not treat him as in if you treat him nice and praise him often he'll roll over for you to tickle his belly.. lol

one thing is them falling into the habit of being aproached by something (you) that although seems big and scary, is actually harmless

another thing is how some people condition their animals to differentiate between 'I wanna hold you' and 'Time for Dinner!'

I remember an old friend who had a burmese python in a huge cage with a screen cover.. (not the greatest housing, but this was about 15 years ago) He would quitely remove the screen and go in to pet him before picking him up, and when it was feed time, he had a big chain he would pounce and rattle up on top of the screen, causing quite a racket, and the snake would know that's when it is time to eat.. the other times, there is no food coming..

These days, a safe, easy practice is to feed them in seperate containers, not in their cages.

another thing is how you handle the animal.
Usually, very slow, deliberate movements are taken as harmless and seldom noticed. Have him feel comfortable at all times, and their is no reason for him to get agitated, nervous or defensive... three behaviors we simply label as "aggressive".

another thing I tell beginners...
Be his tree, or be his ground..
let me explain..

If you were snatched up from your home and taken to a foreign planet and dumped somewhere new/different, and there were giants all around you that seemed really scary and threatening.. (this is what they more than likely experience.. no?)
You could be scared, angry, defensive, and all three and more.. you will be worried about and defensive against anything that comes near you... anything you see over you, approaching you, etc.. the ONLY thing you are sure of and will not even consider attacking is the ground you are standing on.
Divert the snakes attention and get him on your hand. Make him feel as if that is the ground, or a tree branch.
You can try this and see how if you wave your other hand near him or make like you are going to grab him, he may get defensive against that hand. He may look up at you. He will more than likely not turn around to the hand holding him and try to bite it.

another thing is knowing the snake's limitations.. how far he can strike, to what degree he can turn, how far can he reach AROUND the corner, or AROUND the cage opening... you'd be surprised..
then you can learn how to control his movements by keeping him off balance so he can not act and move the way he would want too.. this drastically limits his ability to try to bite you.. he can not focus on 'attacking', but rather trying to save himself, make sure he keeps balance, etc..


These are some of the little things you pick up and learn while dealing with snakes for so many years.. not necessarily something you need to know now or need to practice everytime you handle a snake, but chances are it will make it much easier..

Try to be more aware of all these little things and more.. you tend to realize so much more about behavior and handling and more..
You realize.. like I can honestly say, the handful of times i've been bitten have totally been my fault..


all that fancy Indian Snake Charming Flute Dance hogwash is nothing more that diverting the snakes attention and/or maintaining the snakes focus.. so easy.. you can do it with a little practice.
(CAUTION: NOT IN ANYWAY A SUGGESTION TO GO OUT AND GET A VENEMOID TO DO THIS WITH!!) lol... gotta throw that in there..



Anyway, understand this, at the end of the day, Central American Boas, ANY subspecies, are not as 'domesticated' as colombian bci are. They have not been bred in captivity for generations and generations like the colombians have.
One must expect them to still haave a much greater deal of natural instinct left in them.
A little more instinctive and reactive. A little more agile and curious.
They are not really used to 'friendly giants'.. lol

You can NOT say that there is a real temperment difference between a certain breed of dog and the other, or a purebreed and a mutt, that is like saying some snakes are more tame than others.
The fact is that some central american boas may act more like a wolf hybrid dog.. these are first or second generation wolf dog crosses and still have a whole lotts WILD in them. They can not be compared to a house dog that you could keep around the family and the kids.



Now I actually have to get some work done here!


Take care, Joe Rollo - Bci Joe
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Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

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