Red tail

Reddragonfish · 11-18-03, 03:02 AM

I have had a red tail boa for a couple of months and he is very snappy at everything earlier today he snapped at me throught his cage as i was feeding him is their any way i can calm him down he is only about 2 1/2 ft so still a baby i dont really wanna have to sell him but i really want a snake that i can handle tho.

foman · 11-18-03, 11:55 AM

Are you feeding it enough at a time? If so throw on a par of gloves and handle him a few times a week for a couple hours and he should calm down. You should be feeding it a very large mouse or a rat pup every 5-7 days.

JonD · 11-18-03, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Reddragonfish
I have had a red tail boa for a couple of months and he is very snappy at everything earlier today he snapped at me throught his cage as i was feeding him is their any way i can calm him down he is only about 2 1/2 ft so still a baby i dont really wanna have to sell him but i really want a snake that i can handle tho.

You really should give us more info. Like what type of enclosure, the temps you keep it at, what size of food, how often you feeding it. Cheers!!

C.m.pyrrhus · 11-18-03, 01:45 PM

Adolecent Boa constrictors tend to be the nippiest, especially if he is a B.c.i. More details would help though. More than likely it is something that can be worked on, so there is no need to sell your boa off just yet. Another thing to do is be patient with herps. Some are going to be just not what you expect, and it is not fair to the snake just to toss it to the side because of it. Give a bit more detail on the husbandry, that may help out a lot.

Linds · 11-18-03, 03:02 PM

It isn't uncommon for babies of many reptiles to be snappy. It is instinctual. In the wild they are very vulnerable to predators, so until they get used to us and begin to realize that we are not out to eat them, you just need to be patient and understanding. Handle him (no gloves!) frequently, use a hook if you need to, etc. He should calm down eventually. If he snaps at feeding time it is likely because he smells food in the air and is excercising a good feeding response. Nothing to be concerned with

Reddragonfish · 11-18-03, 03:22 PM

Feeding time isnt they only time he snaps, when i9 hold him he snaps every time someone moves by him the inclosure for now is a 40 breeder he is only just over 2 ft. and i try to feed him a small rat or 2 mice if i cant get rats no pet stores sell them and i dont have room to breed them myself also the cag is kinda cold at around 75 degrees its hard to regulate heat im gonna try to insulate the tank somehow i was just conserned i dont wanna get bit by a 10 ft snake that would suck now im not worried but it doesnt take long for them to get to 6 ft from what i understand

Invictus · 11-18-03, 03:30 PM

I have baby, jeuvenile, and adult BCI and none of them are snappy. The adult is a little hissy, but he's all talk, no action.

75 is too cold for a boa. Raise the cage temps and he may become more content, although in my experience, cold temps make a snake more placid and calm, so that may not be the problem.

All I can say is, handle often. If you have to use gloves at first, do it, but make sure you eventually move towards no glove handling so that your snake recognizes your scent. Right now, the snake just has to get used to the idea of being handled at all. Now is the only chance you are going to get - if your boa makes it to adulthood and hasn't calmed down, it never will. Do everything you can to calm it down while it's still young.

Linds · 11-18-03, 05:19 PM

It may be that your snake is stressed out by such a large enclosure. Is it heavily planted so he can be in a tight hiding spot whenever he needs? I would recommend getting him out of the tank and in to a rubbermaid. You will have an easier time with temps and humidity as well as your snake will feel more secure. Do you only have the one temperature in the tank? Your snake needs a gradient of roughly 80-90. It is important he have both cool and warm side so he can thermoregulate. What kind of thermometer are you using? The stick on kind are crap. They are inaccurate and only measure the air temp, not the surface temp (this is what you want to be measuring). Temp guns or digital thermometers (w/ remote probe) are the way to go. Keeping your snake at 75 is asking for worse problems than a bitey snake.

Quote:

Originally posted by Invictus
If you have to use gloves at first, do it, but make sure you eventually move towards no glove handling so that your snake recognizes your scent.

Gloves = potential harm to the snake. Gloves are in no way benefical to the snake, and can lead to snagged teeth and possible infection. Someone said it in a previous post and I couldn't agree more: if you can't handle your snake without gloves, you are not ready to have that snake in the first place.

Invictus · 11-18-03, 05:46 PM

Sorry, but that's a load of crap in my opinion. Gloves absorb a lot more impact than your knuckle or the back of your hand. THAT is what leads to snake injuries, not gloves. I wear gloves when I have to handle my arsehole snakes, and they are yet to embed a tooth in the glove. A couple of them have, however, BROKEN teeth in my knuckles and the back of my hand, so I'm afraid you'll never convince me that gloves are more harmful than bone.