Sorry to hear about the hit to the face you took--that's not a lot of fun. Sure gets your heart going, though...

As the other respondent mentioned, some boas, for whatever reason, remain intractable and nasty for the duration of their lives, but it's pretty uncommon. This is obviously a lot more common with WC specimens than CB. A month into captivity is still pretty early in the going--perhaps your boa hasn't quite acclimated yet and is still a little jumpy.

One trick I've used with good success is the T-shirt method. Wear the same t-shirt for two or three days and toss it into the enclosure. Leave it there overnight or for a few nights. The idea behind this is that the animal get used to your scent, and assimilate it as part of its natural environment, so that it will not feel so threatened when you intrude on its space to handle it.

Also, oftentime boas that are defensive inside their enclosures will settle down when taken out. Using a snake hook to remove the animal from its enclosure might avoid triggering their territorial instincts.

Double check your husbandry: temp, humidity, etc. Is the enclosure sitting on the floor? Is the animal in a high-traffic area of the house? If so, the vibrations might be bothering it. Sometimes, it also helps to screen off the enclosure so that movements outside do not startle it.

Good luck.

[ Hide Replies ]

• Case of the Biting Boa - SJL, Fri Feb 9 12:58:09 2007
• RE: Case of the Biting Boa - Randall_Turner, Fri Feb 9 13:02:28 2007
• RE: Case of the Biting Boa - paraboloid, Fri Feb 9 18:04:01 2007
• RE: Case of the Biting Boa - SJL, Fri Feb 9 18:42:59 2007
• RE: Case of the Biting Boa - VaranusAqua, Fri Feb 9 20:57:40 2007