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 #1689156


Cleoty
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 Four and a half foot aggressive boa- HELP!

My husband took a boa that had been neglected and up until now all has been well. Although she hasnt been held more than three times since weve gotten her in the last year , she is well fed and we have been able to keep her clean . She is beautiful but has always acted timid when handeling. We were hoping for her to get better so we could hold her more but she is intimidating at four and a half feet, how bad is that one gonna hurt??!!She struck my finger through the screen top the last time I tried to feed her and I just dont know if I can stomach a full force battle if she latches on to my husband.Any advice on what to do? Temp stays about eightysix or eight, has water bath and log and greenery plus one wooden cave. Am I lacking something here? She eats enormous rats, one every two weeks, maybe an extra mouse here and there that the other snakes didnt eat.My husband really wants to keep her I figured I would try here first for advise
04/04/08  02:26pm

 #1690139


Florida boy
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   Message To: Cleoty   In reference to Message Id: 1689156


 Four and a half foot aggressive boa- HELP!

Quote:

I just dont know if I can stomach a full force battle if she latches on to my husband.



There should be no battle. Any bite you should encounter would be a defensive bite which is imediate release. The only time you will have a bite and wrap is feeding mistakes. Feeding with 12" hemostats should all but eliminate that problem. A bite from a 4.5 footer is not bad at all. Now 6+ starts to get painful with some bruising. But while it is accepted that as a boa keeper you will be bitten eventually, is usually not that much of a problem as most boas are really laid back.

Handle more often even if for 10 minutes at a time. I can’t stress how important it is for the handeler to be comfortable with the animal they are working with. The more the animal is handled(not every day) the more you will be use to what is acceptable by way of where you hold it how and where to move your hands, what does and what does not frieghten your boa... Alot of times an aminal will handle rough when removing from the cage but then be laid back once out. If this is the case get a short hook to assist in cage removal. I suggest snakehook.net
04/05/08  10:31am

 #1692715


Shermanator
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   Message To: Florida boy   In reference to Message Id: 1690139


 Four and a half foot aggressive boa- HELP!

I too strruggle with handling my Boa and she is around 8ft. I don’t mind getting her out but since she has grown I am struggling with her weight. I think investing in a hook too may be the answer. So thanks Florida Boy. Maybe it was stating the obvious!!
04/07/08  06:52am

 #1692993


Cleoty
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   Message To: Florida boy   In reference to Message Id: 1690139


 Four and a half foot aggressive boa- HELP!

Thank you so much for your help, I never even thought about a hook for assistance. We did get a chance to feed her again and tonight we are going to pick her up again. I am very glad to know its not going to be a wrap situation and that is a relief(really wasnt wanting to help with that one, no matter how pretty she is!@) I have faith now that we can handle her, thanks again and wish me luck
04/07/08  01:23pm

 #1693054


Monty08
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   Message To: Cleoty   In reference to Message Id: 1692993


 Four and a half foot aggressive boa- HELP!

Here is a link to a guy I personally buy amazing hooks from. Any other hook just doesnt match this. I bought a plain metal snake hook on kingsnake.com which ended up being broken. I was about to throw it out till B(The owner of the site) Actually fixed it. Even the handle was broken off,



"Monty Hook" The name of my Burmese Python.

I tell ya, this guy is a pro at making ANY brand of snake hooks! His name is Brad Baysinger, his site is:
www.thesnakeguru.com

Elvia.
04/07/08  02:27pm

 #1693320


Florida boy
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   Message To: Monty08   In reference to Message Id: 1693054


 Four and a half foot aggressive boa- HELP!

Just remember the hook is for assistance and not supporting the whole weight of the snake. Full weight support can result in injuries to the ribs(heavier snakes).

In the case of a feeding mistake and you get a bite and wrap there are a few meathods to remove the boa with out injurie to you or the snake.
1. Water. This can be hot tap or cold. If you can fully submerge the snake, that is best, if not ,spraying such as shower or hose should work as well.
2. Alchohol. Pouring in the snakes mouth/face will cause snake to let go. The Jacobson Organ is effected by alchohol.
3. Manually Bend tail straight up. Should work as well.
4. Manually unwrap snake starting at the tail.

Large boas and pythons over 6-8 feet should never be handled alone.
04/07/08  05:42pm

 #1693776


Monty08
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   Message To: Florida boy   In reference to Message Id: 1693320


 Four and a half foot aggressive boa- HELP!

I never heard of anyone actually having the snake hook for holding the damn thing
Elvia.
04/07/08  09:19pm

 #1694930


Florida boy
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   Message To: Monty08   In reference to Message Id: 1693776


 Four and a half foot aggressive boa- HELP!

What I mean is that you are suppose to basicaly use the hook to maneuver the front of the body and head and grab and lift the heavier back end.



04/08/08  05:33pm

 #1696336


Cleoty
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   Message To: Florida boy   In reference to Message Id: 1694930


 Four and a half foot aggressive boa- HELP!

I understood your meaning for the snake hook, I wasnt actually going to try to hold the snake with the hook! I love the idea of the lift assist tho. Thanks for the ideas on undoing the wrap, the alcohol seems so vicious, so far so good with her/him and it hasnt tried to bite since that incident. Still very timid tho.
04/09/08  05:28pm

 #1696381


Florida boy
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   Message To: Cleoty   In reference to Message Id: 1696336


 Four and a half foot aggressive boa- HELP!

alcohol is a last resort type of thing.
04/09/08  05:46pm

 #1697393


SusanC
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   Message To: Cleoty   In reference to Message Id: 1689156


 Four and a half foot aggressive boa- HELP!

Cleo,
Let me start by saying... the hook training is the perfect idea. Most of the time, boas are fine once they are in your arms. I only have 2.. a male 5’ long and a female over 7’. You didn’t say what type of boa you had..which would have altered my answers for you somewhat. I am assuming you have a common boa. Not sure what type of substrate you use... I use newspapers for my bigger snakes just b/c it is convenient. For heat, the best thing is to use an UTH that covers 1/2 to 1/3 of the bottom of your enclosure. The temps should be 85-92 on the hot end and the rest of the cage in the low 80’s. it is also recommended that you have a drop of several degrees at night.Optimally, your snake should spend the majority of it’s time somewhere in the middle.. indicating to you that you have reached it’s preferred temps. If he spends most of his time on the warm end.. then bump up your temps a few degrees... if at cool end.. lower them. make sure that your snake has a 12 hour light period and a 12 hour dark period. Humidity will vary depending on your snakes overall skin condition and the conditions in which they are housed. you should offer a water dish large enough for it to soak... but don’t fill it up or it will flood your tank...however watch for extreme soaking as this is a sign that there may be some other problems. I saw that you said you offered a hide (mine don’t use them) but it sounds like your snake is very secretive and shy..anyway your temps were pretty good but I would bump them up a little
Also, I know this sounds silly, but before I hold my snakes, I sanitize my hands... then run COLD water over them... snakes will strike at heat. (silly I know but it works for me) I never approach my snakes head on.. I always pick them up from behind.

as for feeding... younger..more active snakes can be fed one appropriately sized prey item once a week.. larger less active snakes should be fed one appropriately sized prey items every 2 to 4 weeks. You said VERY large rat so i am assuming that you have a VERY large snake. The prey item should be the same size around as your snakes girth. ( largest part of snakes body)
Once you’ve confirmed that your husbandry is correct, leave the snake alone for 1 week in those conditions.. then try again. Good luck Hope this helps... look forward to more conversations with you.
Susan
04/10/08  10:01am

 #1698081


Cleoty
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   Message To: SusanC   In reference to Message Id: 1697393


 Four and a half foot aggressive boa- HELP!

Once again thankyou for all the input, Im so glad I signed up for this site, its been so helpful in making things better for Cleo. Ive found the hook I want from the guru site, way cool by the way, and Im waiting for him to contact me to order it. I also found a great website for custom cages so I am looking into getting her a bigger tank, although the tank weve got her in is supposedly ok bigger would probably let her grow aye? I also wanted input on home bred or store bought rabbits, does it matter?we feed her frozen(heated!) rats now. The rats are big to me cuz their rats and this is my first encounter with the nasty varmins but I believe it was a medium rat we ordered, from Rodent Pro and it is about the girth size but up until now shes just been eating many mice.I will increase the temp a little, Ive noticed that she DOES like the light off at night and now I know why.I do believe it is a common boa and I do not know if its a male or female, Im starting to think male because its only four and a half foot and its got to be about 5-6 years old,what do u think? And no the cold water thing is not silly, heck Id do just about anything to avoid being bit! Thanks again
04/10/08  08:03pm

 #1708153


Lilcutie903
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   Message To: Cleoty   In reference to Message Id: 1698081


 Four and a half foot aggressive boa- HELP!

Quote:

Thank you so much for your help, I never even thought about a hook for assistance. We did get a chance to feed her again and tonight we are going to pick her up again



just make sure your not handling after you feed or you’ll end up with a regurge
good luck



04/18/08  05:09pm


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