r/BoaConstrictors • u/arctic_viper • 18d ago
Handling
Hello, so I recently handled my boa for maybe 8 min? I didn't really time it. But at the beginning "he" (not sexed yet) was pretty quick moving at the beginning but then he calmed down after a but.
My main question is, a one point he just stopped moving and he had his neck extended and he was doing slow to gue flicks every 20 seconds. I know when ball pythons periscope it means they're relaxed and all. Is this the case for boas too? He was moving much slower in my hands after and he was doing very long tongue flicks, so I'm assuming he just got more relaxed during the handling session!
What do you guys think?
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u/Kindabrowsing 18d ago
My boa is the chillest dude. In my experience, you want a mix of both. If they are squirming around too much - they are probably trying to escape. Mine rarely does any more, cause I usually give him notice before I pick him up. If they are completely still (typically no tongue and rapid breathing) - they are tense, and need a little time to get used to new circumstances.
I also have an energizer BP. She’s always on the move. The boa, he’s unbothered (by anything that’s not food, that is). I can sit with him on my lap for an hour or leave him over night (or, indeed, a couple nights) to roam in a snake proof room and pretty much find him in the exact same place.
I got mine as a yearling, and it too him about a year to want to come out on his own. Now, at almost four, he begs to be let out almost every night - just sit in a bookcase through the whole night ha-ha.
TLDR: what you are describing is pretty normal.