Didn't know where to post this

So this is more of a question i'd ask in a conversation than post on a thread, but since i don't know anyone in real life that owns a snake i thought i'd just ask on here. So basically i've tried holding my bp behind the head before just pretending it was venomous but ive noticed it actually is really hard to control its head. Idk if i'm doing it wrong or not but my ball python isnt even big so im just wondering if constrictors are harder to hold behind the head or something or if venomous snake handlers are just gripping on for dear life when they grab a snake behind the head? Obviously i didnt want to hurt my snake so i didnt grip her hard but it still surprised me how easy it was for her to wriggle herself out of my grip!

Snakes get very uncomfortable with being touched around their heads. Its natural that they would wriggle away. I wouldn't recommend holding any snake from behind their head. Give them a supported feel.

I totally understand your curiosity.

However, if you wish to practice this, please do this on a wild non venomous snake that you plan to let go.

Your BP is a pet. It needs to feels safe. Feeling safe is key with these guys. That's how you don't get bit or have handling problems.

Trust is part of feeling safe.

Save the head grabs for medical issues. :)

Gripping the snake behind the head can actually injure it if done incorrectly. Many/most conscientious snake wranglers these days only use snake hooks unless they absolutely have to hold it behind the head, such as for instances where you need to milk the snake for venom. There is absolutely no reason to do it to your pet, and as Reinz said, you're destroying the snake's trust by handling it roughly/unpleasantly.

I do touch my snakes on the head gently, to desensitize them to it, and help build their trust that hands by/on their heads means nothing bad will happen. I do this in case I ever need to hold their head for any reason, such as administering medication or removing a foreign object that might have gotten trapped in their mouth. Strudel is to the point where she will allow me to make a lose fist around her head and is still chill as a fall morning about all of it. You don't want your snake to be fighting you as soon as you get it out of the enclosure, so work to build a relationship with the animal and treat it with respect.

You might lose the trust of your pet bp if you keep trying to hold it's head.

All snakes get pretty uncomfortable when you touch their head, restraining it makes them freak out.

I got a bp from pet smart and I had a mite problem with him right away. So for a long time, when I handled him, I had to kind of man handle him to clean him with mite stuff and clean his cage and stuff. He is still pretty jumpy with me a year later and I'm still trying to slowly earn his trust back. At least he is mite free :).

Just don't do that to your bp, he might associate you with fear and danger and that's not good.

She was fully supported with my other hand. Obviously I know that isn't how you are supposed to hold them but i wanted to try it out and she was completely safe. I only tried it once, and the worst that would have happened is i get bit which isn't a big deal.

I get what you're saying but I was holding her by the side of the head and lightly at that. I wasn't restricting her breathing or anything, and tbh i'd rather know how to do it on my bp than learn on a wild snake. She seemed perfectly fine afterwards, she wasn't even struggling to get out of my grip. She was just doing her thing still trying to crawl around while i held her and it surprised me how easy it was for her to slowly get out of my grip.

Thanks everyone for all the comments though. I just got a bit defensive because it's not like i'm a bad owner or anything. I don't think i will be trying to hold her behind the head again though unless i have to because she is a really good temperament and i don't want to mess that up.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mysnakeislong

Thanks everyone for all the comments though. I just got a bit defensive because it's not like i'm a bad owner or anything. I don't think i will be trying to hold her behind the head again though unless i have to because she is a really good temperament and i don't want to mess that up.

---

Even if she gets snappy you should not use the two or three finger grip as if you were holding a hot snake ever, I've own many ball pythons that were/are snappy and have never even thought about using that. Being a former breeder of hot and an owner of a couple still. I don't even use that method with them unless completely necessary, and that's once in a blue moon. I can tell you that most hot owners use hooks, hook and tail, or the tubing method. Everyone here has mentioned the stress issue, that could result in her going off feed temporarily or permanently and you do not want that.

The one time I've ever held a snake behind the head other than applying meds was when I had to very quickly move a large wild rat snake; he was in a bad place, and I was wrangling him while simultaneously fighting off a pack of chihuahuas. Yes. A pack of chihuahuas. Plus there were people around who weren't very fond of snakes, and getting tagged in front of them just cements the idea that all snakes are dangerous.

They are very difficult to hold onto that way, and it isn't safe for you or the snake. If you try it with a wild one you run a pretty high risk of getting tagged or injuring the snake.

Sounds like an interesting story lol

Wow that is pretty cool, what hot snakes do you own? And yeah I know that i wouldn't try it on an actual hot snake but it was still a technique that i wanted to experiment with at least once.

I only have my Copperheads now. But I've owned everything from Copperheads to Rattlesnakes to Gaboon Vipers.

Wow that is pretty awesome. How did you end up getting venomous snakes?