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Taming help...
So before going to Hamburg last weekend, I read up on carpet pythons, knowing very well their reputations as aggressive snakes. But I also found several breeders that said this reputation was completely un-deserved and that the majority of carpets were very pleasant to keep and handle as adults.
Apparently I trusted them a little too much because I ended up with one seriously pissy 4-ft snake.
I bought the sub-adult as opposed to the hatchlings because, as the internet told me, most adults were calm. I handled her, and she was a bit energetic but not at all aggressive. The much smaller one I was looking at made to strike at me several times while I was looking at them. I don't want to be one of those people that gets rid of an animal because it bites, but at the same time, I just don't enjoy keeping animals I can't interact with. I'd hate to have to trade her down the line just because she's a little nippy.
I know the only trick to "taming" a snake is regular handling, but I'd like to do that with as little bodily harm as possible. I plan on getting her a PVC cage with the front door rather than the standard 40 gal aquarium she's in now, as well as a snake hook, but she still makes me rather nervous.
This is my first Morelia, in fact my first python that's not a ball, so I feel a little in over my head. Does any body have any tips on how to handle her so she can be a nice, docile snake I can really fall in love with?
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My girlfriend calls my JCP "sneaky" because as i open the cage her head comes out of the hide and right up to you hand,first time seeing it you think she wants to bite, but she's just nosey. Regular handling will deff calm her down, you don't handle carpets they handle you they are all over and love to see whats going on. you also have to realize the 40 gallon tank opens from the top just like predator would be coming down to them. get a snake hook and get her out of the cage and start handling her a little at a time 5-10 mins a few times a week then increase it as she becomes more calm.
hope it helps
tom
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My oldest and biggest carpet, Hazard, was a demon when I got her(baby). She came out of the sack striking at any and everything, even herself. I would hold her til she calmed down and if I got bit then I just got bit. I don't do the short handling cause to me if the snake take 20min to calm down and I only hold it for 10min then nothing was accomplished. I took her out everyday without a hook and held her til she would stop striking at everything.
Now she's just about 6ft and I can pick her up and ever put her around my neck with no worries. I also had another baby that I got a few months back that was the same way. Did the same thing with her and within a 2-3 weeks she stop striking. Hazard on the other hand, took close to 6 months. Out of my 12 carpets, only 2 has ever struck at me.
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Quote:
My girlfriend calls my JCP "sneaky" because as i open the cage her head comes out of the hide and right up to you hand,first time seeing it you think she wants to bite, but she's just nosey. Regular handling will deff calm her down, you don't handle carpets they handle you they are all over and love to see whats going on. you also have to realize the 40 gallon tank opens from the top just like predator would be coming down to them. get a snake hook and get her out of the cage and start handling her a little at a time 5-10 mins a few times a week then increase it as she becomes more calm.
hope it helps
tom
Yeah no, she definitely wants to bite XD She hisses and gets in the s-position and everything. I did realize the thing about coming in from the top as soon as I started doing it. I plan on getting her a PVC cage that opens from the front, as well as a hook.
Quote:
My oldest and biggest carpet, Hazard, was a demon when I got her(baby). She came out of the sack striking at any and everything, even herself. I would hold her til she calmed down and if I got bit then I just got bit. I don't do the short handling cause to me if the snake take 20min to calm down and I only hold it for 10min then nothing was accomplished. I took her out everyday without a hook and held her til she would stop striking at everything.
Now she's just about 6ft and I can pick her up and ever put her around my neck with no worries. I also had another baby that I got a few months back that was the same way. Did the same thing with her and within a 2-3 weeks she stop striking. Hazard on the other hand, took close to 6 months. Out of my 12 carpets, only 2 has ever struck at me.
Unfortunately this gal is not a baby by any means XD She's a year and a half old and about four and a half feet long. Not that I can't take a bite or two, but it's definitely not the same as taking one from a hatchling XD
Thanks for the advice, though, guys! I'm about to go order my hook and get on that.
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They aren't ball pythons so don't expect them to act like one.
My carpet will try to take my head off when I try to get him out of his cage... But once he is out he is conpletely fine. I just had to figure a way to get him out of his cage without getting bit.
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Re: Taming help...
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Originally Posted by SpartaDog
Unfortunately this gal is not a baby by any means XD She's a year and a half old and about four and a half feet long. Not that I can't take a bite or two, but it's definitely not the same as taking one from a hatchling XD
Thanks for the advice, though, guys! I'm about to go order my hook and get on that.
A bite from a 4½ft carpet isn't bad lol. If I had an adult snake that was feisty I would still do the same as I would a baby. Taming her down might just take longer cause of her age. Once she's in your hands just move slow and keep your hands under her and out of her eyesight.
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When I first got my JCP the thought went through my mind "what have I got myself into?" My male would try to strike at me from across the room. My wife and daughters would not go near him, haha. It took 6-8 months of handling to calm him down. When I took him out I would immediately start walking aroung the house. He is very inquisitive and walking around gave him other things to think about rather than focusing on me. If I stood still for too long and he figured out it was me he was perching on he would try and strike. That said, he NEVER bit, just lunged to scare the s%&* out of you. It was all a bluff. Now, 1 year later he is my favorite snake :) All his aggression has faded away. I hope yours will mellow out because they are really fun to handle compared to a Ball or Boa.
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Welp, she got me XD
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...ts/IJCP/44.jpg
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...ts/IJCP/43.jpg
My snake hook hasn't come in yet so I had to use a kitchen grabber thing. It probably saved me two or three more bites, at the least.
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The worst is over to say the least . . . the fear of getting bit is the major thing to get over, once you actually get bit it takes a good chunk of that fear away. ALWAYS hand with confidence, a snake knows this. When I first got my female JCP they would strike any time you opened their cage (10 gallon quarantine tanks) but as soon as I moved them into their real PVC homes, and just reached in and took them out confidently, they stopped striking within a week, and none of them actually ever landed a bite.
My male, Simba, is a terror and shows no signs of calming down. I have ample snake hooks and now I use one to get him out every time. Once he's out of the cage he is calm as long as his head is facing away from you. As soon as he turns around and sees your not his perch, he freaks out and strikes like crazy. He's bit quite a few times, but I still love him and work with him. Confidently and regularly.
Remember, the worst thing you can do is rip your hand back when a snake like this goes to strike. This shows fear, and gives the snake more power. Stay in there and just pick the darn thing up anyway! It will pay off in the end.
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Is dont know if this works for most snakes but like spmeome else mentioned before I too have a pissy snake and when I walk around holding him and moving him a lot he doesn't get as bitey as when I just stand still holding him.
Also when handling just try to keep the head away from you as best as possible. The best tip is to get used to being bit. Then it won't be as big a deal when it happens while you tame him. I know that might sound crazy but even a carpet that size bits aren't too big a deal unless you get it in the eye or something. It could take months and months for him to tame down depending in how bad he is right now. If you hold him for say 20-30 minutes how many times does he bite you?
Also you have to make sure that you don't put him back in the cage until he is calm. If he is biting you and you aren't waiting long enough and then put him back that will just teach him that if I bite enough they will put me down.
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Some snakes calm down, some don't. That can be true from carpets to boas to balls. But with regular handling, you'll minimize it at least. The best piece of advice I can offer is get over being scared. Once you start handling the snake with confidence it will help you and the animal.
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well a lot of options are out there, a hook, some gloves, where are you going for first. having dealt with some nasty bloods and very defensive water pythons. i found the going for the back third of the body first was less likely to get me tagged. using salad tongs is probably going to freak the out more. carpets are great animals but are nippy little cusses as babies, (at least the ones i have bred and dealt with in the past), but once settled are great. not sure on the set up you have for it, if it is a tub i would remove the whole tub and place on the floor or a counter. let the snake relax and start exploring then try to pick up. if a tank open the top and allow the same thing. once out read the snake from there. if it seems to be getting irritated then place it back in its cage, and repeat for longer periods of time until it is relaxed with you. you may only get about 5 mins at first, but the more frequent you do this the longer you can hold the snake down the road.
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Re: Taming help...
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Originally Posted by van_garret2000
Is dont know if this works for most snakes but like spmeome else mentioned before I too have a pissy snake and when I walk around holding him and moving him a lot he doesn't get as bitey as when I just stand still holding him.
Also when handling just try to keep the head away from you as best as possible. The best tip is to get used to being bit. Then it won't be as big a deal when it happens while you tame him. I know that might sound crazy but even a carpet that size bits aren't too big a deal unless you get it in the eye or something. It could take months and months for him to tame down depending in how bad he is right now. If you hold him for say 20-30 minutes how many times does he bite you?
Also you have to make sure that you don't put him back in the cage until he is calm. If he is biting you and you aren't waiting long enough and then put him back that will just teach him that if I bite enough they will put me down.
She literally bites me every chance she gets. So if I'm holding her with my bare hands, my hands would be dripping in blood by the end of 20 - 30 min. With a tool, up to 5 times, depending on how active she is and how close she gets.
I haven't done any socialization/taming handling yet because I want to wait until I have a hook and possibly gloves. There's an impenetrable mental barrier that's keeping me from sticking my bare hands in that tank. If I've got a little more protection, I'll be more confident with her. I only took her out that one time to clean her cage and weigh her. The hook should be here in a week or two so I'll start then.
As for the bites not being "too bad", that's what I'm worried about. I can take a hit anywhere on the arms. But she's as long as I am tall and she can EASILY land one on my face. Do. Not. Want. Even with the ~3 ft kitchen grabber thing she came pretty close.
I know eventually I'm just gonna have to suck it up and dive in. I've never been afraid of a snake before, but for some reason, this gal makes me really nervous. And I don't even know why because her bites are practically nothing, lol. Oh well.
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using salad tongs is probably going to freak the out more.
Lol, they weren't salad tongs. They were the tongs on the end of a pole that you use to reach things on high shelves. Like this: https://mobilityshopdirect.com/image...PR60220_30.jpg
Basically snake tongs without the strength, lol.
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Snake hook came in the mail today. Tried touching her and picking her up with it in the tank but didn't take her out. Got a sunburn on my arms and shoulders today so I was not looking forward to taking a bite there, lol.
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If you are worried about your face you could wear something for protection there. I have one snake that isn't always bitey but when he is he like to try and strike my face so I just slip on some goggles if he is getting defensive to keep them protected.
You will probably find that if you wear gloves he is just gonna try to strike your arms more instead of your hands but arm bites are always better then fingers anyways
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I was in the same boat as you when I got my DiamondxJungle girl Jimma. She was about a year old and four foot long when I got her back in October.
When anything would touch her she would strike. Didn't matter if she struck her self, me, or the side of the tub, she was hitting something. I started off with gloves and using the hook. First she would tense up from touching her with the hook and lash out towards me and I would just wait for her to try to "escape", and when she would start to head toward the back of the tub I would lift her with the hook and slide my hand under. At first she would still whip around and try and tag me but she has slowly gotten use to my touch. Once I noticed she wasn't real jumpy when I would go to pick her up, I stopped using the gloves. I now handle her at least twice a week and haven't had even a strike in about three months. A lot of action going on around her though, and she will still get pretty worked up and hiss.
Keep working with her and I'm sure she will come around. Hope she calms down for you at least as quick as my girl did. Oh, and don't forget we all love lots of pics. Good luck with her. :D
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