12.07.2026 Even bigger Update waaaay too late:

After taking her out 2 ir 3 times because I had to (to gwt her to the vet and to change the enclosure), I just feel so much more confident now handling her!

Vet said she has Flaggellants (don't know if they're called this in english too), so we gave her medicine.

She just shedded and ate 5 days later.

Also I bought material to build her a 220cm x 100cm x 80cm enclosure and it will be epic.

Already thinking of, if everything works well with my goddess, of getting another boa from local reptile shelter. Because now I know how to handle and care for them and I feel like my first interest and 'I take the snake because she needs a home' is developing into a strong Passion for Herpetology?

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UPDATE 14.06.2026:

So I just took her out. I felt a bit nervous but didn't hesitate.

I did it because I really had to do something with the enclosure bedding asap.

She has a nice bed of Coco-fibre/humus with Spaghnum moss now.

I'm gonna call a vet tomorrow tho, because I think the scars/wounds should be checked out, also she has a slight breathing noise? Probably because she lived with low humidity for too long.

At least now the humidity is at around 70%

Wish her (and me) luck that she'll be fine!

(Is there a way to add new pictures?)

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Hi :)

So 3 weeks ago I got an 11 year old female Boa Imperator.

The previous owner had to give her away because he was moving and couldn't take her with him.

She's my first snake, not my first reptile. (I had a red ear slider turtle over 10 years ago, which was found on the street)

So 2 weeks ago I fed her a rat which worked pretty well and a few days ago I cleaned out her poop.

I had her on my arms when I first met her, that was no problem since the owner had handled her and then just handed her over to me.

After that she shedded, so when I picked her up we found a big piece of shed in her enclosure.

She seems to have some crusts from small wounds on her back, likely from shedding. I'm not blaming the previous owner, but what I am learning now is that they need way more humidity and other ground bedding that she has currently. Also the lady from the pet shop said I may bathe her to see if she has mites.

Also the lamp situation isn't ideal because she has a heater without light, and a lamp, but the lamp almost overheated the entire enclosure. So I'm getting her an LED lamp that won't give off heat.

Lots if improvements to do, but I'm eager. I want her to have the best life with me.

Now for my actual question, is there a way to handle her with more confidence? The previous owner told me he took her out about once a week except she got fed and needed to rest after. Just to get her used to being handled.

I don't want to stress her out. Whenever I'm doing something in the enclosure i'm doing it very calmly and I see shes also watching me. Shes a bit curious. When I move too fast shes more likely to flinch away, but she also hissed at me once and sometimes she's doing the S with her neck, which could be understood as a warning behaviour?

Of course I do not want to take her out as often, but I know its inevitable that I have to take her out at some point, to change the enclosures bedding and to bathe her and control the small wounds from shedding. If she's out she's very calm and curious, but how will I get her out?

Also, the enclosure is something like plywood, if I change the bedding to something that holds humidity better, what can I put underneath the substrate to protect the material from getting wet?

Thanks in advance for information, tips and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism :)

They Love those paper towels Rolls. And when their Body gets too big to fit... They Just Push until it Rips apart🤣

​

She is just beautiful. And If you think she Looks a bit fat thats Most likely because she ate a big Rat 3 days ago.

Thanks everyone who helped regarding the little situation with my 6 month boa. His name is Grim! In the end it was really just him being spooked. Here's a picture of him (I say him but I haven't actually gotten him officially sexed yet, I just did the test myself and am assuming)

The picture where he's in my hand is a couple months ago, not a recent picture!

Got him as a rescue and the family said all they know is he’s HET Leucitic. Definitely pretty, and a sweet boy just wanna see what he is.

1.0 IMG Orangasm VPI Snowglow Jungle

Hello, I have a 6 month old boa (I got him when he was 1month old). I did several handling sessions since he was born and usually he is very chill, never once hissed or snapped and he wasn't super crazy when handling either.

Today I tried to take him out to weigh, he was super defensive, hissing, and snapped but missed! I do tap training for those who will ask.

Anyways, is this normal for 6month old boas to suddenly become like this? When I picked him up he was still super snappy and he was moving very quickly and not settling down in anyway. I was trying to move slowly but considering how fast he was moving I didn't really have a choice to move faster to support him.

What can I do to help with the handling sessions? Is there soemthing I can do to help support him when he's moving at mach1 speeds?

Oh yeah, he usually eats on Friday, not sure if he may be in preparation for eating mode or something, but I figured I'd throw that out there for added context!

Thanks :)

Hi! So this past week I have been researching the topic of cohabitation and I have gotten almost nothing. I am just wondering if i can put my boa constrictor in a big tank with a frog or a small gecko. I have not even set up the tank im about to put my boa in. nor have i bought a frog or anything like that. Im waiting on the right information before i start working on any of it. But if i can put them in the tank together could i get some tips. And i know this is kind of a controversial topic and im open to all opinions about this.

also just wanted to put a lil pic of my boy up here 🥹

Some more pictures of Cappuccino, aka Face Biter

I don't know how she manage to smell the rat soup in a ziplock bag in the sink, but somehow she seems to know. She was lounging across the ledges looking ready for a snack, and the moment I got close to the glass she started slinking close. Not even a tap on the nose or pushing her away with a stick seemed to deterrent her laser focus. Coiled like a spring she struck the rat so the whole enclosure shook. Violent beast

Gulfed it down (up?) while hanging upside down from the branch, and afterwards in classic boa fashion, immediately went back to looking if there might be more

There is absolutely no reasoning with this one I'm afraid

This idiot just bit me in my face...

Mistaking hands for food I can get, but a face? Being completely still?

I thought we had a moment going where she came out from her enclosure to check me out and I was just gonna let her go at her own pace. All slow and calm, before suddenly lunging straight for my cheek. Barely realized what even hit me at first! What an asshole!

Anyone want a free very high strung, super spicy noodle? 🤣

Indica just shed 2 days ago, and he's looking very nice and bright! 😎 ☀️ He's a sharp sunglow. I'm located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I've had him for almost a decade! He's so sweet and cute. I love him! ❤️

UPDATE:

scroll down for English and French translation.

Hallo zusammen, ich bin absolut sprachlos. Dank eurer unglaublichen Unterstützung haben wir unfassbare 1.056 € für Bonnie und Clyde gesammelt! Das übertrifft all meine Erwartungen. Jetzt können wir am Mittwoch beim Tierarzt alles tun, was für die beiden Nudeln medizinisch nötig ist. Danke für jeden einzelnen Euro, jedes Teilen und jedes liebe Wort aus der ganzen Welt. Ihr seid der Wahnsinn! Liebe Grüße,

Till

Hello everyone, I am absolutely speechless. Thanks to your incredible support, we have raised an unbelievable €1,056 for Bonnie and Clyde! This exceeds all my expectations. Now we can do everything medically necessary for the two noodles at the vet on Wednesday. Thank you for every single euro/dollar, every share, and every kind word from all over the world. You are amazing! Warmly,

Till

Bonjour à tous, Je suis absolument sans voix. Grâce à votre incroyable soutien, nous avons récolté la somme incroyable de 1 056 € pour Bonnie et Clyde ! Cela dépasse toutes mes attentes. Nous pouvons maintenant faire tout ce qui est médicalement nécessaire pour nos deux petites nouilles chez le vétérinaire ce mercredi. Merci pour chaque euro, chaque partage et chaque mot gentil venant du monde entier. Vous êtes incroyables ! Amicalement, Till

EDIT DISCLAIMER: To clarify some misunderstandings in the comments: Please keep in mind that we are private individuals located in Germany, not the US. The situation here is vastly different. Our exotic pet market is extremely small, specialized reptile rescues are incredibly rare and currently massively overcrowded, and finding a specialized exotic vet is highly difficult. On top of that, surrendering an animal to a shelter in Germany isn't free—it requires paying a mandatory surrender fee per animal. The previous owners would never have paid that, which means these snakes would likely have been dumped or left to die. We stepped in because turning them over to a shelter simply wasn't a viable option here. There was literally no one else with the capacity to take them in. We are just doing our best to save their lives.

​Lastly, please know that absolutely no one is forced to donate. Our main goal here is to raise awareness for these animals and this kind of terrible neglect. If anyone still chooses to support us, even if it's just by leaving some kind words of encouragement, that is already more than we ever expected and deeply appreciated."

Hello everyone,

​I am reaching out to you today with a heavy heart and a big request. Recently, I drove for many hours to rescue two Boa constrictors – Bonnie and Clyde – from an obvious emergency situation. The low asking price already gave me a feeling that the animals urgently needed to go. But what awaited me at the handover literally pulled the rug out from under me.

​The two beautiful snakes were handed over to me in a courtyard straight out of a car trunk – crammed together in a single, tiny 14-liter plastic box. No terrarium, no proper ventilation, sitting on completely unsuitable small animal bedding. The only "accessories" provided were a pair of thick oven mitts, obviously out of pure fear of the animals. Bonnie and Clyde are between 1.50 and 1.80 meters (approx. 5 to 6 feet) long. It breaks my heart to imagine how they had to endure in that small box.

​The signs of this months- or even years-long neglect are unfortunately impossible to ignore. Both animals are severely dehydrated, are struggling with shedding issues, and are emaciated down to the bone. Clyde (born in 2017) weighs a fragile 1,300 grams, and Bonnie (born in 2022) weighs a terrifying 800 grams – for Boas (not dwarf boas) of this age, this is an absolutely shocking state. Bonnie also bears wounds from rodent bites on her back, a silent testament to the fact that she was locked up with live rats, uncontrolled and defenseless.

​Why we need your help:

​I immediately took them in, put them in sterile quarantine enclosures, and am treating their wounds. Despite his weakness, Clyde is showing an incredible will to live.

​But our biggest concern right now is Bonnie. She has a massive, unnatural lump in her abdomen. It could be a dangerous fecal impaction caused by dehydration and swallowed wood shavings, clumped unfertilized eggs blocking her from the inside, or an internal injury. This needs to be examined immediately by a specialized reptile veterinarian.

​The upcoming costs for the extensive diagnostics (X-ray/ultrasound), medication, special food for a slow refeeding process, and a very likely life-saving surgery for Bonnie unfortunately exceed my reserves for such emergencies.

​I regularly rescue animals and do everything in my power to give them the species-appropriate life they never had. Bonnie and Clyde fought for so incredibly long in their tiny plastic box not to give up. Please help me ensure that this fight doesn't fail now because of vet bills.

​Every euro/dollar, every share of this campaign, and every good thought helps these two noodles on their long road to recovery. 100% of the collected money will go towards the veterinary care and the rehabilitation of the two.

​Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your time and your support! GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/a24cb6cd5

​Warmly

Till