The Infamous S-Position

[jbzapanda]

Hey guys!

I'm a first time bp owner and I'm still learning my snake's behavior and all of his quirks. I've never seen him ball up except for a picture the breeder took of him before shipping him to me.


But ever since he arrived, I've never witnessed him ball up or anything even when he sleeps. He has been scared a few times, and he never balled up either. Instead, he would strike (which he hasn't done since the first day but that was probably only due to stress of moving him around from one home to the next). He usually stays in an S position when he sleeps. Sometimes when I look into his hide, I get worried that he's ready to strike. But of course, he's asleep lol.


He just fed for me the other day, and I'm planning on handling him tonight (it'll be 48 hours past since feeding). I've watched possibly every video out there on how to pick up your snake from the enclosure, but all of their snakes were usually balled up. I am still a bit hesitant on picking him up but I'm very determined to work with him and raise his tolerance of being handled. For some reason, I think he might whip around and strike at me. I keep reminding myself that he isn't a cobra despite what he thinks! Haha.


Anyway, any tips on handling will be really helpful! He has a 20 gal enclosure with a screen top that opens at the top. I'm sure he's going to be just as afraid of me as I am of handling him (officially) for the first time.

[Hannahshissyfix]

If he looks like he wants to strike, just pick him up from behind. You can even distract him with one hand and then slide the other under from the back. They pretty much always snap out of it as soon as you pick them up. It's just normal baby behavior and they grow out of it even without handling. You just have to remember to them the whole world wants to eat them. I always take not constantly balling up as a good sign they won't be excessively shy.

[Dezoruba]

Nah, just come at him low and from behind and you'll be fine. Gently stroke his back a few times before lifting him, its rude to just reach in and grab. One of my lil guys likes to strike at the air while im picking him up (not to handle. Just to clean.) But he's never tried to turn around and bite me. They're striking to try and scare you away, not to actually bite you.

However, I believe in letting your little guy calm down before trying to handle. If he's still striking when you go into his enclosure, I don't think he's ready to be handled yet. I'd give him a few more weeks to settle in.

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[jbzapanda]

Thanks for your advice! I'll see how he reacts when I reach into his terrarium. On the first day that he was placed in there, he struck through the glass when he saw me walk in front of it. But now I can wave my hand in front of him through the glass and he doesn't seem bothered by it. He just ignores it and continues exploring. The S shape is just so daunting at first!

[Yzmasmom]

We usually wait until Yzma is out and cruising around before we pick her up. We just gently pick her up around the middle and lift her out. (I don't like taking her out of her hide - I wouldn't like it if someone grabbed me when I was sleeping.)