@adon87 Do you think those eyes are blue? I think she’s going to shed again. Her face is starting to look like that of an old man, especially those scales on the chin. 66 days have passed, it’s a bit fast, I thought it would happen again much later.
I’m also wondering why your snakes with blue eyes look so smooth and have normal faces, while mine starts to look like a grandpa before shedding.
lol don’t be alarmed! Most of my boas get saggy faces when they are in shed.
@lumpy I’m not :D, I’m just truly fascinated by the whole process and by snakes as creatures. I wonder, are those eyes blue already?
Hmm…they might have been blue already and cleared up before the shed comes off.
I think her eyes are definitely blue today. Unfortunately, it so happened that today I was supposed to give her a rat for the first time (70g). I decided to try, and she didn’t come out of her hiding spot onto the substrate. I decided to offer it near her hide, and after a few long tries, she took it… and dragged it into her hide. It’s a shame, I wanted to see how she looks with it in terms of size. I hope swallowing it inside the hide won’t cause her too much trouble, because until now, she has always done that outside.
You could mist her and it should get tight and shine a little more. Looks like her eyes will turn blue soon or they just cleared up. She is about to pop off that old skin and show off that new paint job.
This girls eyes barley turned grey and skin still tight but faded. Maybe a couple days from shed now eyes are clearing up.
Put some warm water in tub and let her soak it up for 5 to ten minutes while you hold her for security/comfort. You could also use a container with some ventilated wholes and lid as bath.
This girl usually eats 140g/200g rats. I pumped her up with a 250g rat and looks swollen after digesting for 5 days. People probably say that is to big but dont be alarmed they can handle a big load from time to time. Just let her fully pass that rat befor you stuff another down the shoot.
Offering big prey breaks up there jaws and ribs. Youll see thicker jaw muscles form and larger head form over time. You are doing it to often if the head looks way smaller than its body.
Fasinating how the body goes through physical change during feeding/degestion and then changes again when converting the fat to muscle. You could probably go a month befor feeding if she is realy big and your in that fall transition.
I once tried soaking her when she hadn’t pooped for a long time, but it was clear she didn’t want to be in the water. Whenever she had the chance, she tried to climb higher. This time, the shedding process was much faster than the previous one. I wonder if it was because I gave her a rat, and opening her mouth might have caused the skin to start shedding. I plan to feed her every 3 weeks from now on.
However, something strange happened today, and I got bitten. We wanted to do something in the enclosure and put her in her old container for a moment. She had been sleeping behind the root on the substrate since yesterday. I couldn’t locate her head with the hook, so I had to dig around a bit. When I pulled her out, she had grabbed a bit of the substrate with her tail. My boyfriend took her from me to remove the substrate and then handed her back to me. I started walking with her, and that’s when she bit me. I didn’t see it, but I felt it and put her in the container. It didn’t hurt or sting at all, but it worried me because she had always been an angel, even during shedding. Later, she behaved strangely—on my hands, she seemed scared, didn’t want to explore, didn’t move, just stayed still. And in the enclosure, she sniffed around her hide, then stuck her head out and lifted it really high, staying like that for a few minutes. This was very unusual behavior. It worried me a bit because she had been an angel for the last almost five months. I know we probably caused a bit of commotion around her, and she likely got scared, but she had always been so well-behaved until now.
Instincts told her she was prey and bit you so you would let go. Took her a minute to figure out what was actually going on. Thats my guess. Looks like a little tag and not a latch when feeding.
@adon87 I’d like to handle her in a way that she grows up to be a gentle snake, but I’m not sure if I’m making mistakes. Yesterday, it turned out that I had an issue with the bulb cover and had to move her to an old container with a heating mat. When I woke up, I saw that I should lower the temperature by 2 degrees, so I started pressing the buttons on the panel that was next to the box. Then I heard her hit the side of the container with her nose twice in the direction of my hand. I’m starting to worry that she’s turning into a bad girl!
I’m really considering a visit to the vet, even though she’s healthy, just so someone can advise me on how to handle her properly, and what should be a concern and what shouldn’t. 
Dont panic and take 1 step at a time. Sometimess less is more. Your girl is a good snake who is just being a snake. Feeding response or percieved threats are big reasons why snakes strike. Seasonal transitions cause shifts in snakes moods/needs. Maturity (age/gender) of snake also plays a role.
Understanding the locality/morph, region, and physiological needs of your snake will greatly increase your skills.
@adon87 Yes, I know she’s a snake… I just don’t have anyone to tell me, “You’re doing this right” or “You’re doing this wrong…” I know that on this forum it probably seems like I’m always worried or panicked, but that’s because I don’t have anyone to talk to. Someone who could share their experiences with me. Now I’m wondering why my Zarina decided to poop on the rock shelf instead of in the substrate. Ehh…
Thanks for sharing and i am just sharing my experiences with you. I appreciate what has helped me along in my reptile journey. This book for one is realy interesting, with nice pictures, and useful information from one of the greats.
We can be our own worst critics. I think your thinking to much into it and doing fine.
@adon87 This book is unavailable in my country; I would have to order it from Amazon and read it in a language that isn’t my own… Does it also include guidance on handling a snake in a home environment? I looked at the literature available in my language, and it’s awful that there isn’t a single book on the subject.
Yes, thank you for sharing with me… Your photos of the rats in your hand helped me choose the right size, and now she no longer eats mice. 
I truly appreciate every response I receive, but questions just keep multiplying in my mind (main topic is the poop right now)
My boa will sometimes strike at the sides of her enclosure, because she gets excited when she sees the movement of my hands through the plastic. It’s not a “mean” or defensive thing, it’s just a food response thing. She sees movement and assumes it’s a tasty treat. While I firmly believe that snakes are much more aware and intelligent than most people give them credit for…even I have to admit that they be get pretty dumb about food. 
She’s not a bad girl and you’re not a bad keeper, she’s just being a boa.
I totally understand that you want to be sure you’re doing right by your snake, and I also totally understand not really having anyone to talk to or give you advice (besides on the internet). But you’re doing fine! You’ve clearly done your research, you’re being very vigilant in monitoring her and her environment, and I have no doubt you’re being gentle and respectful towards your snake when you work with her. You’re doing all the right things, and confidence will come with time and practice. Sometimes snakes do weird things, like tagging you for no reason you can discern, or striking the side of the enclosure because they think your fingers look like a tasty rodent. But stuff like that happens to everyone who keeps snakes, regardless of experience level. It’s not a sign that you’re doing things wrong. It’s just that snakes are gonna be snakes, and sometimes that means they do things that seem pretty weird to us.
Snakes tend to just poop wherever they happen to be when they need to poop. They’re not like, say, a cat, where they tend to have a special “potty spot” they’ll retreat to to do their business. They’re more like a horse, in that they just poop whenever they have to poop, wherever they happen to be and whatever they happen to be doing. So she was probably up on her shelf when the urge hit and she just…let loose.
That’s why one of my “sweet babies” pooped on me a while ago!
If boas poop like horses, that reassures me! I instinctively compared her in my mind to our bearded dragon, which always goes down to do his business, even though he spends most of his time in the higher parts of the enclosure. Does that mean a boa would be able to poop in its hide if it was there when the need arose?
I thought maybe she hoped my hand was something to eat, but she’s never done that before. In general, when she’s feeding, she doesn’t strike from a distance. She gets as close as possible, practically touching the rat, and only then, after a long moment, does she decide to strike. Do yours do that too?
Could you tell me how you spend time with your snake when you take it out and how long that usually lasts?
Snakes can and will poop anywhere anytime. I was helping one of my ball pythons with a shed a few days ago in the bathroom and it obliged me with pooping in my bathroom sink. Of course I disinfected the sink afterwards.
It is my understanding that in general snakes do not like to be held. However some tolerate handling better than others such as corn snakes and imho boas. I did have several boas at one time and one of the males was an absolute puppy dog. I probably could have carried him around all day long if I wanted to. He was just a sweetheart! Unfortunately due to some health issues I had to re home them.
Now I have a ton of ball pythons, corn snakes and a hognose. I handle all of my snakes at least once a week on cleaning day. Otherwise I let them have their privacy during the week. They all eat very well for me.
As long as your girl is eating for you, how much you handle her is up to you. The whole idea is not to stress them because they are just not social animals.
Edit to add: @z-a-r-i-n-a Forgot to mention my short tails! All they want to do is lay around and eat. Actually they make for some fairly low maintenance snakes to keep because they only poop and pee a few times a year! 
She poops in her usual spot. Some love the water bowl because it helps digesting as well as passing. Others dig and find humidity pockets. They are interesting to watch and observe as well as hold. I am trying to proove out this ghost motley het kahl. Hopefully have some nice combinations to photo bomb one of these days.
This male has tagged me a few times but loves beeing held. He is quick whith his movements so can be nerve racking at times. Especially when I remove him from his ladies enclosure.
