BP handling

I am looking for a general consensus of opinions from other fellow BP'ers. I have been told that you should really only handle your BP 3 to 4 times per week and only for 30min to 1hr. On the other hand, my wife has heard you should handle you BP daily a few times a day.
I just got our first BP a week ago so I am still very new to this realm of awesomeness. So what are others opinions out there? Should they be held as much as possible, or not too much at all during the week? What about when they are babies, juveniles, and adults?

Well, I personally believe it depends on the personality of your BP. When you first get your BP, you're going to want to wait until he has fed and is feeling comfortable in his home. After that, you're not going to want to handle for a day or two after feeding. If he is irritable during his sheds, leave him alone then too, but many BPs are fine during their sheds. Otherwise, you can handle your BP as often as you like without stressing him out. My baby is comfortable being handled just about everyday for any amount of time, and even seems to enjoy it--he is an active, silly guy. It's all going to depend on your snake.

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Originally Posted by Samii

Well, I personally believe it depends on the personality of your BP. When you first get your BP, you're going to want to wait until he has fed and is feeling comfortable in his home. After that, you're not going to want to handle for a day or two after feeding. If he is irritable during his sheds, leave him alone then too, but many BPs are fine during their sheds. Otherwise, you can handle your BP as often as you like without stressing him out. My baby is comfortable being handled just about everyday for any amount of time, and even seems to enjoy it--he is an active, silly guy. It's all going to depend on your snake.

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x2 for general opinion/statement.

There have been times where I handled mine almost every day in a given week for 30+ minutes a day and then not at all the next week. He does like being out of his enclosure to explore and look for new hiding spots in the living room or just hanging on the coffee table and sometimes tolerates sleeping around my neck. Every snake takes handling differently, sometimes they are good with it right off the bat while other times they take an eternity to settle into you having your grubby hands allover them. ;)

My BP has struck at me a few times and I'm thinking its because she gets handled several times a day. I try to convince the wife that but she just loves holding it lol. The day we brought her home she opened right up and was interested in everything. But a few days later she started to get a little attitude every now and then. But once she is being held she loves it and is constantly moving around on us and will even give me a massage lol. I also think there have been a few times when reaching I to the tank she let's us know she is done being handled for the day. Its probably because she is still young and is getting used to her new home. I was just curious if there is such a thing as too little or too much handling.

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Originally Posted by Ronin

My BP has struck at me a few times and I'm thinking its because she gets handled several times a day. I try to convince the wife that but she just loves holding it lol. The day we brought her home she opened right up and was interested in everything. But a few days later she started to get a little attitude every now and then. But once she is being held she loves it and is constantly moving around on us and will even give me a massage lol. I also think there have been a few times when reaching I to the tank she let's us know she is done being handled for the day. Its probably because she is still young and is getting used to her new home. I was just curious if there is such a thing as too little or too much handling.

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BPs are not aggressive snakes! If she has snapped at you already multiple times I would be concerned. She is telling you to back off.
If you have had her for just a week and haven't gotten through 2 or 3 successful feedings, she is most likely very unready to be handled especially as frequently as you are. She NEEDS time to get comfortable in her new home. Once that has happened she can start getting comfortable with you. I know you guys are anxious to hold her but I would back off. In the entire time I've had my baby and with all of the snakes I've come into contact with, I've only been bitten/lunged at once! Just once, at my own fault for reaching in after getting him into feeding mode by scenting a mouse.

Agreed. If she's snappy, she's stressed. Balls' first reaction is to hide. If she's striking, you're doing something wrong. Just leave her alone. When I get a new snake, I put them in their habitat and don't mess with them at all for a week. Then I feed and leave them alone for another 3-4 days and only after they're done digesting and if they seem relaxed and aren't going into shed do I even consider handling them. Not one of my snakes has ever tried to strike at me and the only one I've had that's tried to strike at all just didn't like my boyfriend and didn't want him to touch her. Never handle them for the first day or two after they eat. Leave them alone when they're shedding. Let the snake tell you when she wants to be handled.

Thanks everyone for your reply. We backed off a bit and she has calmed down a lot. In fact she hasn't tried to strike at all. And come to think of it the only time she got an attitude was right before we fed her. It had been 14 days since she last ate from the time we got her to the next week when she fed. Wondering if she saw pissy because she was super hungry. I also put her into a better tank with better places to hide. Sucks being new to something but hey, gotta learn somehow lol.

I'm glad everything is going better (: the time to relax in her new home and feeding have probably helped quite a lot. You'll have to keep us updated on her personality! Some snakes are just more feisty, while mines just a bit goofy

Yep it sure did help! In fact when we go into reach for her she doesn't even really ball up anymore. When she is out she is either trying to explore everywhere or hangs around my neck or arm giving me a nice massage:D. Speaking of massages, why do they do that?

I handle Indie pretty frequently but not on the few days after he's been fed. nobody likes being poked and prodded on a full stomach. He's a big ham and frequently falls asleep (I'm assuming since he doesn't have eyelids) around my neck or in my lap while i'm studying. A non-stressed BP is always fun to handle. Also, I love the massages too. best snake talent ever.

BPs are pets.

30 minutes is a good handling session. You should do 30 minute sessions at least 3 times per week.


Leaving the animal alone for extended periods of time will not calm it down, it will do nothing. BPs dont get tamer if you do not handle them. Do not care about getting bit. If you get punctured, forget about it and keep on with your routine.

Leaving them alone for 3 days makes sense, sometimes.

EDIT: do not handle them daily, do not handle them several times per day, they can get stressed and stress will impact their health. I say 30 minutes+, 3 times a week, meaning 3 big sessions per week, is nice. Leave it alone for the rest of the week, consistently.

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Originally Posted by Ronin

Yep it sure did help! In fact when we go into reach for her she doesn't even really ball up anymore. When she is out she is either trying to explore everywhere or hangs around my neck or arm giving me a nice massage:D. Speaking of massages, why do they do that?

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Far as I know and from my own experience this massage is the result of a snake who is merely trying to hold on tightly to it's perch/branch i.e. ur hand/arm. When I first brought my baby home she would do this with EVERY handling and I loved it! I was afraid of snakes when I bought her so I was very slow and deliberate while handling her. Accompany the slow and steady state of mind with mini hand massages and you have a brand new therapy! haha

I digress, my best guess is she just wasn't used to being held or picked up and being that high off the ground made her nervous enough to keep a tight grip as she worked her way around my hands and wrists. She doesn't do it anymore :( and I miss it, but spending time w/her will always be therapeutic! I'd like to hear what others think of this. I'm new to BPs so there could be more too it and I wouldn't know.

Snakes do not like to fall, if they squeeze your arm or leg really hard then they just want to have a grip to avoid falling. Squeezing your arm or leg is not hostile, just accept it. It will not harm you, not even when one of your hands goes numb. Blood stream can be interrupted to a limb for extended periods of time without consequence, just dont allow a constricting snake to go around your neck.

I just recently watched some videos about handling green anacondas, being aquatic snakes these really hold on firmly when they are up in the air. Hands really go from normal color to white or red as they hold on. Even the most peaceful anaconda that will never bite you or try to hurt you will squeeze really hard when you handle it.

If they squeeze you, just let them, consider it a hug, its normal, they do not want to fall and when you handle them they feel like being in a big tree, up in the air.

Anyway, BPs are sensitive to stress, dont disturb them too often. 3 extended handling sessions per week are totally fine and if done correctly will make the snake super tame, but in between a BP wants to be left alone.

I handle mine every other day or when I'm cleaning the enclosure out. I've noticed my BP rather stay out on my hand then go back in the tub after handling so It must enjoy it.

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