Won't let me touch Him

[spiritbear857]

I acquired a 1 year old bp form a friend who's son did not bother with him. The snake was kept well and feed regulary.He was just not handled on a regular basis. He has been in my home for about 4 weeks now and is a live feeder and feeds well. he is very active only at night and remains coiled up in the day. When I go to touch him he seems to Kringe I am afraid to try and move him to clean his tank for the fear he will bite me any suggestions? Gloves etc?

[LadyOhh]

If you are afraid, and the only thing that is keeping you from handling him is the fear of being bit, then yes, wear gloves.

Slowly get your confidence up, and then try to do it with out gloves when the time is right.

It's all a matter of trust on the part of the snake to you, and you and the snake.

It'll all work out if you both try at it.

[frankykeno]

I'd say glove up and get your head around the fact that the snake may nip you but with gloves on it won't hurt. You may want to gently drop a small facecloth on his head to distract him, get a firm grip behind his head and down his body and lift him out. A bit of very quiet time in your hands, and when he's calm put him back. Set up an exact handling routine (same days of the week, same time of the evening when he's awake and aware, same hand movements, etc.) and stick to it so he can begin to recognize, in a basic way, that there's nothing to feel defensive about.

When we had a very defensive adult BP I found that my attitude triggered the snake to be even worse. If I was nervous of getting bit or handling her, she'd key up even worse so I had little "talks" with myself first. Being calm myself, sticking to an exact routine, making sure the room was quiet and without a lot of people moving around near her or loud music and just very slowly lengthening the time she was out of her enclosure. Over time it worked and she's perfectly fine these days. It may not work with your snake, some never take to any handling but if it does work it'll take time so be very patient and consistent and see how it goes.

[python.princess]

yeah, floyd was pretty moody when he was a baby and it seemed like it was worse when i was nervous about it or hesitated at all.

[Spaniard]

My pastel male ever since I've had him will hiss, puff up, jolt etc. when I first reach in to grab him. I just stick my hand in there in one fluid assured motion pick him up and then he calms down once I'm holding him. Some of my other shy girls try slithering away when I hold them, but all in all they're harmless. Just a matter of getting used to your snakes body language, good luck.

[bonez]

Im haveing similar issues with a couple new snakes. 1 hissed loudly at me, the other snaped at me, one of the babies bit me, and hissed the next day. So ive been nervous latley with them, but some say bites from BP's dont hurt and the way i look at it is if you own a few snakes, chances are youll get nabbed some time. But usually confidence and not being scares helps the situation. My g/f for some reason isnt really afraid of gettin bit, she thinks all animals love her, so she just goes and picks them up and she hasnt been nipped yet....

[frankykeno]

But usually confidence and not being scares helps the situation. My g/f for some reason isnt really afraid of gettin bit, she thinks all animals love her, so she just goes and picks them up and she hasnt been nipped yet....

That's likely a large part of it. I've always felt (and I've no scientific basis for this, just my gut feelings) that snakes like a lot of creatures, can pick up our chemical/body language type cues. Act nervous or scared and I believe it will create a handling experience that isn't going to go all that well (at least with some snakes). You may have to have a talk with yourself before handling the snake. Sort of "what's the worst that could happen and how will I handle it". Make sure you know the right way to grip a snake so the chances of it being able to bite are minimized. Make sure the room is quiet and there's no distraction for you or your snake. Glove up, if that will make you feel more confident.

Some snakes are nippy and never take to handling. Some, like two of ours, hiss every single time you go near them but neither have tried seriously to bite. In their cases they just like to register a complaint, grumble a bit but in the end aren't big on the follow through. We know this about them and just don't give them any reaction and they settle down quite nicely. We have one 06 whose very reactive to movement but again we just deal with him...firmly, gentle and consistently....after he's had his little hissy fit he gives it up fairly quickly.

[KingPython]

I think it all depends on the snake, my male is pretty cool about being held even when hes curled up and in strike position I just move in with confidence and he lets me pick him up without biting, but then again I just might be lucky

[frankykeno]

I completely agree, Dean. What works with one snake won't always work with another. They are pretty basic creatures in some ways but very complex in others. Even what worked one day with a particular snake, might trigger it to strike another day just "because", no real reason we humans can figure out and it's just another part of living with snakes. It seems though that some strikes are just really jabs, not intending to bite, just to move you back a bit from their space at that specific moment. We see a far lot of those and don't even count them as anything really.