Handling a new BP

[DaisyB]

So my fiance got me a new baby BP

Its a female & about the same size as the abandoned male I took in [maybe a bit smaller]...not a tiny hatchling baby...but still pretty young.
Shes apparently a 'leopard morph' but to be honest I think she is a normal...I've not even heard of a leopard morph lol

She loves her hide, but as soon as I turn off her day light & put on the night light she sticks her head out & with tongue going shes out exploring.

I plan to feed her tomorrow & get into a routine...I'm going to feed her mice, but am still a bit torn as to whether to go with live or frozen & I plan to feed in her enclosure seeing as she seems really comfortable in her hide.

What is the best way to feed? Just drop the prey in the tank or use tongs?

Also...handling [i've been dying to hold her...but been patient to let her settle etc.] I've noticed when I open the tank to mist/make sure the water is clean she tenses up into a tighter ball. How do I get her out? Do I reach into her cave or lift up the cave? & just scoop her up?

I know total noob questions! Like I mentioned before I only have experience with corn snakes & they behave totally different! The babies are just like picking up earth worms lmao...whereas BP babies seem so tense & shy!

[Crazymonkee]

There is a leopard morph
It's normal for them to come out and explore at night... they are nocturnal.
How to feed depends on what you feed. If feeding live, just put the prey in the enclosure, do not dangle it in front of her. I put mine in in the opposite end of the enclosure, the prey will investigate the new surrounding and in a couple seconds are coiled. If feeding f/t, you will want to use tongs. Some snakes will eat if it's just laid in there, some need to be danced for, some won't eat it unless you leave it in overnight.
I always kinda stroke mine on the side to let them know I'm about to pick them up. And yes I pick up their hides.

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[ViperSRT3g]

I have similar methods to Crazymonkee.

When Feeding
If I am feeding my snake, I don't touch them prior to warming up the food. Once food is warming up, (I feed F/T) the snake gets no contact unless absolutely necessary. This allows them to concentrate on the food that they can begin to smell pretty quickly. After that I feed with a pair of tongs and dangle it in front of his face so he can strike it.

When Handling
If I want to handle my snake, I tap on the top of his hide a few times to let him know that his hide is about to come off slowly. After lifting the hide off of him slow and steady, I give him a few rubs on his side to let him know it's me and that he's about to be picked up. From there he's all excited and will begin to explore the place. (I need some sort of snake pen for him lol)

These actions (or lack thereof) establishes behavior conditioning, allowing a sort of pre-command to let them know what is happening before any action takes place. This reduces their confusion, and results in a more behaved, and less confused snake. This means there will be far less cage aggression as they will know when it's feeding time and when it's petting time.

[DaisyB]

Thank you! Totally answered my questions!

What makes a BP a leopard morph...she looks like any other cute baby BP to me (but of course I love her!) shes a lot lighter than the male & her markings are different, but I know every BP has different markings.

I shall have to get some pics...hopefully tomorrow when she eats I can get some. Like I said, she has come out to explore but my night light is red so can't get a good photo.

[NYHC4LIFE8899]

As son as my day light goes off,my ghost is out with in a couple mins and explores for hours at times!then goes back in his hide. He is not hungry,cause he meals are very well sized and depending the situation,he is fed every 3-6 days..I don't have a cycle,I feed according to when he poops at times,if not every 4-5 days is avg

i never handle prey with my hands,always tongs..I don't want the rodents scent on me,I don't wanna get struck. ,that's my opinion

[Dandelioness]

I'm not sure what makes a Leopard, to be honest. If you can get a picture of her in good light once she settles in then I bet someone here would be happy to tell you. (:

About handling - with the style of hides that I have, I have to lift mine off of the snake and then pick them up. If you have a hide that is completely enclosed with a bottom then you might need to take the whole hide out, remove snake, then put it back. As she gets more comfortable with you she may not ball up as much anymore, or she may always ball up, it just depends on her personality. Personally I think it's cute when they ball, but it's also nice to know that they aren't as nervous.

About feeding - I feed F/T. After heating up the prey item (especially the head), I hold them by the scruff of the neck with tongs and wiggle it around a little in front of the hide with the snake until they come out and strike. For the first couple of feedings I had to remove the hide, but now they come out on their own when they see/smell the rat. If they don't take the food, it sometimes works to leave it in the tank overnight (dead prey only), but be sure to remove it in the morning if it hasn't been eaten.

but yeah, never handle prey with your hands and then stick your hands in the enclosure - that's the best way to get mistaken for a snack. ;D

[Herpenthusiast3]

Weren't you trying to find someone to adopt the abandoned BP due to pregnancy? Congrats on the new BP.

[DaisyB]

I put some pics of her in the 'is this a morph?' section. I got her out to hold today & shes wonderful then I just now fed her & she ate perfect!

& yes when I got the abandoned guy home, I was worried with me being pregnant...especially because he needed a lot of TLC but I became quickly attached to him...I was heartbroken when I found him passed away.

This lil BP is a welcome addition & our baby is a boy...I think its going to be great for him to have a reptile in the house...but I definitely won't be starting a 'collection' of reptiles anytime soon lol...one is good for now