Female boa now aggressive *HELP*

I have a late 09 salmon boa, pushing 4ft or so. ive had her since she was just a tiny thing.i was always holding her , feed in a box not cage. i tought i was doing everything right. Untill she bit me about 2 weeks go. she has never once acted aggressivly or any thing. during that time we did move, and now she is in shed. i dont know if female boas go the a aggressive stage when they hit sexual maturity [i dought she would be going though this so young?]. Anyway i dont want to get rid of her but if i cant hold her..... i dont knkow what to do please help.

thanks todd

maybe she is still a little flustered from the move. also did you hold her within two days of being fed. another thing i don't hold my snakes right before they shed.
hope everything works out for you man
connor glunz
glunzy@sbcglobal.net

New environment, smells, and sights can trigger defensiveness in Boas. Doesn't mean it will every time, but it can, and sometimes does bring on an attitude. You also mentioned going into shed. Well, they can't see when they are hazed over, so they're automatically a little more defensive. Plus, ecdysis (sloughing) is a delicate process. You shouldn't be handling them during this time due to other risks too. If that old skin tears before it's ready to come off, you risk the snake getting infection and fungal attacks from it.

But the big one is, and sorry if it comes across wrong, but it's just the way it is. Boas are not always calm and accepting to our interaction. Same goes with most exotics. When you choose to own them, you risk being bit. Even the calmest ones have their moments. They aren't tame like so many describe them, they are too instinctive to be treated like a cat or dog. If getting bit occasionally isn't in the picture you painted for yourself, then these aren't the animals for you. That's really about as nice as I can put it.

Hopefully things will calm down after you let it settle in for a couple or three weeks. But you need to face the reality that it's not guaranteed.

I have learned to watch my boas behavior. Most of the time, I can read there current mood and avoid being bitten. I only hold them when I have assured myself they are in the right mood to do so. Even then I have still been bitten before. Boas are pretty easy to manipulate as youngsters, but once they get older, they have there own personality. I would let her have some time to settle in and get through her shed cycle then try again, maybe even a couple of days after a meal.

A boa biting one time doesn't necessarily mean it's "become aggressive". Stuff happens, as a snake keeper, you get bit. Even some of my most even tempered animals have bitten once or twice, or attempted to. If it's that big of a deal to you, maybe boas aren't the snake you want to work with. They are pretty damn even tempered, but you're gonna get bit.

On a side note, I believe the whole "feeding outside of the cage" deal is hogwash. The only thing that it accomplishes is raising the amount of contact with a snake during feeding time, which in turn increases the likelihood of a bite. It's applying mammalian psychology to a reptile, and it just doesn't often work that way.

Chris

Well it hasnt been that long since you moved.
There are still tons of sounds and smells that are strange to her so she probably thought "omg something weird in my territory!" *bite*
I would wait probably two weeks after moving to get her acclimated to the new place, then I would try slowly to pick her up and handle her.

If shes close to shedding, she cant see well, so, with all the new sights/smells in the new place, and not being able to see well, she probably bit you out of fear of the unknown.
Just cause a snake bites you once doesnt mean shes aggressive, she was probably just scared or a little freaked.

Wait until shes shed completley, wait until shes digested her food for approximately two or three days and then try and get her out to handle.
Do it slowly and hopefully she will smell you and think "oh yeah this is mommy" instead of "omg weird thing!"

Gluck!

As stated let her get use to her new place and let her shed. I think she will be ok for you. About the whole feeding in seperate box, I feel after they eat in there "box" and then you have to remove them to put them in there cage causes stress. Also, When your female is about 6 ft and can pack a punch I don't think you would want to get her out of her feeding box if she is still in feeding mode. Just my 2 cents.

Boas are amazing animals and taking a bite here and there is worth it. Its just like I am sure your car has broken down once or twice but you still drive it everyday and love it lol. Just give her a few days to herself and keep us updated on her. Goodluck!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by crotalusadamanteus

But the big one is, and sorry if it comes across wrong, but it's just the way it is. Boas are not always calm and accepting to our interaction. Same goes with most exotics. When you choose to own them, you risk being bit. Even the calmest ones have their moments. They aren't tame like so many describe them, they are too instinctive to be treated like a cat or dog. If getting bit occasionally isn't in the picture you painted for yourself, then these aren't the animals for you. That's really about as nice as I can put it.

I'm not a fan of being bitten, but I know that having snakes means that sometimes I'm going to get bitten, no matter how careful I try to be. As someone mentioned, one bite doesn't mean that she's become aggressive.

If this was mentioned, I missed it, but do you use a hook? I've got most of mine hook-trained so that a "bump" (more like a soft tap) on the head means, "No food". Also allows me to get them out of their enclosure without having to reach in (something I never do with the larger ones).

And I'm glad that I'm not the only one that laughs when I read a snake's description that includes "tame"!

Originally Posted by Matt2979

And I'm glad that I'm not the only one that laughs when I read a snake's description that includes "tame"!

Hey! I have some "tame" snakes. Lol... I think the term "tame" is for someone who handles there boas often enough they know there behaviour so they seem tame to them, therefore no bites. All of em will bite IMO. I do have one female, she is my biggest, over 30lbs now and almost 9ft, she will hiss at me everytime I go to pull her out but its always a bluff. She loves me.

Boas bite, it's just kind of a fact of life. That doesn't mean you have to get bitten though... I am probably struck at 5+ times a week or so, but I haven't been bitten by anything of any size in years. My best trick is a piece of paper towel, but anything will work for that matter... No matter how angry the boa is, throw a piece of something between your hand and the boas head so it can't sense the heat for a couple seconds and can't see you, then grab it. Most of the time when you pick it up that way, even super angry boas calm down as long as you don't do anything too fast.