Worried!

[vwbabe]

Hi all
I have 3 Boa's & 1 corn which a lodger left behind{All not kept properly, no adequate heating ect!}. Having heard nothing from owner I decided to keep them.
1 Boa a male about 2yrs old but very small{smaller than the 10month old salmon Boa.} I was handling him regularly & he was lovely. He hadn't eaten for the 3months the boy had him. Now it's 5months & still he won't eat! Tried fluffs, medium mice & small mice regularly, tried moving them about like a live rodent would, but he turns the other way as if he is scared of them!
They all had mites, which have been treated now.
But this one Boa was in with an 11month old female & the 10month old male.
Last week he started being very offensive to me. Then two days later I found young male, alone & shoved out of the hide. I removed him from viv' as he was so very traumatised!
Next day the female was snuggled up to the still nasty male. But the day after I found her evicted & very nervy so to help the situation{which I believe to be 2yr old male being offensive to her}
I removed him from viv'.
He flies at the sides of the tub he is in now{tempoarily}whenever anyone passes it!
I am so worried about him. My son who keeps snakes went to check him out & got tagged rather deeply, drawing blood.

Does anyone have any idea's why he would have turned so nasty even to his own kind for apparently no reason??
This boy has apparently been neglected before the lodger had him, so i'd love to be able to make him a happy Boa & show him how his life should be. He deserves it & i'm worried that I might lose him.

All the others are making progress eating, growing & shedding well. All very friendly & love being out & handled now.

[dinosaurdammit]

Because you dont need to keep multiple boas in the same viv. Move them to tubs if you dont want to spend a whole lota money on vivs. What are your temps like? Your humidity? Pictures can say so much more than words. Do they have good hides? A good water dish? How often do you feed?

[totheend]

Have you tried to feed him since he started striking?

[Jendee]

I would leave a.frozen thawed in there over night..I would also use newspaper in his tub keep it open so it covers the sides and gives him lots of privacy. a health snake is a happy snake a defensive snake has nothing to do with happiness it can be a nervous snake but some boas are nasty regardless of their living situation. you were smart on separating them u should keep it that way I wouldn't hold him at all until you have him feeding regularly 3 months for a baby boa is a long time and it will take time for him to recover. leave him alone, water him him drop a mouse/rat in before u go to bed check on it in the morning if it's still there throw it out try again in a week. if you keep trying to feed him everyday he's going to turn away from his food more.

[vwbabe]

Hi and Thank you for your replies :)

Yes I have tried feeding whilst he's been striking as thought it would be a good time as he might strike at food but he just ran/slithered away from food. Left him with food all night & he never went near it! :sad:

He has water dish & one adequate to bathe in too. I know they're not meant to be kept together after researching it but they've been together for 5months & is how they were left by a/hole boy.Yes I have put hides in with all as guessed they'd like something like that & would be warmer{before I sorted heating out properly}before I saw about hides on net.
Heating is not really perfect in tub he's in{but 10 month old salmon boa is inn a tub too with exactly the same temps ect & happy} but was in viv' when this nasty side started.
Humidity I don't know but will be getting a hydrometer{is that right?lol}tomorrow as already planned, son & I are going to get some more stuff |for them inc' thermostat.

[vwbabe]

Thank you Jendee :)
I was handling him for a couple of months & he was a sweety. I do only offer food every week, never daily. He is 2years old but smaller than my 10month old salmon. I so feel for him as he seems to be so angry & he must be suffering as it's more like 5months since he fed.{Not sure but he's been in this house about 5months & the owner left 2months ago. My son said he'd not eaten since the owner had him}
Don't know what his history is but been told he was neglected! I have made a point of trying to turn that around & made special efforts with him to compensate for hell life he's lived & show him a better happy life...

[Jendee]

well Idk how small he is or how big your yearly salmon is but all my yearlings are on rat pups....my 2 yr old makes on small moving to medium rats....your 10 month old could be a beast for all I know

temp is the most important and basic thing for boas....temps and privacy

[vwbabe]

Cheers yes I know i've got to get the temps sorted as I have more permanent enclosures. I have vivs but not kitted out.
My young salmon is 290kg & 70cm{2' 3.5"} a bit small himself & is on medium size mice my female is very large at 595kg on jumbo mice/weaner rats.
I've not been able to measure or weigh the 2yr old but he'd definitely smaller than baby salmon. His skin is rough, I bathed him in warm water when he had a nicer moment recently as seemed to be starting shed. He is looking rougher all the time{not surprising!}
He is on news paper & has almost complete privacy in tub. Only open partially so I can see he's ok & only going into tub to do necessary things like change water. Have to hold him away with an object wwhilst doing anything in tub. So very different than he was a week ago!!!

[vwbabe]

So has anyone got any idea's why this lovely friendly Boa has gone ferrel/mad?

Any suggestions even, all appreciated.
Did think it was because he was in with a female or with other Boa's if used to being kept alone. But his nastiness has not lessened at all since i've corrected these possible reasons?

[Corey209]

So has anyone got any idea's why this lovely friendly Boa has gone ferrel/mad?

Any suggestions even, all appreciated.
Did think it was because he was in with a female or with other Boa's if used to being kept alone. But his nastiness has not lessened at all since i've corrected these possible reasons?


I would assume if the boa was fine then all of a sudden flipped balls that something in the husbandry has changed. If he was stressed you need to give him time to readjust.

Also I'd like to kindly ask if you could stop using such bright blinding colors. It's not really pleasant to read.

[Jendee]

maybe he's feeling better and u see his true colors lol I've had boas since 1993 lol they don't have feelings lol don't know what kind of answers ur looking for but i'm literally a book when it comes to boas =)

[vwbabe]

HaHaaa yes i've read quite a few of your posts, most impressive!
I do thank you for your help with this. Maybe he is just like this, but he was so sweet & loved coming out & being handled for last couple of months. It's such a shame & I hate to think maybe he's in pain or something? Read that worms have these symptoms, got to research it more yet..
I've got my baby salmon lying on me all warm & calm now lol

[KORBIN5895]

Breeding mode. I have a very docile make that started striking about two months back out of the blue. It would Aldo explain why he won't eat.

If you want him to be truly happy put a couple of hides in, add a water bowl and get the temps and humidity right then leave him be. Snakes don't really enjoy handling.

[vwbabe]

He has hides & water & the female boa isn't mature enough to breed & don't know if he was around females before or alone but has never eaten since he has been here, that's 5months now. I am leaving him alone & his temps & humidity will be sorted properly in proper housing in next two days. I was going to exactly that leave him be & see if he settles.
Just wanted to know if anyone could tell me of problems like sickness, any conditions or even if he might be in pain as i'm so worried about this mood change & for his welfare!

[KORBIN5895]

Like I said, its the middle of the breeding season..... bug hey what do I know.

[vwbabe]

Yes I did listen & breeding linked reasons have always been a possibility. So only time will tell & i'll let you know if being seperated from others makes a difference ok.
Thank you for your input, it's always appreciated as i'm not an expert yet but fully intend to be :)

[EmbraceCalamity]

I don't think they need to be around females to act a certain way during breeding season. I'm not at all an expert, but my understanding is that they act that way when their bodies tell them it's time to breed, not when they're with a female. I think that's what Korbin was saying.

~Maggot

[vwbabe]

Hi oh that's something I didn't know.
Thank you very much for the info & clearing up that misunderstanding.
I'm sorry korbin I didn't understand that was what you meant....

[SnakeyJay]

I'm only across in Hereford so if you need help just ask and I'll come see what I can do. :)

[Lankyrob]

I ONLY have male snakes in my house, never owned a female yet every one of them goes into "breeding mode" around this time of year. Some wont eat, some get feisty(er) and others are just as docile as normal.

Can i just reiterate what someone else said, please post in "normal" text without the funky colours and bold, both these things makes text onscreen really difficult to read :)

[Jendee]

Humm that's weird I've never had that issue with any of my male boas they are pretty chill and always hungry...but you know what I don't drop temps and cycle either maybe the lack of heat has got him wanting to put work in

[SnakeyJay]

I don't cycle my boas either... My male corn starts pacing the viv like mad and my male dwarf bci is a little more active but refused to strike his food.

[Will0W783]

You really need to separate them. If you are having aggression problems, the snakes are likely in breeding mode, or the one is stressed out by the other being there. While you might not see any overt signs of stress, cohabitation in snakes that are not social species can lead to decreased immune system (meaning they get sick more easily and it's harder for them to recover when they do), changes in appetite, spreading/sharing of diseases, etc.

THERE IS NO GOOD REASON TO HOUSE TWO BOAS TOGETHER OUTSIDE OF THE FEW MONTHS OF BREEDING SEASON.

[vwbabe]

Well Thank You Jamie, that's extremely nice of you & I may take you up on that?
It's stressing me out a little now as I hate to see this young Boa, who apparently has known mostly neglect so discontented!
I've had a feeling that the outcome will be bad, since this began. I so hope i'm wrong!! :(

[Jendee]

aaaahhhh "pulls hair out"

[vwbabe]

Hi

In reply to ~ Willow783
Yes I know this {it was the previous clueless owner that had them in one viv/tank!} They are all seperate as stated in earlier post.
I maybe a newbie at keeping snakes but have always been keen on them & other reptiles. So have researched & learnt a lot along the way.
My son worked with reptiles & has a vast knowledge, but taking only one persons advice isn't good I feel so that's why i've put it on here to get a less one sided {everyone has their own ways when dealing with things, my son would have me do exactly as he does. But I need to make my own way & decide the best welfare of my animals}
I've taken on these neglected snakes, I really care about them & will do all within my power to make their lives the best that it can be!
Oh & unlike most I have NO intention of breeding any of them{The young salmon was planned to be used for breeding} There are far too many unwanted animals of all kinds to justify adding more.
Just want to do right by them & will do!

[SpOoKy]

What is going on in this thread???

[vwbabe]

Thank you 'Lankyrob' that is very useful to know. I do appreciate you taking the time to post your reply. These things you don't know til you ask real keepers & enthusiasts like on here!
Thanks :)

[vwbabe]

HaHaaa whats up 'Jendee'? Why you pulling your hair out? :o
Yes that's strange that yours don't exhibit the same behaviour this time of year? Thought it would be an instinctive thing in all?
Well next year i'll know, as the baby salmon will be about the age the troublesome one is supposed to be now....
But then his not eating has been for at least 5months, i'm thinking that was too early to be linked to any breeding behaviour????

[Corey209]

HaHaaa whats up 'Jendee'? Why you pulling your hair out? :o
Yes that's strange that yours don't exhibit the same behaviour this time of year? Thought it would be an instinctive thing in all?
Well next year i'll know, as the baby salmon will be about the age the troublesome one is supposed to be now....
But then his not eating has been for at least 5months, i'm thinking that was too early to be linked to any breeding behaviour????

We're not on hello kitty fan boards you don't need to type like THIS. Please just use normal font, colors and size because it's really annoying to read large colorful italic text. Here's a website you should visit. Modern Language Association (MLA): Format, Bibliography, Style, Convention (http://www.mla.org/)

[vwbabe]

:confused:It's dark blue????

Like a pen would be if writting on paper....
:eek:
It's not 'Bright'
And I have Nine letters after my name & my english level is way above the average! It doesn't have to be drab & boring when you post things. :) A bit of colour & originality sets my replies apart from the others.
Simples!!
:Wow:
ps: Your post was nothing to do with the thread, nor the reptile theme of this website. There are forums for people that just like to pick points/never happy?
Have a nice day now :D

[Corey209]

It's dark blue????
Like a pen would be if writting on paper....
It's not 'Bright'
And I have Nine letters after my name & my english level is way above the average! It doesn't have to be drab & boring when you post things. :) A bit of colour & originality sets my replies apart from the others. Simples!!

ps: Your post was nothing to do with the thread, nor the reptile theme of this website. There are forums for people that just like to pick points/never happy?
Have a nice day now :D

I'm very happy but every time you post it makes me want to punch a small school girl. You also can barely spell nor use punctuation properly so I'm kind of doubting your whole English level being above average. Invest in google chrome or some type of word check...

[EmbraceCalamity]

It's dark blue????
Like a pen would be if writting on paper....
It's not 'Bright'
And I have Nine letters after my name & my english level is way above the average! It doesn't have to be drab & boring when you post things. :) A bit of colour & originality sets my replies apart from the others. Simples!!

ps: Your post was nothing to do with the thread, nor the reptile theme of this website. There are forums for people that just like to pick points/never happy?
Have a nice day now :DI don't think it's an issue as long as you're using something dark. The brighter colors hurt my eyes personally, but black and dark blue aren't a problem to much of anyone, I don't think. :)

~Maggot

[vwbabe]

Thank you.
I had a couple of people say about the bright colours so I used more subdued ones. Some people obviously just like to moan I guess? As I have been respectful & I thought, fixed the problem.
Cheers anyway glad you agree about the colour. :)

[vwbabe]

So go punch one then and PLEASE if you've nothing related to the thread to say then go moan elsewhere. Please :p

[vwbabe]

Sorry that is a foul colour but just had to??

My appolagies to everyone else.
Except the 'chrome' or more likely 'explorer' spell check user!

[Corey209]

So go punch one then and PLEASE if you've nothing related to the thread to say then go moan elsewhere. Please :p

I can only hope you don't ever have any offspring.

[SnakeyJay]

Woah what's the deal here? This woman is willing to do whatever it takes for these snakes and some people are ripping her apart over font.. Yes please don't use bright colours but apart from that, crack on.

Corey- chill out, there's no harm in what font/colour she uses.. Be more concerned in her animals like we were with you when you joined.. If I remember rightly you didn't receive a good welcome either, so you know it's not nice

[KORBIN5895]

Yeah. I guess I should've explained it better.

[Jendee]

Yeah. I guess I should've explained it better.


^^^right??
look what's so frustrating right now and will always be is new people coming onto a forum to ask more experienced people advice and it goes in one ear and out the other. If you notice several people have tried to help and explain your boas behavior and you explain it away then repeat the original question. I will say you seem to really care for animals as if you'd spit on your thumb clean their face, or pinch their cheek care. but dear reptiles don't get their feelings hurt..he doesn't need a counselor he needs proper care and after that I'm willing to bet you'll get bit at some point. That's reptile keeping, they aren't puppies you cant build a relationship with them. Reptiles are my passion have been all my life, one of the reasons is because they aren't emotionally demanding :) they have simple needs..they need peace and quite, heat, humidity, security, water, a poop scooper, throw it some food once a week :) you have a healthy snake on your hands. Which means your doing your part. Stop being rude to the people that know what they are talking about it will not make you a liked person around here :)

[Corey209]

Woops, read that wrong.

[Jendee]

huh? im confused whyed you quote me. was that directed at me lol

[Corey209]

huh? im confused whyed you quote me. was that directed at me lol

I had thought your post was directed at me for some reason.. and I now that I have reread it I'm not sure why I thought that... Excuse my little rant lol..

[Jendee]

oh the frustrating feelings this thread brings out in people can have lots of people making errors lmfao gggrrrr Ive thrown my whole be nice thing out the window at this point

[jarich]

^^^right??
look what's so frustrating right now and will always be is new people coming onto a forum to ask more experienced people advice and it goes in one ear and out the other. If you notice several people have tried to help and explain your boas behavior and you explain it away then repeat the original question. I will say you seem to really care for animals as if you'd spit on your thumb clean their face, or pinch their cheek care. but dear reptiles don't get their feelings hurt..he doesn't need a counselor he needs proper care and after that I'm willing to bet you'll get bit at some point. That's reptile keeping, they aren't puppies you cant build a relationship with them. Reptiles are my passion have been all my life, one of the reasons is because they aren't emotionally demanding :) they have simple needs..they need peace and quite, heat, humidity, security, water, a poop scooper, throw it some food once a week :) you have a healthy snake on your hands. Which means your doing your part. Stop being rude to the people that know what they are talking about it will not make you a liked person around here :)

Sorry, but where was she rude to anyone (except perhaps Corey, who deserved it) and where did she not take advice? Looking over this thread she seemed to take yours and most everyone's advice to heart. She simply seems to be looking for the reason the snake became aggressive after improving its situation. Korbin offered one reason, which could very well be true, and she thanked him for it (after a bit of a misunderstanding) along with everyone else who offered constructive advice. While its true, Jendee, that new keepers should take advice, its also true that experienced keepers should have patience and understanding in dealing with new keepers who are new to all this and very excited/worried about the health of their new animals.

VWBabe, though my experience with boas in specific is very lacking, often with reptiles in general what we see as a docile, friendly reptile is merely a sick one. The lethargy and passivity they often exhibit is more a result of being sick, underfed or cold, than any natural behaviour. Thus, when they get the right temperatures, feeding and habitat, all of a sudden they become what seem like 'holy terrors'. It's basically the reptile's natural reaction to the situation now that it is getting healthy and back to normal. By the sounds of it, these snakes were in a terrible situation for a long time; all that stress in their upbringing seems to be showing now that you've improved the situation. They may never be snakes that you can handle easily, or they may settle down over time, its hard to say. Right now you are doing the right thing by not handling them. They need time to acclimate and get healthy. In a couple months, when they are eating well and have gotten acclimated, you could try holding them occasionally and see how it goes.

(Corey, there were a slew of grammatical errors in your post before you erased it. Until you are smart enough to correct them, I suggest you stop accosting others for it.)

[Corey209]

(Corey, there were a slew of grammatical errors in your post before you erased it. Until you are smart enough to correct them, I suggest you stop accosting others for it.)

I'm not encouraging that everything needs to be perfect. If you want to bring up grammatical errors that whole "slew" you just posted is no where near grammatically correct. It's not hard to use basic punctuation and a word check.

[infernalis]

Here's my take....

Screw grammatical errors, screw font choices...

I have met very wise people with no IQ and I have met fools with genius level IQ

Grammar means NOTHING.

[Corey209]

Here's my take....

Screw grammatical errors, screw font choices...

I have met very wise people with no IQ and I have met fools with genius level IQ

Grammar means NOTHING.

I'll just avoid vwbabe's threads.. What you said makes a whole lot of sense but I want to put my head through a wall when I see a bright pink paragraph bold and italicized.

[jarich]

I'm not encouraging that everything needs to be perfect. If you want to bring up grammatical errors that whole "slew" you just posted is no where near grammatically correct. It's not hard to use basic punctuation and a word check.

I didn't bring them up, you did. Therefore, you put yourself in the hot seat, not I.

And why are you putting slew in parenthesis? Is your spell check not working?

[Donnie]

I want to put my head through a wall when I see a bright pink paragraph bold and italicized.

Well at least you are a bit calmer about it now and the school girl won't get punched in the face :D

[KORBIN5895]

huh? im confused whyed you quote me. was that directed at me lol
He butted some heads when he first joined so
That PoST could've applied to him two weeks ago.

I had thought your post was directed at me for some reason.. and I now that I have reread it I'm not sure why I thought that... Excuse my little rant lol..

Hey buddy take my advice on this one and just let it go. You seem to have a different view point than the op and I don't blame you but just let it ride.

[KORBIN5895]

Here's my take....

Screw grammatical errors, screw font choices...

I have met very wise people with no IQ and I have met fools with genius level IQ

Grammar means NOTHING.

What about those of us that missed both boats?

Well at least you are a bit calmer about it now and the school girl won't get punched in the face :D

Honestly that one made me giggle hard. Imagine explaining that one to the wife. " Hey babe? I need you to dress up like a school girl for me...... No! It's not what you think!"

[Donnie]

What about those of us that missed both boats?


And this one just made me giggle :)

[~CobaltEdge~]

I agree, it is Breeding season.

[infernalis]

What about those of us that missed both boats?!"

MTV hires those, then they get some motion picture deals and a game show on Tru TV.

http://www.reptard.info/funstuff/ste.jpg

[KORBIN5895]

Whose that? And where is my movie?

[Corey209]

Whose that? And where is my movie?

steveo.com - the official site of steve-o (http://www.steveo.com/)

[Jendee]

I love steve-o! sadly tho the sober steve-o is not as fun lol but good for him!!