taming extremely aggresive snakes

[da_illest]

hey, i recently aquired a future breeding pair of suriname red-tail boa's... first, let me say that they are both 3.5-4 feet and are very PINK with almost no speckling WHAT-SO-EVER! compared to others i've seen at least.. their tales are the most beautiful i've ever seen.. Blood red, light, strong, blood red and their heads are awesome too... i will post pics when i figure out how to get them somewhat tame.. now, the female is a motha-sucka! she's MEAN... the weird thing is though, the males even MEANER! :? in most cases the females the more aggresive one.. anyways, i know suri's (BCC's in general) are known to be nasty but the male, i can't even walk into the room without it hissing LOUD! it's incredible how loud it hisses at me and for how long... i have them in appropiate sized tupperware on a heat rack sytem with many different sizes of rubbermaids and another 13 snakes in the rack... ok.. they are both captive bred and born... the guy that had them before me had them in OPTIMAL conditions, they couldn't be better! no mites, parasites, left over sheds, nuthin'! impecable.. i say this because poor living conditions and mites can make a snake pissy... the only problem is that he NEVER handled them and when he did it was to do maintanance and he'd only take them out and put them back just like that, no handling..

wow, i went on a rant there.. :? lol.. i guess i'm so proud of them i wanted to show off a little how perfect they are (to me) and how much they hurt my already hurt wallet ok, so, back on topic, i have other aggresive snakes such as ATB's and i have dealt with emerald tree boa's helping my buddy probe them and such but these suri's seem to not even let me get near them without getting struck at... how do i go about taming them? i know i have to handle them a few times a week and i've been told by the guy how to go about it but it just ain't working for me.. i want all you snake experts out there and even the non experts to give me suggesions, advice, anything you can offer, please do... here's what i was thinking, i was gonna put on leather gloves, and some thick jacket but as most of you know the face and head area produce the most heat and it seems most snakes i've seen/had/handled that struck and where in range of the head area went for the head area..

i still love these guys off and am happy i aquired them!
thanks in advance..

 

[Phillip]

I have no idea where you heard that Surinams are aggressive but they usually aren't bad. As to females being worse or sex having anything to do with it that is completely wrong. A sad truth is that much false info still lurks when it comes to snakes of all kinds and these two tidbits are examples of such.

It is possible that the striking is either hunger induced as they are voracious feeders or simply a lack of being handled. Personally I would feed them all they want and then see how they act when handled. As far as how to handle while lessening the chance of a bite simply be slow and deliberate while supporting but not restraining the snake. Even calm snakes will freak out if grasped roughly or restrained around the head as they view this as a threat. Also try and keep in mind that while not pleasant their bite isn't too bad so long as you don't try and pull them off resulting in broken teeth and a nastier wound. If you get nailed try and relax and let then snake release on it's own. In the end this is usually best for you and the snake. With time and gentle handling they will calm down but it takes putting in the time and effort on your part.

Phil

 

[da_illest]

I have no idea where you heard that Surinams are aggressive but they usually aren't bad. As to females being worse or sex having anything to do with it that is completely wrong. A sad truth is that much false info still lurks when it comes to snakes of all kinds and these two tidbits are examples of such.

It is possible that the striking is either hunger induced as they are voracious feeders or simply a lack of being handled. Personally I would feed them all they want and then see how they act when handled. As far as how to handle while lessening the chance of a bite simply be slow and deliberate while supporting but not restraining the snake. Even calm snakes will freak out if grasped roughly or restrained around the head as they view this as a threat. Also try and keep in mind that while not pleasant their bite isn't too bad so long as you don't try and pull them off resulting in broken teeth and a nastier wound. If you get nailed try and relax and let then snake release on it's own. In the end this is usually best for you and the snake. With time and gentle handling they will calm down but it takes putting in the time and effort on your part.

Phil

i have all the time in the world to give them but i just am not too sure how to go about it as these are my second pair of aggresive red-tails and my first one i sold to my buddy who seems to have no fear of snakes what so ever and just picks it up quick without a problem :? when i saw these i fell in love and had to have them... i knew all the husbandry way before i got them so i didn't jump into unknown territory.. you see, i've never been bitten by snakes yet as i'm cautious and handle most all the time but currently i only have ball pythons(who i don't handle all the time due to stress), ATB's, Corns, and the suri's.. all my other snakes are relatively small with small heads and they don't seem threatning.. my atb is five feet or so but it's head is so small it looks non threatning even though a bite from it may hurt more then the red-tails.. also, it's not the pain i'm worried about, it's more the shock of that STRONG snake attacking me that's probably gonna freak me out and i'm terrified to hurt the snake...

about the thing i said about suri's being aggressive, your right.. i was probably misinformed as i've only dealt with these 2 suri's and on big guyana who where all aggresive and so i believed it... now, about the whole male, female thing.. 90% of people that have snakes that i know have pairs who usually tell me the female is mean and the male is alright... i thought maybe it was PMS or something.. .. i know i can make these turn into little kittens but i don't know how to go about it and i know they sense my fear... i should bolden up and just let it be, if i get tagged i get tagged... i'm willing to dedicate all my spare time to taming as i dream to hold them right now... everytime i walk into the animal room and hear the male hissing, i start drooling wishing i could just pop the enclosure open and take him out.. i love these snakes SO MUCH!!

about the striking, i believe they're defensive strikes as they actually coil up and hiss at me... i haven't fed them yet because i recently aquired them and am letting them get accostumed for about a week..

thanks for replying.. i didn't think anyone would..

 

[Phillip]

They very well could be defensive strikes however I was basing it on the overall behavior of the species as a whole. When they are young they can be a tad nippy but larger ones tend to calm down unless WC. Even so WC will calm with handling. As far as the bite goes it's more upsetting mentally than painful. This isn't to say you won't feel it but most folks after getting nailed seem to go into the mentality of ( that's all there is to it? ) rather than any actual harm from the bite. It can be un nerving when one nails ya in the face but the key is don't be afraid and you will be more deliberate when handling which seems to be less likely to upset the snakes. This isn't to say the occasional bite won't occur but when you deal with enough of them this is inevitable. As far as hurting the snakes goes the thick jacket and gloves are more likely to snag and break teeth when and if a strike occurs. Whether or not you can simply suck it up and accept the potential of such is a question only you can answer.

Phil

 

[Phillip]

Also keep in mind that body language can help you avoid a lot of bites. Many snakes will let you know before they tag ya and learning to read this helps greatly. My Womas for instance if hungry will nail me but there are signs before the bite as is the case with many snake species. Some king can be a tad nippy however simply due to always being hungry and some Asian snakes are simply pissy from the get go. Hope this helps some.

Phil

 

[da_illest]

yea, i've decided against the the whole suiting up like a scientist dealing with a virus thing.. i also know how to read body language on all of my snakes and even on snakes i've never owned.. from it's body language, it seems like defensive strikes.. as a matter of fact, the thing strikes inside it's enclosure when i go open it in an attempt to handle it.. i've figured i'm going to take it slow.. my buddy had a 17 foot retic at home and it bit him twice.. he said it felt like an extremely hard punch and then most of his arm turned purple... i don't mind being struck at by anything in my collection but these... i'm going to attempt to take it out tommorow.. don't be suprised if you see a "i got tagged by my first snake!" thread! reading body language on snakes doesn't take much learning to know when it will strike and if it's defensive or hunger strike... if i have too hard of a time taking it out tomorrow, i'm going to do what you said and feed it a couple rats in a few days to assure me they're really satisfied.. in my experience, even mean snakes, like a couple of my ball pythons, calm down significantly after a nice meal... but i don't have much experience with snakes and don't know near as much as a lot of snake owners do.. i've been trying to read about genetics and how a gene can be dominant, co-dominant, etc.. it seems real interesting and i hope to learn a lot within the next few months.. once they've calmed down i will take a pic of them and post it up...

in your experience, how long should i handle it per session? and how many times a week? without stressing it too much that is... i know how much to handle my ball pythons and can tell how much handling stresses them and all that, and i usually handle them a couple times a week for 20 minutes or so... do you have any BCC's?

 

[Phillip]

Currently I don't keep any BCC but I have kept and dealt with numerous ones throughout the years. As far as how long to handle they don't really stress as in they won't go off feed from it so the amount of time is pretty much up to you. 15 to 20 minutes a few times a week can work wonders as far as getting them used to it. Make sure you give them a big honkin meal though due to the amount of rats a boa that size can put down and give them a couple of days after eating before you pick them up. This should eliminate any potential hunger response and slow them down quite a bit. Overall though time and patience are the key things that it takes. There are exceptions that never calm down but the vast majority will become very gentle. WC are the worst when it comes to being nippy but even WC adults usually calm with time. Not doing the scientist suit is probably best since you don't want teeth hanging up in the heavy cloth. I also feel that the simple act of them becoming accustomed to the smell of their keeper is sped up when folks don't wear the bomb disposal gear when handling.

Phil

 

[Ultimate Instar]

Several years ago, when I had a B.C. imperator go psycho on me after a bad pregnancy, I used a clear plastic face shield, like wood workers use to avoid splinters. She was a fully grown adult with a considerable strike distance and I was concerned about getting hit in the face, especially in the eye.

Karen N.

 

[Iktomi]

I know what you mean, Phil, about the Kings. As I take the top off my Florida King's enclosure, she is out of her hide and raising up to meet me in the blink of an eye. I put my hand in the tank. She reacts to the movement and I let her come to my now very STILL hand. After a few flicks of the tongue, she knows I'm not a rat and I can handle her at will. If I just reach in a try to pick her up, she'll strike before she even bothers to check my scent. Just because she's always that hungry.
My boas are nothing when it comes to aggressive eating compared to my King!

 

[da_illest]

phil, karen, and iktomi, thanks for the support! i'm extremely happy to say i've held them BOTH now! the female only hisses a bit and goes into the defensive pose when you open the enclosure lid but once picked up, she's a little kitty (not bad for a snake that's never been handled)!!! , she is amazing and explores my arms and stuff like nothing! i admit i was a bit nervous due to the fact that the male actually strikes in it's enclosure and hisses soon as i get near it non stop.. he kinda traumatized me... either way, the way i go about grabbing them is, i open the lid, then use the lid to block their heads from they're mid section where i pick them up and voila! the female calms right down once in my arms... now, the male, he kept striking at me! i felt like a kamikaze handling him! he's insane! i just fed the female a big rat today and she ate it as soon as she was put into her feeding enclosure.. the rat was already in the feeding enclosure when i put her in... now, i fed it a freshly killed rat but i'm now sure she'll take frozen, which is what her next meal will be... i'm so happy with her and hope to tame her down to the point where she won't hiss when i go into her enclosure... i only handled the male for 15-20 minutes and the female for half an hour yesterday... it was great! real fun!!

that said, i need some advice on another thing... i noticed while handling the male that he has some sort of blister or bumb on his left side.. it's pretty big and i'm guessing this may be a reason it is so damn mean.. could this be? i was told they are blisters from too much humidity and that after the next shed it'll be gone.. is this also true? i haven't fed the male yet but i have his rat ready... what do you guys think? phil?

thanks again

 

[da_illest]

Several years ago, when I had a B.C. imperator go psycho on me after a bad pregnancy, I used a clear plastic face shield, like wood workers use to avoid splinters. She was a fully grown adult with a considerable strike distance and I was concerned about getting hit in the face, especially in the eye.

Karen N.

that's not a bad idea... i like the sound of that.. can you tell me exactly what it's called? the reason being that i was told that if a snake is THAT aggresive at that size it's damn near impossible to calm it down, in other words, it's too late.... i chose not to believe that but i fear the male will take some serious time to tame if ever possible

 

[Phillip]

If the blister looks similar to a blister from a sunburn or when you get burned by something on human skin it is usually one of three things. Too much heat, not enough heat, or too much moisture can all cause this. If this is the problem and it isn't deep then it will heal up just fine if conditions are kept correctly after a few sheds. Most of the blistered ones I've seen came from heat pads or wet environments.

Phil

 

[da_illest]

yea, thanks phil... the blister wasn't a blister at all... although i did a lot of research and asked a bunch of questions before purchasing it i realized that i'd be best off getting a book... so i got a couple snake books.. one's on ball pythons and the others on boa constrictors... it's called "the boa constrictor manual"... and the ball python one is called, "the ball python manual".. they're rated number one by something it says on the cover... is this a good book? anyone?

oh yea, after close inspection, it's very clear that this "blister" was caused by a rat bite and it's just puss it has inside.. the teeth marks are clear on it... thanks again.. it seems like somebody had fed it a live animal somewhere down the line which i dissaprove of unless feeding pinkies and maybe fuzzies if the snake, ball python for example, won't eat... and usually, i'll give the fuzzy a good smack on the head before feeding...