Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My normally very placid boa bit me today when i was takin him out for some exercise. I just took him out like normal and place him on the rug, and he gave me a quick tag on the finger. He was just feed 3 days ago so can't be hungry. Once I placed him back in his tank he remaind staring at me in the strike postion. Why such a mood swing today????
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Steve Irwin you changed the way people look at reptiles forever. Crocodile Hunter you will be missed.

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Frank Roberts
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John Rodriguez and Frank Roberts or vise versa

it didnt hurt but it is just strange, this boa has never hissed or even gotten into a defensive pose but today it is like a totally differnt snake. I was just wondering if anyone had any insight into why the drastic mood swing.
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Steve Irwin you changed the way people look at reptiles forever. Crocodile Hunter you will be missed.

maybe there was another factor besides hunger involved... was the floor really cold, or did you have jerky motions? Could you possibly have smelled like food, or accidentally pinch or squeeze him?

There was no possible smell of food on the rug and the rug was warm the only thing i can think of was that i moved past the fan with the snake. The snake is still in a defensive position.
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Steve Irwin you changed the way people look at reptiles forever. Crocodile Hunter you will be missed.

Maybe it was some odour on you or in the air.

I still haven't been bitten by any of my boas. I've had boas for years.

My male Hog did something like what happened to you a few years
ago. He was still pretty small, not big enough to breed. I had
him out for over an hour, I noticed something seemed weird. His
little head had swelled up like some kind of Chinese dragon or
something. He just became extremely agitated all of a sudden. It
was quick. I knew enough to get him back in his cage pronto
without getting bit. He did a really impressive 'dispay' strike
once he was back in his cage. He struck the air & showed the
pink from his mouth in a real deliberate fashion. It was pretty
cool seeing it.
(From the other side of the cage's glass doors).

My boa is not to big yet he is only a year od and will never be overly large. I just hope tomorrow he wakes up on the right side of the bed. lol
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Steve Irwin you changed the way people look at reptiles forever. Crocodile Hunter you will be missed.

Snakes bite for 2 reasons and only 2 reasons. Reason 1 is to eat, reason 2 is in defense. If you can rule out the feeding response then it would have to be #2. It is hard to say what would have set him off, it could have been anything. My thought is that you put him on the floor, then he saw this huge giant reach down and grab him and just bit in defense.

It is nice to hear that you didn't think it hurt too much. Just don't let this keep you from handling him and keeping his cage clean. I have a few snakes that I got for free due to the owner becoming scared of their snake. I have a female BP that I got because it was getting big, and it hissed once.

If it were only that simple LOL!!
Most seem to "FORGET" these critters we so dearly love,although captive are still "wild animals".Until that concept is "completely understood" there will always be someone with a box and a handful of statistics in which to cram all their "science" into to suit their world of predictabilty and human comfort.
Snakes are simple creatures,and could care less of your interests in them. They will "always" respond to your ability to meet their basic needs.The simplified term for this is that they "Tolerate YOU" nothing more and nothing less.To try and explain why a snake bit you is debateable but heavy on the opinion bias. Trying to box a wild animal will get you bit many more times to come.

Bet on it !

M/

>>Snakes bite for 2 reasons and only 2 reasons. Reason 1 is to eat, reason 2 is in defense. If you can rule out the feeding response then it would have to be #2. It is hard to say what would have set him off, it could have been anything. My thought is that you put him on the floor, then he saw this huge giant reach down and grab him and just bit in defense.
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>>It is nice to hear that you didn't think it hurt too much. Just don't let this keep you from handling him and keeping his cage clean. I have a few snakes that I got for free due to the owner becoming scared of their snake. I have a female BP that I got because it was getting big, and it hissed once.

They can be unpredictable. I had a Boa for three years, and she never bit. One day, out of the blue, she nailed me. I used to get bit all the time back then.
Since then, about 12 years ago, I've only been bit twice, and both times were feeding accidents. The only thing I've changed is this. Every time I go into the Boa room, for any reason, I wash my hands first.
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Jason Dowell

sounddjinn@yahoo.com

Things always get cloudy, just before transformation.

I do NOT profess to be an expert, but I have had a similiar experience with a much larger female normal. She missed, thank you, God. Since then, I am more respectful when I reach in their territory.

That is a really good point and I didnt even think of it.
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Steve Irwin you changed the way people look at reptiles forever. Crocodile Hunter you will be missed.

How do you know if they're sleeping? They have no eyelids, and don't move very much anyway! I would be very cautious if they were hiding (under paper, hide, ect.) Open cage door and just wait a while. If you really have to handle the animal, brush the tail. If you get a jerky reponse, get the hook. If you get a calm, pulling away type response, you're probably O.K.

doesn't mean your snake is "full" now, and they wouldn't nail more food if offered. Plenty of my snakes would eat again if I let them, anytime. I don't think the feeding response was ruled out at all.

I agree with djinn about washing your hands, and I would be very surprized if you washed your hands before you handled your snake. It is relatively easy for smells to get on your hands. What if someone you live, or who visited you, or who you hang out with, touched a pet guinea pig, ferret, bird etc. and touched your door knob or other thing around your home? The best thing to do is wash your hands before handling each snake.

A defensive biter is more likely to nail you when you go to take it out, not later after it already out and you ae handling it. My guess is some smell was on your hands.

Caden

My little lady gets defensive like that when she gets put back, just suck it up (really, but not in a "quit being a wimp" way) and be smooth, confident, and don't dawdle much. I learned that lesson not long ago. It isn't an entirely unusual thing for that kind of defensive behavior.

Also, you probably got bit because you overlooked something.