How Frequently Can I Handle My BP?

I’m getting a BP in under a week and am fact checking some last minute things to make his transition has easy as possible. One of these things is handling. I’m aware I should wait until he’s eaten once before handling him. Though after that, what’s the maximum?

You should wait until he's eaten at least 3 times before doing any handling- otherwise, you may end up with a very frustrating pet that refuses to eat. If you put your snake's welfare above your own desires to handle him, you'll likely have a healthy pet that thrives & lives a normal lifespan.

Stress (besides causing snakes to not eat) is as bad for their health as it is for ours- your snake will have been exposed to many parasites & germs before you take him home, & if you overstress him, his immune system will not function to protect his health as well as it should. Eating regular meals supports the snake's body, including their immune system, so "eating is job #1" for a pet snake.

Remember these are NOT "domestic animals"- they rely on instincts to survive, & the only thing that picks them up in the wild is a predator that's about to eat them. So no wonder handling can make them too stressed to eat...understand?

Give your snake a fighting chance by letting him settle in first, with optimum rest & meals at normal (weekly) intervals, before you start handling him. Just watch him for a while- that's fun too & you might learn some things. ;)

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Originally Posted by FettuccineEnjoyer

I’m getting a BP in under a week and am fact checking some last minute things to make his transition has easy as possible. One of these things is handling. I’m aware I should wait until he’s eaten once before handling him. Though after that, what’s the maximum?

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Many think you should wait until a Royal has had 3 or 4 successful meals before handling - remember you have 15 -20 years of handling in front of you both

Corns and Kings are fine after one feed ( or none lol) .


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That’s true, I will give my new bp as much time as he needs to settle in, but once he’s comfortable, what then? How often can I handle him without causing unneeded stress? (“Not handling him at all” doesn’t count. I’m a very touchy-feely person and want to get to know him with my hands as much as my eyes)

Also, I might have worded things incorrectly. I’ve been researching everything husbandry-wise for a few months, though recently have had less time do so because of personal stuff. I’m not just now beginning to research, I’m making sure what I already know is correct. My first statement might have sounded like I was buying this guy on a whim, my bad.

Proceed very gradually- some snakes tolerate handling better than others. And some humans have more empathy (ie. are better handlers) than others too. I don't know you OR the snake you're getting, so I can't begin to answer that. Just remember that "handling" & "being a pet" isn't in a snake's DNA. Dogs & cats are "touchy-feely" pets- they're also domestic animals, that makes a huge difference. Many snakes tend to appreciate "handling" when kept close to your body so they feel like they're hiding (& are also warm enough). And BPs aren't snakes that move around all that much in nature anyway.

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

...Corns and Kings are fine after one feed ( or none lol)...

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I respectfully disagree- I've bred & raised many of both- they're very tiny fragile creatures, & all snakes deserve to be treated better than a "toy". Handling should be kept to a minimum for a while for best results.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I respectfully disagree- I've bred & raised many of both- they're very tiny fragile creatures, & all snakes deserve to be treated better than a "toy". Handling should be kept to a minimum for a while for best results.

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I never mentioned how much handling is appropriate and certainly never suggested that they can be treated like toys .

Simply that Kings and Corns are more likely to eat well .. even on the day you buy it so don’t need three or four meals before the first handling session

Whereas it’s better to let Royals have a few meals before any attempts at handling just to give them chance to settle down

I only handle mine when I have to move them in a clean up situation.

It sounds like you’re talking about very young hatchlings who have never ever eaten ??

I wasn’t talking about hatchlings as he never mentioned the age

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

I never mentioned how much handling is appropriate and certainly never suggested that they can be treated like toys .

Simply that Kings and Corns are more likely to eat well .. even on the day you buy it so don’t need three or four meals before the first handling session

Whereas it’s better to let Royals have a few meals before any attempts at handling just to give them chance to settle down

I only handle mine when I have to move them in a clean up situation.

It sounds like you’re talking about very young hatchlings who have never ever eaten ??

I wasn’t talking about hatchlings as he never mentioned the age

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Many kings & corns are sold as hatchlings, & fyi, depending on the seller, many may not have been fed. While they "usually eat better than BPs", ALL snakes should be allowed time to settle in. I did assume we "could" be talking about hatchlings (which is why I mentioned they're tiny). I'm glad you didn't mean hatchlings, but it wasn't clear, & we have to remember that many people may read these posts & may conclude the wrong things if we don't specify. And I would still say that handling any new snake before it's had time to "settle in" (be feeding without difficulty) is treating it like a toy. It's not prioritizing the snake's well-being, which is what all good keepers do.

Anyway, this thread is specifically about BPs, so let's all stay on topic, okay?

i personally a) wait until they’ve gotten some meals down (2-3) and b) read their body language - i think it’s visibly obvious when a snake has settled and established their enclosure and when they haven’t based on their body language and how they carry themselves within the habitat - which is to say, even if it has been 2-3 meals *and* they’ve shed, pooped, etc - if they seem bolty or shy still, i tailor my socialization strategy to that - handling is a relationship that you have to build overtime

like Bogs said, we are *really* asking them to take a huge leap of faith by trusting us that’s running against millions upon millions of years of learned survival behavior