I currently own 4 Boa Constrictors. I have a small male about 5' and 3 very large females- all over 8' and 2 of them around 10'. My females were all rescues and I was slowly building trust w/ them until recently. What happened is I moved back in December and since then 1 of them has remained extremely aggressive. I am looking for advice on how to work w/ her again and if there is anything I can do to bring her back from "the dark side" without getting bite bad in the process. The typical senario that I face is- I try to get her out of cage w/ a hook. She hisses & strikes at me and if I do get part of tail she wedges body up against side of cage to the point where if I try to get her out I will get bit. After playing this song and dance for awhile I give up. I would appreciate any and all advice on ways I can deal with her even on a small basis so I can at least maintain her cage and hopefully get her to the point of not hurting herself or me in the process. Even if someone has a suggestion on a safe way to get her out of cage and isolated quickly.
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Getting Control Back !
Replies (2)
see post below to Craig W. for helpful info.
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1.1.0 Colombian Redtail Boas (normals)
2.1.0 Sumatran Blood Pythons (normals)
1.0 Black Blood Python (normal)
1.0 Dumeril's Boa (normal)
0.1 Coastal Carpet Python (normal)
0.1 Jungle Carpet Python (normal)
0.1 Surinam Redtail Boa (normal)
She sounds a bit like my female. Only, I don't use a hook. So far, what I've been doing is every two days, I handle her for a few minutes and put her back in. She's still being a [bleep], but she's slowly calming down and realising A) I'm not a threat and B) I'm not backing down. I do get bit in the process. It's inevitable. Fortunately, she's only around 6 feet and not as large as your females. If it helps, wear some work gloves and an old leather jacket. When she bites the jacket, it sort of crumples up and she gets a mouthful of leather, but not my arm. The gloves don't help that much, but it does give a better level of confidence. Pythonis gave me some advice. Put a sweaty t-shirt in the cage. It'll help her get used to the scent. When Isabella first started getting defensive, I'd use her cage lid and touch her with it. That got her used to touch, and eventually, I'd rub her back with my hand. She'd strike, but at least she's slowly calming down. No longer trying to attack through the glass.
Good luck with your boa.
