New to the boa world!

And I am already worrying!

Hi all, I just purchased a young hog island boa. I'm not sure about his age (because he is already 2 and a half feet or more long and bigger than the babies in this pet store. there is a pet store that is selling hog island boas as solomon island boas..) and I purchased him as a male... I am starting to suspect that he is a she however due to the tail side right after the cloaca (sp) and how thin it is, yet I can't say sence I have never seen a boa this close up before. Also I am... for some reason worrying about IBD. How exactly does this come about? He doesn't 'stargaze' but sometimes i see his head wobble verrrry slightly. and its only when he is trying to keep his balence. I hope its not "head tremors".

Well anyway any feedback on this head movement is appreciated!

Hold your boa securely with one hand and with your other hand using just your thumb and index finger,grasp the tail section just below the cloaca and strip your index finger GENTLY BUT FIRMLY upwards and back towards the end of the tail.About mid-way down you should feel something like a small BB as you pass down the tail section.It should have a snap or click feel to it.Try it a few times and see what you find.If you dont feel anything your either not applying enough pressure (with your index finger upwards) or its not a male.

Good luck !

M/

Thanks M, I'll try that out!

i'm still worried about the wobbly head... I don't think its anything to worry about.. but I don't want any suprises.

Are you worried that it is a female? If I was only going to have one boa I would prefer it to be a female. They eat better and are less tempermental. I think the procedure described in the last post may drive you crazy wondering if you felt a 'bb' or not so if you really don't care I wouldn't stress yourself or the boa over it.

Since you're not familiar with boas it is hard to figure the head wobbling. It probably doesn't have IBD though because it isn't that common.

Yep, a lot of people who first get boas and learn about IBD get scared - I know I did... but don't confuse a boa's stretching out its head and looking upwards with "stargazing". Lots of boas will look up and stretch out, pausing for a few seconds, which is normal. Stargazing is much more prolonged, and is usually accompanied by other signs of IBD (like not being able to right itself after being turned on its back). Some boas also get nervous when being held, and shake their heads back and forth quickly if they feel off balance, as if they are searching for something to grab with their head/neck. One of my boas does this - I swear she is afraid of heights.

Lots of boas have slightly different body language. After getting used to yours, you'll be able to tell what is normal for him/her and what isn't. Also - boas and pythons have different tail shapes - some people say that ball pythons can be visually sexed by tail length (short, fat tail = male, long narrow tail = female), but boas are the opposite - males tend to have longer, thinner tails, and females tails tend to be shorter. The best, surest way to sex would be to probe (have someone in your area show you if you are not sure how - there are lots of tutorials online on how to do it though).

If you just want a pet though, really not a huge difference, especially for Hog Islands, since both females and males tend to be less than 6' long as adults. Also - as for temperment - it seems to be variable - I have 1 female that is very tame, 1 that is tame but is nervous when held in your hands (likes to have a surface under her like a couch), and one female Hog (who recently died), who would be mean in her cage, but ok to hold and tame once removed from her cage. Two of my males (my Hog male and my hypo male) are absolute dolls - have never tried to bite and are very easy to hold, but the surinam male that I adopted does NOT like to be held at all. He hasn't struck at me, but tries to squirm away whenever he is handled. My ball python male is the biggest puppy of a snake there ever was.

So for me at least, sex has not been a reliable indicator of attitude/temperment at all.

Either way, enjoy your new snake! Post some photos if/when you have a chance! Sorry for the long post!

That procedure is well pr oven and by far much more humane then the procedure of popping(forcing organs from the body)
Its really quit simple,you either feel it or you don't
I'm not real clear as to your saying females eat better then males ?
How does one arrive at such a conclusion ?

M/

Originally Posted by kmurphy

Are you worried that it is a female? If I was only going to have one boa I would prefer it to be a female. They eat better and are less tempermental. I think the procedure described in the last post may drive you crazy wondering if you felt a 'bb' or not so if you really don't care I wouldn't stress yourself or the boa over it.

Since you're not familiar with boas it is hard to figure the head wobbling. It probably doesn't have IBD though because it isn't that common.

I agree with Meta up there, gender makes no difference in appetite or docility. Also, he wasn't describing a procedure, rather a sexing technique, like he said, it is the least invasive and most accurate of the techniques.

Chris

That procedure is well pr oven and by far much more humane then the procedure of popping(forcing organs from the body)
Its really quit simple,you either feel it or you don't
I'm not real clear as to your saying females eat better then males ?
How does one arrive at such a conclusion ?

Experience. Boas are generally good eaters but most often if one is going to be fussy it will be a male.

Not saying the procedure wasn't proven just that if the OP is worrying about a bobbling head then it's good bet he's going to be wondering if he felt a BB. And if he had only one boa what difference does it make. Sorry if it sounded to you like a personal attack. It wasn't meant that way.

Oh I only wanted to get a male because they supposedly get less thick than females.

Ok thank you all for your replies, they were very informative!

I am having a new issue however, he (I found out using that technique) looks really dehydrated. i have never seen him drink and there is a loose fold of skin on his neck. I bathed him so he could absorb some water thru his skin but when i put him near water or have some dropped on his nose he doesn't open his mouth at all. My corn will drink like that, but for my boa he doesn't seem to want to drink at all... I am going to make arrangements for the vet. Is there anything else I could do before that?

I am having a new issue however, he (I found out using that technique) looks really dehydrated. i have never seen him drink and there is a loose fold of skin on his neck. I bathed him so he could absorb some water thru his skin but when i put him near water or have some dropped on his nose he doesn't open his mouth at all. My corn will drink like that, but for my boa he doesn't seem to want to drink at all... I am going to make arrangements for the vet. Is there anything else I could do before that?

The skin around a boa's neck isn't as tight as a colubrid's skin so what you're describing is normal so far. I rarely see any of my boas drink unless I catch them at night. Certainly with you standing over them they won't drink unless they have been without water for a considerable time, and even then they may be too intimidated by your presence.
A boa is a pretty hearty snake, so if your temps are correct, you've given it some place to feel secure, and have provided water, I'm sure it is drinking, even if you're not seeing it.