Major Boa Agression

chong_python · 02-10-05, 04:11 PM

I purchased my male boa last night from a local breeder. He is about 4 and half feet long. Any way the first night he was fine. Had him out crawling over me and showing no signs of agression. However this morning i picked him up held him for a min or two while changing his cage and fixing his hide, put him back and he was fine once again. I left the room for no more then 30 mins and retured to an exceptionaly agressive snake. As soon as i walked in the room WHAM at the glass ( and did this for a couple of hours striking at anything that moved in front of the tank ). He has settled down a bit but tenses up every time I approach the tank. His mouth is inflated and his tail is twitching ( is this normal ? ). Is this a sign that he will always be very agressive or "snap" once in a while, as i have smaller kids in the house and i would much prefer a more docile snake

Please help!!

Chris

Bartman · 02-10-05, 04:26 PM

You should not be handling him. Give him at least 2 weeks to settle in, and personally now that hes all pissed off, give him a month to settle in. I wouldnt even try feeding him for another week. Just change water and leave him alone. You can also cover the tank with towl's, that'll help him feel much more secure.

beanersmysav · 02-10-05, 04:29 PM

Acctually my colombian red tail did this too then I noticed he was shedding. Once he stopped shedding he was fine again. I think that the obstruction of vision may bother them, of course I don't know if yours is shedding or not but that could be a possibility but then again maybe not. Especially when theres noise or things approaching them I think that really shakes them up and makes them get defensive.

C.ADAMANTEUS · 02-12-05, 07:42 AM

could be the shed thing mentioned above. sounds defense related by the tail shaking. some snakes get like that when they cant see anything but blurs
Rick

RepTylE · 02-12-05, 11:15 AM

I am leery of my Suri when she is in shed. She seems more skittish when her eyes are opaqued so thinking that a skittish snake might very well be an agressive (albeit more from a defensive angle) I just leave her alone. Otherwise she is as tame as can be.
Leaving him alone for a few weeks looks like pretty good advice to me.

Linds · 02-13-05, 10:32 PM

Also, most breeders tend to not really handle their boas much. It may be that your snake is simply not acclimated to people, and especially now that it is in a new place, is very defensive. It may take some time and patience to get your new snake used to you. The best bet for a docile boa is to get a baby and work on handling it as it matures. If they aren't they can sometimes be nippy adults. I don't handle most of my boas very often, and as a result, many of them won't hesitate to bite me if given the chance.