Handling Do's and Don't's

I recently got my first BP at the NY White Plains Reptiles Expo, a male mojave we named Helix. He's quite the little guy! He was only 68g when we brought him home and we'll be weighing him again today- a few days after his first meal with us.

I've done a pretty good amount of research on husbandry, but have yet to stumble upon any information specific to handling practices.

So far, Helix has been incredibly docile. I went to the expo with the intention of getting a mojave, but chose him solely based on how pleasant it was to handle him.

Some of my questions are:
I know some people take their snakes outside. Is this something that's recommended or should be avoided?
I have three dogs. At first Helix was uncomfortable around them, but never struck. Now he's comfortable with them and they like him. How much interaction, if any, should I allow between them? Do dogs (who are trustworthy with small animals) and BPs mix?
How long is too long to keep him out for handling, assuming the temperature is acceptable in the environment?

Other handling advice is welcome. I'm a hands-on pet owner and want to make sure I'm doing what's best for him.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Guiding Golden

Some of my questions are:
I know some people take their snakes outside. Is this something that's recommended or should be avoided?
I have three dogs. At first Helix was uncomfortable around them, but never struck. Now he's comfortable with them and they like him. How much interaction, if any, should I allow between them? Do dogs (who are trustworthy with small animals) and BPs mix?
How long is too long to keep him out for handling, assuming the temperature is acceptable in the environment?

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-Snakes in public, unless you're an educator I strongly believe it's not a good idea. Bringing your snake around people who hate snakes won't get them to like them any better, and it can damage our hobby having "crazy people walking around with a giant snake". That's not reality, but that's how people perceive people walking around with snakes. The extent of outside activity should be for photo shoots if the weather agrees.

-Dogs are dogs, snakes are snakes. To avoid any and all accidents keep them separate. Interaction is 100% not necessary, and actually quite dangerous IMO.

-This depends 100% on the snake. Some handle handling much better than others. Learn your snake, then worry about handling time. Keep it short and sweet and work your way up if you can. There are a few I literally never handle because it stresses them out beyond rationality.

Just to clarify, I wasn't considering taking him out in public. I was just thinking about something like my own yard :)

Congrats on the little mojave! I like the name too! :gj:

1. I take my snakes outside for photographs and a quick slither, but never too long and always supervised 110% of the time.
2. I have a cat and a dog. My dog is very well behaved and will leave the snakes alone. The cat does not listen. I try to keep them apart as much as possible. Dogs and cats both have a high prey drive (depending on the breed I suppose) so I would never trust either with my snakes. Dogs and snakes can both be unpredictable. Best to just keep them apart for their own safety.
3. The longest handling session I would do is about 30 minutes. Some snakes are comfortable with more, but usually the young ones get stressed a little more easily. As your snake gets older, you will notice it will calm down a lot more and just kinda "chill".