Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Here's the whole story since I got her a year ago...

She was always calm and I used to take her out to cruise with the car club and she never struck at anyone. I used to let her out and she would hang on the back of my sofa and watch tv with me all the time but then I went on a deployment to the middle east and she stayed with a local snake breeder while I was gone for 4 months. I got back at the end of July and since I've had her back she's been in a hunting mood all the time. I walked by this evening and she struck the glass. She's been fed live rats since she was little before I got her so I think that might be part of it but there has to be more.

She's 3 years old and 7 Feet long and I don't have any way to handle her anymore if she keeps attacking me. I can't even clean her cage right now or clean out her water bowl because she coils back ready to strike the moment I open the lid.

Any help or ideas on why she does this would be great. I really want to keep her but I can't if my girlfriend is going to be scared of her all the time.

Thanks,
Chris

Give her to me....

My second is to double check all of her husbandry....heat should be 78-85, large enough enclosure, humidity 50-60%...photo period 12/12 hours.

Check her for bugs....

Also, do you have any rodents in the house she could be smelling?

Are you feeding her enough? A 7ft female can down a pretty big prey item....

....if she was fine before, it's most likely a husbandry issue...or at least that is my first guess...

Good luck, Chris Olson

Did you allow a week after relocating her back home before handling/feeding her?
Do you know for a fact she was properly cared for ???

Anyway get on with it,treat her as a Rescue Animal. . . .
Put a T-Shirt that you`ve worn for a day or a ball cap next to or better yet "in"her hide.Do this for a week and nothing more.The key is to have "your scent in her secure space".You should see improvement over a weeks time.Change the shirt out every couple days.Get a long sleeve jacket and gloves (leather is prefered over cotton type material to help prevent snagging teeth)and a snake hook,get that girl outta there and do it daily !!Once clear of the cage she may change her tude? Dont over do it handleing 5-10 min a day is good enough. Be patient it may take a month or longer?.Whatever you do never completely trust her again.As long as she`s not striking your making progress,hissing and all that noise is often just bluff.Leave one of the gloves laying in the cage after handling as well.You cant show fear and you need to move slow,not to slow but not jerky or flighty either,at the same time you shouldnt be of a mind set to over power her either just firm and confident.

Again be "PATIENT" and Good Luck !

T/

>>Here's the whole story since I got her a year ago...
>>
>> She was always calm and I used to take her out to cruise with the car club and she never struck at anyone. I used to let her out and she would hang on the back of my sofa and watch tv with me all the time but then I went on a deployment to the middle east and she stayed with a local snake breeder while I was gone for 4 months. I got back at the end of July and since I've had her back she's been in a hunting mood all the time. I walked by this evening and she struck the glass. She's been fed live rats since she was little before I got her so I think that might be part of it but there has to be more.
>>
>>She's 3 years old and 7 Feet long and I don't have any way to handle her anymore if she keeps attacking me. I can't even clean her cage right now or clean out her water bowl because she coils back ready to strike the moment I open the lid.
>>
>>Any help or ideas on why she does this would be great. I really want to keep her but I can't if my girlfriend is going to be scared of her all the time.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Chris

I think I know why she's acting so weird. I was keeping rats in a cage in the closet that connects to the room she's in. I'm going to quit keeping rats and just buy one every 4 or 5 days like I've been feeding her. The rts are about twice the size of her head wich should be about right. I'm also going to try the T-shirt idea and maybe she'll calm down. She used to Hiss once in a while when she was in a bad mood but since I've had her back she hasn't hissed once which I thought was weird. She just strikes because she probably smells the Rats. I loved taking her out all the time because she was soo great with everybody.

Thanks for the help and hopefully I'll have my old snake back!!!

I would also suggest not doing the car club bit with her again.

Car clubs tend to have a lot of roaring motors and loud stereos, boas are very sensative to vibration and that would be a very uncomfortable spot for her.