Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just bought a new boa a month ago, and since I bought it it's been showing some strange behavior. When I pick it up, it swings its head left and right as if it has no control of it, and when it's put in the ground, it does the same thing very rapidly until it stops and doesn't move. It's as if it has absolutely no balance. Anyone have this kind of thing happen to them? What could possibly be?

- Ali

It's hard to know without seeing it but sometimes if boas aren't used to being handled, they flip out a little when you pick them up unless they are very well supported. If they don't feel secure, they will thrash around. It might just be that your boa needs to get used to being handled more.
As I said though, without actually seeing the behavior, this is just a guess on my part.
Good luck!
Amanda
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Amanda Burke
Email
Burke Reptiles Website

This snake is weird, she just shed without going through the opaque cycle at all. I never once saw the eyes go blue, however, last night I noticed parts of the scales on the head coming off. This is my first albino, do they go through the "blue eye" opaque cycle, or not?

- Ali

my albino burm don't it might be the same with albino boas too
david and jessi
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Jessica and David Spendolini

0.1 Dumerials Boa (ANGEL)
1.0 Albino Burmese Python (JUNIOR)
2.0 Central American Boas (CHANCE AND SNIPER)
1.2 Ball Pythons (SYRUS, SERINE and AALIYAH)
0.1 Pastel Boa (ROSE RED)
0.1 Argentine X Columbian Boa (MARIA)
1.2 Columbian Het Albino (CAPONE, BABY and DIXIE)
0.1 Columbian Red Tail (CARRIE)
0.1 Columbian Boa (ZENA)
0.2 Columbian x Central America (STAR AND PRINCESS)

Does the boa have any problems eating (is his strike accurate)? And does he move like this in his cage?

Only immediately after it gets placed down, but after that it moves around real normal. The shed thing still freaks me out, I'm not used to such a random shed.

hi. I used to work at a pet store. we had some boas and pythons come in with the same symptoms you are describing. i called it 'star struck' because they would lift their heads up back and forth really wierd. we found out from the whole sale store we bought them from (i won't say who) that they cleaned their cages with diluted bleach water, and had just treated the snakes for mites. I just bathed them in warm water to rinse off whatever chemicles might have still been on them and changed their water twice a day too. the snakes acted strange for a few days, but then were fine. so, i could be way wrong, but from experience my theory for snakes being 'star struck' is from inhailing bleach (whichh is a horrible thing to clean an animals cage with!!) and or chemicals. the back and forth head motion you talked about sound just like what i had happen. hope this helps!!
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Alone, alone, all, all alone. Alone on a wide, wide sea.
-Rime of the ancient Mariner

I wouldn't worry too much about the movement issues. As long as the snake moves well when it's in its cage... My female hypo thrashes like that when she is first taken out of her cage. Since I got her, it always seemed when handling her like she was VERY afraid of falling. She'd grip very tightly. It seems that the quicker I take her out of her cage (as in quickly grabbing her, before she has a change to try and grab onto her water dish or the door of the cage to try and stay in), the more relaxed she is. If she happens to grab onto something and I have to struggle to get her out, she is more "lashy", almost like she is panicked and is trying to find something to grab onto, and takes quite a while to calm down.

Since she does act differently than my other boas, at first I was afraid of IBD or a neurological problem - but she is really just "afraid of heights". She does not stargaze in her cage, and she moves around just fine as long as she has a lot of support underneath her. So perhaps yours has the same issue - just not being used to handling, or needing to feel more secure when being handled.
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Lauren Madar
www.ophidiagems.com
1.1 Hog Island Boas
1.1 Hypo BCI
0.1 Sorong-type GTP
1.0 Normal Ball Python

I have 2 central american boas and 2 central x columbian that does that 2 the one central american boa the i call sniper does that in his cage when i put him down all 4 of them never been held so they thrash around that might be the problem

david and jessi
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Jessica and David Spendolini

0.1 Dumerials Boa (ANGEL)
1.0 Albino Burmese Python (JUNIOR)
2.0 Central American Boas (CHANCE AND SNIPER)
1.2 Ball Pythons (SYRUS, SERINE and AALIYAH)
0.1 Pastel Boa (ROSE RED)
0.1 Argentine X Columbian Boa (MARIA)
1.2 Columbian Het Albino (CAPONE, BABY and DIXIE)
0.1 Columbian Red Tail (CARRIE)
0.1 Columbian Boa (ZENA)
0.2 Columbian x Central America (STAR AND PRINCESS)

I'm sure it's nothing, but you can't help but worry about a new snake. Especially if it has a chance of destroying all your other animals, but I'm sure it's fine, thanks again for you guys' response.