Maeve the Brazillian Rainbow

[TheNothing]

This is my girlfriend's boa, and it should be shedding tonight, so i'll get more pics this weekend... hopefully this time she'll lose her retained eyecaps...

as usual, click for hi-res


on her old substrate... ready for feeding...


i love rainbow boas...


home with new substrate after feeding...

no feeding pics because she's fed in a seperate container (rubbermaid bin)... last thing you want is to get snakes conditioned to feeding in their normal terrarium... makes them think its feeding time any time you reach in...

 

[NYBrett]

Thats a true beauty! I love rainbow boas!!

 

[Beardo]

no feeding pics because she's fed in a seperate container (rubbermaid bin)... last thing you want is to get snakes conditioned to feeding in their normal terrarium... makes them think its feeding time any time you reach in...

This is completely false....snakes do not go by where they are fed, they go by scent. If you smell like food, you'll get bit no matter where you feed them. I've never had a snake bite me in a feeding response if I didn't smell like a rodent, and I feed all of my snakes in their enclosures.

Also, if you are having trouble getting your BRB to shed properly, perhaps using the proper substrate would help. Damp cypress mulch is the best if you are going to use a loose substrate. That coconut fiber stuff dries out easily and can get dusty if not kept constantly moist. Damp, shredded cypress mulch is built to hold moisture in. I have even used moist newspaper and papertowels with Rainbow Boas before and never had any problems getting perfect sheds.

 

[TheNothing]

humm... everyone else she's spoken to has sworn by separate feeding area, and Maeve doesn't seem to mind.

She has, until yesterday, been using the shredded aspen as shown in one of the pics... I'll mention the cypress mulch to her tonight, I know where to get it as well... i think she might have gone away from it because of fungal growth, but i don't really remember.... there was something about it. The coconut fibre has always worked excellently for my tropical scorpions, and think thats why she is giving it a go now... Other than the eyecaps, there really hasn't been any shedding issues... seems she sheds about every 2-3 weeks...

Thanks for the info though, i'll definately pass it on...

 

[Beardo]

There is alot of dogma that gets passed around in the herp community as valid information. Snakes bite for 2 reasons.....because they feel threatened or because they think you are food. If you smell like a rodent and stick your hand into their cage, you'll probably get bit, regardless of where you feed the snake.

Aspen is a terrible substrate for high-humidity animals such as Rainbow Boas...it molds easily and can be quite dusty. Cypress mulch is the best loose substrate for animals that need high-humidity....lack of humidity during ecdysis is the reason your snake is retaining eyecaps. I personally don't like loose substrates, so I just used moist newspaper and/or paper towels for my high-humidity animals.

 

[Schlyne]

David is right about the feeding bin "myth". It is much easier for me (and on the snakes themselves) to be fed in their homes. I would have a very unhappy, stressed non eating ball python if I tried to feed him outside of his home at this time. As it is, I end up covering his entire tank with newspaper and shutting the light off to make him feel more secure.

You'll have to moisten the cocanut coir fairly often to keep it from drying out to quickly. You don't want it sopping wet though. It's definately better than trying to use aspen. I haven't tried cypress mulch myself yet.

 

[Lasiodora]

I would like to add that snakes which possess supralabial and infralabial (e.g. Boids) will key in on your body heat. A warm hand moving near them (regardless of the smell) may draw a feeding response. I don't use separate feeding containers either. I do only feed my snakes at night though. This helps remove the chances of a feeding response in the day. It's worked so far. BTW scotch tapes work great for removing retained eyecaps.
Mike

 

[Beardo]

I would like to add that snakes which possess supralabial and infralabial (e.g. Boids) will key in on your body heat. A warm hand moving near them (regardless of the smell) may draw a feeding response.

Actually, that would likely incite a defensive bite in an animal that is not used to being handled in such a fashion, not a feeding response....snakes may be dumb, but they know an animal that is ALOT bigger than they are is not going to be food, but rather a possible threat.

BTW scotch tapes work great for removing retained eyecaps.

This can be very risky and you might end up damaging the snake's eyes. Just get the humidity right and let the eyecaps come off on their own with the next shed. Thats probably why the snake is shedding every 2-3 weeks....I bet those retained caps aren't too comfortable.

 

[Lasiodora]

Scotch tape is not risky at all. I'm not telling him to use masking tape now. Scotch tape does not adhere strongly. All you need to do is put it on gently and peel away. Has worked on many occassions for me and other snake breeders I know. Don't dismiss it because you're not confident enough to do it.

Oh and heat can trigger a feeding response as well as a defensive bite. I have seen many boids including the ones I own do this. As a matter of fact my female chondro caudal lures at night and assumes her striking position for feeding. When I touch the cage she immediately strikes in the direction of her heating element (in the dark). She does this even when she does not see me and only feels my movements. She strikes away from me (with no rodents in the room) and at the heat. Why is that? Well its because she feels movements and is relying on her pits to pinpoint her target. I have also fed her in a pitchblack room using only my camcorders night vision mode for me to see. It is amazing to see how accurate she is in total darkness. Again She is using her pits to guide her. I have also experienced this with other boids and yes they realise you are not food but a snake with a good feeding response will not wait to see if you are its prey. Many snakes bite and release during a feeding response once they realise you are not their prey (large boids are the exception).
Mike

 

[Beardo]

Don't dismiss it because you're not confident enough to do it.

It has nothing to do with condidence....It has to do with being concerned with the animal's well being above anything else. I don't have to resort to tricks because I have my husbandry nailed down so that retained eyecaps and stuck shed do not occur. I have witnessed people using scotch tape to remove eye caps before and it didn't look very safe...most of the time what people think is a 'shortcut' is actually the hard way of doing things.

My idea of a 'feeding response' and yours are a little different....I consider a feeding response to be when a snake bites, then latches on or constricts as it would a prey item.

 

[Lasiodora]

Retained eye caps even occur in seasoned herp keeper's collections. This doesn't make you a bad keeper. I've never had it happen in my collection but I have worked in places that have. The scotch tape is no trick or shortcut. A trick would be getting the snake to pull them out on their own. They're are no short cuts in reptile keeping just different methods. If you know what you are doing then no harm will come to the animal. I've removed caps by hand with no problem. If you are not comfortable taking a hands on approach you can up the humidity and hope the cap comes off. Sometimes it doesn't and another cap is retained on top of the older one. It can happen.

A feeding response is when an animal shows response to prey introduction or other types of stimuli. When the snake takes the animal and coils it up it is called constriction. A bite and release feeding response can be just as bad as a bite and hold feeding response especially when dealing with larger boids.
Mike