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boa rescue

IronOutTheIrony

IronOutTheIrony

IronOutTheIrony
somehow ive gotten the reputation as 'the crazy snake lady' at work. every time someone has a snake in their garden, or has a question, they come ask me. :) well...an acquaintance contacted me the other day and said that she has a male red tail boa that has become aggressive (her and her husband both got bit) and she was looking to take him to the spca, and wanted to know if I wanted him. I immediately said yes, because I figured he wouldn't have a chance at the spca. this is going to be my first big snake, and im used to handling my adorable and docile corns. I read on a few website that all it takes to calm a snake down is time, patience, and handling. does anyone have any experience with aggressive boas?
 
I'm willing to bet that either he's just got a super strong feeding response (ours does, you do NOT put your hand in her tank unless you touch her with the hook first to let her know what you're doing) Or something is off with his current husbandry. I seriously doubt he has a real "aggression" issue. More than anything you just have to be able to read their body language. Just my 2 cents.
 
Good on you for saving this animal. Both my boas are small yet, and puppy-dog tame, so I can't really help you out. Has anyone tried using a snake-hook with this guy? Once they've been grabbed (and know you're not food) they're usually ok.
 
Also, boids are smart, not to bash on corns but boids show quite a bit more intelligence, just saying. Not a bad thing at all, makes it easier for you to understand one another as silly as that sounds.
 
I'm not really sure what his temps are, but I know after he bit his owners, they basically stopped handling him altogether. They haven't tried a hook, but I'm going to pick one up this weekend when I get him. From what they say, he used to be super calm, and would hang out with them and watch tv.
 
I'm always very tentative with a new snake, don't go into it with this guy thinking he's a slasher though, treat him as you would any new animal. Don't let the 'he bites' thing scare you. If he was calm before, something must have went wrong with temps or like I said, strong feeding response, Joba is right, once they realize they aren't getting fed they tend to settle right down. Some people, the ones that don't fully research their animal usually, just don't understand this and mark it off as aggression.
 
temps are very important to behavior. He should have 88-92 hot spot and 78-80 cool end (on the floor). If the snake isn't comfortable with his environment, this can certainly make him cranky. Other than that, it could be cage aggression; in that case, they usually settle down once they're out and being held. Nobody can really say for sure though with such limited info. Good luck.
 
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