How often..

[JuliusSqueezer]

Handling after eating is something that's species specific. Most boas are more sensitive than most pythons. I'v always claimed that you can feed a burm and half an hour later swing it around like a lasso by the tail and won't make it puke. However, you might get strangled for trying Though regurge isn't much of an issue with pythons, a lot of pythons stay feeding aggressive a lot longer than most boas. It also varies by individuals. Even though boas are more likely to puke, if it doesn't stress them and you handle gently, it can be a non issue. Interrupting their digestion/basking after a meal isn't usually in their best interest though. For most snakes regardless of species or individual, if I see a visible lump and they are laying on the heat obviously trying to digest, I leave them be even if it's been several days. If they are moving about with no lump even if it's the next day (colubrids usually) I don't worry so much about handling if I need to do cage maintenance or something. I take a lot of care to not stress them any more than I have to while handling and stay aware of outside the cage temps and the snake's needs at the time and limit any outside time accordingly. In other words, if the snake is digesting and I for some reason need to pull it out of the cage after considering it's current basking /thermo regulation habits, I'll limit the time out and how I handle it to reduce any vomit causing stress. Some snakes will vomit as a method of self defense. EasternHognosed snakes,for example, will if threatened, voluntarily puke up anything in the gut as an offering of an easier meal for the attacker so they can slither on away. Perhaps it also lightens their load to make fleeing easier though they aren't generally known for speed. They will usually do this after first flattening out and huffing and puffing in attempt to look bigger and scarier. If that fails, they puke (Here, Eat This! I'm outta here!). If that fails, they play dead. At any rate, I'd never bother an Eastern any time during digestion unless it was extremely settled into captivity and even then, I'd give it a little extra space and time.

[david]

becides taking them out for cage cleaning i might play with them about 12 times a year each
but thies arnt boas so maby i schould shut up lol

[SSmokin99]

I take my female Guyana out about 3 days after she's ate. I usually don't have a lot of time to handle her, but I guess I would handle her about 1 time every 2 weeks and her attitude has always been great. She's only tried to bite me after she's fed.

[ssjsmits]

Great info so far!

[JuliusSqueezer]

Beyond worrying about regurge, another lesser concern is getting bit. Feeding response strikes disperse fairly quickly with most boas especially compared to pythons. If there isn't a strong lingering food odor, it can go away about as fast as they swallow their meal. As far as aggressive biting for any reason, on average, I have found males to be more likely to bite of any type of boa whether it be prolonged feeding response bites, defensive bites or just "screw you, I don't want mucked with" bites. Females seem much more laid back on average than the males of their respective species or subspecies. Females that just dropped babies are usually good for a strike or two though. I highly suggest removing the female from the babies rather than trying to pluck the babies out one at a time. She may strike or even bite but with a hook and a little precaution, it's a lot easier to deal with that than it is to dodge the countless attacks you will face trying to pluck babies away from her. Males tend to get a bit on the aggressive side during breeding. Don't we all? But just random strikes seemingly from nowhere seems to be more a male thing. I can count on one hand the random nips I've taken from females over the years (excluding young snakes that are overly defensive anyway, tree boas, young rainbow boas, young CA boas and other boas that are typically nippy) Random male bites, I couldn't even guess at a number or even the amount of digits.

[david]

you know brett i notice the same thing with retics the males are much harder to deal with then the females not that mine bite but there much more active and more flighty

[AbsoluteApril]

Originally Posted by JuliusSqueezer

Females seem much more laid back on average than the males of their respective species or subspecies.

I think my females need to read this post! lol The few males I have are so laid back and a couple of my females try to get me almost every time! Silly girls.

I do not handle my boas a lot. I did more when I only had a couple... but overall I haven't noticed any change in attitude from being handled less. I agree with a previous post that it really is about how you approach them and making sure there's no rat smell in the room. They get handled a little when I clean of course but as far as 'play time', I'd say every few months for exercise. Sometimes it's every few weeks. As with feeding, I try to keep it varied.

[JuliusSqueezer]

Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

I think my females need to read this post! lol The few males I have are so laid back and a couple of my females try to get me almost every time! Silly girls.

I do not handle my boas a lot. I did more when I only had a couple... but overall I haven't noticed any change in attitude from being handled less. I agree with a previous post that it really is about how you approach them and making sure there's no rat smell in the room. They get handled a little when I clean of course but as far as 'play time', I'd say every few months for exercise. Sometimes it's every few weeks. As with feeding, I try to keep it varied.

It's because of your overall hotness, April. The girls are jealous. The guys are giddy.

[TammyJ]

I do not handle my boa a lot, maybe once in one week and then once in the next two weeks, even three weeks between handling. When I do handle him/her (don't know what it is) it's perhaps for an hour or more, after I have locked my little dog up. (They do not like each other.) I may take him for a walk in the park but this often draws a bit of a crowd, which I may not need unless I am in a mood to answer questions - sometimes it's fine.

Handling to clean out the cage takes no time, so that does not really count.

Handling to feed...take him out, put him in the feeder bin, give him the rat, let him eat it and chill for a while and clean the cage if necessary, put him back in cleaned cage.

[pythonguy21]

i handle my animals about once or twice a week, for a extended period of time half hour or more. then when i change their water every other day or so i find them in the bedding usually there burrowed, pick them up check them over and put them back.
karma i try to get out at least three times a week for half hour or more and handle her and work with her i want her to stay "docile" as she gets bigger.