Posted by:
amarilrose
at Sun Jul 1 12:25:53 2007 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by amarilrose ]
Laura,
I've got a lot of experience with other snake species, but none with BCI/BCC so you can take my advice for what it is worth.
First, I read your post about housing your snake outside. I live in Central IL, and doing such a thing would be UNTHINKABLE here, but apparently you folks in FL can get away with it.  To start off trouble shooting your boa's behavior though, I would definitely suggest measuring the actual temps where your snake is during the day if you haven't already - they may be vastly different inside even a well-ventilated cage than the ambient conditions of your garage. Also, if he is rubbing his nose on the screen, unless it is a cloth/fabric mesh, he could still rub his nose raw.
Second, I lived in NC for a few years, and have since learned that "garage" to some people means what I would call a "car port." If your garage is not enclosed and the snake can see a whole lot of movement at all hours of the day, that would probably account for him feeling pretty uncomfortable. You said there is more "traffic" around his current location than there was in your office, so I'm trying to guess at what you are meaning, but ultimately, yes, more traffic is pretty much unwelcome to any snake.
Third, if you find that your temps, humidity, and traffic activity are in fact ideal, you may just need to make a point of not just visiting your boa more, but handling him a lot more. A lot of scared snakes just suffer from scared owners, especially those who aren't quite used to snake behavior yet. If you act jittery, trust me, he will too! When you spend time handling him, make sure that you move very calmly, confidently, and SLOWLY. I say this because even if this may not be your issue, it has been a problem for many new keepers, and bears looking into.
As long as he feels comfortable enough to eat regularly, make sure you handle him regularly. Also, make a point of handling him as you would in one of your educational programs; if you intend to have him out for an hour during your presentation, you will need to work up to handling him for that length of time on about a weekly basis - but don't jump into that immediately, as that would almost certainly stress him out. If you don't handle him often, I would say work up to handling him often by checking on him (cage open) daily to twice daily for a week, handling for maybe a minute every other day, then step up short handling sessions to daily, then lengthen the handling sessions. I would think that daily sessions of 15 minutes, with a longer weekend handling session (mock-presentation) would calm him down if you work up to it slowly.
I feel more comfortable with my snakes in the house, because I at least subscribe to the illusion that I can control that environment easier - cutting out most of the stressors. Why is it that you need to house him in the garage? Why can't you keep him in a bigger enclosure in the house?
Good luck!
~Rebecca
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1.0.0 Dumeril's Boa '04
1.1.1 Ball Pythons
[1.0.0 '05 Orange Hypo (Specter)]
[0.1.0 '05 Het Orange Hypo (Sylvia)]
[0.0.1 '03 Normal (Sue)]
0.2 American Pit Bull Terriers (40lb darling lap dogs:Brandy&Mara)
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RE: Boa outside, really need help - amarilrose, Sun Jul 1 12:25:53 2007 