Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have one boa that is approx 6.5ft long. All my other colubrids only max out at 4.5 to 5 ft and no where as large around.
I amd 5'1" and sometimes have trouble handling that much snake and keeping her comfortable. What is a proper way to carry her?
Can I put her on my shoulders? Or just try to "bundle her" in my arms? I have just gotten her and she was very under fed and just had babies, so she is thin. She has eaten 3 medium rats and 2 jumbos every 5 days so far. I have not had much time to handle her yet while I am building her up. But I soon will be and I wnat to do it correctly. Thanks
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All creatures great and small we are to care for them all.
5 Corns,7 Kings,4 Milks, 1 Everglade rat,1 German Shephard,1 Cairn & 1 Giant Schnauzer

you can drape it over one shoulder and hold the rest of it in your arms. i feel wierd giving you advice when i dont even have a boa. but thats how ive seen people do it in pictures. haha.

If you are currently having problems holding this snake at its current size..........Draping it around your neck is not a smart move at all. I know people do it.........I even do it at times......But, it isn't really the smartest thing to do. When I have my large snakes around my neck I will generally use certain "blocks" so I am never in a circumstance where I could get choked out.

But, if you do not feel comfortable handling a snake at that size.......I again, would not carry it around in that fashion. Generally, you should hold/support the bulk of the snake with one arm while controlling its movement with the other. Generally what will happen is a snake will "grab" you with it's tail for support and cling with it's body. You will use this area to support the snake. The other arm is basically for controlling the snake. ie. where it goes...........Or, away from your face.

If this snake has indeed been undernourished/just had babies. "Powerfeeding" it to make it "healthy" isn't the best idea in my mind. Slow and stady will win the race. Feed it adequate meals that can be digested and allow handling. At that size I generally feed my animals every two weeks.

I am bringing this up for a reason. If you are not comfortable with handling a snake that is that large....It is better to get right on it. This gives both you and her time to get adjusted to one another. Feeding it, which will bring more length and girth will only make the task more difficult. I am not saying not to bring her weight back up. What I am saying is bring it back slowly. She will better metabolize her meals and also get some exercise on top of that.
Hope this helps.
John
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"To be the best..........You must lose your mind."

Out of the 5 adult boas in my collection, I will allow *most* of them to drape across my shoulder but *never* completely around my neck...that's just an accident waiting to happen. Of those, most of the time the snake has its body over my shoulder and draping down to my waist with my arms supporting the first half of the snake and guiding its movements. That said, there are a couple that I just do not put around my neck or shoulders because they aren't as trustworthy. For those individuals, I support their body in my arms and against my waist while I carry them to a place I can sit down and put them in my lap. With new or skittish snakes, I always prefer to sit while holding them in my lap, allowing them to explore a bit in my arms without having to put them across my shoulders.

In regards to feeding a malnourished snake, John is also right that power-feeding it is not the correct route. The snakes need time to digest and 'rest' a bit between meals and they can't do that with feedings every 5 days, especially such large meals as you are describing. Boas metabolise their food much slower than colubrids and need more time between meals. One or two prey items every 10-14 days is what I have done with rescues in the past and what was recommended by my reptile vet. If the animal is in REALLY bad shape, a vet might prescribe a supplement of some sort (had one of my rescues that was in bad enough condition to require that). The prey shouldn't be more than half-again as large as the widest diameter of the snake...just enough to make a slight bulge. About 2-3 days after feeding a moderate sized meal, you can then look at starting to handle the snake.

Best of luck with you newest addition. They're great animals.

Raven