How to gain more confidence....

How do I gain more confidence with handling my BP? I've always been a littler nervous around snakes however I have always found them to be so beautiful and interesting and I have always wanted one so my wife bought us a 1.0 Coral Glow "Sunny" who is now about 6weeks old and 100g. I don't have an issue picking him up from his enclosure and holding him for a few minutes however now he is getting more comfortable and doesn't stay in a ball. He is starting to explore and be more active when I handle him and this is when I get a little uncomfortable and I guess nervous about him biting me even though he has never struck at my wife or I. He use to hiss when we would grab him from his enclosure however he doesn't really do that anymore in the 3 weeks i've had him. Any tips on overcoming this nervousness and being more comfortable?

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/1qvrwwz.jpg

I have a Banana/CG that is named "Bad Attitude Banana" BAB for short. He was SUPER defensive, and would strike at anything when he was younger. I never owned a defensive/aggressive snake before so I would always be a bit nervous picking him up and letting him roam around my hands/lap. Eventually he settled down and stopped his nipping, but it took months!

Your nerves might be a lot like BAB (and other nippy snakes), where it just takes time with your animal to feel comfortable.

I highly recommend hook training. Before you reach in and grab him just rub him with a snake hook (or something similar) to make sure he's awake and let him know you're there. Then just keep the hook between his head and your hand and reach in and gently lift him out of his enclosure. Generally, most snakes aren't going to bite once they're out of their enclosure unless there is a sudden fast movement or something that startles them. Most snake bites are going to happen when you initially reach in to pick them up, but they will be fine once they're out. I'm sure there are nippy Ball Pythons just like any other species or any other kind of animal, but generally you don't have much to worry about with Ball Pythons. They are much more docile, shy and timid and less "aggressive" than most other species.

That is a GORGEOUS snake! Congrats! If he's 100 grams , let him tag you once. You'll realize a mosquito bite is more annoying!

Congrats on your new snake!! :snake:

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Originally Posted by bhsurf4

That is a GORGEOUS snake! Congrats! If he's 100 grams , let him tag you once. You'll realize a mosquito bite is more annoying!

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You beat me to it. My suggestion was going to be to go visit a friend that has a defensive snake and take a bite. As long as the friend's defensive snake isn't a 10+ foot animal, you will find out that even if you do get tagged, there is nothing to it. Then with this knowledge, your nervousness will go away.

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Originally Posted by Aedryan Methyus

I highly recommend hook training. Before you reach in and grab him just rub him with a snake hook (or something similar) to make sure he's awake and let him know you're there. Then just keep the hook between his head and your hand and reach in and gently lift him out of his enclosure. Generally, most snakes aren't going to bite once they're out of their enclosure unless there is a sudden fast movement or something that startles them. Most snake bites are going to happen when you initially reach in to pick them up, but they will be fine once they're out. I'm sure there are nippy Ball Pythons just like any other species or any other kind of animal, but generally you don't have much to worry about with Ball Pythons. They are much more docile, shy and timid and less "aggressive" than most other species.

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Another way besides "hook training" is to make sure your snake gets your scent (& don't handle rodents first, LOL!) I've always had long hair & have used it for this (dangled it to where the snake can sniff & realize I'm not incoming food), or you can use a sleeve from a worn shirt (same way), or for many snakes, just by blowing air across your hand into their direction (from a safe distance when your snake is "hoping for food"), you'd be surprised how fast most snakes "get it" and back off. This identifies you both as NOT FOOD, and as someone they know isn't a threat (ie. unknown predator) heading their way. I've known an awful lot of snakes...I find they appreciate not being startled & being given this information. They don't like being scared any more than we do....this is just good "snake manners".

Hook training is similar, but instead of scent, you are "talking" to their sense of touch. Both ways work. And you can do both if you want. Most snakes get
more relaxed in time, they seem to learn to trust us, just as we learn to trust them. Try to imagine how they feel: nearsighted (not identifying you or anything by vision; they are attracted to motion thinking it might be food, & instinctively they must be ready at all times to grab prey in order to survive) and deaf (they feel bass notes only) and WAY smaller than us. Remember: the only thing that normally picks up a snake in nature is a predator that's about to EAT them...so be patient & do everything you can to convey they are safe with you. A little patience & "communication" makes for a calm pet snake.

Sounds like he was scared and is now curious. That's good!

You could hook train, and I do with my Female Boa (BCI) Behira. However, I've never had to with a BP. Anything that's going to be really big or is aggressive or has a strong food response (Behira has a very strong food response and is going to be big). Shayna, my BP, hissed at me when she first go comfortable in her tank when I first got her (about 200G). I called her bluff and picked her up. She did it three days in a row and never has since.

My advice is to support his body well, don't make any sudden movements, and let him get used to you and being handled more. Sounds like he is moving that way.

I also don't mess around when taking my snakes out. In other words, I don't show hesitancy. If Shayna is in her tank and I go in to pick her up, I do that. I don't get wishy washy. Some people put their hand in, take it out, move it around, and are afraid to just grab the snake. I think that makes it more likely to get a defensive bite. You can be sturdy and supportive and control the snake while stilling being gentle. That's the goal.

If you want to hook train, that would work, but 99% of the time, BP's don't need that. Feel free to ask how to do that if you are unsure. It's worked wonders with Behira.

Also, snake bites in general, and certainly with a BP, are more startling than painful! Behira nailed me a few months ago (hence the hook training now) hoping I was a rat. A) I barely felt it and her head is easily as big as Shayna's is and Shayna is full grown. It drew blood but really wasn't painful. B) It just caught me off guard.

Also, I always feed at night with the lights off. During the day, even Behira (usually) is not expecting food. She does expect it at night though! You definitely do not want the snake thinking you are or could be food.

Sounds like you are on the right track and keep us in the loop and let us know if you have any other questions.

You guys are awesome, Thanks

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Originally Posted by Bistem

You beat me to it. My suggestion was going to be to go visit a friend that has a defensive snake and take a bite. As long as the friend's defensive snake isn't a 10+ foot animal, you will find out that even if you do get tagged, there is nothing to it. Then with this knowledge, your nervousness will go away.

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This is what i'm thinking. The unknown is the scariest part. I mean he has never really showed aggression other than hissing in the beginning when trying to pick him up however now he doesn't really do it. I think things are going great since he ate F/T the first time for me, has had 2 successful feedings and his first giant poop that unfortunately my wife had to deal with since i was at work haha. I just want that first tag out of the way lol. I work in surgery and have had a surgeon accidentally stab me with a scalpel which i know is 100x worse than what the snake can do

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Another way besides "hook training" is to make sure your snake gets your scent (& don't handle rodents first, LOL!) I've always had long hair & have used it for this (dangled it to where the snake can sniff & realize I'm not incoming food), or you can use a sleeve from a worn shirt (same way), or for many snakes, just by blowing air across your hand into their direction (from a safe distance when your snake is "hoping for food"), you'd be surprised how fast most snakes "get it" and back off. This identifies you both as NOT FOOD, and as someone they know isn't a threat (ie. unknown predator) heading their way. I've known an awful lot of snakes...I find they appreciate not being startled & being given this information. They don't like being scared any more than we do....this is just good "snake manners".

Hook training is similar, but instead of scent, you are "talking" to their sense of touch. Both ways work. And you can do both if you want. Most snakes get
more relaxed in time, they seem to learn to trust us, just as we learn to trust them. Try to imagine how they feel: nearsighted (not identifying you or anything by vision; they are attracted to motion thinking it might be food, & instinctively they must be ready at all times to grab prey in order to survive) and deaf (they feel bass notes only) and WAY smaller than us. Remember: the only thing that normally picks up a snake in nature is a predator that's about to EAT them...so be patient & do everything you can to convey they are safe with you. A little patience & "communication" makes for a calm pet snake.

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I have thawed out his mice in the fridge the night before and then before feeding place it in a cup of hot water for a few minutes to get it warm, then i use forceps to grab it and feed. Then I don't handle/bother the snake at all the next day. This way the mouse scent isn't on me at all.

When i pick him up I always try to do it from the back side and never approach his head.

Did I mention how gorgeous that snake is? I thought I had my mind made up on my next one (albino black pastel) but good god, that one you have blows my mind!

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Originally Posted by bhsurf4

That is a GORGEOUS snake! Congrats! If he's 100 grams , let him tag you once. You'll realize a mosquito bite is more annoying!

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As good as it would be to be able to learn that their bites typically don't hurt much (a papercut is worse) I wouldn't intentionally let the snake tag you. You risk the snake losing teeth and potential infection. Just not worth it. The snakes well being needs to come first.

It's really just about gaining confidence in yourself and learning to learn the animal's body language.

Make slow, calculated movements, with confidence. Avoid going downward with your hand towards the snakes head, don't look like a predator attacking from above.

If you're nervous, the snake will pick up on that, and will in turn be nervous itself.

You'll be fine, just work at a pace that is comfortable for you and your snake. BPs are an extremely docile species and you're just getting acclimated to one another.

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Originally Posted by bhsurf4

Did I mention how gorgeous that snake is? I thought I had my mind made up on my next one (albino black pastel) but good god, that one you have blows my mind!

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Thanks, my wife decided to finally pull the trigger and get it after i stood in front of the display case for the 5th time drooling over it haha.

One of mine tagged me this past Sunday on feeding day. As is usually the case, if you get bit, YOU probably did something wrong and in my case I am guessing that I didnt have the FT Rat quite warm enough. My body was warmer. I had the rat on the end of 8" hemostats and she struck right past the rat and tagged my thumb on the hemostat handle. She turned loose instantly. Her bottom jaw teeth connected on the print side of my thumb and did not bring blood. The top teeth got skin where it is thinner just behind the thumbnail and it Barely broke the skin enough to make 1 big drop of blood. This was from a 400ish gram female Pied. Like I say though....I did something wrong to cause this. When I re-heated the rat to a higher temperature, her aim was perfect and she got what she was really after.

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Originally Posted by Bistem

You beat me to it. My suggestion was going to be to go visit a friend that has a defensive snake and take a bite. As long as the friend's defensive snake isn't a 10+ foot animal, you will find out that even if you do get tagged, there is nothing to it. Then with this knowledge, your nervousness will go away.

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i kind of agree with this. my 0.1 Super Cinnamon paradox was an 80g firecracker as soon as she settled. she would strike the side of her tub if i got too close, and generally never relaxed out of her S pose when held or i was near. it got to the point that i was actually anxious to deal with her, and kind of started to not even like her tbh.

well, then i got bit. it was totally my fault, as my hand "snuck up" behind her while she was posing to strike. she was the first bite i ever got in 3 years of keeping beeps. here's the result of my bite, and what it looked ~24 hrs later. i will mark this NSFW for the children:
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ad33808bd4.jpg

as you can see: there's not much to it. the quickness of the actual bite is what's startling, not the pain or the hit. i had to laugh at myself for getting so worked up afterwards. anyway, this happened when she was 170g; she's now ~600g and has grown out of her "aggressiveness" (that's not the word i want to use, but can't think of another way to say it atm). she's easily handleable, except when food is around. ;)

confidence comes with practice and knowledge. keep reading, go watch Brian Barczyk get bit 100 times on his YouTube channel, and don't sweat it. paper cuts are worse!

I think one of the best ways to gain confidence is to remember that snakes are DEFENSIVE, not "aggressive". When you consistently remember that, you'll be in the right frame of mind to alter their attitude: first, fix your own perspective.

If a snake is really defensive, coiling & trying to strike when you approach, try putting a towel over them & picking them up in the towel. I've never heard of a snake biting through a towel,though you would NOT do this with a venomous species (obviously). The towel is there to prevent the snake from seeing you: we are big scary predators as far as they know, & until we prove otherwise. It may take minutes, days or weeks, because snakes have individual personalities & maybe were even abused before you got them (so they might have good reason to assume the worst from you), but gradually once the snake gets used to your scent & touch through the towel (-their best senses!), you can gradually let them peek out & see the "real you".

Remember that snakes do NOT recognize us by sight alone...a snake that accepts handling (because they recognize our scent & touch) may still act "aggressive" when we approach their cage, simple because they don't know us for sure until they get our scent and/or touch. Don't take it "personally".

Collecting and catching wild snakes when I was young, getting bit was part of the hobby. I've been bit by every size of garter snakes, full sized bull snakes, and black snakes. I'm very fortunate I never got an infection but back in the day that stuff never occurred to me. Fast forward to today, I've been fortunate and became a lot smarter how to avoid bites with my ball pythons and my Burm. Hook training, reading their body language, slow fluid movement, etc. are all keys to avoid being bit. But if/when you finally get bit, any nervousness you had will rapidly wane. You will realize at that point you were nervous for nothing. Now giant snakes, that would be a different story. Those teeth pack a punch. Your BP in the picture I agree 100% percent with the mosquito bite reference. I would take bites from a small BP all day long over damn mosquito bites.

I got my first Ball Python about 3 months ago, at first i was nervous as well, my first mistake was thinking my new snake wanted to be friends right away, after initially putting him in his new enclosure i kind of put my hand in front of him in hopes of him wanting to crawl up it, well i learned quickly that was wrong. The bite didn't hurt, its more of a sting, but the feeling of how quickly they snap was startling for sure. He hasn't tried to bite me or bitten me since then. My suggestion for getting over the initial anxiety of putting your hand in and picking him up would be to use a paper towel roll or a clean rolled up cloth to sort of direct his attention while you move your hand behind him to pick him up. Also try to handle him a little bit every day (Besides feeding day and two days after or in shed) and he/she will learn your scent and associate you with something that wont kill it. My BP was a little hissy and stikey at first and i won't lie i was a bit nervous for maybe the first two weeks but now i am very confident not only with handling and picking up but also knowing what he wants. Usually if he's out and about in the evenings i will open up the door and let him come to me. He has truly been great curious and friendly snake. For example i took him out 3 days ago and noticed the signature pink belly and slight dulling of the skin, that was my cue that he is going into shed and wants to be left alone, sure enough today his eyes are clouded and he hasn't moved from his hide, the last thing i will do now is disturb him until he's done his shed (besides of course checking temps, and misting to bump up humidity) As long as your husbandry is good and you have confidence and handle often but not to often he/she will warm up to you just fine. They are really friendly snakes that really only will strike out of fear and distrust. Unless of course you smell like rodents, which brings me to my last point, sanatize your hands before attempting to handle or pick up, not only is it clean but the smell is sure to let the snake know that your hands are not food. Hope this helps.

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Originally Posted by Scott.S

I got my first Ball Python about 3 months ago, at first i was nervous as well, my first mistake was thinking my new snake wanted to be friends right away, after initially putting him in his new enclosure i kind of put my hand in front of him in hopes of him wanting to crawl up it, well i learned quickly that was wrong. The bite didn't hurt, its more of a sting, but the feeling of how quickly they snap was startling for sure. He hasn't tried to bite me or bitten me since then. My suggestion for getting over the initial anxiety of putting your hand in and picking him up would be to use a paper towel roll or a clean rolled up cloth to sort of direct his attention while you move your hand behind him to pick him up. Also try to handle him a little bit every day (Besides feeding day and two days after or in shed) and he/she will learn your scent and associate you with something that wont kill it. My BP was a little hissy and stikey at first and i won't lie i was a bit nervous for maybe the first two weeks but now i am very confident not only with handling and picking up but also knowing what he wants. Usually if he's out and about in the evenings i will open up the door and let him come to me. He has truly been great curious and friendly snake. For example i took him out 3 days ago and noticed the signature pink belly and slight dulling of the skin, that was my cue that he is going into shed and wants to be left alone, sure enough today his eyes are clouded and he hasn't moved from his hide, the last thing i will do now is disturb him until he's done his shed (besides of course checking temps, and misting to bump up humidity) As long as your husbandry is good and you have confidence and handle often but not to often he/she will warm up to you just fine. They are really friendly snakes that really only will strike out of fear and distrust. Unless of course you smell like rodents, which brings me to my last point, sanatize your hands before attempting to handle or pick up, not only is it clean but the smell is sure to let the snake know that your hands are not food. Hope this helps.

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Thanks for the help!

I'm not nervous about picking him up, and he only really hissed the first couple times I tried to pick him up. Now he is usually pretty calm about it and i always go from behind and avoid approaching his head. My nervousness is from the unknown I guess. Because I haven't been tagged (yet), I have that nervousness. And when he stays somewhat balled up then I'm fine. I get nervous when he relaxes and starts to smell my hand and kinda explores. I think I just need to stay confident and realize that if/when it happens, It's not that big of a deal.

I believe the husbandry is pretty much on point. He has eaten for me 2x and ate F/T for the first time with no issue. He has yet to shed for me so not really sure when to expect that. He is in a 16qt sterilite tub with a 3'' heat tape on side controlled by a JumpStart Thermostat. I have a small plastic hide and an appropriate sized water dish with paper towels as substrate. I just got some 6'' heat tape i'm going to use and will probably be buying a Herpstat 2 tomorrow since the Jumpstart doesn't really regulate the Heat Tape that well for me. Currently i'm keeping the room warm with a floor heater however I will probably need to get a glass tank soon so I can use a CHE to maintain the cold side better since it is kinda not fun to be in the room (computer office) right now

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Originally Posted by Scott.S

Also try to handle him a little bit every day.

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Actually, you're better off starting with 2-3 short (10 minutes or so) per week. Handling too often can stress the snake and be counterproductive.

If you look I mentioned to handle everyday besides day of feeding and two days after. Also I mentioned not to handle too often, sorry about that. I should of clarified further to keep the sessions short until it gets more comfortable but that is what I meant by that. Handling is a must but the key is not to over do it.

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Originally Posted by PCOOLEY13

How do I gain more confidence with handling my BP? I've always been a littler nervous around snakes however I have always found them to be so beautiful and interesting and I have always wanted one so my wife bought us a 1.0 Coral Glow "Sunny" who is now about 6weeks old and 100g. I don't have an issue picking him up from his enclosure and holding him for a few minutes however now he is getting more comfortable and doesn't stay in a ball. He is starting to explore and be more active when I handle him and this is when I get a little uncomfortable and I guess nervous about him biting me even though he has never struck at my wife or I. He use to hiss when we would grab him from his enclosure however he doesn't really do that anymore in the 3 weeks i've had him. Any tips on overcoming this nervousness and being more comfortable?

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Congrats on your new snake... he is absolutely stunning!!
It actually sounds like you're doing really well with him, the fact that he's more comfortable with you is very promising. If he's never stuck or shown aggression thus far, he probably won't unless he feels threatened. Try to avoid reaching toward his head etc. unexpectedly or making fast movements. You mentioned "grabbing" him from the enclosure - this probably isn't what you meant, but the word "grab" seems to indicate a fast movement. If you DO grab at him quickly and he hasn't struck at you, it's not likely he every will. I'm assuming though that this is not the case.:) When I reach in for my snakes I always try to take them by the middle of their body (for smaller ones) and then slide that hand up closer to their head and use my other hand to support the back of their body as I'm lifting them out.
As others have mentioned, always be sure you haven't handled prey etc. before offering your hand to your snake. I will often put a TINY amount of hand cleanser on my hands first, there is NO mistaking the smell of hand cleanser and prey.:)
Honestly though, it sounds like you're coming along just fine, as you get used to the movement of your snake on your hands and arms, you'll gain confidence and you and your little buddy can learn to be completely comfortable with each other.

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Originally Posted by Scott.S

If you look I mentioned to handle everyday besides day of feeding and two days after. Also I mentioned not to handle too often, sorry about that. I should of clarified further to keep the sessions short until it gets more comfortable but that is what I meant by that. Handling is a must but the key is not to over do it.

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I did look, and since your reply could very easily be misunderstood I felt it was best to clarify. Also, your 3 months of experience with one snake isn't a whole lot to go on. So I figured I would clear things up.