Handling Question 2

[racer500]

A while ago i posted a question about handling. The advice was to let it settle down for a while and wait till it eats good. Well it has eaten a few times fine, it takes the food the second i drop it in. It has had five weeks to settle in. Should i start holding it now? And what are some methods/advice on handling? Oh and are there any breeders you know that will ship snakes?


Thanks

[Lobo_Reptiles]

Wow 5 weeks is a long time! Generally one or two weeks is all you need depending on the snake and such. Well, I don't know how big he is but be sure to support him with two hands. One preferably near his butt and and one closer to his head. He may or may not like curling up or stretching out to explore. I guess handling depends a lot on the personality of the snake. Chimera likes to stretch out and explore while Hades likes to curl around my neck because it is warm.

Breeders of what kinds of snakes? There are hundreds...dozens on this board alone...

[JLC]

Seems to me like a fine time to start letting your snake get to know you. That's very patient of you to wait five weeks!

So long as he/she hasn't eaten in the last 48 hours, and so long as they are not in shed, you should feel ok about handling. I would recommend going slow at first, just a few minutes in your hands and then back in the cage. Do that for awhile, and gradually increase the amount of time you hold him/her and eventually allow exploring and such if you feel the environment and the snake's temperment make that a safe and enjoyable option.

This is all coming from someone who doesn't actually own a bp yet, but my gopher was really shy and flighty as a baby, but calmed down beautifully with gentle, consistent handling.

EDIT: Oh yeah....and most breeders will ship. Click on the two adds you see at the top of our page here...just for starters.

[Diceman]

Ok when your ready to pick him up if hes under a hidebox you lift up wait a couple seconds before sticking your hand in..you may suprise him by lifting his hide up and he may need a little bit to realise its just you..and handle him for about 5-10mins once or twice a day

[frankykeno]

Get to know your particular snake over time. It will give you feedback in a subtle and sometimes not so subtle way about how much and what type of outside the enclosure time it can tolerate. Watch for any changes in feeding behaviours especially.

It can be even something like just not the right day for that snake to put up with you and you'll have to adjust to it (unless you are doing husbandry things, then the snake just has to deal with it for it's own good).

With our snakes (balls, boa and milk) we just try to be reasonable in our handling, allowing for the fact that these aren't herd or pack type creatures that really need much if any interaction with another of their kind or a human being.


~~Jo~~

[racer500]

Breeders of what kinds of snakes?

I really want a red tail boa.

[racer500]

How do you show your collection under your threads?

[JLC]

Near the top of the page is a drop-down menu called Quick Links. Click on that and then click on "Edit Signature" ....then just type what you want to have included at the end of every post and click "Save changes."

[racer500]

Thanks JLC