Handling your BP?

So I know that you don't want to handle your BP for 48 hours after a meal and maybe not during a shed, but what other things do you do? How do you "handle" them? I've read no more than a hour per day. What about having your kids handle them how to you do that? You just run them through your hands, lay in your lap???? I'm curious!


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When i "handle" mine i usually just hold them some, let them explore on the floor a little (while being supervised of course) and let them sit in my lap and stuff like that. I just kinda read them and see what they want to do, some of them seem to enjoy being handled while others want to just explore and do their own thing. (and others just want to hide under the furniture :P)

I mostly don't handle my bps. My daughter holds hers, but mine only get messed with during cleanings and such.

What about with multiple kids? Do you give each one day or some amount of minutes? Can't imagine it would be good for your kids to try and pass back and forth.


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Originally Posted by Gomojoe

What about with multiple kids? Do you give each one day or some amount of minutes? Can't imagine it would be good for your kids to try and pass back and forth.

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It really just depends on the snake, if you have a really laid back BP i wouldn't see anything wrong with it. I have a 400ish g male that i pass around to my friends and stuff when i take him out for cleaning. He is the calmest most curious BP I have and i've never even worried about him being held. He seems to enjoy it actually.

Sometimes my kids pass him back and forth. Plus he's the snake I pull out when people want to hold one. He usually slithers thru hands or around their neck and up or down their arms. He's really the only bp I have that gets handled almost regularly. My lesser male gets some attention, but only because he's my favorite :P

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Originally Posted by heathers*bps

Sometimes my kids pass him back and forth. Plus he's the snake I pull out when people want to hold one. He usually slithers thru hands or around their neck and up or down their arms. He's really the only bp I have that gets handled almost regularly. My lesser male gets some attention, but only because he's my favorite :P

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And I would also like to add that it depends on the kids. If the kids are pretty calm, I wouldn't worry at all. However if you have wilder/younger kids. It could stress the snake out more.

IMO, as long as your snake is eating regularly, handling can be done more frequently. No more than around 30 min per handling session and no more than once a day. Figure out the other details and rules with your kids, I dont see the problem in passing it around as long as theyre being careful and not fighting over it. That being said, keep handling sessions shorter at first if youre a new snake owner, and try to get a feel for how your snake is reacting to handling. If she is balled up the entire time and keeping her head tucked away, might be a sign she doesnt like handling. If she likes to move around alot and explore, then she probably doesnt mind as much. Always keep the snake's desires a priority before you or your kids' and you will be fine.

Do you handle if it looks like they are shedding? If not for how long?


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Originally Posted by Gomojoe

Do you handle if it looks like they are shedding? If not for how long?


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Its recommended to leave them alone during the shedding process as they tend to get a little antsy.

I try not to mess with my snakes while they are in shed. I have 4 wild caught females that are kinda pissy, double that pissy-ness while in shed, lol.

While in shed is when you tend to find snakes at their grumpiest. ( is that even a proper word? Lol )

I find they're much more interesting (and less grumpy) if I bring them out in the evening during their active time rather than during the morning or afternoon. I'll carry them around on my neck or in my hair/on a baseball cap. Ball pythons really like to perch on people's heads, no idea why. Better view up their?

Usually they'll climb down onto the table or desk if I'm working on my computer. I've got a wooden dowel laid from the table to the big bookshelf, and almost all of them with crawl over the "bridge" and start exploring the bookshelf. But eventually most of them will also make it down to the floor, and then I usually put them back before they get any bright ideas about making a run under the refrigerator or into a closet.

If you handle them in such a way that you're NOT paying attention to them constantly all the time, I STRONGLY recommend setting a timer or leaving yourself a big note reminding yourself that the snake is out and you need to put it away. Lost ball pythons are bad for you blood pressure.

K cause we just handled her but I realized the skin looked a little faded and her eyes had a slight haze to them. So if that is about shedding how long until I handle again?


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gomojoe

K cause we just handled her but I realized the skin looked a little faded and her eyes had a slight haze to them. So if that is about shedding how long until I handle again?

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Honestly most of mine don't mind being handled during shedding, however i think the oils on your skin can mess with them shedding maybe...?

Well I'm sure s/he will be hungry after they shed so feed and then wait a few days to handle.

If your snake doesn't need to eat after it sheds, then I don't see why you can't handle it after it sheds :)

"Hermes" and my Grand Kids...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVKc5labGcI

Handling..
http://youtu.be/FVKc5labGcI

More with the grand kids...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50HlLAvjx8g

Hermes was a classroom pet before I got him so he is very use-to being handled.