Strike!!

victor the constrictor · #1 03-16-2005, 08:48 PM

i've written about my fem. baby boa a few days back about "stricking in the cage". well, i was holding her today and she was crawling every which way, when all of the sudden she struck at my face! luckily, she missed and just scared the life out of me instead. why would she strike out of nowhere? i'm nervous to pick her up for the rest of the day and give her the space she seemingly desires. what gives?

spencer · #2 03-16-2005, 10:01 PM

babies do that out of fear. when they strike at you and you put them back they might get inot the habbit of doing that so you will eave them alone. my guy is 8 months and still strikes at me from time to time. best to just hold them for a few more minutes let them know you arent scared and that you arent going to hurt them. most people say it takes 6 months to 1 yeat to full calm a boa down.

SSreptiles · #3 03-17-2005, 07:53 AM

spencer is right. I have a few babies that are like that also. And the rest are just calm as can be. Like my Anery boa. He's very calm, and loves to be handled, while my two Hogs are nippy (which are known to do so). Baby boas will eventually grow out of that stage. Boa's are known for there tempers. Very Docile critters. Also it depends on what TYPE of boa you have. Some species are known to be more nippy then the normal Columbian Red Tail. Like the Argintines, Central Americans, Suri's, Guyana's, Hog Islands, and lots more that I know I have missed.

just handle your boa often. About once a day, more then an hour, or until you think your boa knows your no harm. Also if you want to pick up your boa and think it will turn to bite you while it's still in the cage, just grab a long sleeve shirt, and make sure your hands are hidden, and gently pick up your boa. If you have a snake hook, that helps too.
Also make sure you don't smell like other mammals. Snakes can smell more then 150 times then a dog. Thats amazing!

I hope this helps a bit.