Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This question may sound weird and different but I thought I would ask just in case anyone else has experienced this before.

I have a few boas at home and hold them regularly. Every boa I hold accept for my Suriname boa feels completely normal, just like holding any boa.

When I hold my Suriname boa and I pet her it feels like touching a plasma static globe. This also occurs when I just put my hand in her cage and pet her. The static electricity coming off her is insane. I know its not coming from me because when I pet my other boas I have never experienced this.

Can boas give off immense amounts of static electricity? I'm not sure if this is a normal or crazy question but I have never experienced this with any other snake before and I have held tons of different snakes.

This is a serious question so please no replies like "she may have super powers or anything like that" But I know kingsnake and I shouldn't get any replies like that.

Thanks

Here are a couple photos of her...

Wow she's beautiful ,I've never experienced this static electric
phenomena in any of my Boas ,so I can not address the issue

My guess would be humidity is lower and she's very active which
creates the static charge

. . . Lar M
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Boas By Klevitz
Boas By Klevitz

My response is based on the assumption that she's in a plastic enclosure.

Is she more active than your other boas? Kept on a different substrate? Kept at a different temperature or humidity level? Does she spend more or less time hiding under the substrate?

I ask because I remember having a similar experience with a boa that came in regular contact with the plastic in the enclosure due to hiding under the cage liner directly on top of the plastic. That was my best guess as to why there was a build up of static electricity.

Just some thoughts.. jb
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What's written above is purely my opinion. In fact, MOST of what you read on the internet is someone's opinion. Don't take it too seriously

Jonathan Brady
DeviantConstrictors.com
Deviant Constrictors picturetrail

The funny thing is is that she is in a wood/glass enclosure. 8ft by 4ft by 4ft. Lots of hiding places and with a heated pond that is cleaned regularly and a special heater attached to the top of the cage, the temperature and humidity is perfect.

She actually isn't that active no where near like my other boas that are in PVC plastic cages. Substrate is half shavings and half paper towel, paper towel under all her hides because that's where she goes the washroom and I swear she pees every other day, so its easier to see and clean up frequently.

Still unsure as to why this is caused but at least I have never gotten a shock from her because I'm sure that wouldn't be comfortable for her.

Try swapping cages between her and one of your other boas for a while. See if the static buildup follows the snake or the enclosure.

If it follows the snake, she just has lots of potential

If it follows the cage you could do some more investigation and see if there is anything wrong (heat element or light) or if there was anything else you could to to affect a change(grounding off the charge).
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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 (05/26/2009):
36.51 BRB
29.42 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Actually, I have felt some of my boas do that exact same thing for years now and I thought it was all in my head, LOL. I'm glad I'm not the only one. Using the static electricity comparison is right on the money cause thats exactly how it feels. Its funny though, not all of my boas do it and of the ones that do, they always do it, no matter what cage they are in. Thanks for posting it up. Mike Panichi
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honesty is my only policy

I have a large female that feels the same way. She is in an 8 foot boaphile and the only snake that feels this way. I am glad I am not the only one. Good luck. Jon Rice

kind of. Do you think I should tell???

By the way, Rob Tudehope is the first one to alarm me to this about 11 years ago before Boaphile Plastics started.

Wanna know?
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Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

Naaa ,that's OK , ha, ha

Of course we want to hear your input,

answers from you Jeff never disappoint

. . . Lar M

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Boas By Klevitz
Boas By Klevitz

its something I have been curious about since I started keeping Boas. I have them in your four footers. Is it cage related? Mike Panichi
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honesty is my only policy

If we can get a little participation on this, that would be great from some of you who do NOT use Flexwatt.

The type of cage does not matter. The bigger the snake you have to check this on, the better.

- The Flexwatt needs to be on to feel this. Probably any resistor type heater will cause this same effect.
- You need to be in bare feet on concrete or tile to feel this.
- Now with the heater running, very very gently just barely touch your Boa that is sitting on the heat. Sort of like you are sneaking up on the wife and pretending to be a spider crawling up her neck.

You will feel a very gentle little tingly feeling. Almost like an electrical shock, though it's not that. I have used an ohm meter on the lowest setting on both AC and DC and the needle didn't move a tick. So that is not what it is. The Boas definitely feel it as they will pull away from you as you do this. Have someone else turn off the heater and you will not be able to feel it. Turn it back on and you will feel it again. You are going to be grinning as you do this and you will have to tell someone else. IT's really very strange.

Do NOT try this on your Gaboon Vipers! It does not work on venomous so don't even think about it! LOL Glad I remembered to include a disclaimer! Thank you legal department!

It's been a long time since I checked this. I was using melamine cages with newspaper substraight and 1" of kitty litter very the Flexwatt that was stapled to the floor of the cage. Not the safest at the time but oh well. Anyhow, I could still feel that sensation all the way through that paper and kitty litter. I am about 90% sure I could not feel it if I had tennis shoes on, but was a long time ago last time I checked it. I'll bet you would get the same this with any resistor type heater.

So, what is it? I don't know! It's a mystery! I do not know what it is and have no idea. But it is really weird.

Now try this yourself and report back on your crazy results.

Don't bother on carpet or wood. I am pretty sure you need to be grounded. But then again, that was a long time ago that I tested all this stuff and my memory is failing. One thing I do remember though, Rob Tudehope is the one that found this and told me about it. Rob is the most keenly attuned to his animals herper I know. I have learned many Boa mysterys from Rob. Aside from being almost as old as I am, he is one of the really old school Boa guys too, making a turn strictly to the dark side and Surinam Red Tail breeding exclusively in around 1996 or so. Rob are you out there and can you feel that same sensation with radiant heat panels?

I really should do a video on this tingly Boa thing but somebody night think I'm weird if I do. I don't want anyone to think that!
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Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

I don't have any Gaboon Vipers, but I tried it with one of my rattlesnakes. She immediately raised her tail!

Just wait till I tell Mrs. G on you! I know what "Rattlesnake" is really code for...
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Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

I thought what the (OP) was talking about was regular static
electricity type discharge " triboelectric charging "

What you are referring to Jeff Sounds pretty wild !!!

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The triboelectric effect (also known as 'triboelectric charging') is a type of contact electrification in which certain materials become electrically charged after they come into contact with another different material and are then separated (such as through rubbing). The polarity and strength of the charges produced differ according to the materials, surface roughness, temperature, strain, and other properties.

The following materials will tend to give up electrons when brought in contact with other materials. They are listed from those with the greatest tendency to give electrons to those that barely give up electrons

Most Positive ( )
Air

Human Hands, Dry Skin
Asbestos
Rabbit Fur
Glass
Human Hair
Mica
Nylon
Wool
Lead
Cat Fur
Silk
Aluminum
Paper
- - -
Cotton Are Both Neutral
Steel -

- - -
Wood is almost Neutral
Lucite
Sealing Wax
Amber
Rubber Balloon
Hard Rubber
Mylar
Nickel
Copper
Silver
uv Resist
Brass
Synthetic Rubber
Gold, Platinum
Sulfur
Acetate, Rayon
Polyester
Celluloid
Polystyrene
Orlon, Acrylic
Cellophane Tape
Polyvinylidene chloride (Saran)
Polyurethane
Polyethylene
Polypropylene
Polyvinylchloride (Vinyl)
Kel-F (PCTFE)
Silicon
Teflon
Silicone Rubber
Most Negative (-)
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The best combinations of materials to create static electricity would be one from the positive charge list and one from the negative charge list.
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Boas By Klevitz
Boas By Klevitz

My guess if it is cage related, then I think it may be just like a baloon that you rub on your head and it sticks to your head from static electricity. I am guessing the same kind of an effect happens when your boa is living in a big plastic cage. The boa must absorb electricity (for lack of a better term) because plastic is not a conductor of electricity. When we touch our boas come we ground them and hence the shock. My guess.

Is it possible to ground the cages?