There's some anecdotal evidence that supports slowly conditioning the animal to your scent and presence.
An idea you might try is building a hide box JUST large enough for the animal to fit in (maybe out of cheap flimsy plywood). Don't provide much height at all, basically enough that the animal can BARELY squeeze in there and feel the roof on its back. Then take a t-shirt that you haven't washed and cut it to fit the inside of the box and staple it in there (being careful to watch for any jagged edges or exposed ends on the staples). Put it in the cage and in theory, the animal will use it as a hide spot and get used to your scent and associate it with security and safety.
Does this work? I have no direct experience with it and haven't even seen this mentioned in the past few years, but I do remember some people reporting success with this and other measures in getting an animal to calm down.
I personally think the VERY BEST thing you can do is exhaust yourself trying to make the animals feel secure. Put newspaper on the glass in their cages so they can't see the movement and it'll be harder for them to detect your heat. Walk softly in the room. Let them acclimate. Handle them deliberately with no jumpiness (hard to do with a ticked off 6' boa). I personally wouldn't handle the animals for a few months while they acclimate and get used to their new environment (except to clean the cage).
I'd DEFINITELY recommend a snake hook. I use one with almost every animal I have to either touch them from a distance to avoid startling them, or to unwind their coils so I can reach in and get them out. I also use it to direct their heads away if I see them looking at me and posturing up. Sometimes just getting them out of the defensive "S" posture is enough to quell the violence! Sometimes... lol Also, some people here are against using a snake hook on a heavy animals because their ribs can break but I think if used properly it's totally safe. Proper use would be you supporting 60% or more of the animals weight in one arm and using the hook to guide the front third of their body.
I'd also recommend some sort of shield that you're comfortable with. I hold a spray bottle by the nozzle and neck and I use the flat bottom part as the shield. I know Jeff Ronne uses a big styrofoam stick (maybe 3"x3"x24" or so). I've heard of some people using a real homemade shield. If you make something like this, I'd use something lightweight like plexiglass. The obvious downside to plexi is that the animal can see through it and sense heat through it. The positive is that the animal is less likely to break bones in their face if they strike vs a material like plywood. AND it's lighter so it's easier to use.
I'd feed them frequently, but smaller meals as in my experience, aggression is usually (but obviously not always) accompanied by an empty stomach (just like with me!!! haha).
Just remember you won't break them of this overnight. It's probably going to be a long process and may never work. And just as you think you've got them tamed, they'll tag you!
Good luck and happy bleeding!
jb
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Jonathan Brady
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