hoggisland

[kill3r843]

hey every one i am looking to get a hoogisland and i found one for 120 from a friend it is a baby but it is mean i wanted to know if u guys think it will calm down with some holding and if i should get it

thank,
daniel

[Linds]

Hog Isle boas can be a bit fiesty, but many will calm down quite nicely with regular handling. They typically retain a very strong feeding reflex however, and this is often mistaken for aggression. Once they are out of their cages they are usually ok. No guarantees though, even with persistent handling, you may not end up with a docile animal.

[ChristinaM]

My "Sassy" is just that. and I've worked with her. She's tamer than she was, but I do not believe she will ever be a "trustworthy" snake. By trustworthy, I mean something I would let someone unknowledgable about snakes, hold.

I believe snakes are unpredictable.

Too much handling can stress them out.
Too little can cause them to be more aggressive.

what is just right? who knows.

bottom line: noone can guarentee it would calm down with handling. Usually they do, a bit....but some won't.

[djc3674]

Most definately every snake is different regardless of species. My hog island boa is a darling. I let my 6 yr old son hold him pretty regularly (with some supervision). However, after he eats he is a demon in disguise. I will literally have to leave him alone for atleast an hour after he eats, he stikes viciously at every movement. Like Linds stated, this is just a strong feeding response, not aggression by any means.
Once he calms down, then I can put hidebox and waterdish back. Yeah yeah...I feed my snakes in their enclosures, some people frown upon this, I myself have never had a single problem. They know when it is feeding time and when it is play time. Feeding time, everything comes out of the enclosure and they are shown their prey item. Playtime, I reach in, touch them a couple of times, then just pick them up. I've (knock on wood) never been bitten or struck at this way.