles and books on ATB's as i will hopefully be getting one in a few weeks. I am also aware of the fact that they are aggressive. They use heat sensing pits to hunt prey and i have read that they sometimes strike cos they see a large heat source coming towards them, if you wash your hands with cold water before picking them up, do you think this will decrease the chances of them striking. Also i have seen a picture of somebody picking one up with gloves on, wont this damage the snakes teeth if they do bite? if not what is the best type of gloves to use (material e.g. leather, wool, plastic).

Thanks
Ryan

[Nett]

Leather welding gloves are the best to use ........Some ATBs will "tame" down with handeling ......some never do .......Making ur hands cold wont really help with aggression .....Biting due to heat seeking is more of a feeding responce not an aggression one ........If this is ur 1st tree snake make sure u get a CBB one from a good breeder ......WC ones are alot harder to get started and keep alive :)

Also one of the best places to learn about Tree boas is Corallus.com ........check it out ;)

[Invictus]

Annette's advice is very sound, and ATBs don't strike because of feeding response - they are just a naturally defensive animal. For my biters, I use warehouse gloves that are made of very soft leather. It's MUCH safer for the snake than your knuckle or the bones in your hand, I can tell you that for sure. :)