Rudy’s Teeth Are Sharper Than I Imagined

[MM1]

Today I foolishly insisted on doing a water change despite it being dark and Rudy being out and about prowling his enclosure. As often happens, he checked out my hand. But instead of tongue flicking and moving on, he lightly pressed his lips and then latched on much as if my hand was a dead rat. I gingerly extricated myself so as not to injure him but damn, those teeth on Dominican Boas are sharp (and pretty sharply hooked). Got a nice collection of bloody pinholes and some bruising. Oh well, don’t be stupid and go against your animals behavior rhythms and body language.

[Chrysanthemum]

So far I have managed not to take a bite from my Chai (same kind of snake as Rudy). I can only guess how much it must have hurt!



If you would be so kind, I had a question for you. You must take excellent care of Rudy, for him to have live so long and still be healthy. Do you have any care tips? I have only had Chai since January. He is under two years old. Any wisdom you could share would be welcome. Thank you.

[MM1]

Just noticed this reply. Having never had Rudy definitively sexed, it was a bit of a surprise after all these years that a recent medical issue lead to the discovery that he is actually SHE. It doesn’t really matter as I am not a breeder but pretty funnel nonetheless. As far as care, I have a 5L x 3D x 2.5H enclosure with a radiant heat panel on one side (it produces temps in the mid 80s right underneath). The large water dish is on the cool side (low-mid 70s). Substrate is a mix of coco husk and cypress mulch. She spends equal amounts of time on each side (doesn’t appear to like temps above mid-upper 80s) and is most active around dawn, dusk, and overnight with occasional daytime exploring. Diet at this point is mostly medium rats every 3 weeks or so. Not uncommon to go off food for about 2 months in the fall/ early winter, but not every year. During drier winter months here in NY I spritz parts of the substrate a couple of times a week to add some humidity and aid with sheds. Rest of the year skin comes off in one piece with no other intervention. Overall I would guess they are fairly hardy animals although babies can be hard to get going as they appear to eat small lizards in the wild at that stage.

[Aaron_S]

Yeah snake bites are not fun at all. Never bleed too much but they are kind of painful for what they are.

[Chrysanthemum]

MM1

Thanks for the info! Pretty much exactly how I am keeping Chai (though in a smaller enclosure as he is still small himself). It is nice to get confirmation that I am providing correct husbandry.