I'm getting my first boa next week, and I want to begin handling it right away, and getting it used to me and a routine. I've got a corn snake, and that's very placid and calm about being handled.

I wanted to move towards a larger snake and the common boa seemed to be the best option for me and my family. Would I be best to always remove it from the viv with a snake hook? I intend to feed with forceps immediately, as I have read that boas are quicker and keener to feed than corns, and I want to set up good habits while the snake is small.

How often should I be handling the snake and for how long each time? I usually handle my corn for 10 to 15 minutes a day, apart from the two days after feeding.

I'm confident with handling snakes, but am aware that the boa will get very large and I want to make sure I get it right from the start.

i had a corn snake and then went to a ball python. my corn snake knows when it's feeding time. as soon as she gets in her box she knows it's feeding time. i'm not sure about handling but I handled mine 2 or 3 times a week or so. i don't use forceps or even have a snake hook. i just use my hands and always will unless I got into hots... which I don't think the fiance would allow. lol... but every snake owner does their own thing. that's just my 2 sense.

Thanks, I've read so much about them I'm wondering whether I should just stop thinking about it, and handle the snake the way I do the corn and take it from there. I just want to make sure it knows feeding time and handling time is different from the outset.

But I guess as it's a relative baby, it will grow up knowing me and we can develop a routine that suits us both.

you should always feed outside of the cage in my opinion. i have never been bit by any snake that is cage tame that has been mine. the only time I have been bit by one of my snakes was an anaconda, amazon tree boa and corn snake. the conda was just a brute and I was trying to tame it down. which was difficult with it being about 4 feet and some really sharp teeth. the amazon tree boa was just mean period. which I believe most are. and the corn snake was when I was getting it out of the feeding box with my hands. so I guess you should use a snake hook or something after feeding but it's generally not a problem.

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and good luck with your red tail boa and post some pics!!!!! and feel free to ask questions.

I never thought of taking it out of the cage to feed. I feed the corn in its tank and leave it for 48 hours before handling again.

If you're taking it out to feed, how long before you put it back in? Obviously the viv will be set up with the right temperature areas, and when it's bigger I won't be able to have two setups. I can move it into a small tank to feed, but how long before you can move it back?

I like the idea, but how practical is it? I've always been told not to move the snake for 2 days after a feed, can you move it soon after and then leave it in the main cage/tank to digest?

Don't meant to sound thick but I was always warned never to move the snake, or handle it for 48 hours after a feed as it might regurgitate.

my first was a ball. hes nearly four years old now and your doing good with handling I doubt it will bite you even if you didnt handle it. you should always take it out to feed. that is what gets you bit. tongs or hooks are definetely not neccesary at all unless you keep venomous snakes. I have been bitten before by my ball and my af. rock. The ball was my fault. My af. rock is just mean sometimes. good luck with the red tail.

i don't think regurgitating is an issue with handling the snake for 5-10 seconds on putting it in. it isn't really handling the snake. when you "handle" a snake to me it means you are holding it, letting it crawl around or just letting it out of it's cage with you. you are just feeding it and putting it back into it's cage. i guess handling can have a double meaning there... but always feed outside of the cage. otherwise the snake might mistake your hand for food when you are trying to get him/her out because that is where it always eats. but you are right about handling the snake.

That makes sense. I guess I perhaps over worried about the handling after a feed thing. I fed my corn two nights ago and it was a bigger mouse than usual, after the feed she was really flying around the tank for ages, and I'm sure moving her from one tank to another during that time wouldn't have caused her to regurgitate. I've never had a regurg yet, and don't want to start but I think I will go for feeding the boa away from the home tank, and let it get used to that. That means it won't think I'm feeding each time I open the tank to handle it.

I'm really thinking about setting things up for when it's an adult.

i think i've read somewhere or somebody said not to make the cage to big when the snake is a baby because of 1)stress 2)get lost and can't find the water bowl with the cage being to big. i would say if the corn snake is fine then let it go. but for the boa... i would suggest a feeding box right away.