I think all boas can be handled on a regular basis if they are given time to acclimate. A week is a bit redundant if bought locally some tapping for the first couple days is good and if the snake seems relaxed do 15mins handling from there. If the snake is your only snake or your main focus then youll have success but many snakes require constant affirmation that they have nothing to fear before theyre easily handle. Wear a sweater and some light gloves before youre comfortable
First time Boa owner here 👋 and boy, did we jump in to the deep end! My fiancé bought me a pair of mated Super Jungle Boas about a month ago. Your video lectures are extremely helpful and well thought out. I feel self-assured after watching.
I totally lucked out with my baby boa, I got him at 3 months old online from a pet shop so I was expecting some nippyness but hes been so gentle from the first handling. his favourite place to sit is defo on my head/glasses lol
Same here, only difference is that I bought from a local breeder. I was pretty nervous about him being nippy at the first handling. He focused on my hand a bit, but was curious and friendly as I picked him up. If one of my ball pythons would focus on my hand like that, I were very cautious for good reason. Looks like he is thinking carefully about if my hand is a valid prey item and gets to the right conclusion. I hadn't thought this about a boa. Looks like I'm more at risk of being bitten by a hungry ball python accidentally. Aside of individual temperament, I think some breeders are really good at "pre-taming" their baby boas.
You mentioned bringing snakes out in public. A guy in my neighborhood brought his out. His Boa was really friendly and seemed to like the outdoors. I could see it being stressful on a nervous snake or freaking out people that think boas eat children.
My juvenile boa imperator is tame and behaves like a dog. But he doesn´t bark. Has never tried to bite me. I wash my hands with dish soap or soap before reaching into his enclosure and picking him up. This way I don´t only don´t smell like a rat, I even smell like something that he recognizes and associates with handling. I think smells are very important for the orientation of boas because they don't have heat pits like pythons. He is very curious and examines every new thing as fast as a dog would do with a sausage. Random behavior cannot explain this, so I think boas are very intelligent. Intelligent animals offer the best conditions to be tamed, so with a little effort and perseverance it shouldn't be difficult to tame a boa, at least if the owner is also a little intelligent.
I just got a red tailed boa baby. She’s super sweet, very curious, she’s pretty funny too, I provide her a lot of places to hide and she insists on jamming herself between her hide and the wall of the enclosure -.-
Mines like that too! I think they may be confused from living in a basic tub (if you bought it from a breeder), but as long as they are sleeping good, exploring at night, and interested in food, I think we’re good lol
One other thing I've noticed handling my very mellow young boa is that she's always more active when I get her from the warm side of the enclosure (duh). It makes her a little more difficult to wrangle, but she's never aggressive. When she's been on the cool side, she's more like puppy dog tame.
They sometimes have an irridescent sheen, if that's what you are referring to. THis is not just when shedding although it looks "milky" when they are going into a shed cycle.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us, Brian! I love these videos. One thing I’ve always wondered is why so many of the boas seem to want to stand straight up during handling? Are they looking at something in the room?
Brian PLEASE READ TO THE END I also need to correct you in your assumption of our intentions when interacting with the pubic. I consider my animals ambassadors as well as breeders and pets. Its very obvious that you have not accompanied anyone with one in public. We have a small touristy area in the next town over and I bring out one of my 3-4' Ball Pythons and literally 95% of everyone I encounter is absolute fascinated. They have questions, they want pictures, its an absolutely amazing encounter. I have had folks literally begin to cry because it had been so long since they had one and they loved the encounter. I have a world of respect for you but I thoroughly resent your assuming what my intentions and motives are. We bring so many smiles to the faces of adults and children alike that its unfair for you to assume why I go out. I would invite you to come visit and I believe you wont be so quick to label me, someone you've never met. Prime example of Contempt Prior to Investigation which is very unfair. Just because there are SOME folks that may fill your stereotype, not all of us do. I hope you read this and please rethink being so judgmental.
Great vid Brian ,,,,, yes i do get pissed off when snakes are not handled or treated right ,,, i do agree with u ,,, on a humorous note what execution style would u prefer on those who kill or mistreat our beloved snakes ,,,,, : ) ,,, " Just being humorous " ,,,, snake love ',,,,, On the other hand great snakes like usual especially the VPI boa ,,,,, love em' ... i do enjoy your great works fellow snake man' handshakes and keep safe out there.
It seems that once my defensive boas hit 3 feet..they naturally calm down. They gain confidence in that they can handle themselves i guess. But yes I tell new keepers all the time that babies are just more scared of everything because they are small and vulnerable..as long as they realize they are not in danger and feel safe..they will tame down no problem.
Yes I've heard that can happen too...I have never experienced an increase in defensive or aggressive behavior personally but every boa is different so there's still time.
Not specifically since I don’t keep Nicaraguans. But I’ve done a lot of general boa keeping videos as well as videos on other Central American boas and how to tame and handle boas.
I've had my female 22' sunglow for about 5 months, but she has been really scared of me, although has never landed a bite. Often she chills out when I take her out (about once a week), but as I go to set her back in her enclosure, her pupils get huge and she can get defensive. Any advice, just stick to once a week or so, few days after feeding? My male is super easy compared to her
Hi Brian, new subscriber. Enjoying the videos. Can I ask... I have a Sonoran who’s a little cranky but when he’s out he’s fine. But I also have a beautiful female dumerils (7ft) and she can be flighty and rigid, and difficult to even take out of the tank. Any tips?
@BrianBoas I don’t understand why my boa won’t allow me to handle him. He becomes defensive the moment I try to open his enclosure. He’s had four meals and a his first shed in his enclosure. I use a hook to move him around when cleaning his enclosure. He continues to try striking at me even after setting him back down. He’s super aggressive and it’s very annoying. What can I do to work on this issue?
Could be a lot of things; most likely it's just his natural behavior. Some boas take longer to calm down than others, but most settle down at least somewhat with age adn regualr handling.
@@BrianBoas any advice on how to handle him. He immediately starts striking when I try. I regularly try to not stress him out while I change water or clean the enclosure. I attempt to handle every couple weeks. I have a hook as well.
I just got a sunset super hypo boa. We’re still learning each other, and your videos are incredibly helpful. Would you consider her breed to be docile and easy to handle? We’re working to become acclimated with one another, and I know I need to be patient and calm while handling her. I made the mistake of handling her the first day I had her before doing extensive research. I want to give her space, but I also want to have her accustomed to handling. She has not been aggressive, but I don’t want to impede on her comfort and handle her too often. I understand waiting 24-48 hours after feeding, but how often and for how long should I handle her? I don’t know her exact age, but I know she’s young. Only about 2.5ft as of now. Thank you, truly, for your helpful videos. I look forward to hearing back from you!
Most boas are generally docile and easy to handle although it will depend on the overall genetic background and treatment of the animal- you can't tell simply by the gene or morph.
@@BrianBoas I completely agree. Prey items are just that, cows and checking aren't our "victims", they're meals. Well unless you listen to some Peta asshats.
That's fine as long as you practice proper hygeine practices and keep things clean- wash hands between handling snakes, disinfect tools, do not re-feed a rodent rejected by one snake to another, etc. Actually, any snake/reptile keeper should do this with ALL their animals- perhaps I will do a future video on this topic!
I have an 8-month-old Guyana that stays in a hide that is completely enclosed with a lid that comes off. How do you feel about taking the lid off and taking them out of the hide when they are in there trying to feel secure. He rarely comes out so that's about the only way I can handle him. My other ones come out on a semi-regular basis in my other enclosures but this little guy wants to spend all his time inside. how do you feel about taking them out like that?
I have never even interacted with an aggressive boa. I have interacted with wild ones that I picked up and they of course recoil and don't really want to be touched but I have only got a hiss from a few and never even a strike. It could be because these boas interact with humans fairly often enough and if they were to be aggressive the people would kill it sadly.
My square tail boa is normally docile I fed her frozen thawed rat med size and now for the first time she’s become aggressive 24/7 if put my hands in tank she normally doesn’t care for what you do in the tank sudden change any thoughts?
I have 2 baby morph boas from 2 different breeders. My female has been docile since day 1. I just got the Male a week ago, he was fine at first. Now he hisses and strikes out constantly. Not sure what the issue is. Husbandry is on point, all on F/T.....have no.idea what's going on.
Your videos are great, but I'm not too happy with your use of the word "aggressive". I think that if a snake tries to bite, it is because the animal is afraid, and that such behaviour is always purely defensive. I very much like some of Al Coritz's ("Viperkeeper") words: "You can take the animal out of the wild, but you can't take the wild out of the animal". Every snake has its own character. I have an adult hypomenalistic female boa imperator, who is as gentle as anything, but who is a bit nervous: if she is under her cork bark hide, with her head outside, when I open the front of her enclosure to mist down, she retreats into her log. My very young (2 months?) hog island boa stays on her branch, but just slightly tenses up when I open up to mist. My adult female rainbow boa, who is almost never out of her hides during the day, will always reverse back into hiding if she is out and senses my approach, yet she is easy to handle even though I only take her out when it's absolutely necessary.
@@BrianBoas Just don't do the click bait haha, that's one thing I love about you, is that you don't have click bait. You are super intelligent and to the point. I have learned so much from you. Thank you.
You really can't overemphasize the keeper/handler's mental state. A snake pressed against our skin can detect every biological function in our bodies. They can feel the blood coursing through the veins, can sense your breathing, blood pressure, everything. If you're not calm, they can tell. Personally, my best handling experiences are at the end of the week after a beer, or two.
@@BrianBoas man I have watched most of your videos and even when your boas act up, they dont seem *that* bad! (As compared to some of the psycho snakes I see online)
