how many times do you handle your snake?

Not daily, but at least weekly, usually, though the new baby slowed that in recent months.

My Ball knows when the top of his cage is open and all I have to do is stick my hand half way in and he starts clibming my arm out of the cage. Does this sound like a Snake that doesn't want to be handled? Or do you think that this is his way of thinking escape?!

I have been reading these forums for the past couple of years and the "experts" say that snakes don't do this and they don't do that, they don't feel this and they don't feel that. Who's to say? Has it been proven? Have there been actual studies? Who's to say one snake doesn't search for attention while another wants to hide? Just thinking out loud.

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Originally Posted by a2timmann

I have been reading these forums for the past couple of years and the "experts" say that snakes don't do this and they don't do that, they don't feel this and they don't feel that. Who's to say? Has it been proven? Have there been actual studies? Who's to say one snake doesn't search for attention while another wants to hide? Just thinking out loud.

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Originally Posted by a2timmann

My Ball knows when the top of his cage is open and all I have to do is stick my hand half way in and he starts clibming my arm out of the cage. Does this sound like a Snake that doesn't want to be handled? Or do you think that this is his way of thinking escape?!

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hmmmm i like the way you think. good point. maybe someone has an answer though. idk.

One of my ball's also lays with his neck and head out of his hide 75% of the time. Is he spying on me? He's definetly not shy! If I go to move something within his enclosure he doesn't flinch. He'll continue to look at what I am doing while still with his head out of his hide and just observing everything. Is this behavior normal?

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Originally Posted by anendeloflorien

My understanding is that as long as the snake is healthy and not refusing food that handling, whether it's once a day, once a week or only on a monthly cleaning is not going to affect them.

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If you are only cleaning monthly...that is a problem, lol.

My guys get handled several times a week, when their cages are cleaned, and they are also weighed occasionally. Some animals that seem to need extra attention will be taken out and held for a while until they relax and begin to explore, to help tame them. We do this mostly in the summer when the temps are warmer out of their cages.

I haven't gotten to yet, other than taking them out of their shipping bag :-(

Now that I'm getting older I find myself handling it much more often:O...oh wait any time they need the tub cleaned.

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Originally Posted by reptiman93

i love balls they are so calm:D

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lol:rofl:

Some I handle a couple times a week while I am wondering around the house or on the computer. Others I handle once a week . Then there are some that I just handle when I clean their tubs they just seem to like being left alone .So until they feel more comfortable I just leave them be.:cool:

I agree that they dont actually get enjoyment from being handled. They can become use to it tho. They can also get use to your scent and they will know you are not a threat. My BP's never really calm down when they are out of their enclosures. They think its their time to explore and make an escape. Looking for a crevice to hide in. These are actually signs of stress or of not wanting to be out in the open..

On the other hand. I use to have a burmese that would curl up in my lap and just stay there until i put him back in his cage. Some days i would take him outside draped around my neck and shoulders and he would just stay there. Not even move except to turn his head and look around. He was very comfortable with being handled and very calm. He was like this at 1 foot long as well as when he reached over 8 feet when i had re-home him.

BP's are such naturally shy and nocturnal snakes, they rarely exibit this calm behaviour if they are out of their enclosure.

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Originally Posted by Draigess

I agree that they dont actually get enjoyment from being handled. They can become use to it tho. They can also get use to your scent and they will know you are not a threat. My BP's never really calm down when they are out of their enclosures. They think its their time to explore and make an escape. Looking for a crevice to hide in. These are actually signs of stress or of not wanting to be out in the open..

On the other hand. I use to have a burmese that would curl up in my lap and just stay there until i put him back in his cage. Some days i would take him outside draped around my neck and shoulders and he would just stay there. Not even move except to turn his head and look around. He was very comfortable with being handled and very calm. He was like this at 1 foot long as well as when he reached over 8 feet when i had re-home him.

BP's are such naturally shy and nocturnal snakes, they rarely exibit this calm behaviour if they are out of their enclosure.

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Actually 2/3 of my snakes do what your burm did. draped around my neck without a move, and really its hard to say what enjoys what, because we have no idea. People say lions are wild and vicious, but they play. so how can we say ball pythons are different? i mean, i understand the lack of certain things, but we just dont know enough about our world yet ^_^

I handled Tanveer about 15 minutes every other day UNTIL he decided to fast for 4 1/2 months. Then I seriously did the least amount of handling possible because I didn't want to stress him out in any way.

My question is, knowing he definately was a cruiser prior to his fast and seemed to never really settle in my hands/lap etc.. do you think I should continue to keep his handling at a minimum? Or will that make him aggressive in anyway, the less handling I do?

Any opinions on this?

He is definately a laid back BP now and lets me do whatever I need to in his terrarium etc.. He doesn't mind me picking him up to move him etc.. He has only ever hissed and stuck the very first week that we had him and that was back April.

I handle mine a few days a week. Some times he will want to explore and I let him (supervised of course) and other times I will plop him down on my lap between my belly and my laptop and he will just chill there watching me browse through this forum.

i handle mine daily
he has never struck and never even hissed andnever rejected any kind of food whether its live or frozen

the only time i dont handle him is after he eats, i wait till the bulge is gone then i start handling him again haha

I can't REALLY say, considering I'll be getting 'im next week :D, but from the month I've almost lived at the breeders, this little guy does not mind being handled at all. I don't exacty think he enjoys it, but he's very chill about it all. Just lays around my neck, looking around until he's gotta go back into the tub (one to two hours) then he tries to slide right back out, onto me. Idk if he really enjoys it, or i'm just a good heater. Either way, I think as long as they don't stress, as much as you enjoy.

I perosonaly handle my corn at least a couple times a week if not daily. There are those times when you should not though, for instance when there shedding or right after they have eatin.

though my guy has a huge enclosure, when he is handled more and gets to come out and play on my back or the couch i notice that he seems less interested in possible ways of escape from the tank. when he is not handled as much he goes up and down over the edge where the doors meet and back and front in front of the door... so i guess ya some evidence that he likes being out

Handle them when needed. Handling them is a privilege to us and not to be mistaken as they like it. They learn to TOLERATE us holding them and thats how i base my handling.

my boyfriend likes to argue about whether they have 'feelings' or not. Snakes may not have the capacity to love, as they do not have the section of the brain to...i like to think they can at least like somethings...after all, aren't bp's picky eaters? they LIKE certain foods over others. meh. idk. rambling now.

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Originally Posted by rayann

though my guy has a huge enclosure, when he is handled more and gets to come out and play on my back or the couch i notice that he seems less interested in possible ways of escape from the tank. when he is not handled as much he goes up and down over the edge where the doors meet and back and front in front of the door... so i guess ya some evidence that he likes being out

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i see this in my biggest carpet, the jag and the pastel ghost ball python. don't take them out for a while and they do it constantly til they get some out of the cage time. I never saw it as they like being handled, more as they like being out of the cage. my lesser used to do it also, but once he got laid he really doesn't do alot of the things he used to lol

i try to handle mine at least once a day for about an hour, but here latly not so much cause of the weather and my house staying around 72.

every day as long as they will tolerate it one never wants to be put down the other 20 to 30 mins

Except for during digestion time, my kids and I have been handling ours daily. When we put them back in their cages, they seem to not want to go back in as they will wrap themsleves around our hands as if they are trying to hold on to us.

I handle mine on a daily basis, except when he has fed, or he's going into a shed cycle. I'll let him explore, with supervision, or he's just my computer and tv buddy, curled up in my lap:)

I handle mine once a week, sometimes once every 2. I don't think snakes like being handled and sometimes it's not there choice. But I try not to stress them out.

I handle Leon 1-2 times a day.

Mine are out everyday for an hour sometimes. And sense it's summer, on hot days they go for walks sometimes with me.

I take mine out five days a week, for 45 mins to an hour each day. I don't mess with them for two days after feeding.

Every day. She usually wraps my neck, puts her head in my hair behind my ear and sits there like that for as long as I'll allow her. Being out doesn't seem to bother her.

I usually take my ball out daily. Usually only around 15 minutes at a time. Ill slowly work to longer, but I have only had her just over a month

I'm definitely guilty of spoiling my pets, but I like to think I'm fairly practically minded when it comes to assigning emotions to their behavior.

I believe that my cats and my rats feel things like happiness, loneliness, and affection. I do not believe that my snakes are capable of emotion.

I baby talk to my snakes a lot, and I love them to bits, but I've never felt that they are emotionally attached to me, or that they particularly care whether I handle them or leave them be. That's why it's usually pretty easy for me to trade them away for different snakes.

Usually I handle them if I am cleaning cages, or spot cleaning, changing water, or if I am monitoring a particular animal's health. I used to have a particular ball python that I would hold while I watched a movie. He would appear to fall asleep, loosely coiled up in my lap or in my hoodie. Unfortunately I don't currently have any snakes that tolerate being out for such long stretches.

I'll chime in too... I handle my snakes daily, except during shed, or after they've been fed. My lesser doesn't mind. When I stick my hand in his tank, he comes out of his hide, and crawls up my arm on his own. Then he finds a warm spot on my neck, and hangs out there. I certainly don't think he's stressed. Never showed any indication. Never has any problems. Eats like a horse. The longest I've had to dangle prey in front of him was about five seconds.

My new butter bee came from a breeder, where I doubt she was handled much at all. My first attempts to handle her were rewarded with two bites. lol. So I gave her space, and time to cool off. Now that I've had her for a bit, she's still nervous when I pick her up, but she is gradually starting to calm down. I'm taking it slowly, and with time, I'm sure she will be just fine with it. She too eats without any issues, and hangs out in her hide, not crawling around freaking out.

To me, my snakes are beloved pets, the same as my cat or my African Grey. I'm not saying this to cause offense to anyone, as I'm sure everyone feels the same way... But I wouldn't own these animals to keep them in their rack or tank 24/7, just for the sake of having them, or breeding them. Though these are my first snakes in a while, I've owned plenty before, all of whom led healthy, happy lives, and only had to give them up because of circumstances in my life at the time. They were all handled on a regular basis, and never had any issues, save for an occasional feeding hiccup. Just my .02. :D

I handle every day that I can, considering I only have one ball python thats not a whole lot of handling a week. I feed on Sundays and I like to not handle on feeding day as it may stress her out. I also never handle Monday or Tuesdays, I tend to wait until Wednesday to handle her. So Wednesdays to Saturdays tend to be my favorite days of the week.

My room is not that cold and I set up a sheet on top of my bed for her to explore. I have some extra half-logs and branches (all disinfected) that I sometimes take out and put on the bed and she "loves" playing with them. She's in a 20 gal right now, so she doesnt get the opportunity to roam around on natural environments (wood), because all I can fit is two hides and a water dish. I try to only handle for 15 minutes at a time, but sometimes I get carried away and its probably around half an hour at the most.

I havent seen her ball up since the first week I've gotten her, and especially not when i handle her, and I agree with everyone else who posted. As long as your ball is eating regularly, you can gauge how much handling is OK.

I guess we will be the oddballs here. We don't really handle our snakes except every once in a great while. The extent of their regular handling is usually just a move from one tub to another while cleaning. They aren't social animals and they seem to be happiest when left alone.

i handle mine about 3-4 times a day never had a problem feeding and they dont show any signs of stress ball pythons are an addiction soon as you see a new morph u gota get it....same as handling for me soon as there nose is at the tub in the rack i gota get them out for a few mins lol

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Originally Posted by AK907

I guess we will be the oddballs here. We don't really handle our snakes except every once in a great while. The extent of their regular handling is usually just a move from one tub to another while cleaning. They aren't social animals and they seem to be happiest when left alone.

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x2 my reptile "pets" get handled only for maintence. be it cleaning medical or what have you.

I voted "more than a weeks time"

Sometimes I handle a bit on cleaning day but the most handling they get is usually when a friend or family member wants to see a snake.

I handle all 3 in my current collection daily except feed day and a day or 2 after and while in shed. Most the time they just hang around my neck and watch TV with us :P

I didn't know exactly how to answer. I check on each of them nearly everyday for spot checks and what not. I usually end up picking them up to see what going on but since I have over 10 BPs I usually only take them out for short periods of time, to not stress them out.

I handle Jack about 3 hours a day. Never refused a meal and he loves to be out of his cage. If I take his lid off, he comes out to say hello.

I handle after feeding and anytime during shed. Never had any issues.

Just fed him a 130 gram rat and he is helping me type this LOL

Besides the 2 days after she eats and when she is in a shed ,I handle my Borneo whenever the mood strikes me. I also think that it is a good idea to open her enclosure and just touch her so she stays used to me even if I don't pick her up. I pet my Borneo python like I pet my cat ....she is very laid back. She eats like a pig and has never tried to bite me...never hisses .....just a really cool python. Best birthday present I have ever gotten.

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Originally Posted by RoyalGuardian

Well if your snakes don't enjoy being handled then your doing something wrong. I don't know bout you but my snakes are actually quite cuddly with me. I get them out and play with them everyday (mood/eating/shedding permitting) but even in shed my babies have no issues with being fussed over or carried around. I take my snakes to the mall, out on walks, when I go fishing, hiking.. well basically whenever its warm outside they go with me. I have a very close bond with my snakes. I can tell when they are anxious or nervous and I know when its too much for them to handle. they say snakes lack the ability to love and I say that humans lack the ability to relate. Trust is love ya know. And love is trust.

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....LOVE what you said about trust being love ! ....super cool.

I try to handle mine every day, but he alwasy seems to slither away from me...

I handle mine almost daily. I don't handle for a couple of days after feeding unless necessary (better to be safe than sorry) and I won't handle them if they seem to be in a bad mood or just don't want the attention, which is pretty rare with mine lol

On a side note...when I woke up this morning for work and did my usual routine of checking temps/humidity, seeing if cages needed a quick cleaning, etc...they ALL wanted out and wanted attention! Made me 15 minutes late for work! :rofl::rofl::rofl:

My retic doesn't mind being held but she's way to active to hold for long periods of time. It's also a pain to try and get her back in her tank because when ever I put my arm in there to try and coax her off it, she goes back up my arm. It's a 3 minute effort to get her out, and a 10 minute effort to get her back in. Other than that I hold her daily.

I handle my BCI pretty much every day, sometimes multiple times. Dunno if she LIKES it, per se, but she definitely doesn't mind getting to explore and be a pain in the butt. :rofl: She likes to climb, but sometimes she forgets to hold on.

My Ball I only handle once every few days, mostly because she's been a fussy eater recently and I'm seeing if less handling makes her appetite better.

I hold my Jules every day (except the 48 hrs after feeding) for about 30mins to an 1 hour. He is an incredibly active snake that would rather explore than be held, but he doesn't seem to be the least stressed by the constant handling.

I'm hoping one day that he'll become lazy and sit on my neck during computing and homework rather than always trying to slither away.

I find it pretty sad that people wouldn't hold their snakes, why even have them?

Sometimes I feel guilty not holding them as much as I used to when I wasn't breeding.
Most of mine absolutely love to be held anytime I can take the time out to do so.