Another ??

Hey all.. well tonight well today will make 5 days having my BP :) and i thought about maybe trying to hold him in about 2 or 3 more days since he seems like he alright with his environment. Can you all give me advice on how i should reach in and get him and if hes in a ball how would i go about getting him and how do they act before they seem like there going to strike:weirdface.

Thanks all

When I first got mine out he pretty much stayed balled up. After 2-3 handlings he began moving some and now he'll just relax and move a little, even the body feels different.. at first he felt super tense and now he feels loose and relaxed. Personally I grab a few inches behind the head making sure not to obstruct their view and/or move quickly in front of their face. They are more likely to strike when their neck is in an S shape...

I doubt he'll strike, but if you're worried about it, don't hesitate. Just reach in there and grab him; if you hesitate, you look a little more like a prey item. I have to be quick with my kingsnake, he's a crochety little guy who always thinks he's being fed :P If he curls up, just hold him in your hands steadily, and let him uncurl himself. Move slowly and be gentle, and soon enough he'll trust you completely. :)

if hes hiding lift up the hide slowly so u dont scare him. touch ur rub so he knows u arent a threat. he'll move a lil bit but dont worry about that. grab him so u can support most of the weight, but work ur fingers under him before lifting up. once he is in ur hands let him get used to ur scent. if u sit n he is on ur lap then put one hand under his head and one hand over and try to make it dark. it will feel secure and smell like u. i did that n i have never been bitten or struck at. also, if u do get bit it wont hurt from what i have seen n heard and do not pull away.

and be careful of moving fast near their head or touching there head. they get scared n they dont like their head being touched

If this is a new snake i suggest not holding till he eats consistently for you before forcing holding on them.

Keep in mind holding is a Luxury not a necessity as its an inconvenience to them



TO pick them up just be sure to alert them of your presence of touching them with something or tapping on their hides which lets them know your there

Rub his body bout mid way down so he knows you aren't food. Fully support his body when you pick him up. Has he eaten yet for you? If not I would wait til he has eaten as he may be hungry and he is in a new home.

I usually make some noise and talk to them when I first open up the cage so they wake up. Then I just pet them a little on the back....(not by the head). Then pick him up slowly.....I usually rest them on my chest at first or I put a big blanket down and lay on the floor with them. Putting them right by my side.

Don't be worried about the biting......you will be fine!!! When they are getting ready to they usually form kind of an S and lift up their necks. My Butter does this all the time. It is like a battle of the wills.....I just laugh and pick her up....she has never bitten me. She is ALL talk...so to speak. ;)

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Originally Posted by bman123

Rub his body bout mid way down so he knows you aren't food. Fully support his body when you pick him up. Has he eaten yet for you? If not I would wait til he has eaten as he may be hungry and he is in a new home.

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No he hasn't eaten yet. I removed him the other night into a separate tank and he didn't eat i gave him 30 mins so i put him back in and left him along. i will try next Thursday or Friday again to see if he wants to eat

You don't need to use a second enclosure for feeding! This causes added stress and some will not eat! Try to feed in his home enclosure! Also handling causes stress and it should not be handled for a couple of weeks once you get it eating a few times! You need to check your temps and have good hides and cover the sides and top for added security!

ditto...stop feeding in the different enclosure....you will get more refusals that way

Ok thanks yea I will stop feeding in a different enclosure and give that a try. I just hope he wont mistaken me for food LOL later on thanks all

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Originally Posted by omega45820

Ok thanks yea I will stop feeding in a different enclosure and give that a try. I just hope he wont mistaken me for food LOL later on thanks all

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Thats all a myth, they will never mistaken you for food so dont worry.

Yeah I have always heard it was a matter of personal preference as to whether to feed in a seperate enclosure, and not really a set in stone rule either way. Myself I always just feed in the same enclosure

Yeah, I don't think he'd ever mistake you for food. They hunt by heat signatures and smell, right? You're hand won't broadcast the same heat signature as a mouse, and unless you've been handling one recently you won't smell like one, so I wouldn't worry about it. And really, the anticipation of being bitten is far worse than the bite itself, especially when they're little. It hardly hurts at all and barely bleeds.

My Spider was a poor feeder. Luckily, the place I got him from is amazing, and when I went in to get him another mouse to try, and they asked how he was doing and I said not eating, they said to bring him back and they'd put him in a nice, dark, little, humid tub until he started eating. It took about a month and he still feels squishy, but he's a garbage disposal now :D Getting the perfect, dark place for him is a long way in the right direction.

Be patient and gentle, and good luck! :)

Alright ill just try that. Ill give him a couple more days without being bothered and try again in his tank maybe he will eat and hopefully he isnt going on strike and not eating LOL

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

If this is a new snake i suggest not holding till he eats consistently for you before forcing holding on them.

Keep in mind holding is a Luxury not a necessity as its an inconvenience to them



TO pick them up just be sure to alert them of your presence of touching them with something or tapping on their hides which lets them know your there

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If you are trying to feed them not in their enclosure your going to have to hold him. I do not like feeding them in my enclosure because than they will get used to thinking that everytime that you are in their cage that your feeding them. This is when tagging is more prevalent.

Age of your bp also factors in if they are a little "snippy." Chances are your bp by now is probably used to his enclosure. Some bps are little finky, but thats why its important you handle your bp before you decide to get them.

I would just simply, move the hide box that he is in, see how he responds. If he balls up quickly (which is 100% normal), you can just take a few secs if you want to and just watch him unravel himself. You can just pick him right up and let him unravel in your warm hands.

Theres no real make or break with a bps. If you got a nippy little bp than chances are that your going to get tagged one way or another. jp. I have 9 bps and haven't got tagged yet. Usually tagging occurs because ppl feed in their enclosure, not because of handling and they don't like you. lol.

I find it funny to consider handling them as an inconvenience to them. Sounds like someone is making it sound like its a chore for them to be out and about. My snakes enjoy being out of their enclosure roaming about. The point of having a pet is to enjoy it not only visual, unless its a fish. lol.

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Originally Posted by musicalKeyes

I doubt he'll strike, but if you're worried about it, don't hesitate. Just reach in there and grab him; if you hesitate, you look a little more like a prey item. I have to be quick with my kingsnake, he's a crochety little guy who always thinks he's being fed :P If he curls up, just hold him in your hands steadily, and let him uncurl himself. Move slowly and be gentle, and soon enough he'll trust you completely. :)

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DO NOT EVER DOUBT A STIKE!.. thats what people told me with my bp.. well my 2nd and 1st bp.. my 1st bp has never tried to bite me... but after what happend wit my 2nd i always keep an eye on them lol..

my 2nd bp after having her for about 3 weeks.. this would have been about the 2nd or maybe 3rd time having her out in that 3rd week...

i had her on the floor.. everything going good.. she had only been out for 5 min.. and well she was getting to hyper to keep on the floor.. (didn't want her to get away).. so i tried picking her up.. and she swung around and tried biting me!

she had never tried this b4.. and i was kinda in shock lol..

but yeah... don't doubt a bite...

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Originally Posted by omega45820

Can you all give me advice on how i should reach in and get him and if hes in a ball how would i go about getting him and how do they act before they seem like there going to strike:weirdface.

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Originally Posted by omega45820

No he hasn't eaten yet. I removed him the other night into a separate tank and he didn't eat i gave him 30 mins so i put him back in and left him along.

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How did you get him into and out of the feed tank?

I got him out with a snake hook LOL ...still weary about being bitten. Not afraid of the bite just the 103 MPH swing to get me hehe. that night before i was sticking her back in after feeding i had gloves on and i thought well im going to see if i can put him in my hand and well i almost got him in my hand and he swung to bite me so i just put him back in since i figured he was stressed from trying to be fed