How To Wake Up a Snake?

This was 3 days from a feeding, his husbandry was not updated yet, and it was nighttime. I had a lamp on but it's light isn't very bright.

It was right after some very calm five minute direct handling, and after I had set him down to go wherever he wanted to, with intention of letting him explore. He chose this location and just took a nap.

Please note that this video was taken a while ago, back when his husbandry was very bad (little humidity, 70°F on the cold side and a range of 85°F-100°F from a UTH without a thermostat) and has since been corrected. This was when I was taking him out to warm him up because The UTH got too hot for him and he had spent too long in the cold side. His body temperature was chilly.

I can't really see his eyes from the angle I was at when I took the video, but his tongue wasn't flicking and he wasn't responding to my hand moving anywhere:

https://vimeo.com/186085427

(The second touch, he did not bite me. He smacked me with his butt because I woke him up... very grumpy beep.)

I can't really think of any other scenario where it would even be necessary to wake a snake up, other than the owner/handler being as irresponsible as I had been. But I can imagine one wrong move could earn a quick defensive strike.

So let's assume that the owner has his/her Ball Python out and is googling how to wake them up without upsetting them... (because I had been at the time and couldn't find anything on it.) Or perhaps they need to take them to the vet, or some actually logical reason to interrupt their slumber.

What is your advice you would give them?


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I don't really think there's any way to not startle/disturb a snake when waking them from a nap..... that being said, whenever I approach any snake (slumbering or not) I give them a light stroke down their back, usually starting at the halfway point of the spine, to let them know that I'm there and I'm not a threat or food. Some get startled if they're not expecting it (or asleep) but I've so far never been bitten that way.

If they're outside chilling on the bed or something and they appear asleep, I also just stroke them lightly down their mid-back a couple times and it'll alert them.

If they're in their enclosure, they're always under the hide anyway, so they wake up when I pick the hide out off of them.

I did a video about this and posted it to YouTube. If Yzma is awake, she obviously sees me coming and it's not an issue.
If I'm waking her up, I remove her hut and then gently give her some strokes and tickles until she starts to wiggle a bit and then I gently lift her out in her coiled shape and just hold her close until she wakes up fully.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Yzmasmom

I did a video about this and posted it to YouTube. If Yzma is awake, she obviously sees me coming and it's not an issue.
If I'm waking her up, I remove her hut and then gently give her some strokes and tickles until she starts to wiggle a bit and then I gently lift her out in her coiled shape and just hold her close until she wakes up fully.

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Can you post a link to your video? I would very much like to see. :)


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by KingWheatley

His body temperature was chilly.

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Most cold blooded animals feel cool.
Just because it is balled up doesnt mean its sleeping and the twitching side while you are rubbing translates to "leave me alone"

Quote:

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

If they're outside chilling on the bed or something and they appear asleep, I also just stroke them lightly down their mid-back a couple times and it'll alert them.

If they're in their enclosure, they're always under the hide anyway, so they wake up when I pick the hide out off of them.

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Would picking the hide up scare them?


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

...the twitching side while you are rubbing translates to "leave me alone"

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^
Yupp


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Twitching really could mean something startled them to jumping.

But if it's a deliberate shove, like that was, then definitely grumpy. Pulling away, too, though I'd bet that's more passive.


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I wake up my boa by gently tapping my fingers on the floor of his tub until i see him stir, then i will give him a gentle stroke, only after he's started flicking his tongue will i attempt to actually pick him up.
-you shouldn't try to pick him up while he's sleeping, Johnny; i tried it once .....once.