growling ??

[cossiecraig]

hi there :)
i'm new here and i wonder if i may ask for some help and advice ,i fed my Boa 2 days ago and took him out tonight to clean the terrarium when as i lifted him out he let out a very deep bellow and open his mouth.....i won't lie it had me panicking so i placed him on the couch ,from placing him there he went straight into strike posistion....,i proceeded to clean his home and then i had to use a cushion to protect me as i lifted him back in too his home......ive never ever heard this deep bellow/growl before and i wondered if anyone else has experianced this ? love this site though :)))

[Wildside]

I saw it on the Crocodile Hunter once! How big is he?

[cossiecraig]

he's about 2 feet now ,still a young chap :) this is the first time i've ever heard of this !

[shaunyboy]

i've read that snakes stomachs can grumble during digestion

re the strike position
maybe she was NOT ready to be handled,so soon after her feed

IMO,snakes can feel vulnerable,being bulked up with prey inside them,so rather than regurgitate her prey,she chose to defend herself by threatening to strike

re cushion
i would'nt use a cushion,as imo, its likely to be percieved as a threat,and stress her out,making her more likely to regurge

cheers shaun

[cossiecraig]

thankyou shaun ,i've gone through the net looking at other possible cause's ,including RI but he's showing asolutley no signs of that ,and given some more thought on what you said here and me thinking too ,i'm guessing i did handle him a bit too soon ,as it's been less than 48 hrs since he last ate......i don't mind admitting it scared me a bit as i was caught well off guard by it.......
regarding the cushion ,i'll call that instinct to protect me but given i'm surrounded by what i believe to be many experts i'll not do so again ,the last thing i want is for him to feel threatened.....

thankyou again for your advice ,appreciate that very much
craig :)

[Wildside]

he's about 2 feet now ,still a young chap :) this is the first time i've ever heard of this !

You defended yourself from a 2 fter, with a couch pillow? :laugh:

I'm not really laughing at you, just visualizing the whole thing. Plays out pretty comically in my head! I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing once upon a time.

[cossiecraig]

yes wildside i did and i can imagine it also looking back...LoL ....i dare say you'll not be the first to say this :) i guess his growl / bellow at me got me real spooked there for a moment ,i'll admit my heart was beating a tad faster ! ,i sit here now smiling at what i imagine to be quite comical :))))) all's good friend and thankyou also for hearing me out ,much appreciated
craig

[SnakeyJay]

Lol love it, pillow fight with a boa :D

[KORBIN5895]

You defended yourself from a 2 fter, with a couch pillow? :laugh:

I'm not really laughing at you, just visualizing the whole thing. Plays out pretty comically in my head! I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing once upon a time.

Yes you are. I think we all are. When I pictured this I was thinking a full grown snake... the reality hit and I almost peed myself.

[Wildside]

Yes you are. I think we all are. When I pictured this I was thinking a full grown snake... the reality hit and I almost peed myself.

lol Shhhh :D

[Brently]

It sounds to me like it was simply a deep hiss. The fact that it happened when the snake was being disturbed and then afterwards the snake displayed a defensive posture sounds like big clues. Perhaps just the way or force of the air being expelled caused a reverberation giving it a deep growling sound. I would expect that you may have awakened him accidentally when you took him out and he responded in key...

[cossiecraig]

as i said wildside ,you wouldn't be the last to poke fun LOL ,all good though :)
@ Brently ,thats what i thought about again today was that maybe i just woke him up by reaching in to pick him up ,was quite the noise and not 1 ive ever heard before ,i kept boas and a burmese when i lived in England and not once did i ever hear a sound like it....
i appreciate you comment here though ,thankyou :)