Handling after feeding?

Is there a general rule for how long you should wait to handle your ball after it eats? While I have you guys here how long should I wait to handle them after you bring them home? I brought him home yesterday around 10 AM. Fed him a hopper about 10:30. And left him alone since. He has explored his cage a few time but for the most part has stay curled up on the hot side of the cage. Would like to handle him for a few minutes before I go to bed of possible but don't want to stress him because of all the recent changes. Please inform me ball python gods lol.

I typically wait at least 48 hours to handle them, meaning picking them up for long periods of time, not just moving them to clean etc.

Depends on the rodent size and animal as well.

Hope that helps :-)

I wait a day or two after feeding. After bringing them home, I wait a week to handle. I'd say look at him but leave him alone. :)

A WEEK!!!!! I can't wait a week. That's like buying a new car and having the dealership park it in your driveway and not giving you the keys. A week. I don't like you much right now pariahdog lmao.

Lol Yes it is similar but, if you dont give a new snake at least a week it wont be as comfortable as it should, and thats what you want to be able to handle, as far as handling after a meal i always wait at least 48 hours.
Some new snakes will adjust faster, some will go slow

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Originally Posted by hunterr24

A WEEK!!!!! I can't wait a week. That's like buying a new car and having the dealership park it in your driveway and not giving you the keys. A week. I don't like you much right now pariahdog lmao.

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Lol. The car probably isn't scared and shy like the snake is. :P I know its hard to wait but your snake will thank you for it.

Yeah I know. The snake is probably like why is this freaking guy always staring at me.

I'm guilty of staring at any new snakes too. It never gets any easier. Lol

Here is how it should work. Yesterday was Saturday. You fed your snake too soon. You should wait exactly one week to feed your snake. SO you should have and still should feed your snake next Saturday. IF he eats you can then handle him on the Monday following. IF he did not eat you are going to have to wait five more days. So that means try to feed him Thursday and if he eats, you can try to hold him that Saturday.

You should not handle your snake the day of feeding and the day after. So you feed him once a week every Saturday, you should not hold him Saturday and Sunday. On Monday you can hold him.

He's been eating Saturday morning since he was born. How is that to soon? Don't want to mess with his routine if that's when he looking for food.

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Originally Posted by hunterr24

He's been eating Saturday morning since he was born. How is that to soon? Don't want to mess with his routine if that's when he looking for food.

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I would have waited a week before feeding after bringing him home, but its fine if he ate. Hopefully he eats that well all the time!

When picked him up from the pet store he had that where's my mouse look so I bought one just cause he looked like he wanted it. I left the mouse on top of the cage for 30 minutes and he could here the mouse scratching and was looking for it so I gave it to him. Took all of about three seconds to coil it.

I have two snakes. When I got them, I left each of them alone for a solid week except to change their water out for fresh. My girl was supposed to be fed the day after I got her but I held off until the next week so I could get them both on the same schedule. Now they both eat on Thursday night and I leave them alone for 48 hours. If they poop, I do move them and quickly replace the paper towel but that's it. I don't want poop sitting in the tub for 48 hours lol

I didn't have to go about it that way. Both my snakes are super chill and my albino boy, he has not one ounce of shyness. He's always exploring and raring to go... But I gave them the week to settle in. I imagine going from one environment to another is pretty stressful for the little things and I wanted them to get used to their home and me without messing with them.

IMO it's not necessarily "waiting" for a certain amount of time, it is doing your part to manage your snake's stress level to keep it happy and healthy. It takes time to learn how your snake reacts, and how much time it needs to itself to perform various functions, primarily digestion, always err on the side of leaving it alone, and be gentle as you learn it's personality. A friend's big red tail boa will eat anything, never regurges, doesn't stress much at all from handling, and his 6x2x2 vivarium is in a quiet spot of the house, but gets really cranky in shed. He moves the boa into a feeding tub, and back into the cage soon as the lump moves past the throat. The rule for him is wait to handle for "fun" the day after feeding, no problem moving to feed or clean, but don't handle at the first sign of blue, and wait a few days after a shed is complete, and it works out well.

A BP(captive hatched normal back then) I had in highschool 20 years ago got stressed really easily from fast movement when handling or in the room, would ball up and regurge easily, and was spooked to ball up and refuse to feed even by "zombie dancing" too aggressively. I had to wait a week or two after getting him before he would come out of the hide at all, tried once or twice after a few days, and he just balled up tight. It relaxed with me over time, but had to wait at least 2 days to handle after feeding, fed in the cage, no handling and put a curtain around the cage at least a day before feeding to make him feel secure.

The Enchi Bee I have now(several generations captive bred) is nowhere near as shy, rarely balls up, and cruises around confidently when handling after a few minutes. She relaxed, could be handled, and fed a couple days after bringing her home. She feeds like a light switch, on-or-off, either takes prey right away most of the time, or won't touch it, I can move her into or out of a feeding tub, move her in shed, after feeding, or most any time to clean the cage or change water without any issues. She does get jumpy though and will strike up to a day after feeding, and can strike or move nervously fast if I was just handling my dog or cat, have noticed it, but not to her degree with other snakes, seems to have a stronger feeding response than most BPs. Like my buddie's boa, I can move her when needed most any time, but wait a day after feeding before handling, wash my hands before handling if I have been playing with another pet, and don't handle when in peak blue, or during the actual shed unless I need to.

I feed whenever the next scheduled feeding day is for the rest of my collection. I have offered prey the same day as I have gotten some. Either they eat or they don't (and most do.). I leave it up to them. If they eat they are obviously comfortable enough.

I just got my BP last Wednesday, and he is used to eating on Monday, according to his breeder. I am feeding him tomorrow, but have handled him some since I got him home. I like to leave them alone for at least 24 hours after eating before handling. I've had one snake (a BCI) throw up on me one time because I handled her too soon after eating, and it wasn't at all pleasant, for either one of us.

Well, he already ate, although the general rule is give them a week after bringing them home (I gave monty 2 days because she was a rescue and they didn't know when she was fed last). Feed, let them be for 48 hours, then you can handle. Handling after feeding can cause regurgitation which is really bad. Think about it, you fed him yesterday, only one more day to go!

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Originally Posted by Saber402

I feed whenever the next scheduled feeding day is for the rest of my collection. I have offered prey the same day as I have gotten some. Either they eat or they don't (and most do.). I leave it up to them. If they eat they are obviously comfortable enough.

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I always try to feed the first or second day (unless I know they just ate), just to see where they are at.

My general rule is 48 hours. I've never experienced a snake regurgitating after being handled at least 48 hours after a feeding.