Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,

I got my hog island boa almost a year ago (as a hatchling), and he has always been the sweetest thing, never struck, hissed, and was always calm whenever I had him out.

He usually eats 2 frozen baby rats a week, so i went to feed him today. picked him up, put him in his feeding tub, gave him a rat, everything was fine. he finished the first rat, and right when he got it down, my boyfriend walked up to the tub to see if he had finished it (the tub is clear). My boa all of a sudden went nuts and started striking and hissing and would not close his mouth, he was so angry. he has NEVER hissed or struck at anyone since i have had him. so i figured maybe the snake must have just gotten scared somehow, even though he usually doesnt care if you watch him eat.

i gave him the second rat, and he was still striking and hissing. i covered the tub so he wouldhave more privacy since he was so mad. I let him crawl out of the tub and back into his cage when he was finished, and he still hasnt calmed down any.

my question is, if i just leave him alone for a while and let him settle down, will he go back to bein his normal calm self? was he just spooked? its just so weird, he is actin like a completely different snake and i *hope* i will still be able to handle him if he can settle down. thanks for any input
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~Melissa~
1.3 Leopard geckos (Guido, Oasis, Gypsy, Marli)
1.0 Bearded dragon (Pharoah)
1.0 Hog Island Boa (Michelangelo)
0.0.1 Crested Gecko (Picasso)
1.0 Ferret (da Vinci)
0.1 Chinchilla (Eevie)
And Jack the cat!

Melissas Menagerie

wait...baby boas arent called "hatchlings" are they? Sorry, I keep mainly lizards, in fact this is my only snake. Sorry bout that
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~Melissa~
1.3 Leopard geckos (Guido, Oasis, Gypsy, Marli)
1.0 Bearded dragon (Pharoah)
1.0 Hog Island Boa (Michelangelo)
0.0.1 Crested Gecko (Picasso)
1.0 Ferret (da Vinci)
0.1 Chinchilla (Eevie)
And Jack the cat!

Melissas Menagerie

I have heard from several Hog's island keepers that they can be moody...even if it seems out of character. I would leave him alone for a few days...make sure he has a nice snug hide box, and then start handling him. Be sure to feed him outside of his enclosure...and that you give him plenty of space while he's eating and for at least one day after he's eaten. He may just be a private eater.

good luck, Chris Olson
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www.chrisolsonreptiles.com

It really could have been anything that set him off. An odor on one of you, the sudden movement of your boyfriend walking near him when he is just finished eating, or he is just grumpy. Let him settle down for the day and try again tommorow with him.
Good Luck
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Jim Hopkins "Hoppy"
Hopkins Holesale Herps
Hopfam1@aol.com

Well i just want to comment that if your little boy is about a year old and only eating two small rats once week he might just be hungry... My little girl Eos is pounding down a large rat once a week without any problems and she is just approaching 14 months old her shortly. Other than that, i would just leave him be for a few days, he could be in shed and you missed the cloudy eyes or he could have just been grumpy, Hoggs do have a lot of "personality" as steve and I refer to it as..But i would just give him a few days and then see how he's doing... good luck with him.. Hoggs truely are amazing creatures. Enjoy

Sincerely,
Rose Hipskind

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www.srsnakes.com

Thanks for the advice, guys

well he will be a year old in approx. 3 more months. and i have tried feeding him three small rats a week, but all he ever wants to eat is two and always just leaves the third one to sit and never eats it. and i think he is still too small to eat a full grown rat. last time i measured him (was last month) he was just shy of 3 feet. do you think this is too small for his age? and hes definately not large enough girth-wise to take a large rat. is there a certain growth rate they are supposed to have, or are they all different? Thanks again!
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~Melissa~
1.3 Leopard geckos (Guido, Oasis, Gypsy, Marli)
1.0 Bearded dragon (Pharoah)
1.0 Hog Island Boa (Michelangelo)
0.0.1 Crested Gecko (Picasso)
1.0 Ferret (da Vinci)
0.1 Chinchilla (Eevie)
And Jack the cat!

Melissas Menagerie

personnally, i see no reason to push him. i think 1-2 appropriat;y sized rodents a week is plenty. 3 feet is plenty for one year...overfeeding boas can lead to more troubles than benefits.

good luck, chris
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www.chrisolsonreptiles.com

Wow. Three small rats a week? Sounds like a lot. Both of my guys are growing like weeds and they both get one small mouse a week.

1 appropriate size rodent every 7 days should be fine. You Hogg should be able to eat anything that is about the same size as the biggest part of his body (around).

Jeff
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Jeff
0.1 Wife (Homo sapiens sapiens): Kim
2.0 Hogg Island Boas, Bob Sears Line (Boa Constrictor imperator): Ham-let and BLT
1.1 Smooth-Scaled Sand Boas (Eryx johnii johnii): Xerxes, and Sa'rai
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa (Eryx colubrinus loveridgei): Solomon
0.2 Kenyan Sand Boas, 100% het anery (Eryx colubrinus loveridgei): Sheba, Jasmine
0.1 Doberman (Canis familiaris): Princess Grace
1.0 Pitbull Mix (Canis familiaris): Popcorn
1.0 Rough Collie (Canis familiaris): Dante
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“It’s not bragging if you can prove it”

Yep, i did try three, but he only wants to eat two at once. Which i think is ok for him, he gets em down fine and very quickly. i've been told many things from different people on how many and how often to feed him, but i've found that 2 every 7 days is what he is doin good on. (and when i say small rats, i mean like, either just about weaned or had just gotten weaned. still babies basically.)
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~Melissa~
1.3 Leopard geckos (Guido, Oasis, Gypsy, Marli)
1.0 Bearded dragon (Pharoah)
1.0 Hog Island Boa (Michelangelo)
0.0.1 Crested Gecko (Picasso)
1.0 Ferret (da Vinci)
0.1 Chinchilla (Eevie)
And Jack the cat!

Melissas Menagerie

The only fix for this is you must send all hogg islands to me! No really most hoggs show this hissing character at some point. Maybe it will settle down, it may only be a growing spurt, and he is hungry. You could always send him my way. Thanks Andy Federico

The ONLY fix? well, ok, if its the only way I guess you better send me your address... hehe Michelangelo's my sweet lil baby though, I'm afraid he's stayin with me Thanks for your advice!
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~Melissa~
1.3 Leopard geckos (Guido, Oasis, Gypsy, Marli)
1.0 Bearded dragon (Pharoah)
1.0 Hog Island Boa (Michelangelo)
0.0.1 Crested Gecko (Picasso)
1.0 Ferret (da Vinci)
0.1 Chinchilla (Eevie)
0.0.1 Savannah Monitor (Zero)
And Jack the cat!

Melissas Menagerie

Yes, just like everyone else said, just let him calm down. He will be fine. It could have been anything that set him off.

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Jeff
0.1 Wife (Homo sapiens sapiens): Kim
2.0 Hogg Island Boas, Bob Sears Line (Boa Constrictor imperator): Ham-let and BLT
1.1 Smooth-Scaled Sand Boas (Eryx johnii johnii): Xerxes, and Sa'rai
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa (Eryx colubrinus loveridgei): Solomon
0.2 Kenyan Sand Boas, 100% het anery (Eryx colubrinus loveridgei): Sheba, Jasmine
0.1 Doberman (Canis familiaris): Princess Grace
1.0 Pitbull Mix (Canis familiaris): Popcorn
1.0 Rough Collie (Canis familiaris): Dante
---------------------------------------------
“It’s not bragging if you can prove it”

Hahaha, thats pretty close! Only his mouth was open a little wider, lol. It was just so strange to me though since i have NEVER seen him so pi$$ed off! Now hes all calm and digesting. in a few days when he's all done i'll try handling him again, hope he'll have gotten over it by then Thanks so much for everyone's advice.
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~Melissa~
1.3 Leopard geckos (Guido, Oasis, Gypsy, Marli)
1.0 Bearded dragon (Pharoah)
1.0 Hog Island Boa (Michelangelo)
0.0.1 Crested Gecko (Picasso)
1.0 Ferret (da Vinci)
0.1 Chinchilla (Eevie)
And Jack the cat!

Melissas Menagerie