Reptile & Amphibian Forums

okay, heres the deal. went to a local pet store last week and they had (what they claimed to be) a 30 year old redtail. they showed it to me and it was very sweet. had no trouble with it held it and let it sit on my shoulders for awhile.the employees said that it was very gentle and was common for them to take it to school events to teach kids about snakes. the only thing wrong with it is that the eyecap stayed on during the previous shed. i went home and a day or 2 later the owner of the snake contacted me and said that if i had a tank big enough for it i could have it. so i went down to pick it up and as soon as i took the lid off it started hissing and baring its (so called) teeth at me for long periods of time. so being more protective of myself than of the snake, i quickly had them defrost a rat for it to eat (hey if it has a rat in its mouth it cant bite me, right?). anyway, i transferred it to a temp tank for the trip home (bout 5 minutes) and put it into its new tank with plenty of water and lighting. the thing still would not stop hissing or striking at anything placed into the tank. so i gave it another rat and it ate it immediately and soon after was defecating (had a fun time trying to clean it up, lemme tell ya). anyway i left it alone for a few days and checked for tips online as for what to do and one site said to put a tshirt or something with your sent into the tank for it to get used to you. but it also says that the tip is for baby redtails and you still have to handle them. however this is an 8 footer of probably over 20 years of age and im not putting my hands anywhere near that snake's mouth, id sooner play with an ETB. some people are saying that its acting like that because of its eyecap but i dont believe that is the case because i held it when the cap was on and it was very docile. what could cause this behavior and what do i do? i doubt that i could get a vet to make a housecall to sedate the snake and take the cap off the eye and if i could im sure hes pretty costly. any info or help you can give me would be greatly appreciated because im not wanting to get rid of it but im not wanting to keep an angry snake that bites people either.

Their are plenty of reasons that could be causing your problem,but you need to give some more info!What type of enclosier do you have her in?How is her temps in her enclosier?How is her humidity?Her eye caps well if your not afraid to get bit you could dampen a warm wet wash cloth an gently moisten up the eye caps an rub down an they[should?] come off!I have heard of others using neosporin or somthing to get them off but not sure?Basically more info would help people better answer your questions!Sry couldn't help more!Thanks Eric[Hypoboa]

he is in a glass tank (36x12x16) and it has a temp of 92 degrees backside and about 87 degrees in front. as far as humidity he has a giant water dish big enough for him to soak in. so as far as that goes the air should be pretty humid with the temp being what it is. however, what you may have failed to realize is that the snake was acting this way BEFORE i got him into my home. and if you think its so easy to rub a pissed off snakes eye with a warm washcloth or neosporin i will gladly give you my address and let you come over and give it the old college try with this one.

Your tank sounds a bit too small for an 8' snake. A 6x2 foot cage would be much better. Maybe the cool end isn't cool enough and it's over-heated.

well yes id love to be able to accomodate it with a tank big as a room but i dont have the cash right now. and the tank i have for it is much bigger than the sterilite container the petstore was keeping it in.

The snake has most likely been thru some serious BS over the last few months.
IF YOUR NOT WILLING TO.......
Get Proper Husbandary tools temp/humidity reading device(s)
Put the snake out of sight out of mind,somewhere where nobody will mess with it,I mean not even look at it for at least 1 week.
Then and only then ensure water,temp and humidity are with in reason and then leave the room again. Do Not test the snake!!
Check things and LEAVE !!Repeat another week as above.At the end of the second week,introduce a worn/sweaty T-shirt or something that has your scent on it. Just put it in the tank,check temps and water and then LEAVE !!DO NOT TEST THE SNAKE!! Replace the T shirt after another week,check everything out and LEAVE THE SNAKE ALONE"DO NOT TEST THE SNAKE" !!!
You following this ? were @ 3 weeks now and "just" getting started.You`ll need to stick to it for another 3 weeks at least before attempting to feed the snake or any type of contact.
If your not willing to follow strict lines then wasteing my time any explaining further would be just that.

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It will never tame out to something in the order of a "Pet"
If you cant accept that "FACT" then make plans now to get the snake to someone that has experience working with snakes of this caliber.
I doubt you would honestly answer a direct question as to "why" you purchased this snake to begin with.......?
But feel free

T/

>>well yes id love to be able to accomodate it with a tank big as a room but i dont have the cash right now. and the tank i have for it is much bigger than the sterilite container the petstore was keeping it in.
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I Dont Want To Have A Hero.When a hero comes,that means human beings have a problem.Bad things happen,and the hero comes to save everybody.I really hope there are no heroes in the world.If there are no heroes,that means we are safe.

I don't see how you can say it will never tame down to the level of pet....all boas can become defensive...if the husbandry issues are corrected and he is brave enough to handle the snake...it will likely tame down. One of my most trustworth boas is a huge argentine female that was once very defensive...she has become very sweet and calm. On the other hand, not more than a weeek and a half ago I was bitten by a girl that I raised from birth...she's never shown a previous inclination to bite, and there's nothing wrong with her captive husbandry....

Chris O
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www.chrisolsonreptiles.com
Naked I see the camp of those who desire nothing

i REALLY DONT UNDERSTAND WHY YOU TOOK OFFENCE TO WHAT i POSTED,I WAS TRYING TO BE HELPFUL WITH YOUR PROBLEM,THEIR WAS NO NEED TO BE SMART ABOUT IT!AN IF YOU REALLY THINK YOU ARE GOING TO RAISE BOA'S AN NOT GET BITTEN THEN YOU ARE FULL OF IT,SOONER OR LATER ITS GOING TO HAPPEN!AN YES I HAVE BEEN NAILED BY A VERY LARGE FEMALE THAT IS NOT QUITE 8 FT YET BUT SHE WILL BE AN BELIEVE ME IT WONT BE THE FIRST OR THE LAST TIME I GET NAILED! BUT USUALLY THESE THINGS HAPPEN BECAUSE OF HUMAN STUPIDITY!LIKE THE OTHER GUY SAID YOU GOT IT TOO HOT IN THE TANK!AN IF YOU CANT AFFORD TO HOUSE THEM IN A PROPPER HOME WHY BUY THEM?THANKS ERIC[HYPOBOA]

well yes people do get bit due to stupidity. and im sure youve been bitten before. thing is...I'M TRYING NOT TO BE STUPID!!! but its all in the past now because i had a little one on one with the thing and said, "look here. you dont bite me and i will continue to feed you every week." and she let me get her out of the tank and hold her for a little bit. and as far as housing goes, me and my roommate had a 7 footer in the same tank and had no probs with it. just because its a snake and its big doesnt mean that it needs a Ritz-Carlton type-sized tank with all the options.

Here in New York State large pythons where just banded because people buy them and can't provide for the size these animals after a few years. They become disposable pets and end up at animal selters or worse outside! Now even someone who provides them with an 8X4 foot encloser can't keep them.
An 8 foot snake in a 3 foot cage it too small. Please do the animal justice. Get a BOAPHILE cage or something like it. Use a themostat, keep the hot end at 95 and the COOL end at 75. Let it sit in there for a week or so to get comfortable and then I bet it will love you.

that poor snake is probably hot as heck and cannot even GET to a cool side to regulate it's temperature! I'd be ticked off and hissing too!
Do the snake a favor and build a cage out of something, ANYTHING big enough to house the snake properly. Or give it to someone who can....

getting bit by a boa doesnt mean you are stupid !! thinking you never will get bit ISSSS STUPID !! and i agree that having such a big snake in such a small enclosure is not right unless its only for quarantine for a limited time. if you cant take some good advice from the people on here , then dont come on here and ask for it .. mr. hypoboa gave you correct advice.. the best he could with the information you provided.. no need to get stupid with him.. i have been dealing with snakes now for over 15 years and i know the advice he gave is descent and acurate.. please relax and take some of this advice.. thanks , koky
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NO BEAUTY LIKE THE BEAUTY OF A TRUE REDTAIL !!

well when i can afford to get it a bigger tank then i will but i do have priorities. besides as far as the temp goes she has a water dish big enough to soak in. the tank was good enough to house a 7.5 footer in so i dont see what the big deal is about needing a bigger tank. sure i love snakes but i love myself more. being able to pay my rent comes before the comfort of the snake. i know this may sound horrible to you animal lovers out there but i am giving this animal a good home. i am personal friends with local breeders and they tell me that the tank is fine. but as you can see the problem of handling has been solved

here he is

lol .. im just messing with you .. try again
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NO BEAUTY LIKE THE BEAUTY OF A TRUE REDTAIL !!