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New atb pick up and interesting feeding technique

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2K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  Boa Buddy 
#1 ·
So yesterday me and the gf went to tyrannosaurus pets in leeds just for some rats and i saw they had a cb11 atb as i was walking out. As we were walking back to the car i told her i was gonna wear her down untill she let me get him ha, as id planned on getting an atb or gtp this year as a nice display snake for the lounge.

Anyway after much joking about it by the time we'd got back to the car she'd basically told me to go get it if itd shut me up... which it didnt lol i was like little kid all the way back to the shop. Gonna take her every food run now cos if i come back with a snake on my own il get the cold shoulder for a few days but this way you can just wear them down on the spot!

So got the little guy/girl home after receiving some of the best customer care ive had from a reptile shop, i really cant fault t.pets. I got the feeling they wouldnt of sold it to me if it was my first snake or untill they found out my snake experience which i thinks really good shop practice as i know their not beginner snakes so to speak.

They also told me about how his mate (the breeder) got them all started, which was to hold a pinky inbetween his face and the snakes head (obviously at a distance) and blow warm breath so it carried the scent and the heat got the snakes attention. Not heard that before but definately something ill remember for any future problem feeders.

This is him whilst his baby RUB was finished getting set up.


I know theyve got fragile tails and this was him just flowing off my hand into his new home.






Love how evil his face is, even tho he was a complete softy. Never struck, never even coiled as i picked him up.... fingers crossed this carries on through his life.... yeah right

I was told to offer food after a few days of settling but personally i always offer my new snakes food as soon as their in, that way i can kinda judge how comfortable/scared they are. He took the smallest pinky i could find although it was kind of pathetic he just sort of bumped into it and swallowed.
This is to show how small he is, the pinky was so tiny but still left a nice bulge in his stomach



Then this morning after having a quick look to see if he was ok and still in there i was panicking after not seeing him about but uncovered him in a tiny hide... Whod of thought a tree boa wouldnt of been in the trees...


Cant wait for him/her to grow and hopefully get a partner for them when i know its sex.
From what ive read and witnessed in the shop and other people they arent as aggressive as their reputation makes out, their just highly defensive especially when on branches.


Big thanks to tyrannosaurus pets and will definateley be going back their in the near future
 
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#6 ·
i wasn't planning on getting one till summer time, but luckily i have a few spare rubs and a couple of spare heatmats/stats. He's in a 24 ltr tall RUB and it absoloubtley dwarfs him so ive tried to make it as busy as possible so theres loads of hiding spots.

Cant wait for him to get to a size where i can put him comfortably in a glass viv on show.

Although i cant really comment much on attitude etc till ive had him longer just for the looks id recommend to anybody, just look at his evil dopey eyes!. Looking after them is similar if not easier than rainbow boas.

I imagine a bite from an adult will hurt tho, they obviously have pretty big fangs for their size but after watching him eat i noticed they seem really far forwards, right on the corner of the lower jaw so i doubt thered be a chance of getting a 'nice' nip of them. If they tag you it looks like itl get you good

I definately would like to breed him/her in the future and love the idea that you dont know what colour the babies will be and as far as im aware they can change from babies to adults which is pretty cool.

Cheers for the comments guys
 
#7 ·
very nice mate, gotta love these guys. and yea expect him/her to be on the ground more than you think especially after feeding. and to be honest mate i would bump the prey size up a bit, he looks about the same size as my guys and they are knockin back rat pups no bother at all, its very decieving how small they are especially their neck right behind the head but it will amaze you what they can actually take...
 
#9 ·
what a little cracker!!! :flrt:
 
#10 ·
i tend to go roughly every ten days with mine mate as they are large meals for the snake, not tryin to steal your show lol but heres a wee pic to show what i feed mine to give you an idea just what they can take down...

i should say hes not eating both, pic purely for size comparasson


and yea man, both mine usually curl up and hide most of the day, this kinda worried me when i got my 1st one but its just their nature, once it gets dark tho they are always up and cruising about their perches.

my other guy is a friendly wee chap, will come straight out onto me when i open his tub but the wee guy in the pic will bite and musk if you even look at him the wrong way but going by what you have said so far it seems you have touched lucky and got a calm one, hope it stays that way for ya...
 
#12 ·
Awesome markings on yours, I'm definitely gonna be on the look out for another hopefully a bright coloured one in future.

I know what you mean about bein hands on I definitely prefer to be able to hold my animals but I have a few geckos that don't like handling and when they look as cool as this guy I couldn't resist. Snake dependent I think they can tolerate very minimal handling, just a different approach is needed, more of a slow scoop and not just grabbing out like all my other snakes. You can't feel their scales when you hold them they feel pretty smooth and fragile
 
#13 ·
yea man i found when handling its best to let them come to you, tho if this wont happen i use one hand to distract it while using the other to pick it up. if you keep their attention fixed on the moving hand they dont really notice being picked up.

if its really coiled round something and you need to move it, tickling the tip of the tail will usually make them release their grip but be prepared to be musked if using that technique.

also i find running your hands under the cold tap for a bit makes you look less like food when going into the tank lol...

once out of the viv mine will happily sit perched on my hand or go for a wee explore just be careful of sudden movements as they are always locked and loaded, ready to pop...
 
#17 ·
Very cute! love atbs :) do they keep their colour or does it change as they grow?

As for the feeding technique .. LOL he's very brave if he's putting food in front of his face to tempt them to strike towards him! (It does'nt help that I've just read a thread about a burm bite to the eye o_O)
 
#18 ·
I was in T.Pets last week and had a hold of that little guy, at the time there were two left.
They were both stunning and would have made the purchase but Ive just recently got another GTP so the girlfriend wasnt having any of it lol!

Looking good though, keep us updated with pics as he grows!!
 
#20 ·
The two of them were pretty similar, one was deep reddy brown and the other was more "terracotta" although with out seeing them together I cant till which of the two yours is!
I had a nice look at both of them and there wasn't a great deal of difference, both were really nice!

I only live a 10 min walk away so I'm always in for livefood / rats etc.

Didnt know about the 15 percent off, thats not bad!
I have spoken to the guy who breeds those ATB's and he is going to breed some more in the future (for the guy above who was looking for a hatchling)so keen an eye on their website!
 
#22 ·
ya learning fast lol...Never stick yer hand near em during night time as they are on hunting mode...during the day isn't a problem..I have a garden phase and yes i have been biten by him/her kinda funny tbh watching something with a head the size of my little finger nail trying to chow down on my whole hand (visions of grandeur i think lol).
I have mine in a little viv and it makes a cracking visual display. how ever i wouldn't try the putting the rodent between your face and the snake face as they are fast little blighters when they get going on a feeding responce.

all the best with the lil fella/fem
 
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