Reptile & Amphibian Forums

the most docile boa breed - opinions????

i would have to say that it all just depends on how you handle the boa.

I've experienced a few agressive, defensive boas sine I've been keeping them and I've had BCC, central americans, bolivians, argentines, rosy boas, hoggs, dumerals (sp?) as well as a few recent captives/imports. Usually in my experience it's almost always when they are new to me or babies that they tend to be the most agressive and defensive. All the boas I currently have are calm and easy to handle - with no recent acquisitions and no recent litters (in the past several months).

I think the few that took the longest for me to get calmed down was a hogg island I purchased many years ago and a few from my most recent litter of jungles.

but even though I feel confident that i won't get struck by any of my boas, i always understand that it "might" happen and if so, oh well.. cause that's just part of keeping boas.

the trick for me is to just accept that I may get bit once in a while, but to handle all my boas regardless. handling them frequently is the key i think - and just generally being nice to them (don't tease, molest, bother, make it a game to watch them strike at something... etc..).

Actually, as I'm typing this and trying to remember all my boas - i think it was a female rosy boa that struck at me the most... she's the one that would routinely go after me.

thx - what about this - more docile, in general python or boa - or is it as you said - handling and husbandry - i know about emeralds, etc. just talking about pythons in general - balls for example

I have significantly less experience with pythons. the first exotic constrictor I had as a pet was a baby burmese python. I only had her for about a year, but it was love at first sight. She was completely docile with me from the very beginning. I don't think she ever struck or hissed at me. Shortly after her, I purchased a yellow anaconda. that was a different story.. I enjoyed having it, but it was very unpredictable. I've never owned a ball python, but I have the impression that they are typically docile.

Patrick

I hear all kinds of mumbo jumbo about how you have to show confidence while handling snakes to avoid aggression... that they sense fear...

I think that's all a load of BS>.... these arent complex creatures.. and don't have the awareness to notice these things... It boils down to them either feeling safe, threatened, or hungry... a bite from a feeding response can be mistaken for "aggression"... but it is hardly the case... most often it may be conditioning and mistaken identity... A boa that does not feel secure in it's surroundings may be more likely to defensively attack. Like JB said.... I have also had a few imports that come in very stressed... lashing out at everything.... Eventually most of these calm down.... but there can be those few that just never really adapt well to captivity.....

I have seen examples of this most subspecies of boa, or any species for that matter... but it's really hard to generalize and say one is more prone than another.... there are alot of factors that affect stress.... so it seems to be alot more than just the subspecies involved.....
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Marc Duhon
Lafayette, Louisiana
SURINAMBOAS.COM
kaiyudsai@SURINAMBOAS.COM

With that being said..... I have 36 bcc and 4 bca of all ages, captive bred, imports, farmed.... etc.... I have been bitten 2 or 3 times in the past year....

Compare that to when I worked with bloods and retics... and I actually had to have surgery to fix a severe laceration caused by a 16 foot Buton retic... Getting bitten was a rather common occurence in those days....LOL I would rate boas as very easy going in the scheme of things.....
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Marc Duhon
Lafayette, Louisiana
SURINAMBOAS.COM
kaiyudsai@SURINAMBOAS.COM

I agree that reptiles in general don't have the ability to process much actual thinking.. if any. I think they merely react from what they perceive in their environment.

interesting to hear about your experience with retics.
I'm really curious about what it would be like to try and handle one of the giant constrictors - As much as I feel comfortable with boas - i'm thinking I might not feel the same way with an adult retic or green anaconda.

I always see all these posts with people describing their cute puppy dog tame retics... and I have to laugh...... I have had several that were very tame in the beginning, and they totally change when they hit about 7-10 feet... A full grown retic is straight up dangerous... they can do massive amounts of damage with even a single bite..... They are definitely not a trustworthy species IMO... I stopped breeding them because they are not well suited to captivity.. and require alot more space than the industry generally provides them (an 8 foot cage for a full grown retic is WAY TOO SMALL)....lol

They are very impressive animals... but all it takes is being on the recieving end of a really bad bite.. and your opinions of them change quickly..... They have very long inner upper teeth... and the one that bit me actually wrapped my arm and continued to squeeze while it walked it's teeth up and down my arm creating several deep lacerations.... I also had a septic infection in my bloodstream following the bite and was hospitalized when I spiked a high fever...(Pseudomanas to be exact)

Retics are an apex predator... it is the same as owning a tiger... or lion.... they have no problem killing a full grown man.... they are also a big hassle to clean up after(football sized turds get old very fast...LOL

I really think this species belongs in it's natural habitat... the jungle... and most people that own them dont have the resources to care for them properly... it's sad to see the huge number of them that are being produced these days... where will all these guys end up???
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Marc Duhon
Lafayette, Louisiana
SURINAMBOAS.COM
kaiyudsai@SURINAMBOAS.COM

thanks for sharing your experiences.. I guess it's OK that I don't have the money, space or time to get one of them then..

I don't believe there to be a subspecies or locality that is more or less defensive than another. I believe it to be a matter of the individual animal.

I wanted to point out that in the very first sentence, I wrote "defensive", not "aggressive". I believe that boas are NOT aggressive, and that any behavior we view as negative, is simply defensive behavior.

I feel like most boas will calm down very well, if allowed to acclimate properly. I believe many people do not provide a long enough acclimation period, or just skip it altogether.

In my opinion, a proper acclimation period is a minimum of 3 months, with 6-12 being preferred. Conveniently, this can coincide with the quarantine period.

My "quarantine room" is my laundry room. It's quiet, dark (except for ambient light through the door that's always open), and a stable temperature. Any new acquisitions as well as newborn babies (if there are no new acquisitions in there) are placed in the quarantine room to be left alone as much as possible - and for as long as possible.

For instance, I brought in a WC animal last summer who was NASTY at the importers facility. He was placed into quarantine and other than cage cleaning, feeding, and giving him the proper medication to treat his parasites, he was left alone. After about 4 or 5 months, I brought him in with the rest of the collection and he is now just as calm as every other boa I have. I didn't do it through repetitive interactions aimed at building up his tolerance for handling. I did it by allowing him to acclimate to his surroundings, to me, and to my routine.

Again, I don't believe boas are aggressive, I believe their undesired behavior is a result of stress. I do my best to minimize the stress on every animal I have, and that has rewarded me greatly over the years with only 2 bites in the last 7 years (both I saw coming and ignored them). One was a Peruvian Rainbow boa that I was handling after making and eating a turkey sandwich (my fault, obviously), the other was a CBB BCC I produced and was pestering for pictures when I should have accepted the fact that she had "had enough". Another that was my fault.

It would be extremely helpful if you learned what a defensive posture looks like. If you see the posture, or you notice that the pupils are very large, despite sufficient lighting, or you see that the boas head seems very tense and possibly is swaying to the left and right just a millimeter or two, recognize that your animal is feeling stressed for some reason and leave it alone - or you will be struck at and possibly bitten. If you notice this repeatedly, it's time to examine the housing situation for that particular boa, and see what you can do to allow it feel more secure.

You also need to know what a feeding response looks like, and which animals have a stronger feeding response than others. That can be another source of accidental biting that can be avoided completely either through avoidance, or stepping up the feeding regimen slightly.

Hope this helps!
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

NOT aggressive?? sure, tell that to the bunny!

rodents, birds, reptiles, fish... those are all prey items.

People... NOT prey items. So yes, I maintain that boas are not aggressive towards people.

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

I also maintain that Boas are not aggressive towards people.

They are defensive towards people, they take a defensive stance,
when feeling threatened by something that is not prey !

Right or wrong these are my observations.

. . . Lar M
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Boas By Klevitz

I Support USark.org

it was really just meant as a silly comment.

dang - I screwed up again!! sorry!!

Its all good Pat LMAO ,I was pretty certain you were making a
funny remark about the rabbit.

I perceived it to funny anyway !

. . . Lar M
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Boas By Klevitz

I Support USark.org

Aggression and feeding response are 2 very different behaviors ...
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Marc Duhon
Lafayette, Louisiana
SURINAMBOAS.COM
kaiyudsai@SURINAMBOAS.COM

some defensive behavior is more aggressive than others, such as one snake may bite when bearhanded, and may not bite when a glove is used. They may become less defensive and not aggressively try to escape by biting. Just having a little fun. To me it doesnt matter what we label a bite, because it can almost always be avoided if we are aggressive in our education of proper husbandry and feeding practices. Some times I get defensive and act out aggressively.

I have produced and owned many different boas and large pythons. For some reason the one boa that stands out as consistently having a calm disposition is the Motley boa. This is still true when the motley is combined with other morphs like leopards. I produced multiple litters of Motleys and cannot remember any that were "mean" snakes. Even as babies the Motleys tend to be much more calm than other baby boas. This is just be my experience; I would be interested to know what other morph breeders think.

Bill Kirby

I have a hypo mot het sharp female that is one year old, and still feisty (will strike). Very aware of every movement and very head shy. I think she will grow out of it, but the others are all very calm with minimal handling.

I have noticed that all of the EBV red group adults 3.7 and babies that I have produced in two litters are always the calmest "pet" type boas. Some of my adult red group females are the first choice for presentations with children. This in contrast to a couple of kahl stripe het albinos that want me dead LOL

just my two cents

Brian Logan

I own several bci and I can say that I am a wuss. I hate owning aggressive snakes. I have not been bitten in several years, but my luck could change at any time. Most of my boas are very very calm and mild. Most are very content when handled, but some are a bit flighty. I do have favorites, though I would never tell them. Cant comment on others, because I dont own them.

I don't really have all that much experience, but years ago I owned a BCC that *seemed* really nasty and tried to bite at every opportunity. Looking back, I think it was more about ME than it was about her ... she was my first "big" snake, and I was really intimidated. I don't think she "knew" or "sensed" my fear, but I'm guessing that my movements around her were less than smooth and free flowing, and that she must have felt threatened or that some threat was present. I also think my lack of experience made it difficult for me to reliably 'read' her body language and know when to back off and give her some space .... basically, the two of us were a poor match

Fast forward a number of years, and for the past 4 years I've owned a hypo hogg that is the sweetest snake imaginable. He's never hissed, never struck, never even recoiled his head in a stress response when being handled. He's not head shy to the point that he actually seems to enjoy having his chin rubbed like a cat Of course, this might just be his general disposition, but I've gotten alot more confident and relaxed around snakes over time, and in handling him I am very at ease. I think that might matter.

In a couple of months I'm getting a new snake. She's a Kahl albino. I've been told that albinos are more nippy, just because they have poor eyesight and might misjudge movements in the environment as being a threat when they aren't necessarily so. So, knowing that, I'll be extra careful not to alarm her, and I'm guessing we'll be able to get along fine

Like I said, very limited experience, but there it is

patti

1.0.0 hypo hogg boa
0.0.1 black honduran milk snake
4.1.0 dogs
2.0.0 cats
4.0.0 nigerian dwarf goats
... and soon .... 0.1.0 kahl albino boa