Handling a new arrival?

[rhino]

I'm looking for thoughts on handling a newly acquired adult ball python. I know some say its fine and some say to wait till after there first feed. What do you guys think?

[C2tcardin]

I'll usually leave them be for a week or so but I've had a few out roaming their tubs the night I get them and have even fed them on the day I got them. My guess is the consensus here will be to leave them be for a week.

[imitha]

I've heard wait 5 days to a week and then feed them if they eat then you can mildly regularly handle them

[Penultimate]

I leave a new arrival alone for a week at least. I offer food after that, and if they take it, I start handling a few days later. If they don't take it, I offer over the course of two more weeks. If the snake still won't eat and is over five hundred grams, I sometimes handle it once a week or so but keep it fairly short (ten minutes or less). If the animal still acts nervous or is under five hundred grams, I don't handle it and leave it alone as much as possible until it starts eating. It just depends on the individual snake.

[Albert Clark]

I would have the enclosure ready to receive the animal with the proper husbandry numbers. Let him settle in for a week with no handling but offer food on a weekly basis. If he takes the food , great. If not, still ok. Just be patient. Make sure to find out from the seller what the reptile was feeding on previously.