Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i've had my boa for about 10 months now and i'm still not sure if this is normal. everytime i hold my boa, he likes to hold on to my arm, leg, or something. he's tail always has to have a grip on something. and when i try to just let him slither around without his tail touching me, he acts like he's panicing or something. it seems like he feels very insecure. he gets kinda fidgety when I let him go and then acts normal again once i hold him..... is this normal?

It can be a couple of things, balance for one if it looks like hes shaking when let's go, or just scanning for heat when he looks fidgety. Does he do this in his enclosure?

he does it wherever and whenever his tail isn't holding on to something. but only for a few minutes then he usually calms down. he doesn't usually do this in his cage cuz he has branches and stuff to hold on to. only in an open area where he can't hold onto something.

Most boas I've held were adamant about having a good grip on something with their tail, if you set them down on something solid they usually are ok but if they at all feel like they're in insecure footing they want their tail around a branch or something in my experience, burmese's seem much less inclined to need their tails curled around something (just as a comparison with another large snake).
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Gary Harris - gary@mydixiesys.com
http://www.dixiesys.com/
http://www.8-95.com/

Here's a picture of my boa bathing. I guess he feels secure under the water.