our first day together

okay so since this is my thread, i want to change the subject... once again :P

i'm very nervous when i go to pick up dexter. my son picks him up for me and once he's out of the viv i'm okay holding him. any suggestions on how to pick him up in his viv? i'm guessing i'm just being silly... but i've always been terrified of snakes and when i see him laying in his hide... it makes me afraid to bother him.

so, how do you pick up your baby snakes? just grab ahold of their belly or scoop under their whole body with your hand....

They're usually in their hides, so I just lift the hide up off of them, stroke their side gently so they know I'm coming, and then grip them by the mid body and lift. Once they're in the air, I support more of them with my other hand. Voila! Hand-held snakes. :)

Yep, that's pretty much the way I do it too. It works for my son's Sonoran gopher snake too, but he is usually alot squirmier once you pick him up.

The snake, I mean, not my son.

Funny but over the years I've been bit more by my kids than the snakes....odd that! LOL

We do basically what Cody does. Take the hide off slowly, gently reach in for a little stroke down the spine of the snake, gives them notice we are about to lift them out of their home, then remove and support their body. We do this even if they are out of their hide just so it's a routine they can learn. Reach, stroke, lift, support....even Brannagh the Brat is coming to know this routine. Just be deliberate and slow in your movements so you don't startle Dex.

Even with the most nicely tempered snake you are doing to get hissed at, jabbed at or nipped (tagged as the snake folks call it) someday. It's just part of owning snakes and isn't anything to really worry over. All you can do is minimize the reasons which are normally driven by fear, defensiveness or a hungry snake going for something warm coming his way. They just aren't domesticated pets when all is said and done.

I was actually glad when Brannagh finally tagged me as it was so minor compared to what my fear of it was (FEAR = false evidence appearing real).

One of the best bits of wisdom that Adam shared I think is to form habits and routines and stick to them with ball pythons whether it's feeding, handling, whatever. It seems to make everything run smoother and the snakes know in a basic way what to expect from life.

If you are nervous right now, then pop on a set of gloves to get Dex out. Then when you know he's relaxed, slip them off. Heck I'm not a weenie but I wouldn't think of handling our Brannagh gloveless yet myself, though she's getting better every day LOL.


~~Jo~~

i was thinking about this last night and thought... isn't it funny how something so simple in theory (hey you gonna pick up your snake?) can actually become something larger when you don't know how to do it...

thanks to you all, i think i'm going to do fine. so, later this evening... i'll be the one picking dexter up for some cuddling (odd word to use regarding a snake LOL) - i'll keep ya posted!

well i did it. i'm very proud of myself cause i was soooo nervous. i put on my glove cause i kept trying to pick him up and he would slither into another hide!!! and i was bound and determined to hold him...

so i put on my glove and i picked him up and we have some nice time together. he almost slipped off my arm twice... but i caught him both times... he's just learning how to explore LOL -- so all in all... i give me a 8 out of 10 for bravery and just simply doing it!!!

Well done :) And I think snakes do seem to be cuddly just like any other pet (yes I know they only see us as a perch really :D ) Mine seems to enjoy it mostly except when's she's in hungry hunting mode then she's constantly in motion. She was just sat on me last night curled up with everything but her head and tailtip under my shirt keeping warm and snuggly.

Yeah they're definitely cuddly, whether they know it or not. :P Yesterday when I woke up, I noticed Ace was out of his hides exploring a bit, so I went and got him out for a bit and laid in bed while he slithered around. He checked out the bed for a bit, then slithered over and curled up next to me. I was like "awww, I know he's just there because I'm warm, but still...awww". :D

:D I'm not the only one who takes pets to bed then :D

And we humans make much safer warm surfaces to rest on than hot rocks ...