Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi! I'm new to the forum, but I think I've read almost every post in the archives! Nice to meet all of you!

I have _her_ in a small 10 gallon square aquarium. Inside is a water dish, and a small "dirt" dish that has a dirt/fiber substrate that is moist. The lining on the bottom are wet paper towels.. And i have small heating pad under the dirt bowl.

No hiding spots.. When I first got her, she buried herself in the dirt bowl.. She also likes to sleep crunched up against the glass behind the dirt bowl, on the warm side of the terranium. The ambient temperature in my house is about 77 degrees, and i only keep the cage warmer on for her about 1/2 the day.. I leave it off at night, but the temperature in my house stays at 77.

The guy at the pet store where I bought her took her out while she was sleeping, and kind of tossed her back and forth in his hands until she curled up into a ball, at which point he let me hold her.

Anyway - I think they did this on a hourly basis at the pet shop trying to show her off to people.. Needless to say, she is very nippy since i got her home, and she tries to defend her space well.. Everytime I wave my blue rubber gloves anywhere near the glass, she strikes at the glass several times in a row.

I try to keep her aquarium covered with a blanket hoping that will give her more privacy.. When i picked her up with my rubber gloves (they have a sort of chemical smell to them i noticed - and they are bright blue) she goes nuts.. she starts biting the gloves from all angles, and she even managed to nip herself thinking it was part of the glove.. She also must have musked the gloves or released something because she had a foul smell too.

When i took her out using my hands the next day.. she bit my thumb and my palm but i got her out of the aquarium finally and she calmed down and stopped biting.. she drew quite a bit of blood for something with such a small mouth though - still far less painful then a cat bite.

How do i get her out of the terranium without using gloves safely, other than using my hands.??? She seems to think my hands are only a threat or food when she is first being removed from her space

How does a bite from a full grown BRB compare to say a 5-6 ft red tail boa? How do most of you take your BRB's out of their terranium?

I plan on putting her in a plastic rubbermaid bin to feed her from now on... Like i said she is about 2 1/2 feet long - will she become less nippy as she puts on more weight and length?

Any adjustments you can think to her cage that will make her more calm?

I have a cat in the house, who likes to sit up on my bed and watch the terranium.. Does the cat smell make the snake nervous ?? - and if so .. how can i fix that other then isolating them both (impossible in my house)

How much is "too much" handling for a BRB in a typical day?

Is there anything i can wipe on my hands that will turn her off and make her want to avoid biting my juicy thumb.. like rubbing alcohol or something?

Thanks in advance for any answers.. I've read many of the posts below, and some great advice there - but anything specific to my situation will be appreciated!

-Eric

These are my experiences...

1.) The Tank

Make sure there are LOTS of hides. Set them up so that you can easily remove them to reveal the entire snake and allow and easier access angle. My CRB sometimes loves to crunch behind the waterbowl in the corner of the tank, but there are 4 other hides so it is rare to find her there. From what I can tell, they hate to be out in the open.

2.) The Snake

Give your new friend a full week to settle in to it's home. Don't put a blanket over the tank, you should let her see you walk by a few times.

3.) Handling

My CRB was equally nippy and would bite me 3/4 times a day. The bite doesn't hurt too much, it's the shock that gets you everytime. Don't use gloves, let the snake get familiar to your hands. After the first week, pick her up several times a day and put her back in, you need to get her used to being pick up... My strat to avoid bites would be that once he was exposed from me removing the hide, I would use one hand to distract the head (slow slow motions) and the other to pick him up by the tail. Once he was clear of the tank, he was no problem.

4.) Results

After a week of solid handling, he has tamed down incredibly. He is easy to handle, though there are some times when he gets a bit edgy and lets me know he is pissy. Since the first week, I have not been bitten. It's been 2 months now.

Good Luck.

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-Iman

1.1 Sugar Gliders
2.0 Balls (Spot and Speck)
0.1 Colombian BCI (Belle)
1.0 Colombian Rainbow (Rex)

Loving to Learn
Learning to Help
Helping to Love

i have 1.1 brbs. the chaos the female bit me the very first day i had her, she got me right on the lips. that was bout 1 1/2 years ago. now she wouldnt hurt a fly. my male, sunshine, he hasnt bit me yet. and hes bout 9 months old. theyre all individuals. so yeah, just give it a week then hold it as much as possable. it should tame very quickly.
nevin
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1.1 brazilian rainbow baos-sunshine&chaos
1.1 leopard geckos-killer&sallean
1 blizzerd lizzard-grim
0.2.0 amazon tree boas-sweetness&?
0.1.0 kenyan sand boa-?
0.1.0 bearded dragon-?
1.0.0 uromastyx-chubby
2.0 brothers
0.2 sisters
3 cats-fat max, spiderman, &toby
1 miniture mutt-brutis

"dont be afraid to die, only be afraid to not live"

"dont become classified. if you are nothing, then you can be anything."

A hide is not opptional, it is a must. Before handling her at all I would make her a place to feel secure in her new surroundings and let her acclimate for a week. Then slowly, step by step allow her to get used to you. The process will be faster if you use your bare hand. Keep in mind that the store taught her to be very defensive and afraid of handling. Try not to react and pull away if she bites. Expect her to bite you. If she she latches on to your hand be patient and calm until she releases and then proceed. Just work with her daily or every other day for a several minutes each time. When she gets used to being picked up increase the time or intervals you work with her.

Since you are using an aquarium, watch your humidity closely unless in has an almost completely moisture containing top.

Good luck,
Linda

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"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance- that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer