Handling a new snake after shipping?

[cchardwick]

Just wondering what your experience is for handling a new snake after you get him in the mail. Is it better to put him in the rack for a week or two before handling a new snake? Or should you handle him a bit right out of the shipment box? Which is better to tame down the snake?

Right now I have a super mean ball python and I've decided to try to put some serious time into taming him down. I've been handling him every day, started with about 20 seconds and that didn't have a lasting impact, so the next time I handled her for several minutes, well just actually put her on my leg and held her rear end after she finished striking at me LOL. Seems to have worked a bit, I think I just need a few more sessions for that guy. Today I fed them all so I didn't handle at all, probably won't tomorrow either, I'll give him a chance to digest a bit...

[PokeyTheNinja]

It highly preferred to wait a week before handling your new snake (besides moving it for cleaning and placement into it's new setup). They are already stressed as it is getting moved around. Give your new snake time to adjust and settle. Some snakes are easier to handle than others. Some snakes will tolerate handling, some will never get used to it.

[cchardwick]

Some snakes are easier to handle than others. Some snakes will tolerate handling, some will never get used to it.

I think the younger the snake the easier it is to tame it down, mainly because I think it's easier for people to take a bite from a small snake than a large snake. When I was a kid we used to catch grass snakes in Wisconsin, the small ones never bit and if they did they didn't even break the skin. The larger ones would draw blood, some actually would surprise me they were so aggressive. But all of them tamed down with handling, mostly the smaller ones got super tame. The bigger ones sill had that wild streak in them even after we tamed them down. I couldn't imagine trying to tame down a mean 12 foot reticulated python! But when they are small it would be much easier.

I also think a lot of it has to do with the breed of snake. Some snakes that tend to be mean seem to always be harder to tame down, like rat snakes, green tree pythons, and blood pythons. However, I have seen people tame down mean breeds of snakes (even green anacondas), I think it just takes working with them when they are younger and more handling, building the trust between man and snake.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Open the box, inspect and sex the animal, put it in it's enclosure wait a week and feed.

Animals are stress from shipping and should be left alone especially a BP.

Handling the first week after receiving them is not gonna solve any behavioral issues often quite the contrary, let them settle and start working with them once adjusted and fed for the first time. For BP it's not even about working with them it's about giving them a stress free environment, feeding them right, having them healthy (that includes mite free etc) and have them put on some size and eventually they will grow out of their defensive behavior. You could only ever handle a BP for maintenance and it being fine with handling.

Other species will require to work with them on a regular basis and be consistent so they tolerate you, they won't be tame, they will get use to be handled. That need to start early on trying to handle a larger retic or a blood that were never work with can be a real issue for the owner same goes for some lizard species.

And size does not matter as far as drawing blood, hatchling BP out of the egg draw blood even honduran milksnakes do, it's more about the force of the impact when they strike depending on their size, obviously in that case an hatchling bite is preferable. As for large species a bite from a retic can have pretty bad consequences depending on the area.

But it is possible to get most reptiles to accept being handled even those that were not properly worked with to start off.

[cchardwick]

I'm actually talking about my first 'dwarf' reticulated python (50% dwarf / 50% mainland). I'm supposed to pick it up from FedEx on Wednesday. It's only 6 months old so should be small enough to tame down a lot. It's a female so it should get 10 - 12 feet long once fully mature, so I really need a nice snake when she gets big. I'm planning on working with it on a daily basis even if that means just holding it for two or three minutes. I do the same with my Woma python and I trust him more and more every day. Good point about not working with it for the first week, I'll give that a try.

[Yodawagon]

I usually just inspect for a minute, then put away. You will have plenty of time after the week passes to handle it.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I'm actually talking about my first 'dwarf' reticulated python (50% dwarf / 50% mainland). I'm supposed to pick it up from FedEx on Wednesday. It's only 6 months old so should be small enough to tame down a lot. It's a female so it should get 10 - 12 feet long once fully mature, so I really need a nice snake when she gets big. I'm planning on working with it on a daily basis even if that means just holding it for two or three minutes. I do the same with my Woma python and I trust him more and more every day. Good point about not working with it for the first week, I'll give that a try.

First thing I would suggest if you do not have one already is a hook, hook training with large animal make it a lot better.

[cchardwick]

First thing I would suggest if you do not have one already is a hook, hook training with large animal make it a lot better.

Thats a great idea. I almost got one for my Woma when he was real mean, but he tamed down fast.