Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, I know there has to have been a thread about this but since theres so many people that have just got a baby BRB from david I just wanted to see how most people goes about taming a baby. I dont see how the people that first posted pics even got there baby out without it biting them. My baby is very curious on how to get out and keeps getting under her large water bowl, when I try to get her out she nips at me and everything im just wondering how do yall deal with this. Although I havent been bitten yet xD

All babies will strike one time or another, mine didn't when i took her out of her box, took a few pictures and the placed her in her cage on this last Wed. I took her out last night to feed but no luck. i willl give her a week this time and try holding and feeding next weekend. Last nite i had her in a towel and you can see the feed below. Matter of time is all as fustrating as it is.
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1.4 various boas(Flicka,Felony,Nova,Alias,Abby)
0.1 BRB Abalone; ABBI
1.0 Rott X (OSO)
2.0 cats (Simba, Morris)
fish & feeders

I picked up her hiding box and snagged a pic or two, the rest were blurry but oh well

I was planning on feeding tonight but I guess I can wait a little longer lol. Im just wondering how long the taming process is.

It might take awhile littel 5 minutes sessions are good, i like using something other than my hand, but noticed she strikes if you move to fast or if thre are shawdows around, here is what she is staying in but might move her onto a shoebox.

She loves her moss hide there on the right:

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1.4 various boas(Flicka,Felony,Nova,Alias,Abby)
0.1 BRB Abalone; ABBI
1.0 Rott X (OSO)
2.0 cats (Simba, Morris)
fish & feeders

That looks a little big cage for just a baby BRB. What size is it? I love the look of it though, very nice.

Mine that she is in is a 10 gallon, she is balled up on the bottom of that container, i treat her like a venemouse creature picking her up with a bent coat hanger, i hate getting struck at and its nerving, but then i place her in my hand and let her do the moving around. I feel like its a dog you can sense that feeling no all is cool. Time will tell.
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1.4 various boas(Flicka,Felony,Nova,Alias,Abby)
0.1 BRB Abalone; ABBI
1.0 Rott X (OSO)
2.0 cats (Simba, Morris)
fish & feeders

The position in that pic is perfect for picking up a baby, kinda balled up. Reach in on the opposite side as the head and with no hesitation, simply pick the baby up, in this case next to the glass. Do this matter of factly, no hesitation, ne signs of fear. All these babies I sent out were picked up several times a week and would rarely get a lunge out of the group. I do admit I didn't handle each for several minutes. Really only picked up and set on top of the water bowl on my workbench. The water bowls are deli cups with a lrage hole in the lid so they can perch on top. And quite often do.

I still think they must be stressed out by the change in environment. The babies I still have are not biting, even when they are escaping while closing drawer and I have to corral back into tub.

>>I picked up her hiding box and snagged a pic or two, the rest were blurry but oh well
>>
>>I was planning on feeding tonight but I guess I can wait a little longer lol. Im just wondering how long the taming process is.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
19.29 BRB
13.18 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I'd have to agree with Dave. Of the four BRB's I've had in my lifetime I never had one that was actually nippy per se. I always gave them about a week in the new enclosure before I did anything at all other then maybe spray it with water for humidity. The key once you do go to handle is absulutely no hesitation or fear.

My 21 mo old female likes to about 1/3 of the time pretend like she is going to bite. She'll dart her head towards the part of whatever she's hiding under that I'm lifting up and then after I have her uncovered she will pose with raised head and often mouth open. Even with that though she has never actually gotten any closer to biting me then feints that never make contact.

If you are really worried then after giving them some time to get acclimated to the new enclosure pick them up while wearing a pair of gloves. Not that a babies bite would hurt but just to alleviate your fears.

Only "nasty" one I've ever had is Eve, she's a fresh WC female, and I still pick her up with no fear, but with a LOT of attention to what she is doing. So far she's only struck at air. I already know it's only a matter of time before she tags me. But if I keep on handling her and show no fear, especially after she tags me )a few times even), she should settle down. If not, then it'll always be caution (more than usual) when dealing with her. Being the originator of the Colling hypo line, She's not going anywhere.

Bottom line, show fear or hesitate, and you show them they have the upper hand and will reinforce that behavior.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
19.29 BRB
13.18 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

LOL yeah for all the show my female BRB gives me she has nothing on my tiny little 06 trans pecos rat snake. One of the first few times I handled her other then transfer she tagged me 3 times before I could blink and then glared as she tried to wriggle away. Fiesty little girle but she figured out after a couple of sessions, where she tagged me and I just kept holding her till she calmed down, that biting did no good and that she was safe. Slowly she is moving towards enjoying being handled.

Have a look most of the way down on my caresheet for taming info.

CARE OF NEWBORN BRAZILIAN RAINBOW BOAS
Epicrates cenchria cenchria
By Jeff Clark

Brazilian Rainbow Boas (BRBs) make great pets. They are very hardy and typically grow to around 6 feet in length. Many BRBs have been kept in captivity for over 20 years. Their size is much more manageable and practical than many of the other Boas and Pythons. They do require high humidity. This is especially important when they are small. If kept too dry they will dehydrate. Minor dehydration will cause feeding and shedding problems. Major dehydration will kill them. Baby BRBs should be maintained with close to 100% humidity in their cages. This can be accomplished by using damp substrate and limiting the ventilation. They do require some ventilation but in cages with large screen sides or screen tops the humidity will rapidly escape from the cage. Ideal substrate material for little BRBs is paper-towels or newspaper. The advantage of paper-towels and newsprint is that it can be easily changed. Damp substrate will quickly grow mold. It should be changed often. BRBs drink more water and pass more liquid urine than most other snakes. Substrate that is kept in the cage too long will become contaminated with urates which are very acidic and this will harm the snake’s skin. Many people use mulch and chipped bark substrates. Some of these substrates are excellent but you should be careful not to use one that is too acidic or one from a garden center that may have parasites in it. I especially like the cocoanut husk chunks and chips substrates for BRBs. It is vitally important to not use cedar substrate. The oils in cedar and similar woods are toxic to snakes. Pine shavings and aspen shavings are also not suitable for BRBs. Did I mention that you should change the substrate often? BRBs require cages with a cool end in the low 70s and the warm end in the high 70s to very low 80s. If you keep them in cages that are too small to maintain a temperature gradient in the cage they should be kept with the entire cage in the mid 70s. Temperatures higher than this can quickly cause dehydration and death. Most reptile heating products are too hot for Rainbow Boas. These snakes are nocturnal and secretive. Using overhead lights to heat their cages will create too much stress for a BRB. Cage temperatures must be controlled with a proportional thermostat or a carefully set and monitored rheostat. Don’t guess what the temperature is down in the cage where the snake spends most of it’s time. Invest in good temperature measuring equipment and use it often to make sure you do not overheat your BRB. BRB temperature requirements are 10 to 15 degrees cooler than what is required for many other boids including Ball Pythons, Boa Constrictors and Burmese and Reticulated Pythons. People who try to keep BRBs hot like they keep their other boids often kill them. Extra care should be taken when transporting BRBs. If left in a closed car in the sun the temperature will rapidly rise and kill them. BRBs should be provided with caging with hiding spots so that they can avoid light and activity. Small plastic containers like margarine is packaged in with a small entry hole cut into the side of the container work well. Place substrate material such as damp moss or damp papertowels in the hiding container. BRBs need a waterbowl in their cage that is large enough for them to submerge. They will often soak in the water for several days before shedding. However, when they do not have a good hiding spot they may have to use the waterbowl for a hiding spot and spend too much time in the water. Adult BRBs can be set up in elaborate naturalistic caging. They look especially nice in large cages with exotic plants. However they will spend much of the daylight hours hiding in or under the plants. It is best with a new little BRB to keep the caging simple to make sure the snake is doing okay before adding too many variables that may cause problems. After the snake is acclimated and doing well you can make small changes in the caging and try different substrates and plants making one change at a time. Little BRBs should be fed small live mice at first. Many will also take live pinky rats for their first meals. They will feed much more readily on a live meal than a dead meal. They also like mice that are large enough to run around much more than they like pinky or small fuzzy mice. I have actually fed full-grown adult mice to BRBs for their first meal. They can handle very large prey but are more likely to regurgitate if fed extremely large meals When they have become accustomed to eating live prey they will easily switch to eating fresh killed and then frozen and thawed prey. Thawed prey will work best if it is heated to around 105 degrees for the first feeding attempts with it. BRBs are always more likely to eat undisturbed in the dark than when being closely watched in bright daylight. Do not force-feed a BRB. Force feeding is very stressful and stress is often the reason that one will not eat. These snakes are eating machines. If your BRB does not eat it is because of stress or improper husbandry. Eliminate the stress and correct the husbandry and they will eat readily. The most common husbandry problems are keeping the snake too hot or too dry or subjecting it to too much light or activity. Little BRBs have a very simple outlook on other living things. Anything it sees moving is either a predator or prey. When first born they will often strike and bite. The bite of a little BRB is not painful and usually does not bleed. If you handle the snake for several minutes everyday it will quickly become tame. If it bites or strikes it is because it is afraid of you or it thinks it can eat you. Just let it bite and hold on and chew if it wants. By doing this it will learn that you are too big to eat and that you are not harming it and that striking and biting will not make you go away. If you do retreat when it strikes you will reinforce the striking and biting behavior. Little BRBs can be handled for as much as an hour per day. Too much handling can cause stress and stress may cause them to not feed. It is okay to have them out of their cages in humidity much lower than 100% for short handling periods.

If you have any problems with your BRB email me at jclarksnakes@comcast.net
Visit the Rainbow Boa forum on kingsnake.com to get answers to any questions you may have about Rainbow Boas. The archives of posts there are full of information. My Rainbow Boa website has information on breeding Rainbow Boas and also has information about and photographs of the other subspecies of Rainbow Boas. The website is located at www.corallus.com/cenchria/index.html