I Admit. I'm Scared!

Okay guys....

I have a 2 month old female BP as some of you already know. This is my first pet snake of any kind. I think she is gorgeous and all, but frankly, I'm a little scared of her. Only because she is so jumpy! She gets so scared at the slightest touch that I get scared! I've had her for maybe 2 weeks now.

I know it sounds silly.. but I'm afraid of getting bit by her. Is that eventually going to happen no matter what? I was trying to avoid it by picking her up with a small snake hook from her enclosure and putting her on the palm of my hand, then letting her sniff around whenever she wanted. And also by moving my body parts, very very slowly. Today I held her for about 30 minutes. She sat still with her head reared back for maybe 3 minutes. Then started looking around. She eventually wrapped herself around my arm and then tried to move to lower ground, so I put my other arm out in front of her so she could move there instead. During the handling, if I moved too quickly for her, she would strike at me. Or at the towel that I moved. Her distance was quite short, so she totally missed me. But it was obvious that she was still scared. She tried to strike twice.

My Q is.. do snakes get used to sudden movements made by humans? And am I going to get bit by my snake eventually no matter what? Should I not be using the hook to pick her up? It's just that she's so jumpy when I touch her with anything that I'm afraid she'll strike at me for doing so.

Any personal stories on taming your snake would also be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!

Give it time. Two weeks possession, you say? Give it a few more handling sessions and I'm sure she'll get used to you. Mine was almost the same way. Always stayed coiled up in my hand, but never really striked (except for once recenty, that was my fault though). Now he slithers all over my arms, shoulders, neck, even my face on occasion. Just give it time to get used to you and realize that you're of no threat and that she's not on your menu. ;)

Medusa sounds like a fiesty girl! I have a scardy snake too, though he's not a BP, and Jo's had lots of great advice for handling him. Basically taking things slow but being firm and confident. The jumpier you are, they can sense that and get more jumpy too.

I'm not sure if they get used to fast movements. So far all my snakes have been pretty consistant in their reactions, either fine with it or nervous from the get go. Gomez always hides his head if we move too fast, so we always move slowly and gently with him and he relaxes. Hope that helps!

Quite honestly, the fear and anticipation of an eventual bite is much worse than the actual bite itself.


Will it happen? Who knows. Could it happen? Absolutely. Even when my biggest girl gave me a warning bite, it just left a small scratch on my hand. Cat scratches are MUCH worse than a warning bite from your snake.

When I handle any of my jumpy ones, I just make very slow deliberate moves when I'm holding them and I do try to do some head work (moving my free hand very slowly and lightly stroking the side of their neck). Some will still be jumpy, but most of mine with time have learned to trust that I mean them no harm.

Good luck with the new baby!

after 2 days of being held and messed with my new CH girl is no longer head shy and will let you do almost anything with her ... besides check her mouth.. but she bit me for the first time last night while feeding her her first meal with me... not warm enough f/t and nice warm hand that smelled like mouse... she didnt even break the skin on me. I swat flys harder than she strikes.

I Agree with every thing said above. However the fact that a bite will happen is not true. Snakes have teeth and they can bite but many of us have never been bitten by our snakes.

I have a few very jumpy girls, as well as blood pythons. I've been tagged a fair amount of times and really it's much more shocking then painful. Sometimes no matter how slowly you move you'll still have them strike.
Another thing that could be contributing towards this is you. You're nervous, your muscles tense and she can sense that. When you have her out she has to rely on you not to drop her and if you're nervous and your muscles are doing their minute quiver then.... well I'd be nervous if I was her as well, nothing likes to fall.
I'd say that you need as much work as she does. Confidence goes a long way. Good luck with her. :)

Just a thought here but since you've only had this snake 2 weeks and I'm assuming here she's an 06 hatchling you may be pushing it with 30 minutes of handling or any handling at all right now. The biggest priority with any new snake but especially a little one is a solid feeding pattern, well established before handling begins. Personally I'd give the snake a few more weeks of weekly feedings that are successful then start with handling sessions of less than 10 minutes. It may take weeks or months to work up to 30 minutes at a time but please believe me it's very worth your patience.

Think of the 20 years ahead of you with this lovely snake and a few weeks or months now of patience will seem like nothing.

Also I believe that fear radiates from humans on a level we can't sense but I feel snakes and other animals do. When you do handle, try to remain as calm as possible. Wear gloves if it makes you feel more comfortable (it is NOT wimpy to glove up if you are a bit nervous or the snake is acting up, no matter what some people will say). Have your snake crawl on a blanket on your lap so if she nips she can't reach your skin. Whatever it takes to bring down your level of fear and stress.

I would follow Jo's advice! Give the little one more time to settle in and feel confident and secure in her new home. And start with much shorter, less frequent handling sessions.


In the meantime...try this: Imagine the bite. What's the worst that could happen? A paper-cut sensation, at the very worst, usually not even that bad. The degree that it may startle you is much more signficant, but if you picture it happening, and imagine (over and over again) yourself staying calm and just being fascinated by movement of the snake, then you are much less likely to even be scared if it finally happens.

Okay... got it!!

Thanks people. I really appreciate it! =)

If it helps allay your fears any Karen my husband and I purchased an adult female BP last year from a pet store. If you search using the word "Brannagh" you'll see lots of write-ups on how aggressive she was (she was just afraid not mean). She did bite each of us but only through our own inattention or error. She was 2,000 grams and 4 feet long back then and she left nothing more than a small bite really. I've had cats and my own kids bite me far worse. Most of the damage was more from us pulling back instinctively and dragging her teeth through our skin then anything Brannagh truly inflicted. They don't usally grab and clamp and certainly don't chew like a dog might do. It's normally no more than a fast jab at you, a few pinprick marks if any. Just wash the area well with warm water and soap and dab on a bit of neosporin. It's more likely the snake will lose a tooth and hurt worse than you'll ever be.

Btw with care, gentle but firm handling for very short periods of time, respect for the snake and routines...that once very difficult 2,000 gram female is now handled by 5 year old children. She's a glorious snake and was worth all the time and effort to get her to this point.

I have felt the same way. Nervous to pick it up. Well now i pick mine up without fear and let it crawl (slither) all on me. Now I have no fear even if i get bit.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Just a thought here but since you've only had this snake 2 weeks and I'm assuming here she's an 06 hatchling you may be pushing it with 30 minutes of handling or any handling at all right now. The biggest priority with any new snake but especially a little one is a solid feeding pattern, well established before handling begins. Personally I'd give the snake a few more weeks of weekly feedings that are successful then start with handling sessions of less than 10 minutes. It may take weeks or months to work up to 30 minutes at a time but please believe me it's very worth your patience.

Think of the 20 years ahead of you with this lovely snake and a few weeks or months now of patience will seem like nothing.

Also I believe that fear radiates from humans on a level we can't sense but I feel snakes and other animals do. When you do handle, try to remain as calm as possible. Wear gloves if it makes you feel more comfortable (it is NOT wimpy to glove up if you are a bit nervous or the snake is acting up, no matter what some people will say). Have your snake crawl on a blanket on your lap so if she nips she can't reach your skin. Whatever it takes to bring down your level of fear and stress.

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With my retic I wore gloves! That beast scared the poop out of me! but it was the only thing that made me feel better about treating him.and once he was treated it was a good thing I did have the golves. :eek:

My Royal, Byron only ever once bit me and that was when he was a tiny hatchling and he bit me out of fear. I didn't put him down, just carried on handling him. He decided very quickly I was not going to eat him. My BRB did the same thing once - again not long after I got him. He's never done it again as he also learned very quickly I wasn't a threat to him.


Does it hurt? No. A paper cut is far, far worse.

Also when moving her from one hand to another instead of comming down and in front of her try comming up from the bottom of her. Baby snakes are usally jumpy from this movement simply because predators usally come from above ie..birds, mammals etc....
Bites come with the territory, many will go years with out being bit, others only minutes. There is really no question of "IF" but "When". I had my first snake over 6 years before experiencing my first bite, from a friends snake my wife held on closer to 9. My first tag was a Rosy Boa her's was a Retic.