Taming?

This is my rule of thumb. The first year = NO HANDLING. none.

After the first year you can start handling for short periods of time once a week between feedings. Then slowly work up to handling more often, still for short periods... then slowly handle longer and longer.

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Originally Posted by Rickys_Reptiles

This is my rule of thumb. The first year = NO HANDLING. none.

After the first year you can start handling for short periods of time once a week between feedings. Then slowly work up to handling more often, still for short periods... then slowly handle longer and longer.

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The first year? That's pretty extreme! What's your reasoning?

Baby Ball Pythons are the worst eaters. Any drop of stress and they stop eating. For an animal that lives to be 2 or more decades old...1 year is a small price to pay IMHO for a healthy and well rounded animal.

I'm probably a little more straightforward with my snakes. I usually don't handle new arrivals until they've eaten 2-3 times. After that I just reach in quickly and confidently and swoop them up from underneath. The worst case scenario is you might get bit. You can also wear a glove or use a snake hook if you like. Usually they just thrash about for a few minutes and calm right down once they realize the defensive behavior doesn't scare you or make you leave them alone. I start with short gentle 3-5 minute handling sessions and increase the frequency and handling time as our trust grows.