Do you handle your breeders?

So do you handle your breeders? I have heard mixed opinions about this.

So my poll question is if you handle your breeders or not, but I also want to know if you care for your breeders any differently than you do for your "pet" bp's? Do they get any special care? Does handling stress them out making them more hesitant to breed or is that a myth?

Everyone gets handled for cleaning and maintanance daily. They're all my pets even though I breed them. Everyone gets the same love and the same care. I've never been the type to handle mine for too long. So they don't seem to be bothered by the few min a day. Every once in awhile someone will get taken out for maybe 20 min at most. No one seems to have an issue with that either.


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Limited handling won't really make a difference...

Absolutely I handle my breeders, not for a long time and not every day but several times a week.
If you don't handle your breeders and sweet talk them into producing a bunch of babies for you your not doing your job...:)

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Does handling stress them out making them more hesitant to breed or is that a myth?

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It might some but mine absolutely love to be held and will fight to stay out, lol

Some of my friendliest snakes are my breeders. And occasional handling seems to make the neurotic ones gradually less neurotic, which seems to help with eating and I assume with breeding.

I don't handle them when they're actually locked, of course. Or if a girl is about ovulate, or getting ready to lay. Though my het lavender female was right back to being her usual outgoing, friendly self a week after laying.

I like to handle them all at least 3x a week. every other day clean tubs and work with them (when not in breeding season) just to help keep them tamed down a bit.

I dont feel right with keepin them locked in the cages so let them all out on different days. Its nice not haveing snakes that try to strike you everytime u walk by.

have my female het. albino out right now :)

I handle mine all the time and usually one will stay out for an hour or so a day. I have one female that at least twice a week I hold for an hour each time and she breeds great for me. I do not handle any snake the day before, of, or after feeding or when they are with another snake for breeding but other than that yea all the time they get held.

I agree with Jerry.. Love makes good stuff happen:) All of mine are pets first then breeders.

Multiple times a week I take them out to check for their waste or when changing their water, but not for long as many others have said. I picked "at least once a month", I was referring to actually taking them out a sitting on the couch or something similar with them.

I try to handle my breeders and hatchlings very little. They get the most love as subadults.

I will work with the aggressive ones a little bit more to break them.

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Originally Posted by Focal X

I try to handle my breeders and hatchlings very little. They get the most love as subadults.

I will work with the aggressive ones a little bit more to break them.

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x2

I handle them once a week just so that they stay used to me holding them. We have pets that we can play with often and keep ubber docile but for my breeders I just want them to be used to being held so that it is easier to clean them, especially if I have to bathe them for whatever reason. I just take them out for about 5 minutes, walk around with them while I do stuff and cycle through the collection.

Not handling your for sale hatchlings is doing your future customers a disservice imo.

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

Not handling your for sale hatchlings is doing your future customers a disservice imo.

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Curious as to why? A majority of my hatchlings are only with me for a few weeks, and in that time they are eating and acclimating to the new enviornment. Handling them more than once a week could cause undue stress IMO.

I keep hearing about this undue stress but I have yet to experience it with any of hatchlings I've produced.
Handling captive bred hatchlings causes stress? that's a new concept to me...:confused:

After they shed and have eaten 3-4 times they should be held several times a week imo, otherwise they remain scared of people, causing undue stress.

Ok yeah, you flipped that on me. I never said I didn't handle them. I said I limit my handling and this is usually during their first few meals before they are in their new home.

The stress point was in regards to their first few meals. Your post seems like you are saying hatchlings don't get stressed. This is new to me :confused: So if they aren't handled during these first few weeks they are doomed eternally from human affection? Mind you, I don't sit on my snakes for months so I think you are confused as to the point I am trying to make.

I handle my breeding females just like my other BPs during the "off season." Once they start breeding (Nov/Dec), I limit handling to what's necessary or the rare occasion until they lay and have regained most of their weight. Snakes don't miss you when you don't play with them, so I focus my attention on the younger ones during breeding season so my breeders can focus on getting the job done. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Focal X

Ok yeah, you flipped that on me. I never said I didn't handle them. I said I limit my handling and this is usually during their first few meals before they are in their new home.

The stress point was in regards to their first few meals. Your post seems like you are saying hatchlings don't get stressed. This is new to me :confused: So if they aren't handled during these first few weeks they are doomed eternally from human affection? Mind you, I don't sit on my snakes for months so I think you are confused as to the point I am trying to make.

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Sorry if that comment came across wrong, it was meant to be a blanket statement about not handling hatchlings, I wasn't specifically speaking of new hatchlings being held the first few weeks.

I agree with your statement on not handling them before they are eating well, we don't handle ours until they have had 3-4 meals in them, except to clean their tubs out of course :)
But after they eat 3-4 meals it's hands on several times a week or until they are sold.

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Originally Posted by Focal X

Ok yeah, you flipped that on me. I never said I didn't handle them. I said I limit my handling and this is usually during their first few meals before they are in their new home.

The stress point was in regards to their first few meals. Your post seems like you are saying hatchlings don't get stressed. This is new to me :confused: So if they aren't handled during these first few weeks they are doomed eternally from human affection? Mind you, I don't sit on my snakes for months so I think you are confused as to the point I am trying to make.

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Sorry if that comment came across wrong Nick, it was meant to be a blanket statement about not handling hatchlings, I wasn't specifically speaking of new hatchlings being held the first few weeks.

I agree with your statement on not handling them before they are eating well, we don't handle ours until they have had 3-4 meals in them, except to clean their tubs out of course :)
But after they eat 3-4 meals it's hands on several times a week or until they are sold.

I usually try not to handle my breeders more then once a week, or once per 2 weeks ;).

I handle all of my snakes regularly, breeders or not. Everyone gets picked up at least once a week for 10 minutes or so at a time. The exceptions are of course after feeding, or while being paired.

However, I want to say, while I handle mine regularly my husband does not. When there is need to handle a snake, mine are all calm and comfortable, his are stressed out and snappish. I believe it is important to handle your snakes on a regular basis to remind them people are not a bad thing.

Gale

I try not to bother my females too much. I don't worry about the boys though, the boys and the youngins get held when people come visit or want me to bring snakes for show and tell. The breeder girls stay at home/in their tubs pretty much all year. I would prefer not risking them getting sick or getting stressed out. Handling for short bits at home I don't have a problem with.