Boas are the BEST !!!

[sekans]

Call me bias but i think Boas are the best snakes to have ( or atleast mine is the best...LOL). I read a lot of threads about how long peoplee handle their snakes and most people dont handle them for a long time. Well i general handle my boa for atleast a hour with no problems. When i get off work I take him for a walk around the block, he loves the smell of that fresh air. Then i let him chill in the bed with me until i feel his body temp start to drop then i put him back in the tank. I think my fiance is a little jealous of that, she says he is taking over..lol

QUESTION...What do you usually do when you handle your boa?

Drop a comment my fellow boa lovers

[lady_bug87]

we watch Battlestar Galactica... true story

[sekans]

my snake wont stay still long enough to watch tv with me..he he constantly on the go

[lady_bug87]

my BP is even more still he crawls into my sweater and just stays there as long as I let him

[youngster]

I've never had a boa. More of a colubrid guy, but if I were to get a boid it would be a carpet or a BCI definitely.

[alessia55]

my BP is even more still he crawls into my sweater and just stays there as long as I let him

Ditto. My bp Kaybe will sit on my lap for as long as I let him. My younger bp Pika is calm, but still on the go all the time.

I don't have a boa yet. One day I hope I will! And I hope it'll be as relaxed as my BPs. :)

[sekans]

my next snake will be a bp..they have beautiful colors

[lady_bug87]

my boa is awesome I want another one lol I may pick one up from the same breeder I got my coral from

[CK SandBoas]

My BRB is extremely active and curious, he barely keeps still when i'm holding him, and trying to get him in the holding container when i'm cleaning his cage is also a challenge, lol. My Sand Boas on the other hand are a lot slower, though they still like to move, albeit at a slightly slower pace:D

[Terranaut]

Our boa will hang out on us while we play xbox. We handle him at least an hour a day. He hates going back in his cage after.

[sekans]

i know what u mean terranaut..mine trys to hold on for dear life and slithers back up my arm. he is spoiled cuz sometimes i let him chill a lil longer when i see he aint ready to go

[KORBIN5895]

Well if I am holding Striker I am usually avoiding his teeth. Now my columbians I read or allow my kids to hold cause they are usually very mellow.

[sassy_snake_lady]

Boas are awesome.

I do keep handling to a minimum though ;)

[SnakeyJay]

Ill sit with my new dwarf bci n let him explore the living room... but i cant play xbox etc. If im not paying attention, hes off like a shot towards my tv wires or the kitchen.... my brb is very active when out aswell.

[Lankyrob]

Whilst they are being handled they arent experiencing the best conditions so i tend to keep my sessions to under 15 minutes.

[CDN_Blood]

Oh sure, Boa constrictors are usually great for staying on a body as they move about or watch TV or something, and you won't find many Pythons that do that 'cause you just can't keep a good Python down - they're social and curious, so they tend to want to explore and visit everybody rather than sit. When I want something to sit, I turn to my dog <snickers> :)

[Terranaut]

I doubt they experience perfection all the time in the wild. I'm sure rain water isn't always 80+ in Colombia and that they have heated hides. An hour of handling should be worth more as good "bonding" time rather than being something bad for your snake. Not arguing just my $.02

[Aaron_S]

In the wild they also have the ability to hide from anything they dislike. Whereas in captivity they can be manhandled maybe against their will. There is no running for them in captivity so there is no argument between wild vs captivity. No one knows for sure but I rather keep my handling to a minimum much like Rob.

[Kiljosh]

I see your point as well, I believe it to be bad for the snake's health to be out of his tank for too long. But I also believe in individual resiliency. Maybe some snakes either because of the breed or just personality can put up with being handled in less-than-perfect conditions. I'm just thinking, there are humans with high pain threshholds, and it's probably not because they feel less pain but because they can deal with that pain better for some reason.

I know, apples to oranges comparing snakes and humans but who knows. I've read a lot on here about people having moody snakes and others who have the same species but with better temperament. Think about how baby snakes can be nippy, then the same snake getting more comfortable with it's environment the older it gets. They seem to learn that they are safe and never experience a threat so who's to say they can't learn that when they are taken out they are always eventually put back in. Some may tolerate this time, to an extent longer, than others?

[bigsnakegirl785]

My boa loves to be brought out, "she" also climbs right back up my arm when I try to put her back in her enclosure. She's pretty laidback, if I sit still and don't move, she sits still. If I start moving around she has to see what's going on. I tend to keep her out for less than an hour, but the days I do I leave her alone for a couple of days. lol Now my BP is another story. lol "He" got bored of movies years ago, now he's got to look in every nook and cranny and climb every vertical surface he can get to. I tend to handle him more because if I don't he's zipping across his enclosure for hours. lol

[Terranaut]

When we handle our snakes we let them move about on us. We let them hold onto us and not us holding them on us. If they venture a little far we guide them back , not pull them back. If I pull anyone out and they seem odd or flighty they go back. Not in the mood= no problem. Most of the time they seem to enjoy lurking about out of their enclosure as much as we love watching/holding them. I'm not arguing or anything but I think there is a huge difference from breed to breed and snake to snake within any given breed. Our snakes are good with this ,someone elses maybe not.

[Rogue628]

When we handle our snakes we let them move about on us. We let them hold onto us and not us holding them on us. If they venture a little far we guide them back , not pull them back. If I pull anyone out and they seem odd or flighty they go back. Not in the mood= no problem. Most of the time they seem to enjoy lurking about out of their enclosure as much as we love watching/holding them. I'm not arguing or anything but I think there is a huge difference from breed to breed and snake to snake within any given breed. Our snakes are good with this ,someone elses maybe not.

I agree. All of mine get held several times a week, sometimes for short periods of time, sometimes for a long time, usually depending upon how *good* they are while they're out (and depending upon if I'm trying to give all 7 my undivided attention within a small time frame). Mine are really good for the most part. The dumerils like to explore a bit before settling down, the same as my balls. The burms are probably the most laid back. They seem to not care either way and are usually pretty still, until I put them back and they fight me lol.

[millertime89]

Oh sure, Boa constrictors are usually great for staying on a body as they move about or watch TV or something, and you won't find many Pythons that do that 'cause you just can't keep a good Python down - they're social and curious, so they tend to want to explore and visit everybody rather than sit. When I want something to sit, I turn to my dog <snickers> :)

tell that to my BRB, nosy little guy. Has to get into everything.

[CDN_Blood]

tell that to my BRB, nosy little guy. Has to get into everything.

LOL, oh, my Rainbow Boas are like that too, and so is my Solomon Island Tree Boa - total rovers exploring everything for hours and hours and I wouldn't want it any other way. That's why I specifically said 'Boa constrictors' will often sit with a person or stay on them as they move about :)