Do you handle your breeders?

I try to handle my breeders and hatchlings very little. They get the most love as subadults.

I will work with the aggressive ones a little bit more to break them.

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Originally Posted by Focal X

I try to handle my breeders and hatchlings very little. They get the most love as subadults.

I will work with the aggressive ones a little bit more to break them.

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x2

I handle them once a week just so that they stay used to me holding them. We have pets that we can play with often and keep ubber docile but for my breeders I just want them to be used to being held so that it is easier to clean them, especially if I have to bathe them for whatever reason. I just take them out for about 5 minutes, walk around with them while I do stuff and cycle through the collection.

Not handling your for sale hatchlings is doing your future customers a disservice imo.

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

Not handling your for sale hatchlings is doing your future customers a disservice imo.

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Curious as to why? A majority of my hatchlings are only with me for a few weeks, and in that time they are eating and acclimating to the new enviornment. Handling them more than once a week could cause undue stress IMO.

I keep hearing about this undue stress but I have yet to experience it with any of hatchlings I've produced.
Handling captive bred hatchlings causes stress? that's a new concept to me...:confused:

After they shed and have eaten 3-4 times they should be held several times a week imo, otherwise they remain scared of people, causing undue stress.

Ok yeah, you flipped that on me. I never said I didn't handle them. I said I limit my handling and this is usually during their first few meals before they are in their new home.

The stress point was in regards to their first few meals. Your post seems like you are saying hatchlings don't get stressed. This is new to me :confused: So if they aren't handled during these first few weeks they are doomed eternally from human affection? Mind you, I don't sit on my snakes for months so I think you are confused as to the point I am trying to make.

I handle my breeding females just like my other BPs during the "off season." Once they start breeding (Nov/Dec), I limit handling to what's necessary or the rare occasion until they lay and have regained most of their weight. Snakes don't miss you when you don't play with them, so I focus my attention on the younger ones during breeding season so my breeders can focus on getting the job done. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Focal X

Ok yeah, you flipped that on me. I never said I didn't handle them. I said I limit my handling and this is usually during their first few meals before they are in their new home.

The stress point was in regards to their first few meals. Your post seems like you are saying hatchlings don't get stressed. This is new to me :confused: So if they aren't handled during these first few weeks they are doomed eternally from human affection? Mind you, I don't sit on my snakes for months so I think you are confused as to the point I am trying to make.

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Sorry if that comment came across wrong, it was meant to be a blanket statement about not handling hatchlings, I wasn't specifically speaking of new hatchlings being held the first few weeks.

I agree with your statement on not handling them before they are eating well, we don't handle ours until they have had 3-4 meals in them, except to clean their tubs out of course :)
But after they eat 3-4 meals it's hands on several times a week or until they are sold.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Focal X

Ok yeah, you flipped that on me. I never said I didn't handle them. I said I limit my handling and this is usually during their first few meals before they are in their new home.

The stress point was in regards to their first few meals. Your post seems like you are saying hatchlings don't get stressed. This is new to me :confused: So if they aren't handled during these first few weeks they are doomed eternally from human affection? Mind you, I don't sit on my snakes for months so I think you are confused as to the point I am trying to make.

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Sorry if that comment came across wrong Nick, it was meant to be a blanket statement about not handling hatchlings, I wasn't specifically speaking of new hatchlings being held the first few weeks.

I agree with your statement on not handling them before they are eating well, we don't handle ours until they have had 3-4 meals in them, except to clean their tubs out of course :)
But after they eat 3-4 meals it's hands on several times a week or until they are sold.