How to tame a snake?!?

[Fishes33]

My friend got a 5ft red tail boa, he is very aggressive and doesn't like to be touch.. What kind of things to make him calm down and more touchable???

The tank that he is in 36" x 18" x 18", could that be the problem of his aggression???

 

[dirtyblacksocks]

At that size you're pretty much already stuck with an aggressive animal.

The best way to ensure a hand tame snake is to get one at a small size that already tolerates being handled - and then handle that snake often.

You can try handling this big guy by wearing gloves and holding him for 2 hours a day for the next few weeks, but it's dangerous to do at that size.

Also - don't feed it in the cage you're keeping it in, separate it to a new cage for feeding purposes, that way you don't get an aggressive feeding response when you go to try and hold it.

There are lots of other things that could be the cause - if it's getting ready to shed and it's eyes are blue'd/grey'd over then it can't see and is scared, if it's enclosure is too hot then it's overheating and becoming overactive, if it hasn't been fed properly on a weekly basis it can become cage aggressive, ect.

The tank you've got him in now is too small, it's a good grow out size - but at around the 5 foot mark it's time to start looking into at least a 6'x2'x2' cage for long term care.

 

[pythonloose]

X2

If your feeding live, you should try prekilled or thawed rats.

 

[johnnunez29]

f that.its wayy too late.but you can try what he said.little by little.i had a 9 ft albino burmese and everytime i got near it,it struck at me.never was able to tame it.a bite from a bigger snake really has to hurt.

 

[gigas12]

Hi,yes I agree with all of them.

 

[kenC56]

You can tame him still but it may be hard. First off what are the temps, how often are you feeding, what size prey items, and when did you purchase the snake? Husbandry could also be the reason wht the boa is aggressive.

I do not reccomend feeding a big constrictor outside of its cage. That is an accident waiting to happen. You should look into look training the boa. When ever you go into the cage, when your not feeding, put a used t-shirt or something that smells like you on the hook and tap him on the head. Eventually he will know when you do this you are not feeding him.

Ken

 

[SimonL]

Did he buy that 80 dollar one off the Toronto Kijiji? If so, it said it was mean lol. And at that size, it's probably gonna stay mean...

 

[alcohologist]

i too agree with everything but the in-cage feeding. hook training [conditioning] is the way to go with larger constrictors.

 

[Nabbig2]

At that size you're pretty much already stuck with an aggressive animal.

The best way to ensure a hand tame snake is to get one at a small size that already tolerates being handled - and then handle that snake often.

You can try handling this big guy by wearing gloves and holding him for 2 hours a day for the next few weeks, but it's dangerous to do at that size.

Also - don't feed it in the cage you're keeping it in, separate it to a new cage for feeding purposes, that way you don't get an aggressive feeding response when you go to try and hold it.

There are lots of other things that could be the cause - if it's getting ready to shed and it's eyes are blue'd/grey'd over then it can't see and is scared, if it's enclosure is too hot then it's overheating and becoming overactive, if it hasn't been fed properly on a weekly basis it can become cage aggressive, ect.

The tank you've got him in now is too small, it's a good grow out size - but at around the 5 foot mark it's time to start looking into at least a 6'x2'x2' cage for long term care.

I strongly concur with this statement.

I don't recommend buying large/adult snakes. Buy them when they are young from now on.

 

[davo]

What is he like when he's outside his living area? Is he calmer once he's out or...?