[Behavior] stopping noserub

[Poznak]

One of my boas has a persistant noserub. I have him in a rack like many of my other boas. I don't wanna risk any infection. How do I make him stop? I felt around inside the tub and the only mildly rough surface is where the holes are drilled. I sanded them down smooth about two weeks ago under the assumption this was the problem. I never catch him in the act so I now assume he just is abbrading his nose on the plastic tub itself since it has not subsided. Any suggestions?

[joshua.britto]

Re: stopping noserub

whats the substrate?

[Boa Amarali]

Re: stopping noserub

That's a tough call, some Boas just keep doing this in tubs or enclosures that
you would think wouldn't cause a problem.


Usually a screen lid or rough tub top is the cause

We know that's not the case here

There is a chance for this particular Boa humidity and/or temps requirement
are different than the rest that are kept in the same rack

Probably not though

I think floor space requirements and even vertical space or climbing apparatus
are needs for some Boas and not others

This could be a cause , it might take some trial and error
to pin your problem down

[Hunglikeafruitbat]

Re: stopping noserub

I think floor space requirements and even vertical space or climbing apparatus
are needs for some Boas and not others.

Shortly after getting my two first boas I noticed the large male was rubbing alot and the baby female was trying to escape every chance she got and rubbing too. I moved them both into larger tanks as soon as I could with a branch to climb on and all the rubbing and escape attempts stopped. The big male has started to rub a bit again but I think that is due to the changing season and the large female next to him now.

[Poznak]

Re: stopping noserub

To elaborate a little on my situation its a hypo hog cross f2 from dm line about 3 yrs old. Im using cypress mulch as a substrate. Actually its funny u mention substrate because with this particular boa i notice that he is real messy in the sense that the substate is always pushed around and almost always in the water bowl. He seems to bunch it up into piles and create bare spots on the tub floor. Its not in search of heat because the bare spots are always random. He doesn't bury himself though like i've seen other boas do so i don't think its a security issue. Thanks so much for your suggestions.

[satyra]

Re: stopping noserub

if hes 3yo he might just be roaming for a female. i have a 2.5yo male thats a horny little bastard and he rubbed his nose, i threw him in with a female and he stopped rubbing :/ might not be an option if you dont wanna breed, you might have to just get a bigger/taller cage. mine was kept in a big plastic tub in a rack too, until i put him in the AP wtih the female.

[Linda]

Re: stopping noserub

I agree, if he's a mature male and you have any females in the same room...

Well, that's a recipe for a nose rub no matter what you do.

I had the same problem. I tried "everything". I even moved him to a different room in the house. Nothing worked. Finally, I gave him a female. That stopped the nose rubbing immediately and now he's happily breeding.

So, if you have a mature female anywhere near him. That could be the problem. If you don't want to breed him, then you may want to try moving him to another room. Of course, that doesn't always work. I know it didn't with my guy.