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  • 12-09-2021, 12:20 PM
    Bogertophis
    Whatever method you prefer, snakes do learn & remember. I'm not a "tapper"- but tap training has the advantage of keeping you out of reach for bites. But otherwise, it's much like slightly lifting the snake's body* (either by hand or snake hook), because that apparently reminds them of being safely held & cuddled by us- that's what I've done with certain snakes & it works for me, just as using scent & touch cues in general. The main thing is to communicate with your snake so they know it's us, not food or an unknown predator.

    *A good example of this was when I was in a pet store & they asked me to check a snake they had- "they were all afraid of it, & it was always very aggressive with them" (coiling & trying to bite) & was currently in a hide. What they'd been doing (to get that response, lol) was suddenly taking the hide away & barging in on the snake, who naturally felt afraid & cornered by the "giant hand approaching overhead". What I did instead was just slide my hand into the hide under the snake & then lift the hide- it never bit me (this was a rat snake, in case you're wondering) & I took it out & cuddled it in my hands for a while, where it felt safe. It never felt cornered by me & stayed calm- even right up to my face.

    As far as lifting the snake's body with a hook to get a hand underneath while they calm down, it's basically "snakes don't bite the ground they crawl on". We seem less of a hazard to them this way. Do whatever works for you. Letting them sniff your empty sleeve or a cardboard roll (even without "tapping") is something that works with many aggressive dogs too- it's the same idea of letting them sniff to make friends without risking your hand to do so. ;) Just always try to imagine how the snake is feeling. They're basically shy creatures.
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