Small boa round the neck?

For those that don't know, I have a BRB. He is about a year and half, and I recently took him outside for a while on a very nice day. He behaved himself quite well, but did for a point wrap himself around my neck. I felt him squeezing, tho I did not take it as aggression, just holding fast. I settled on this species because it stays small enough that I can handle alone safely. But I wanted to make sure this is an ok behavior to tolerate, or would it be too risky? I'm inclined to think if he wanted to be aggressive (which he has not shown) he would just bite or strike. Right?

I sit with my boas around my neck all the time. They are slightly over three feet long each. When they get around six feet I usually don't let them wrap my neck cause when they tighten up it's uncomfortable.

Yes, there are those who will tell you that it's a bad thing to do, but c'mon, who has been killed by a less than six foot snake constricting them?

I used to do that with my bp's, but for some reason they always liked to get tangled in my hair!
If you are uneasy about it, just don't do it. Personally, I think they just like the warmth they get from the back of the neck.

I've done it, and still do at times. It's the common sense factor that gets people in trouble, or lack of. At around 7 ft and up, I will only let them drape over one shoulder. Reason being, is that most will instinctively hang on. An 8 ft Boa just "hanging on" can exert enough pressure on the carotid artery to make you black out. If nobody is there for help, and you fall in such a position as to keep the pressure on that artery, you could very well die.

But the smaller guys? I hang them on my neck while I clean their cages, while I water the yard, clean the house. You get the idea.

Glad to hear it guys, thanks so much! He is still well under 6 foot I think, and was amenable to being unwrapped from the neck. The squeezing was slightly uncomfortable, but I don't think was enough to impair my breathing or circulation. Frankly, it's a little easier to keep track of his head's whereabouts as I talk a walk with him when most of him is making contact with my skin. I won't worry about it again, and I look forward to taking him outside again today.

I would not be too concerned if what we are talking about here is a BRB. I don't think a BRB could "exert enough pressure" to kill an adult human. But I agree with Rick, a 7 to 8 foot or more Boa can be dangerous, especially if it were to wrap you up with your hands immobilized like if it went to strike at your face and you instinctively put your hands up to protect yourself and they got wrapped up in a coil and around your neck at the same time. I have about an 8 foot female BCI, weighs about 40lbs, and she is so incredibly strong. I have had her on my neck and had to get her off cause she was starting to put a hurt on me and she wasn't even being aggressive. I generally don't handle her if I am by myself just in case something goes wrong. Big boas must be respected or you could find yourself in trouble.

I think it is an ok behavior to tolerate for that kind of snake and I don't think it was an aggressive behavior, and more than likely, if he was to be aggressive, his first choice would probably be to strike and bite, just as you mentioned. I have had colubrids squeeze me in an aggressive manner but have not yet had a boa squeeze me aggressively, but I imagine that it could happen if a boa got upset enough, and then look out!!

I've gotta ask...

Why are you taking this animal outside?

Where to?

For how long?

Even my small (less than 3 foot) boas hold me more tightly than I really like sometimes... but I think it's probably just as hard as they'd hold onto a moving tree branch.

My rule of thumb is not to let them loop completely - you can usually hang them over your shoulders in a U shape and just move them politely aside if they start to loop.

(Mine also enjoy hanging onto glasses frames, but they're getting a bit large for that now....)

I had taken him out of his tank for some usual handling and "stretch his legs" lol. Was concurrently doing laundry in the next building over, and it was time to switch the load. He was being very good and seemed to be enjoying his time exploring, so I took him with, rather than force him back to his digs early. It was a beautiful, sunny, and unseasonably warm day, about 70, and I would like to condition him as much as possible for a snake, to be relatively unreactive to new surroundings. Is there a reason Seamus that I am unaware of that I should not ever be taking him out?

Originally Posted by geckogrl6

Is there a reason Seamus that I am unaware of that I should not ever be taking him out?

One... you control the environment when the animal is in it's enclosure, the temperature, humidity, light intensity and all the stimulus are controlled. You do not control the laundry room the next building over.

Two... snakes aren't fashion accessories. If you have one because you think it makes for nifty jewelry, you're basically an animal abuser.

Three... not everyone feels the same way about snakes. I'm all for education of the general public and encouraging them to learn about and appreciate reptiles... showing up with a reptile when they weren't necessarily expecting it is the opposite of a responsible and appropriate way to go about that.

Four... When you take a species that evolved to spend it's time sitting in muddy damp leaf litter and hiding while the sun is up, toss it on as a necklace and take it into bright, active areas, you shift the stimulus and the behavioral responses it's likely to generate. When your snake bites someone's kid because you were stupid enough to think it was a good idea to drag it around in public, it's everyone else who pays the price for the news story.

So yeah... there are plenty of reasons you shouldn't wear your boa around your neck in your apartment complex laundry room. And not a single one for why you should.