I need help with my BP :(

[neocatlove(disabled)]

Okay this post is going to be many things
My snake bit me a while back due to stress (I was cleaning out her tank and she wasn't being fed the right size mice that has been fixed now plus I started feeding her out of her tank so she stops looking at me like food). And I haven't been able to hold her since because i'm too scared and its been MONTHS. She just shed and is now eating her shed was a little messed up . But that brings me to bedding I HATE this bedding I have right now its cypress (which I normally love) but its a weird brand and the chunks are too big. I would prefer a cheaper alternative so I can buy more of it at once. I have been looking into coconut husk in the chunks. I would do the sand (coconut sand) but I am worried it will get too much into her water.

I have also been looking for a new hide because I HATE hers. My mom got it for me and its got a huge opening right in the front plus she used to be able to get inside of it. I have fixed both of those problems but she sometimes will hold onto it for dear life when I am trying to move her. (I have been using a snake hook to do so). And I would like y'all recommendations for a hide. She isn't a baby and isn't an adult she is around maybe 3ft long. I saw a hide once that I LOVED but can't find it again. It was like a weird shell sort of thing in two pieces. I want to get one with two pieces because I can use a different bedding inside of it then the rest of the tank (I know it sounds weird but its to keep humidity in there longer for her without causing scale rot). But so many hides I see have too small of a hole so she can't get in or a huge hole in a strange spot that will stress her out.

TLDR I need help knowing if I can hold my snake, need a new hide, and new bedding.

[C.Marie]

Basic hides would be more than sufficient, Reptile Basics has some that would meet all your requirements, bedding coconut husk are a good choice but you can also use paper towel or newspaper, you say tank what is your set up like? What are your temps more information would be helpful. As for handling I think getting in short sweet encounters that end on a positive note would be a good place to start if you feel your animal tensing up or striking it has been to long , wish I could offer more advice, hopefully someone with more experience will chime in. Best wishes always..

[Aerries]

Well don’t move to feed....is first....second we need to know temps, both warm side and cool side, how are u heating, what are you using to control the heating source, and what size enclosure are you keeping your Bp in along with size (in weight in grams) is it?


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[Slicercrush]

First off, I would highly recommend going back to feeding her in your enclosure. She isn't seeing your hand as food, they can smell and sense the heat quite well. Even if your hand does smell like a mouse and they strike, they wouldnt be wanting to continue to eat it after. Moving the snake to a different enclosure just causes more stress, can make feeding harder, and can actually cause her to strike MORE, if out of defense.

Secondly, with your handling problem. Handling snakes takes trust between both you and your animal. If one doesn't trust the other, then it isnt going to work. You've already been through the worst, you got tagged, but when you think about it, thats the worst it can get. Honestly, I believe that if you're actually afraid to go near your animal, you shouldn't be keeping it in the first place. I don't mean this in any harsh terms, but truly, I do believe that in this you will need to work with the snake slowly to help both you and her get used to the situation. Who knows, you may get tagged a few times, but it'll be worth it in the end for easy handling for the next 20+ Years.

As for her shed, could you explain "a little messed up"? Whats her humidity? The bad shed could also be caused by what seems like the large amount of stress that you may have been putting on her. Is she dehydrated?

The way she reacts to that snake hook worries me. Did you hooktrain her? If she's holding on for dear life, she obviously thinks that its a threat, and its no wonder why shes so unwilling to move. "Used to fit inside it" also worries me, is she just not able to even go inside said hide anymore? If you want to look for new ones, reptile basics has plenty of different choices here.

Lastly...mice? At 3 feet long? How many of what size are you feeding her? Could we get a weight of both the snake and the mice provided? I usually recommend people go for rats, its much easier to feed a single, large meal then many small ones, and i've heard they are much better for the snakes as well.

I hope I didn't come off as too harsh in this post, but I feel that you left a lot of questions unanswered, as well as have been practicing a decent amount of things that many others do not agree with. Hopefully, some others can help shed some light on this as well, and if you can help by answering those above questions, i'd be more than willing to help you out more as well!

Small Edit: Agree with aerries, the size of her enclosure and such would be helpful as well.

[Bogertophis]

It sounds to me as if that bite she gave you (when you were cleaning out her cage & she was hungry?) was just a case of "mistaken identity". Remember
that snakes don't really identify you very well by vision, so if your hand was further away (so she couldn't get your scent) yet you were "warm & wiggling"
like prey, that's most likely why she nailed you. I can understand that you don't want to repeat it, but it wasn't her fault (ahem!) and it's easily preventable-
whatever you do, don't take it personally.

And it's better NOT to take a snake out of their normal cage to feed them...you are MORE likely to get bit by them that way, because they stay in "feed mode"
for quite some time after feeding, so you'll get nailed when you try to put them back. And if you wait too long to put them back, they can get too cold & hurl
their meal, or the move itself (with some handling) may stress some snakes into refusing food. With larger snakes (like boas) it can actually be dangerous to
try to move snakes into a side cage for feeding, but BPs don't get all that big, plus they are typically more docile, especially where food is involved.

If you are worried about too much moisture in the substrate causing scale problems & prefer to set up a humid hide, you might look into some of the larger
food containers in places like Walmart: a large round cake caddy or a large rectagular food storage container can make a nice humid hide, all you have to do
is carefully cut a doorway into it with an Exacto-knife. My spotted python loves her moist orchid bark or sphagnum moss in her humid hide.

Back to getting along with your BP (without bites)- it's totally normal for a snake to hide & resist being picked up. They are shy & we are giants: the only thing
that normally picks them up in the wild is a predator that's trying to eat them, so we must be patient and communicate to them that we are safe to hang out
with. It takes time to overcome a snake's natural instincts, but in general the way we touch them (gently, & NOT like a predator, ie. never grab their head or
tail) will let them know we aren't predators; also, once we handle them a little, they learn & recognize our scent, so remember to use these cues & try not to
startle them...you'll get better results. Very few snakes are actually "aggressive"...they are merely defending themselves...& it's up to us to help them feel safe.

[neocatlove(disabled)]

Basic hides would be more than sufficient, Reptile Basics has some that would meet all your requirements, bedding coconut husk are a good choice but you can also use paper towel or newspaper, you say tank what is your set up like? What are your temps more information would be helpful. As for handling I think getting in short sweet encounters that end on a positive note would be a good place to start if you feel your animal tensing up or striking it has been to long , wish I could offer more advice, hopefully someone with more experience will chime in. Best wishes always..

I haven't looked into reptile basics in a while so thanks! Also I don't like the idea of using paper towels or newspaper because I feel like I would never be able to get enough to give her a comfortable amount of bedding. My set up is a glass tank (I know coffin but it works great) with tin foil on top and a heating lamp with no light. And yeah when I first got her she was so small! And I would hold her for like 5 mins see that she is pretty much done with being held and put her back we got so close and she was trusting me so much! I could hold her for hours while I watched a podcast or something and she never got stressed out.

[neocatlove(disabled)]

First off, I would highly recommend going back to feeding her in your enclosure. She isn't seeing your hand as food, they can smell and sense the heat quite well. Even if your hand does smell like a mouse and they strike, they wouldnt be wanting to continue to eat it after. Moving the snake to a different enclosure just causes more stress, can make feeding harder, and can actually cause her to strike MORE, if out of defense.

Secondly, with your handling problem. Handling snakes takes trust between both you and your animal. If one doesn't trust the other, then it isnt going to work. You've already been through the worst, you got tagged, but when you think about it, thats the worst it can get. Honestly, I believe that if you're actually afraid to go near your animal, you shouldn't be keeping it in the first place. I don't mean this in any harsh terms, but truly, I do believe that in this you will need to work with the snake slowly to help both you and her get used to the situation. Who knows, you may get tagged a few times, but it'll be worth it in the end for easy handling for the next 20+ Years.

As for her shed, could you explain "a little messed up"? Whats her humidity? The bad shed could also be caused by what seems like the large amount of stress that you may have been putting on her. Is she dehydrated?

The way she reacts to that snake hook worries me. Did you hooktrain her? If she's holding on for dear life, she obviously thinks that its a threat, and its no wonder why shes so unwilling to move. "Used to fit inside it" also worries me, is she just not able to even go inside said hide anymore? If you want to look for new ones, reptile basics has plenty of different choices here.

Lastly...mice? At 3 feet long? How many of what size are you feeding her? Could we get a weight of both the snake and the mice provided? I usually recommend people go for rats, its much easier to feed a single, large meal then many small ones, and i've heard they are much better for the snakes as well.

I hope I didn't come off as too harsh in this post, but I feel that you left a lot of questions unanswered, as well as have been practicing a decent amount of things that many others do not agree with. Hopefully, some others can help shed some light on this as well, and if you can help by answering those above questions, i'd be more than willing to help you out more as well!

Small Edit: Agree with aerries, the size of her enclosure and such would be helpful as well.

I can't feed her in her tank because she is an idiot. When I say that I mean I will water her cage and she will be hungry (she gets hungry on Thursdays and I feed her on Fridays) and she BIT the water as it was coming down and then accidentally got some bedding in her mouth and I was SO SCARED. So I had to pick her up and use some tweezers to pull it out she was fine and didn't get hurt she just couldn't close her mouth with bedding sticking out. And she would again eat her bedding when I would put a mouse down so I started putting some cloth down (I would take some very clean never used cloth and would throw it away when done) and she still would find a way to get bedding in her mouth. She also will follow me after I put the mouse down I will close her cage and then put something up so she is basically alone (can't see me but can see around) and she will sit there and stay where she last saw me. Like an idiot. And it would take her a half hour to eat because she wouldn't be able to just eat her food. She would be laying on top of it and still not eat it. And I know it sounds like she wasn't hungry but trust me she would miss a feeding due to shed and be STARVING (she is fine I don't feed her when she is shedding cause she won't eat and I like to keep her feeding consistent on Fridays) and still not find the stupid mouse. So the second I put her in a box and put a mouse in there she saw it right away and ate it within 10 mins (I close it and leave her alone for a while).
I understand what you said about getting tagged its not fun and didn't hurt much it was just a LOT of blood and she might have gotten a little hurt in the process (She bit me and I freaked not expecting it and flung her into her tank). So one day I will try picking her up a few days after feeding when she has digested and not yet hungry and move her over to water her tank and see how that goes and work from there.
When I say her shed was a 'little messed up' I mean the tail tore off and the head bits were a little torn up too it wasn't in one full piece like normal. But her humidity is great she always has two water dishes full of water.
She doesn't hold on for dear life every time but she has always done this. When I would pick her up anything her tail can grab it will grab it. No clue why she has always been like this.
When I say she used to be able to fit inside I mean like INSIDE the hide like inside the walls of it it wasn't meant to have a snake in the walls. Under it/'in' it she can fit just fine its not too big or too small but she does seem like she could out grow it by new years.
When I say mice I mean I go to petco (only place that sells mice near me that I can actually get to) or petsmart find a "small rat" which is just a larger mouse and feed it to her. Trust me I know what she looks like when she is still hungry after a feeding. She eats one and is a happy lil ol snake. I can't weigh her or the mice because I have nothing to do so. I just look at the fattest part of her (like I have been told to do) and get a mouse or rat that size.

[neocatlove(disabled)]

It sounds to me as if that bite she gave you (when you were cleaning out her cage & she was hungry?) was just a case of "mistaken identity". Remember
that snakes don't really identify you very well by vision, so if your hand was further away (so she couldn't get your scent) yet you were "warm & wiggling"
like prey, that's most likely why she nailed you. I can understand that you don't want to repeat it, but it wasn't her fault (ahem!) and it's easily preventable-
whatever you do, don't take it personally.

And it's better NOT to take a snake out of their normal cage to feed them...you are MORE likely to get bit by them that way, because they stay in "feed mode"
for quite some time after feeding, so you'll get nailed when you try to put them back. And if you wait too long to put them back, they can get too cold & hurl
their meal, or the move itself (with some handling) may stress some snakes into refusing food. With larger snakes (like boas) it can actually be dangerous to
try to move snakes into a side cage for feeding, but BPs don't get all that big, plus they are typically more docile, especially where food is involved.

If you are worried about too much moisture in the substrate causing scale problems & prefer to set up a humid hide, you might look into some of the larger
food containers in places like Walmart: a large round cake caddy or a large rectagular food storage container can make a nice humid hide, all you have to do
is carefully cut a doorway into it with an Exacto-knife. My spotted python loves her moist orchid bark or sphagnum moss in her humid hide.

Back to getting along with your BP (without bites)- it's totally normal for a snake to hide & resist being picked up. They are shy & we are giants: the only thing
that normally picks them up in the wild is a predator that's trying to eat them, so we must be patient and communicate to them that we are safe to hang out
with. It takes time to overcome a snake's natural instincts, but in general the way we touch them (gently, & NOT like a predator, ie. never grab their head or
tail) will let them know we aren't predators; also, once we handle them a little, they learn & recognize our scent, so remember to use these cues & try not to
startle them...you'll get better results. Very few snakes are actually "aggressive"...they are merely defending themselves...& it's up to us to help them feel safe.

Back when she bit me I had no clue her food was too small for her so yeah she was probably hungry and not happy with me taking her hide to clean it.
I know exactly how to pick up a snake sadly my mom doesn't she would tell me and my little bro "You have to pick snakes up by the head so they can't bite you!" Which is 100% untrue for pets. And I have told her many times.
A couple of your questions I answered in other replies like why I can't feed her in her tank.
But thanks so much about the bedding/ hide suggestion!

[Bogertophis]

I can't feed her in her tank because she is an idiot. When I say that I mean I will water her cage and she will be hungry (she gets hungry on Thursdays and I feed her on Fridays) and she BIT the water as it was coming down and then accidentally got some bedding in her mouth and I was SO SCARED. So I had to pick her up and use some tweezers to pull it out she was fine and didn't get hurt she just couldn't close her mouth with bedding sticking out. And she would again eat her bedding when I would put a mouse down so I started putting some cloth down (I would take some very clean never used cloth and would throw it away when done) and she still would find a way to get bedding in her mouth. She also will follow me after I put the mouse down I will close her cage and then put something up so she is basically alone (can't see me but can see around) and she will sit there and stay where she last saw me. Like an idiot. And it would take her a half hour to eat because she wouldn't be able to just eat her food. She would be laying on top of it and still not eat it. And I know it sounds like she wasn't hungry but trust me she would miss a feeding due to shed and be STARVING (she is fine I don't feed her when she is shedding cause she won't eat and I like to keep her feeding consistent on Fridays) and still not find the stupid mouse. So the second I put her in a box and put a mouse in there she saw it right away and ate it within 10 mins (I close it and leave her alone for a while).
I understand what you said about getting tagged its not fun and didn't hurt much it was just a LOT of blood and she might have gotten a little hurt in the process (She bit me and I freaked not expecting it and flung her into her tank). So one day I will try picking her up a few days after feeding when she has digested and not yet hungry and move her over to water her tank and see how that goes and work from there.
When I say her shed was a 'little messed up' I mean the tail tore off and the head bits were a little torn up too it wasn't in one full piece like normal. But her humidity is great she always has two water dishes full of water.
She doesn't hold on for dear life every time but she has always done this. When I would pick her up anything her tail can grab it will grab it. No clue why she has always been like this.
When I say she used to be able to fit inside I mean like INSIDE the hide like inside the walls of it it wasn't meant to have a snake in the walls. Under it/'in' it she can fit just fine its not too big or too small but she does seem like she could out grow it by new years.
When I say mice I mean I go to petco (only place that sells mice near me that I can actually get to) or petsmart find a "small rat" which is just a larger mouse and feed it to her. Trust me I know what she looks like when she is still hungry after a feeding. She eats one and is a happy lil ol snake. I can't weigh her or the mice because I have nothing to do so. I just look at the fattest part of her (like I have been told to do) and get a mouse or rat that size.

You "water her cage"? What does that even mean? Your snake needs a tip-proof water bowl at all times.

When we feed snakes in their cages, we avoid letting the snake consume the substrate by placing their f/t prey on a paper plate, cardboard box lid or similar item.
You never want to put the prey on a paper towel or cloth of any kind, as their teeth will catch on it & if they swallow the cloth/towel, they'll need surgery to remove
it, or they'll die from the indigestible blockage.

[Zincubus]

Mmmmmmmm. .....


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