Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Not a question, just a comment --

I had a baby brb back in the early 90's. I do remember feeling those baby teeth a few times. And as I've been reviewing all the care sheets I can find on the net recently, I've noticed frequent mentions of nervous brb babies.

OTOH, I just got a new baby Peruvian. I received her on Tuesday, in fact. And I gotta say -- so far, she has been uniformly calm and inquisitive. The first time I put her in her new cage, she preceded to her hide box and arranged herself with her nose sticking out to watch the world go by. Every time I pick her up, she calmly investigates and explores. No nerves in sight. Unlike my Hondurans.....

Anyway, so far I'm very pleased with her personality. Let's hope she never changes!
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0.1 Peruvian rainbow boa
0.3 Honduran milk snakes
1,000,000.1,000,000 other critters

No real difference in PRB's vs BRB's in the biting issue. Your current experience with your new PRB is likely affected by at least two or three factors....

Age of baby, even my nippiest litters calm down with normal care. I don't "handle" my babies, too many and too little time. Just the simple act of feeding and cleaning the cage gets them used to the big bad hand. You're PRB is already started by the breeder and is most likely much calmer than when born.

You're experience level is more than back in the 90's. I've seen it many times where I pull out a relatively calm baby and hand it to a more novice potential buyer and they get bit. Hand it back and calm again. They can sense your comfort level or maybe you know how to handle them better.....

Some litters/babies are just nippier than others

BTW, congrats on the Peruvian and pics are required here
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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

>>Age of baby, even my nippiest litters calm down with normal care. I don't "handle" my babies, too many and too little time. Just the simple act of feeding and cleaning the cage gets them used to the big bad hand. You're PRB is already started by the breeder and is most likely much calmer than when born.
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>>You're experience level is more than back in the 90's. I've seen it many times where I pull out a relatively calm baby and hand it to a more novice potential buyer and they get bit. Hand it back and calm again. They can sense your comfort level or maybe you know how to handle them better.....

I wouldn't be surprised if the first reason (age and previous handling) was important here, since this little girl is actually 4 months old. The second reason (handler experience) doesn't apply, though -- since I regularly handled snakes, fed snakes, cleaned snakes, did educational programs with snakes, heck did veterinary diagnostics and therapeutics with snakes, for years before I ever kept my first personal snake.

As for pics -- I haven't taken my own pics yet, but here's a pic from Jeff's site (she's from our good friend Jeff Clark) --

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0.1 Peruvian rainbow boa
0.3 Honduran milk snakes
1,000,000.1,000,000 other critters

Speaking of educational programs with snakes, that reminds me....

back in high school, I used to do volunteer work at a local museum that had a "live animal room" which included lots of snakes. I did programs with those snakes, and one time I took several of them to do a program in my own high school biology class. Well, doing the program for my own class made me quite nervous, I forget exactly why -- and THREE of the darned snakes bit me DURING the program. LOL!
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0.1 Peruvian rainbow boa
0.3 Honduran milk snakes
1,000,000.1,000,000 other critters

Glad to see another Rainbow owner join the discussions.

I just received my new BRB a couple months ago.
This was of course before I read the care sheet on a new BRB offered by rainbows-r-us.

I did what most want to do with a new pet, I brought her out about 5 minutes after I got her. It took her about 20 seconds to decide which finger needed ventilation, and of course I then I out her back into the travel container till I got home.

After I left her alone for a few days she calmed down and now she is very calm and have not had any issues since that first day. Of course I have read all the care sheets and she is much happier for it.
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JWilmot

0.1 Wife
0.1 BRB
1.1 Leopard Gecko
2.0 Mutts

I always give baby boas/pythons a free pass for awhile! You gotta remember, when they're little guys, that's their only defense! As stated below, they quickly calm down even w/maitenence! Of course a lot of the Indo-Aust. stuff hardly if ever calms! Or the KILLER African Rock that is "mean right out of the egg" and of course has been busy hybridizing w/the Burmese in South Fla. in it's plan to take over the US, then the world!

Of the three litters of Peruvians I had this year two litters were totally tame from the start. In the third litter most of them were a little springy and defensive at first but did not bite. Out of the ones still here, several from the springy litter will occasionally strike when I first open their cages. I just go ahead and pick them up and they act like they had never even thought about biting.

>>Of the three litters of Peruvians I had this year two litters were totally tame from the start.

Whatever caused it, I like it!
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0.1 Peruvian rainbow boa
0.3 Honduran milk snakes
1,000,000.1,000,000 other critters

Also, the more a baby rainbow boa is handled the less likely it is to bite. From your post it looks like you got yours from Jeff, and all of the BRB's I have purchased from Jeff have been very calm and used to being handled.

Once and a while you will get a rainbow boa that will always want to bite. I happen to have one of these types, but at least I know this and handle her very carefully.
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Mike

7.13 BRB
1.2 Spotted Python
1.0 Cal. King