Some BP handling questions

So, I have two questions regarding handling of my BP. Hoping someone can share their thoughts or experiences. Keep in mind, my BP is just 100g, and two months old.



1. Picking up your BP. If I want to hold her, I always have to lift her hide off of her to get to her. Is this normal? I do it slowly, and always pet her a little on her midsection before lifting her, and I've never had any issues. No matter how many times I whistle, she just won't come to me. (Okay, that last line was a JOKE... ) i guess, do your snakes ever come out for you, or is the norm to lift their hide and go get'em?

2. Arm hair... I'm a guy, and have hairy arms. My by will crawl over and through my hands, but about 99% of the time, when my arm hair touches her face, she flenches pretty hard and turns around. Anyone else experience this? I'm wondering if it's something she'll outgrow as she gets larger or not?

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Picking up your BP. If I want to hold her, I always have to lift her hide off of her to get to her. Is this normal? I do it slowly, and always pet her a little on her midsection before lifting her,

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you will hear this from others that respond but, every animal is different. I have several balls who, when I open their tub, they come straight out to me. I have several where that seems like the last thing they would do. and I have lots that are in-between (i will open the tub and after a few seconds they will pop their head of out the hide as to say "what’s going on out there??"). IMO you want to find a balance between slow and assertive; you don’t want to make any quick jerky motions but at the same time its best to avoid coming straight on to their head but to decisively go in and pick them up (reaching around so you are coming from the side or behind their head). If you go about doing everything really really slow there is a chance she will get nervous and strike. pet her belly when she is alreayd in your hands :)

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Arm hair... I'm a guy, and have hairy arms. My by will crawl over and through my hands, but about 99% of the time, when my arm hair touches her face, she flinches pretty hard and turns around. Anyone else experience this? I'm wondering if it's something she'll outgrow as she gets larger or not?

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this is happening because something is touching her face/head. Generally speaking ball pythons are head shy. You can reduce this nervousness she has about thing near her head by handling her. There is a good chance she grows out of it.

Hahaha, well, whistling wont help. All snakes are deaf. The best way to lift a ball python is with confidence. As she gets older and if she is a strong eater, you just might get tagged. Of course this is not with all ball pythons, they each have different personalities. With most of mine I have to lift up their hides. Yes it is normal and more often then not this is how it works. I am a woman so the arm hair thing doesn't really apply to me. Most of my BPs enjoy tangling themselves through my hair though as they seem to like the heat from my neck. No flinching there. But some BPs are my head sensitive then others. I have a few who could care less if I touched their head but most of them would freak out if I did. I really wouldn't worry about that too much.

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Originally Posted by BCS

Hahaha, well, whistling wont help. All snakes are deaf.

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Snakes actually aren't deaf. I'm including a source because it will explain better than I will.

Source: http://news.sciencemag.org/2011/12/v...lp-snakes-hear

Here's the actual study in case anyone is interested:http://jeb.biologists.org/content/215/2/ii

To anwer OP's questions, if they're not cruising around, I do the same thing and just pick up their hide and pick them up. Nothing wrong with that at all. In regards to the hair, they'll flinch from time to time and will go about their exploring way.



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