New boa

[rico]

Got my new boa today...grumpy little thing went to bite me, but I'm not surprised cus it hasn't settled in yet obviously.

Just a question really as i have noticed 'creases/wrinkles' on it. Apparently its about to shed soon so could this be why? Or could it be dehydrated (got a water bowl it can curl up in and it hasn't bothered with it yet) and i have misted it?. Or is it fairly normal in boa's (which i don't think it is but correct me if I'm wrong)?

Oh and if I'm using a conical ceramic bulb do i need a reflective holder for it to prevent the top of the Viv burning or is it OK as is with just the ceramic holder?

Thanks in advance ;D

[John Pilling]

First off most boa's have creases.wrinkles on their skin, it's normal as they can squeze into really small spaces and compact them self. It is more noticeable tho during a shed..

As to the water bowl, make sure it's big enough so it can compleatley submerge itself, they do this quite often, but again more at shed time and can spend 20-30 mins underwater whilst holding their breath. Misting is also good as most boa's require a humid environment, I keep mine except the sand boa's at an average of 60-70%, and 80-85% during a shed, if a shed is in bit's, or more then 3 peaces, then spray heaviley a day or 2 before the shed is actually due, i spray 30-40 times when my largest boa, dave is about to shed which provides about 95% humidity for 2 days or so. Appart from shedding, i only spray on a wed and sunday about 10-15 times in zeuses viv (it's a 4 foot viv) and around 20-25 times in Daves viv (it's 8 foot long).

The caramic you have will be fine as it is aslong as you have a gaurd over it as they can get very very hot (even 75watt models can reach over 100f during summer), so a guard is a necessaty.

PS we want some piccy of the new boa.

[rico]

Thanks John thats a great help. I will get you some pictures of the boa as soon as its settled as its really snappy and always in an aggressive/defensive position when I'm close (like putting water in etc and sometimes when just close to the Viv).

It will just take a few weeks/months to fully settle and become fairly tame (hopefully it isn't one of those awkward ones that never become tame ).

By the way i have heard on another forum that a 2-3' (or maybe a 3-4' cant remember) boas bite is about as painful as a paper cut. That sounds a little...wrong to me from looking at a boas teeth, but i wouldn't know (i guarantee ill find out eventually ;D). What would you say the pain equivalent was?

[John Pilling]

pain equivalent is blood, and the bigger the boa the more blood their is, lol.

Here's an adult, 7 foot boa's teeth, just for comparison sake, lol Those are some big nashers and will be just bigger then my males teeth as he's around 6 foot, lol

[rico]

;D dont sound too bad...but like i said...ill find out sooner or later lol. I suppose it depends on if the boa holds on or not to. Thanks John youre a huge help

[rico]

My boa shed yesterday. It started to shed and 4 hours later the skin was only about 1.5" down its body, it was really struggling. It was bone dry and i think the idiots at the pet shop fed it on saturday making it even harder!!!

I know youre supposed to leave the snake to settle in before handling but there was no way my boa could have shed its skin without any help (poor thing).

I spent about an hour really late last night/early this morning helping it remove its skin...it was difficult for me to assist as the skin did not want to move (even with a soaking)

But i managed and the boa seems happier now. I was wondering if there is a way i can tell if its eyecaps have come off with the shed because the shed was in so many peices i couldnt find the head peice of skin to check.

IM really glad i got this poor little fellow away from that pet shop as they seem to know less about what they are doing then me...fedding it when ready to shed is not helpfull !!!

Plus the fact it looks a little like a red-tail instead of a mexican...but im not experienced enough to say for sure. Now its shed its skin is a light brown/grey and its tail starts at dark brony-red to a drak red at the tip. Will send picture asap.

[John Pilling]

Thats fine, next time tho, just spray like a mad mad and leave till morning, the bottle i use i sprayed about 40ish times last time dave shed as he was struggleing, and he managed to get most of it off except a 1 inch peace on his nose by the next morning. s/he will almost definatley want to feed now at some point today (mine refuse before 9pm, lol).

Well done anyway with helping the little 1, as to the locaality of the boa, here's a link showing a few differant mexicans, all are adults tho so bear that in mind. www.boa-constrictors.com/com/imperator/Mexiko/mexicana.html

Depending on sex and type of mexican boa, some can reach 8 foot plus and a really really wide girth.

[John Pilling]

Here's the spray bottle i use btw, i got it from asda a couple of years ago for about 60-70 p.

[rico]

Thanks again John. Oh, and as to my boa maybe being fed on Saturday..well..lets just say it left me a huge present today. So it was definately fed. Will it still want feeding today then?

And what does it mean when a boa hisses? My little boa hisses at me but i know thats because its nervous or just an aggressive snake at the moment (i understand this is normal at first). But, my cousins boa hisses all the time but is as friendly as can be...its gives a gentle hiss.

[John Pilling]

If it was only fed sat then i would leave it till friday or sat. The pressies comes every 3 weeks from my big boy, and every 3-4 from my little girl (well she's just over 1 and over 4 foot, lol).

Some boa's do hiss and are friendley, but others hiss and will strike and hold (and constrict and take ages to get off), only thing i can suggest is try handleing and see what happens. If it's a defensive hiss and s/he strikes, then handle only for a min or 2 and then put back, if it doesn't strike, then give it around 5 mins. The hissing will stop with time, and so will any striking that takes place with regular handleing (4-5 times a week is plenty, with 4 being what i do with all my snakes).

[rico]

Thanks again. My boa was apparently born Juy 2005 so its 11 months old but no where near 4 foot. Id say its about 2 foot give or take a few inches. Is this small for the age?

The pet shop have been feeding it medium mice every 5 days and they look the perfect size for it.

Also i had to clean the viv because of its...er..."present" ;D, so had to get my mom to hold it in a pillowcase for me while i started cleaning. However, before i could get my mom to hold it for me i had to hold him/her for about 20 mins. It was great...still a little nervous obviously but i can see it taming very quickly once i start handling it regulary.

It even let me gently stoke the top of its head before i got it out of the pillow case and into the viv. It had its head in that coiled position but didnt hiss or bit or anythiong negative.

Im very pleased to see it will calm down quite quickly ;D

[rico]

P.S. just checked the link you gave me and my boa looks like the Sonora...a lot like the sonora (tiny bit lighter).

[John Pilling]

Sounds like it will calm down fairley quickley, good result. As an adult it could be anywhere between 6-8 foot, this is the average size for the sonora, so a 5 or 6 foot viv by 2 wide and high should be ample for an adult.

[rico]

I went to get my boa out this morning for 2-5 minutes and when i put my hand in it coiled only ever so slightly.

BUT BOY DID IT HISS!!!

It opened its mouth and gave a loud hiss at me...made me a bit weary.

After i moved my hand away it went to go up one of the fake plants i have in there...so i put my hand under it and lifted it out. Seemed fairly ok once in my hands..still nervous though.

Anyway do you think it will calm down with short handling sessions each day? I think it will but theres always a small chance it wont so im a little unsure.

Thanks in advance again ;D

[John Pilling]

in 3-4 weeks it'll be coning out with no hissing at all with light gentle dailly handleing. It might still occasionally hiss, i know 2 of mine do occasionally, but usually when they smell their food and are hungrey (like moving from a 7 to a 10 day schedule, then a 10 to a 14 etc).

As long as your confident when you go in it'll pick up on the confudence and will handle better because of it (you know what they say about animals having a 6th sence, and i believe they do to a huge degree).

A good tip tho, is if you can, start by feeding the boa outside of te viv, this'll make it easier from the off for the boa to know you only go in to pull it out, this way when you start feeding in the viv in a while, it'll know the differance between coming out and being fed.

[rico]

Thanks John thats really helpfull. I have an old aquarium i could probably put it in when feeding, or would it be best to hold it while feeding?

[John Pilling]

I use an old plastic storage box, so an old aquarium should be fine. I wouldn't hold it tho, as most do constrict and constrict hard, lol.

[rico]

Thank you very much John. I dont know what id do without you lol. But its true you make finding out more about the specifics so much easier ;D

[John Pilling]

Anything is made easier by someone who has kept the same, or similar animals. Give me a snake and i'm fine, give me gecko's or iggy's tho and i'm lost to them, lol.

[rico]

;D