opinions

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Originally Posted by tmlowe5704

I am glad you gave me what I asked, an opinion. I was talking about the bandwagon effect about the people who do things their own way, but then when some experienced herper comes out and says this, they change everything they do, whether there was a problem or not. I was in no way saying that my way is right and everyone else's is wrong, just stating my opinion and experiences in the 4 or 5 months that I have kept snakes.

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A good majority of people come to this site because what they are doing is NOT working. They are looking to find help, so when they try what many of our more experienced herpers recommend (and find it works) they then tend to spread their success with those same recommendations.

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

There are many many people on this forum with ALL DIFFERENT levels of experience ... the "bangwagon effect" is meant to impress upon first time keepers in oder to give them the maximum chance of success with their new animals .... Just because you have had a lot of luck with feeding and have good experiences with "all of the snakes you've gotten in" doesn't mean that the person with their first snake from the local pet store is going to have those same results. Letting an animal acclimate, not handling before feeding, not handling for a couple days after are all sound broad spectrum pieces of advice that do absolutely no harm and can make the difference between success and frustration for a first time keeper.

-adam

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most definatley. I was just saying my experience, with the snakes that i've had, i have also gotten quite lucky though. I know that tons of people have trouble feeding their snakes all the time, and problems with regurgitation, and all of that.

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Originally Posted by stangs13

So....Whats the point your trying to get off? Im confused! Help me.:carrot:

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No point at all, just seeing what the general opinions are here.

1. if the snake is active etc, and not shy i'll try to feed it maybe on the third day, if it seems shy i'll wait a week

2. i dont know about this, i always wait 2 days, but bare mininum, in my opinion, a day

3. i would never handle a snake on the same day it was fed

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Originally Posted by Kizerk

1. if the snake is active etc, and not shy i'll try to feed it maybe on the third day, if it seems shy i'll wait a week

2. i dont know about this, i always wait 2 days, but bare mininum, in my opinion, a day

3. i would never handle a snake on the same day it was fed

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For #3, do you realize I was saying before you feed it?

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Originally Posted by tmlowe5704

For #3, do you realize I was saying before you feed it?

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oh sorry, i've handled them before, but i prefer not to, i had one eat and the other one refuse

1) Yes, I had to wait a week+, one I tried sooner and she refused.
2) I have, at least once, needed to disturb a snake right after eating, with no ill effects. I usually wait 24hrs before minimal handling and 2 full days before "playing". Not if they had a big meal though and still have a lump.
3) I try to avoid handling prior, they seem more likely to take the prey when they're curled up safe in the hide. However my baby (with the best feeding response) has taken a meal right after handling.

I think it all depends on the snake (metabolism and personality), and also size of meal.

As Adam pointed out, I like to find new and better ways to do things. I find that there are alot of "rules" for new owners that, in reality, are only guidelines.:cool:

I firmly believe we owe it to the snakes to be a smart, informed and educated keeper. Part of that is being always open to new ideas, to tweaking things, to considering experience beyond what we personally have. That doesn't mean blindly following anyone's suggestions - for me that means weighing what's being said by very experienced folks as something valid I need to consider.

For me that's not jumping on anyone's bandwagon. That's simply realizing that though I may have a couple of years experience and a few snakes, there is no way I can know some of the things a person with 100's of BP's and 10+ years of working with them knows. That's not a deficiency in me, that's simply common sense thinking as I see it. I realize my own place on the knowledge curve and gladly taking advantage of the opportunity to learn from those that the internet gives me this wonderful and constant access to. If I can share a bit of my own limited experience, that's wonderful too of course.

As to your questions....we don't bother the snakes for a week after they arrive other than basic cage maintenance....we believe all creatures especially ones as shy as most BP's are, deserve time to settle in without constant irritation by humans.....we don't handle on the day of feeding because our snakes are aggressive feeders and why trigger a hunger bite for no good reason...feeding day here is all about getting down to business....we don't handle for 48 hours after feeding because we understand snakes have a digestive process unlike humans and respect that difference by leaving them be for this time period.

These are common sense guidelines and personally I've never seen reinventing a perfectly good wheel as a productive way to spend my time.

i think that someone who hasn't experience a regurge is going to have a different perspective on this. i have had regurges with one of my cornsnakes (true bloodred) - it was horrible getting him to keep down his dinner... it was a long slow, worriesome process.

so, once you've been through difficulties... then you tend to take your husbandry issues regarding your snakes more seriously. for example, i've never had any RI with my snakes... so when the temps drop a bit... i correct them but i don't panic... cause i've never had a sick snake... if i did have a sick snake like many members here... i'd be much more neurotic over those issues.

so, in answer to your questions. i never handle a snake for at least the first week... often the first month (to let them settle in nicely) - i never hold them on feeding day and i never ever ever ever ever hold a snake for 3 days after feeding and if i see a lump in their belly... they are returned to their enclosure and not bothered again.

;)
just my opinion... don't take mine, make your own!

aleesha

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

There are many many people on this forum with ALL DIFFERENT levels of experience ... the "bangwagon effect" is meant to impress upon first time keepers in oder to give them the maximum chance of success with their new animals .... Just because you have had a lot of luck with feeding and have good experiences with "all of the snakes you've gotten in" doesn't mean that the person with their first snake from the local pet store is going to have those same results. Letting an animal acclimate, not handling before feeding, not handling for a couple days after are all sound broad spectrum pieces of advice that do absolutely no harm and can make the difference between success and frustration for a first time keeper.

-adam

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yeah I didn't read all the way through as I agree completely with this train of thought ............good post.