How big does a boid have to be...

[Vegetatoboaotaku]

for a spotter to be required?
And by spotter I mean someone to assist in handling--- control a tail, move a head, and potentially help get the snake off if it decides to constrict you...

Typically I don't have a spotter for my 7 1/2 ft colombian... unsafe?
Opinions wanted... please...
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[Squeezer]

I've always heard anything over 9'. I suppose you would also have to consider the weight of the snake and how big you are.
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[Stormyva]

I would say that it depend on your size, strength, and experience level as well as the individual snake. When in doubt play it safe!
In the blink of an eye something bad can happen.... I dont even pull our big female out when I dont have someone else at home with me.
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"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." - Lao-tzu

[Vegetatoboaotaku]

Just for reference I'm 5'10" and by no means petite... evey bit of 150... he he... no shame here... And I don't feel like i would have a problem with my 7 1/2 footer but then i've never had any large snake actively constrict any part of me... so i donno.. i mean i've had to control her at times-- like the time she latched on to a pair of tongs in feed mode and wouldn't let go... and i really didn't want her to swallow them so i had to pry those away from her... it wasn't to bad... and she was a bit upset but didn't try to attack me... her head was restrained... i donno... [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
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[Ed_r]

Rule of thumb as I heard is 8'. This of course depends on the situation. If your small and frail you may want to bring it down to 6.5-7' Or if you very experienced and it is your snake that you know very well and have had for a long time, you could push it to 9-10 if your physically able.
Biggest thing is knowing your snake, or the snake you'll be handling. If it is new to you , or you are snake sitting a larger snake that doesn't know you. Then you may want help.

Anything over 6' the DNR in IL calls lethal, because in theory a 6' snake could kill a child.
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[hisba]

It depends IMO on the snake and your experience. With a strong and willful retic, I
would say over 6-7' and you may need a helping hand! With BCI, typically, 8' is my
point when I say it has to be 2 people in the room. Right now my biggest is nearing
7.5', I've had her for 5 years tho (since she was 5.5' and 9yrs old) and I know how
docile she is. When I take her out I just make sure someone else who is in the house
knows I am taking out the big girl so that if I need help or if they hear crashing sounds (like
I am losing control or being knocked around lol) they can come help and I've explained
the ways to get a snake to let go if it's latched on. (ie, don't pull on the head, unwrap tail
first, if all else fails, pour some liquor or water over the snake's head to make it release
luckly I've never had to use any of these)
There was a time when my b/f was holding her (she was just getting to be 7') and she
was consticting his head (well, just moving around his sholders and head, but grabbing hard)
and I had to get her off of him, when it's someone else holding one of my snakes I am always
there to lend a hand, or if it's one of mine that is larger (like my male het) that I haven't
owned for very long and am not sure of their personality, I do ask my b'f to be in the room
with me *just in case*.
[addsig]

	Heterozygous Heterozygous - the animal carries the gene for a genetic trait but does not outwardly demonstrate the trait. Example: A boa that is het for albino looks normal but carries the albino gene. When it is bred to another het for albino boa or an albino boa, a percentage of the offspring will be albino.

	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

	In My Opinon IMO = In My Opinion and IMHO = In My Honest Opinion

[SteveP]

Last night was feeding night for my rosy boas. Having set some frozen rodents up to thaw, I carefully washed my hands before handling any of my sankes, as I always do. My yearling San Felipe rosy was roaming around his cage, so I figured I'd get him out and look him over before his dinner time. No sooner had I got him out of his cage he began constricting my fingers and with open mouth began seeing if he could swallow a finger. This little guy WAS HUNGRY!!! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img] I was impressed by how much strength was in this little 20 inch rosy...he really had my fingers bound together. It took me a few moments to try to unwrap him as he kept re-coiling everytime I got his tail or a portion of his body loose. I had a good laugh over it (and gave the little monster TWO rat pinkies), but it was a good little reality check about how powerful these animals are. Of course I could easily over power this little animal if had to but the power of a boid 4 or 5 times his size is considerable. This rosy is always a sweety and loves to be handled, so I would otherwise never have any hesitation about handling him. The point I'm trying to make is even though we have animals that we would otherwise trust and have been raised in captivity they are primative "wild" animals that respond to an assortment of stimuli that we may overlook. I thought I had carefully washed my hands...maybe I missed a spot. Did this little guy smell dinner, or was he just so hungry it didn't matter? Again, a 7 or 8 foot boa in a similar situation may not have been so cute! We just have to avoid complaisancy when dealing with our animals.

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