Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Today i decided to try and pull out my male Indigo that bit me last week. Well, it didn't go to well. I gently opened the door and he came flying straight for my face with his mouth open. I jumped up and back onto my feet and my heart was pounding. I corraled him back into the cage with a t-shirt. I need to get in and clean his cage, but i think he's going to nail me! Im trying to think what it is that has caused the change. Maybe the snake hook i touch him with smells like snake or like food. Maybe he smells the bullsnake in the room?I recently added a leopard gecko to the room, could this be it? Im intimidated to say the least. Any comments, suggestion, or ideas are welcome. I already put in a call to the snakes former owner.

-Feed him
-Give him a damp hide box

Tell me how it goes.

Agree Doug…sound like a hungry Indigo. Stuff him with food.

Place a hide box in the cage. When he is done eating and full he should go for the hid box. Take the hid box out and clean the cage.

Feed him till he stops eating…..Dan

I work with mainly Coachwhips, Spiloties and Y.T. Cribo. If you give your snake a que that it is going to be handled and not fed you will find that they will learn. Example; I open the cage with a snake hook and bring it part way out then GENTLY support the body without restraint. The snake will learn the hook means it WILL be handled. Once you start comunicating you will find a willing participent. If the snake on the otherhand learns that it can buffalo you it will, send clear messages and they will key on routien. My 9' wild Y.T. still puffs up but it is mostly show, learning how to take a bite comes with the teratory, just let them finish and don,t pull back. Mine don,t like the way I taste anyway!

I prefer to feed all of my Drymarchon outside of their enclosures, as I have found this lessens the feeding response upon opening the enclosure doors.
Just place your indigo into a large plastic blanket box and feed him there.
It may take some time, but you should find that he will settle down once he realizes food isn't coming, every time the enclosure door is opened. I do this with all of mine, once they reach six months of age, and have never incurred a problem while opening an enclosure housing Drys.
Also, never approach an enclosure with food in your hand; always use a long hemostat or tongs, as it will distance the food item from your hand.
Of course, you could simply have an aggressive indigo, though I believe such behavior to be atypical of D. c couperi.
As Robert mentioned earlier, I was recently bitten by a large female rubidus I obtained from him. This was due to my own negligence, as I was in a hurry, and in my haste, I neglected to use a hemostat to handle a food item, using my hand instead, and was promptly bitten on the left "birdie" finger when I placed my fingers beneath the paper to remove her from the enclosure and place her into her feed box. I now sport quite a reminder, to strictly follow my own protocol, in the form of a large scar.

Jeff

I also use the seperate feeding box technique for agressive animals, it works very well and after a short time most will look forward your presence, a means to a meal, not you the meal. There is an added benefit, no substrate sucked down with their meal.