How Frequently Can I Handle My BP?

I’m getting a BP in under a week and am fact checking some last minute things to make his transition has easy as possible. One of these things is handling. I’m aware I should wait until he’s eaten once before handling him. Though after that, what’s the maximum?

You should wait until he's eaten at least 3 times before doing any handling- otherwise, you may end up with a very frustrating pet that refuses to eat. If you put your snake's welfare above your own desires to handle him, you'll likely have a healthy pet that thrives & lives a normal lifespan.

Stress (besides causing snakes to not eat) is as bad for their health as it is for ours- your snake will have been exposed to many parasites & germs before you take him home, & if you overstress him, his immune system will not function to protect his health as well as it should. Eating regular meals supports the snake's body, including their immune system, so "eating is job #1" for a pet snake.

Remember these are NOT "domestic animals"- they rely on instincts to survive, & the only thing that picks them up in the wild is a predator that's about to eat them. So no wonder handling can make them too stressed to eat...understand?

Give your snake a fighting chance by letting him settle in first, with optimum rest & meals at normal (weekly) intervals, before you start handling him. Just watch him for a while- that's fun too & you might learn some things. ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FettuccineEnjoyer

I’m getting a BP in under a week and am fact checking some last minute things to make his transition has easy as possible. One of these things is handling. I’m aware I should wait until he’s eaten once before handling him. Though after that, what’s the maximum?

---

Many think you should wait until a Royal has had 3 or 4 successful meals before handling - remember you have 15 -20 years of handling in front of you both

Corns and Kings are fine after one feed ( or none lol) .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

That’s true, I will give my new bp as much time as he needs to settle in, but once he’s comfortable, what then? How often can I handle him without causing unneeded stress? (“Not handling him at all” doesn’t count. I’m a very touchy-feely person and want to get to know him with my hands as much as my eyes)

Also, I might have worded things incorrectly. I’ve been researching everything husbandry-wise for a few months, though recently have had less time do so because of personal stuff. I’m not just now beginning to research, I’m making sure what I already know is correct. My first statement might have sounded like I was buying this guy on a whim, my bad.

Proceed very gradually- some snakes tolerate handling better than others. And some humans have more empathy (ie. are better handlers) than others too. I don't know you OR the snake you're getting, so I can't begin to answer that. Just remember that "handling" & "being a pet" isn't in a snake's DNA. Dogs & cats are "touchy-feely" pets- they're also domestic animals, that makes a huge difference. Many snakes tend to appreciate "handling" when kept close to your body so they feel like they're hiding (& are also warm enough). And BPs aren't snakes that move around all that much in nature anyway.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zincubus

...Corns and Kings are fine after one feed ( or none lol)...

---

I respectfully disagree- I've bred & raised many of both- they're very tiny fragile creatures, & all snakes deserve to be treated better than a "toy". Handling should be kept to a minimum for a while for best results.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I respectfully disagree- I've bred & raised many of both- they're very tiny fragile creatures, & all snakes deserve to be treated better than a "toy". Handling should be kept to a minimum for a while for best results.

---

I never mentioned how much handling is appropriate and certainly never suggested that they can be treated like toys .

Simply that Kings and Corns are more likely to eat well .. even on the day you buy it so don’t need three or four meals before the first handling session

Whereas it’s better to let Royals have a few meals before any attempts at handling just to give them chance to settle down

I only handle mine when I have to move them in a clean up situation.

It sounds like you’re talking about very young hatchlings who have never ever eaten ??

I wasn’t talking about hatchlings as he never mentioned the age

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro is

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zincubus

I never mentioned how much handling is appropriate and certainly never suggested that they can be treated like toys .

Simply that Kings and Corns are more likely to eat well .. even on the day you buy it so don’t need three or four meals before the first handling session

Whereas it’s better to let Royals have a few meals before any attempts at handling just to give them chance to settle down

I only handle mine when I have to move them in a clean up situation.

It sounds like you’re talking about very young hatchlings who have never ever eaten ??

I wasn’t talking about hatchlings as he never mentioned the age

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro is

---

Many kings & corns are sold as hatchlings, & fyi, depending on the seller, many may not have been fed. While they "usually eat better than BPs", ALL snakes should be allowed time to settle in. I did assume we "could" be talking about hatchlings (which is why I mentioned they're tiny). I'm glad you didn't mean hatchlings, but it wasn't clear, & we have to remember that many people may read these posts & may conclude the wrong things if we don't specify. And I would still say that handling any new snake before it's had time to "settle in" (be feeding without difficulty) is treating it like a toy. It's not prioritizing the snake's well-being, which is what all good keepers do.

Anyway, this thread is specifically about BPs, so let's all stay on topic, okay?

i personally a) wait until they’ve gotten some meals down (2-3) and b) read their body language - i think it’s visibly obvious when a snake has settled and established their enclosure and when they haven’t based on their body language and how they carry themselves within the habitat - which is to say, even if it has been 2-3 meals *and* they’ve shed, pooped, etc - if they seem bolty or shy still, i tailor my socialization strategy to that - handling is a relationship that you have to build overtime

like Bogs said, we are *really* asking them to take a huge leap of faith by trusting us that’s running against millions upon millions of years of learned survival behavior

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Many kings & corns are sold as hatchlings, & fyi, depending on the seller, many may not have been fed. While they "usually eat better than BPs", ALL snakes should be allowed time to settle in. I did assume we "could" be talking about hatchlings (which is why I mentioned they're tiny). I'm glad you didn't mean hatchlings, but it wasn't clear, & we have to remember that many people may read these posts & may conclude the wrong things if we don't specify. And I would still say that handling any new snake before it's had time to "settle in" (be feeding without difficulty) is treating it like a toy. It's not prioritizing the snake's well-being, which is what all good keepers do.

Anyway, this thread is specifically about BPs, so let's all stay on topic, okay?

---

Agreed

:)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

As a new keeper who wants to be able to interact regularly with their snake in a fear-free way, I'd strongly recommend looking into Lori Torrini's youtube channel. She's an animal behaviorist who works with a large group of snakes, including 15 or so Royal/Ball pythons.

I'm going to assume (and hope) that you don't want to interact with your snake by just forcing them to be held whenever you want to, but rather learning your snake's behavior and body language so that you'll know how and when to respond to the times when they indicate they are interested in engaging versus the times when they may prefer not to interact.

I will say that learning this type of interaction requires more time and patience than the typical 'just confidently grab your snake and hold them for 15 minutes a day' approach, but I can tell you from practical experience that the results are more than worth it in terms of having a snake that trusts you and that may even show you that they want to interact with you.

While every snake is an individual, there are some very generalized truths about baseline temperament. Some of my Antaresia pythons would eat on the very first day they arrived, and one took a pinky while in my hand as I was taking them out of their transport container. Not that I would encourage doing that -- it's just an example of one extreme. I have had other snakes (specifically Royal pythons who were retired breeders coming from a rack environment, or rescued snakes that had been abused) who hid constantly and refused to eat for months and months. Royal pythons in general tend to be on the shy end of the temperament spectrum.

Instead of framing this in your mind as a 'how soon can I handle him' question, try to frame this as a long-term process of gradually getting to know and of building trust with an animal that isn't naturally inclined to interact with people. Even if you go through weeks and months of not directly handling your snake while you allow them to habituate, there are so many other ways you can interact with them and let them come to know that you are safe.

I hadn’t even thought about that! Admittedly I try to think about the perspective of the snake as frequently as possible, though sometimes, I can be a little self-centered. I will definitely check out that channel and will monitor my new babies body language closely so our relationship can be the healthiest it can be.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FettuccineEnjoyer

I hadn’t even thought about that! Admittedly I try to think about the perspective of the snake as frequently as possible, though sometimes, I can be a little self-centered. I will definitely check out that channel and will monitor my new babies body language closely so our relationship can be the healthiest it can be.

---

I recommend you start with Lori's video on choice-based handling first steps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ljtIS4qCKw&t=238s.