Re: Do they like to be held?
mine does things similar to this ... not sure if it is they 'like' to be held .. but want to explore more ...
when i am near it's cage he will follow me along the glass ... when i go to open the top he comes up to greet me (wont do this to my wife, only me) .. when i hold him ... he explores all over my hands arm's till he falls asleep ... but when i go to put him back down he comes right back to me wanting to be picked up again ...
Re: Do they like to be held?
Not to strange if the snake wants to go back to the warm body rather then exploring a cold floor or something similar.
Re: Do they like to be held?
Rachel, I don't know that snakes truly enjoy being handled or touched as say a dog would (which by it's nature is a pack structured animal). I think snakes more likely become used to it over time and a structure of firm, gentle interactions with the humans around them. Some of ours seem to "like" it more than others however.
With our 5 females of varying ages and backgrounds we cover the spectrum from one that actively seeks to be in constant contact with a warm friendly human to one that would rather bite us than do much of anything else. We have another who will allow us to handle her for about 5 to 10 minutes and then slithers off to explore the area, quite without fear or obvious stress....she seems to be our most inquisitive snake.
So for me anyways it seems to be very dependent on the individual snake, their past interactions with humans which may or may not have some bearing and sometimes just the time of day or mood they are in. Even our most easy going snake is quite capable of making us toe the line if she would rather not be handled when we want to get her out LOL.
~~Jo~~
Re: Do they like to be held?
boyne city? i work up there on occasion...
not to change the subject, but anyone own a bearded dragon? now those things love to be handled...
Re: Do they like to be held?
My Byron does the same. I think snakes are a lot smarter than we give them credit for. A couple of weeks ago I had a bit of a headache. Byron slithers up onto my shoulders and round the back of my neck with his head sitting on my shoulder. For about 30 minutes he just sat there, squeezing the back of my neck rhythmically, not moving anywhere. It was so soothing.
Last night I had a migraine headache. Don't get them often but when I do it's zig-zag lines usually followed by me getting totally unco-ordinated. Byron did the same thing again. It's almost as if he knew (or could sense something wrong). Ironically, Bobby my other BP did the same thing last night after I swapped holding snakes with my hubby. Bobby is the shyer of the two and will usually only sit on me for about 10-15 minutes (he seems to prefer my hubby). He slithered up the same way Byron did and did exactly the same thing, except it was firmer as he is a bigger snake. Bless them, they tried and it did help a bit. I gave up eventually and went to my bed. I still feel as if my head's stuffed with cottonwool today.
Re: Do they like to be held?
Yep we are up here in lovely Boyne City LOL. Are you going to that brand new reptile show in November being held in Kzoo?
~~Jo~~
Re: Do they like to be held?
Quote:
Originally Posted by frankykeno
With our 5 females of varying ages and backgrounds we cover the spectrum from one that actively seeks to be in constant contact with a warm friendly human to one that would rather bite us than do much of anything else. We have another who will allow us to handle her for about 5 to 10 minutes and then slithers off to explore the area, quite without fear or obvious stress....she seems to be our most inquisitive snake.
The one that likes to bite, are there extenuating circumstances or has she always been that way? I would very much like to get a bp but definately not one that bites me all the time. I understand that every snake is different but overall bp's are supposed to be docile and easy to handle.
Re: Do they like to be held?
Quote:
Originally Posted by frankykeno
Yep we are up here in lovely Boyne City LOL. Are you going to that brand new reptile show in November being held in Kzoo?
~~Jo~~
yep, i'll be there... you?
Re: Do they like to be held?
When I got Byron as a baby, after he'd settled in and we'd established a good feeding routine (he's a good eater provided it's mice - he loathes rats) I started handling him for very short periods every day (like 5 minutes) and gradually built it up. He only ever bit me twice as a baby out of fear. It didn't take long to build up his confidence and get the message that I wasn't a great big predator who wanted to eat him. He looks to come out of the viv now and is happy to stay out as long as he wants. If he wants to stay out longer when I try to put him back in the viv, he does a prompt about-turn or puts his head and neck vertical to make it harder for me to put him in (told you they are smarter than we give them credit for LOL). If he's happy that he's been out long enough, he goes back in the viv no problem. Bobby my other BP is the same now.
The only time I don't handle them is for 2-3 days after they've eaten or when they're in shed. The exception to this rule is if they've soiled their substrate and they are out of the viv for less than 5 minutes while I clean it (I get everything prepared first). I won't let my snakes sit on soiled substrate.
Funny story with my two young Boas that happened a couple of days ago. I feed my snakes on a Sunday evening. Usually they go in their hide and we don't see them for a couple of days. Monday evening, one of our Boas, Zag was out sitting on his branch, head hanging off looking strangely at Zig, his brother who was on the floor of the viv underneath the branch. Odd, I said to my hubby, they don't usually come out the next day (they'd had a good feed so I knew they weren't looking for food). On investigation, one of them had done a huge poo in the hide:O . No wonder Zag was looking at Zig as much as to say "You dirty so-and so" LOL. I cleaned things up and they went back in the hide quite happily.
