opinions

I see a lot on this forum and others that people suggest many things and it seems to be a bandwagon effect with responses.

A. Do you think snakes need an acclimation period of a week before feeding?
B. Do you think it is necessary to wait 2 days after feeding to hold a snake?
C. Do you think it is necessary to not hold the snake the day of feeding?

Personally, I have always fed my snakes the same day of the week whether the snake came in the day before feeding or not. Out of my 4 snakes, I have not had any problems with them taking food or going off feed(but I have only had them for 4 months). I have also not seen any aggression or stress from handling them the day of feeding or the days after. I do not though hold them the day of, just to give them time to digest some.

Discuss.

I'd have to go with A & B. C I've not heard anything bad because of it.

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Originally Posted by tmlowe5704

I see a lot on this forum and others that people suggest many things and it seems to be a bandwagon effect with responses.

A. Do you think snakes need an acclimation period of a week before feeding?

After you first get them? yes, i do. I didnt know this at the time, and i tried to feed my BP a few days after i got him, he refused to eat. I had to wait a week, without handling him in order to get him to eat.

B. Do you think it is necessary to wait 2 days after feeding to hold a snake?

I have always heard this, in order to prevent regurgitation. I always follow the rule, but my friends who come over and demand to see my snakes think diffrently, i have never had a snake regurg. though.

C. Do you think it is necessary to not hold the snake the day of feeding?

That is what i have heard, so the snake is not stressed out. I really think it depends on the snake. I handle mine almost everyday, and i have never had a refusal to eat. I even take them out of their cage and handle them a few minutes before feeding. If you have a snake that is more defensive, and is more inclined to get nervous when you handle them, im sure that you should not hold the snake the day of the feeding. you dont want them to be stressed and refuse.

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There are many many people on this forum with ALL DIFFERENT levels of experience ... the "bangwagon effect" is meant to impress upon first time keepers in oder to give them the maximum chance of success with their new animals .... Just because you have had a lot of luck with feeding and have good experiences with "all of the snakes you've gotten in" doesn't mean that the person with their first snake from the local pet store is going to have those same results. Letting an animal acclimate, not handling before feeding, not handling for a couple days after are all sound broad spectrum pieces of advice that do absolutely no harm and can make the difference between success and frustration for a first time keeper.

-adam

A. Do you think snakes need an acclimation period of a week before feeding?
Yes and no. Depends on what type of snake and if it is a very nervous one or not.

B. Do you think it is necessary to wait 2 days after feeding to hold a snake?
Yes. I always wait at least 2 days so as to not disturb it while it is digesting.

C. Do you think it is necessary to not hold the snake the day of feeding?
No. I've held them on feeding day or changed substrate and never had a problem.

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

There are many many people on this forum with ALL DIFFERENT levels of experience ... the "bangwagon effect" is meant to impress upon first time keepers in oder to give them the maximum chance of success with their new animals .... Just because you have had a lot of luck with feeding and have good experiences with "all of the snakes you've gotten in" doesn't mean that the person with their first snake from the local pet store is going to have those same results. Letting an animal acclimate, not handling before feeding, not handling for a couple days after are all sound broad spectrum pieces of advice that do absolutely no harm and can make the difference between success and frustration for a first time keeper.

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Amen brother!!! Great post Adam.......you said exactly what I was thinking :)

I like to give my new snakes ample alone time when I aquire them. Whether they were shipped to me, or I picked them up from somewhere, I assume that they are confused or stressed by the experience, and I feel a lot better just leaving them in solitude so they can gather themselves and get comfortable in their new surroundings.

Usually when I aquire a snake it is on the weekend, when I usually am feeding, so they naturally won't be fed until the next weekend anyway. If I get one during the week from an online source I will either skip feeding the next weekend and end up waiting over a week, or try that coming up weekend... I tend to follow my gut instinct about the particular snake.

As far as handling after feeding... I really don't handle my snakes that often anyway, but if I do end up in a mood where I want to visit with one of them, I won't do it if it ate less than two days ago. I'd rather not risk a regurge... they are not pleasant or healthy for the snake.

As for handling on feeding day, like I said above, I don't take them out all that much other than for cleaning and the like, so this isn't a big thing for me either. There are some snakes that I would really rather not handle when I know they are hungry, so I stay clear of them until they have a prey item occupying their teeth. :P

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

There are many many people on this forum with ALL DIFFERENT levels of experience ... the "bangwagon effect" is meant to impress upon first time keepers in oder to give them the maximum chance of success with their new animals .... Just because you have had a lot of luck with feeding and have good experiences with "all of the snakes you've gotten in" doesn't mean that the person with their first snake from the local pet store is going to have those same results. Letting an animal acclimate, not handling before feeding, not handling for a couple days after are all sound broad spectrum pieces of advice that do absolutely no harm and can make the difference between success and frustration for a first time keeper.

-adam

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I am glad you gave me what I asked, an opinion. I was talking about the bandwagon effect about the people who do things their own way, but then when some experienced herper comes out and says this, they change everything they do, whether there was a problem or not. I was in no way saying that my way is right and everyone else's is wrong, just stating my opinion and experiences in the 4 or 5 months that I have kept snakes.

So....Whats the point your trying to get off? Im confused! Help me.:carrot:

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Originally Posted by tmlowe5704

I am glad you gave me what I asked, an opinion.

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I'm glad that you're glad. I aim to please. :sweeet:

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Originally Posted by tmlowe5704

I was talking about the bandwagon effect about the people who do things their own way, but then when some experienced herper comes out and says this, they change everything they do, whether there was a problem or not.

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For whatever it's worth ... I can't tell you the number of times I've gone to visit some of the bigger ball python breeders around the country and after touring their facilities and seeing how they do things, come home with a wealth of fantastic ideas for improving my own facility and the way I "do things" .... even things that aren't broke ... and even after doing some things "my way" for 10+ years. Learning is a life long process and accepting the fact that there is always someone out there that might be doing it a little "better", in my opinion, is a wise move. ;)

-adam

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Originally Posted by tmlowe5704

I am glad you gave me what I asked, an opinion. I was talking about the bandwagon effect about the people who do things their own way, but then when some experienced herper comes out and says this, they change everything they do, whether there was a problem or not. I was in no way saying that my way is right and everyone else's is wrong, just stating my opinion and experiences in the 4 or 5 months that I have kept snakes.

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A good majority of people come to this site because what they are doing is NOT working. They are looking to find help, so when they try what many of our more experienced herpers recommend (and find it works) they then tend to spread their success with those same recommendations.

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

There are many many people on this forum with ALL DIFFERENT levels of experience ... the "bangwagon effect" is meant to impress upon first time keepers in oder to give them the maximum chance of success with their new animals .... Just because you have had a lot of luck with feeding and have good experiences with "all of the snakes you've gotten in" doesn't mean that the person with their first snake from the local pet store is going to have those same results. Letting an animal acclimate, not handling before feeding, not handling for a couple days after are all sound broad spectrum pieces of advice that do absolutely no harm and can make the difference between success and frustration for a first time keeper.

-adam

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most definatley. I was just saying my experience, with the snakes that i've had, i have also gotten quite lucky though. I know that tons of people have trouble feeding their snakes all the time, and problems with regurgitation, and all of that.

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Originally Posted by stangs13

So....Whats the point your trying to get off? Im confused! Help me.:carrot:

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No point at all, just seeing what the general opinions are here.

1. if the snake is active etc, and not shy i'll try to feed it maybe on the third day, if it seems shy i'll wait a week

2. i dont know about this, i always wait 2 days, but bare mininum, in my opinion, a day

3. i would never handle a snake on the same day it was fed

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Originally Posted by Kizerk

1. if the snake is active etc, and not shy i'll try to feed it maybe on the third day, if it seems shy i'll wait a week

2. i dont know about this, i always wait 2 days, but bare mininum, in my opinion, a day

3. i would never handle a snake on the same day it was fed

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For #3, do you realize I was saying before you feed it?

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Originally Posted by tmlowe5704

For #3, do you realize I was saying before you feed it?

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oh sorry, i've handled them before, but i prefer not to, i had one eat and the other one refuse

1) Yes, I had to wait a week+, one I tried sooner and she refused.
2) I have, at least once, needed to disturb a snake right after eating, with no ill effects. I usually wait 24hrs before minimal handling and 2 full days before "playing". Not if they had a big meal though and still have a lump.
3) I try to avoid handling prior, they seem more likely to take the prey when they're curled up safe in the hide. However my baby (with the best feeding response) has taken a meal right after handling.

I think it all depends on the snake (metabolism and personality), and also size of meal.

As Adam pointed out, I like to find new and better ways to do things. I find that there are alot of "rules" for new owners that, in reality, are only guidelines.:cool:

I firmly believe we owe it to the snakes to be a smart, informed and educated keeper. Part of that is being always open to new ideas, to tweaking things, to considering experience beyond what we personally have. That doesn't mean blindly following anyone's suggestions - for me that means weighing what's being said by very experienced folks as something valid I need to consider.

For me that's not jumping on anyone's bandwagon. That's simply realizing that though I may have a couple of years experience and a few snakes, there is no way I can know some of the things a person with 100's of BP's and 10+ years of working with them knows. That's not a deficiency in me, that's simply common sense thinking as I see it. I realize my own place on the knowledge curve and gladly taking advantage of the opportunity to learn from those that the internet gives me this wonderful and constant access to. If I can share a bit of my own limited experience, that's wonderful too of course.

As to your questions....we don't bother the snakes for a week after they arrive other than basic cage maintenance....we believe all creatures especially ones as shy as most BP's are, deserve time to settle in without constant irritation by humans.....we don't handle on the day of feeding because our snakes are aggressive feeders and why trigger a hunger bite for no good reason...feeding day here is all about getting down to business....we don't handle for 48 hours after feeding because we understand snakes have a digestive process unlike humans and respect that difference by leaving them be for this time period.

These are common sense guidelines and personally I've never seen reinventing a perfectly good wheel as a productive way to spend my time.

i think that someone who hasn't experience a regurge is going to have a different perspective on this. i have had regurges with one of my cornsnakes (true bloodred) - it was horrible getting him to keep down his dinner... it was a long slow, worriesome process.

so, once you've been through difficulties... then you tend to take your husbandry issues regarding your snakes more seriously. for example, i've never had any RI with my snakes... so when the temps drop a bit... i correct them but i don't panic... cause i've never had a sick snake... if i did have a sick snake like many members here... i'd be much more neurotic over those issues.

so, in answer to your questions. i never handle a snake for at least the first week... often the first month (to let them settle in nicely) - i never hold them on feeding day and i never ever ever ever ever hold a snake for 3 days after feeding and if i see a lump in their belly... they are returned to their enclosure and not bothered again.

;)
just my opinion... don't take mine, make your own!

aleesha

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

There are many many people on this forum with ALL DIFFERENT levels of experience ... the "bangwagon effect" is meant to impress upon first time keepers in oder to give them the maximum chance of success with their new animals .... Just because you have had a lot of luck with feeding and have good experiences with "all of the snakes you've gotten in" doesn't mean that the person with their first snake from the local pet store is going to have those same results. Letting an animal acclimate, not handling before feeding, not handling for a couple days after are all sound broad spectrum pieces of advice that do absolutely no harm and can make the difference between success and frustration for a first time keeper.

-adam

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yeah I didn't read all the way through as I agree completely with this train of thought ............good post.

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

i think that someone who hasn't experience a regurge is going to have a different perspective on this. i have had regurges with one of my cornsnakes (true bloodred) - it was horrible getting him to keep down his dinner... it was a long slow, worriesome process.

so, once you've been through difficulties... then you tend to take your husbandry issues regarding your snakes more seriously. for example, i've never had any RI with my snakes... so when the temps drop a bit... i correct them but i don't panic... cause i've never had a sick snake... if i did have a sick snake like many members here... i'd be much more neurotic over those issues.

so, in answer to your questions. i never handle a snake for at least the first week... often the first month (to let them settle in nicely) - i never hold them on feeding day and i never ever ever ever ever hold a snake for 3 days after feeding and if i see a lump in their belly... they are returned to their enclosure and not bothered again.

;)
just my opinion... don't take mine, make your own!

aleesha

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did you just add that to your sig? I never noticed it until now