ok, now shes eaten... a question

Ok, so we had a female who hadnt eaten since it got here well over 3wks ago. She finally ate last night! (very happy about that) now my question is, aside from moving her to clean her bin we havnt held her at all. we wanted her to have plenty of time to relax, get in the groove of being in a new home, basically trying our hardest to keep her stress free. Now, aside from leaving her alone to digest for a couple days will it be ok to start handling her? Should we continue to leave her alone for a couple feedings?

whats your opinion?

My :2cent: I would still keep the handling to a minimum/necessary at least until she eats with consistency (4 to 6 consecutive meals)

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Originally Posted by GA_Ball_Pythons

My :2cent: I would still keep the handling to a minimum/necessary at least until she eats with consistency (4 to 6 consecutive meals)

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thank you. we have lots of other animals we can handle, so leaving her alone isnt a problem.

Now I have a male mojave who is very strikey... he has eaten a few times for us fine but he still remains strikey. he is a late 07' animal, he is fairly new also.. he should eventually calm down with time right? He has an amazing feeding response and hes eating a nice size adult mouse every 5 days and hes still like that. I have to physically put the hide over his head to remove him from the bin or he will lunge at me, i even felt him graze by me the most recent time.. i swear hes going to be the animal who claims my first bite lol.. his temps/humidity/husbandry is spot on. he has a nice small hide that he spends a great deal of time in i just think he thinks were humazilla still... should i try the newspaper trick with him and leave him alone except feeding for awhile also?

I would leave him alone for awhile too... a couple weeks anyway. It's possible he's just not settled in yet. And the balled up newspaper trick does some wonders... :)

Some snakes are extremely territorial and will continue striking when you stick your hands in their tubs, even if they feel comfortable. My Gwydion has yet to strike, but he coils everytime I open up his tub and hisses if I touch him with my fingers. I've been using a hook (bent clothes hanger) to get him out of his tub, and he has no problems with it whatsoever. And he's totally fine once he's outside of his tub.

Does your mojave strike outside of his enclosure? Or just inside? Have you tried using a hook?

I agree with the above for your little girl, as well... give her some time before you start handling.

wait till at least 3-4 meals. until the snake is eating every time.

Same I usually wait 2-3 meals before handling. I've also noticed balls "calm" down more around the 500g mark, at least for me.

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Originally Posted by ladywhipple02

I would leave him alone for awhile too... a couple weeks anyway. It's possible he's just not settled in yet. And the balled up newspaper trick does some wonders... :)

Some snakes are extremely territorial and will continue striking when you stick your hands in their tubs, even if they feel comfortable. My Gwydion has yet to strike, but he coils everytime I open up his tub and hisses if I touch him with my fingers. I've been using a hook (bent clothes hanger) to get him out of his tub, and he has no problems with it whatsoever. And he's totally fine once he's outside of his tub.

Does your mojave strike outside of his enclosure? Or just inside? Have you tried using a hook?

I agree with the above for your little girl, as well... give her some time before you start handling.

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thank you for your comment.. its only when hes in his tub does he strike. he still has that nervous feeling (jumpy) outside of his bin but he at least doesnt strike when im holding him. I havnt tried using a hook but i will if it becomes nessesary (or if it would be more comforting to him)

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Originally Posted by MATT FISHER REPTILES

wait till at least 3-4 meals. until the snake is eating every time.

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thank you :D

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Originally Posted by AshleyB

thank you for your comment.. its only when hes in his tub does he strike. he still has that nervous feeling (jumpy) outside of his bin but he at least doesnt strike when im holding him. I havnt tried using a hook but i will if it becomes nessesary (or if it would be more comforting to him)

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If you leave him alone for a couple weeks and he's still nippy, I would say to try it. At his size, you could use a hanger still... rub the hook along his back and and over his head a couple times, then scoop him up out of the enclosure. Let him relax on the hook, then transfer him to your hands.

But yeah, try the newspaper thing first :gj: Newspaper is a God send to snake keepers, lol!

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Originally Posted by AshleyB

Ok, so we had a female who hadnt eaten since it got here well over 3wks ago. She finally ate last night! (very happy about that) now my question is, aside from moving her to clean her bin we havnt held her at all. we wanted her to have plenty of time to relax, get in the groove of being in a new home, basically trying our hardest to keep her stress free. Now, aside from leaving her alone to digest for a couple days will it be ok to start handling her? Should we continue to leave her alone for a couple feedings?

whats your opinion?

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I didn't give my ball python the necessary chill time that everyone says, but he seems to be doing great. Has eatin' twice so far, and the second time, it took him seconds to eat, not minutes.

Maybe each ball is different, but it seems like everyone is worried about not handling them, I think it just has to be done in moderation. If you don't handle your python until the day you take him out to feed, how do you know you're not scaring the pants off of them?

What if handling them several times before you feed them makes them more relaxed when you take them out of your tank? So when you take them out to eat, they aren't scared of the initial pick-up.

My het albino is still pretty nippy. Since Oct when I got him home he has been a nippy little bugger. But, only when he is in his tub. Once I get him out he is a perfectly behaved little guy. Then, once he goes back in he assumes a striking posture.
Sometimes when he is feeling extra nasty I have to put a towel over his head and lift him out.
I was hoping it would pass. Left him alone as much as possible and he is still aggressive while in his tub. I just figure he likes his tub so much he doesn't want anyone messing with it.

:D The other large female ate last night!!! Wooo hoo, im so excited, now all 8 snakes have eaten for us. we also offered sidney (the female i started the thread about) a large mouse and she ate it also! hurray :gj:

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Originally Posted by Skoalbasher

If you don't handle your python until the day you take him out to feed, how do you know you're not scaring the pants off of them?

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For this reason, many keepers do not remove the animals from the enclosure because it does add unneeded stress if the animal is a shy.

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but it seems like everyone is worried about not handling them, I think it just has to be done in moderation
What if handling them several times before you feed them makes them more relaxed when you take them out of your tank? So when you take them out to eat, they aren't scared of the initial pick-up.

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I think your pretty new to this hobby and got an excellent feeder, but it is in no way the norm for brand new bp's. Generally BP's are shy and the transition to a new environment does stress them out. It takes these snakes a while to calm down. It has been shown over and over that unnecessarily handling a non-eating snake often adds to the problem.

It is recommended by many very experienced keepers and breeders to keep the stress to a minimum to get the animal to eat. It is a method that works well, along with double checking to make sure the husbandry is correct.

Once the animal has eaten a few times, the longer handling sessions can start with better success at keeping them eating and also getting them used to being handled and not freaking out every time you touch them.

On the flip side, some animals are very defensive or have an attitude and will often have the best feeding responses. For me, having an animal in great health and eating like a champ is more important than how often I can handle them without causing unneeded stress or the possibility of getting bitten.

I can work on the handling with short consistent sessions to gradually work with the animal's fears and building a level of trust.:gj:

this was not only a new bp, but an older female (05) who was "off feed" i left her alone and tried feeding her weekly, finally she did eat last night and we couldnt be more thrilled. we do plan to leave both larger females and male mojave alone for a few more feedings. I have no reason to bother them. if they are happy im happy i have other animals i can hold and get that "need" to hold them out of my system.

Connie certainly worded things well. :gj:

Lol, thanks Ashley, I try but I ramble...

Hi Ashley!
Congrats on the feeding, I agree that I would try to avoid handling him until he has a fed a few more times. Baby steps! I know I have gone thru the same thing with new snakes!! Have a great Day!
-Josh :gj:

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Originally Posted by Jerhart

Hi Ashley!
Congrats on the feeding, I agree that I would try to avoid handling him until he has a fed a few more times. Baby steps! I know I have gone thru the same thing with new snakes!! Have a great Day!
-Josh :gj:

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thanks Josh and the same to you!!!!! As I said before, not handling them isnt the problem.. its feeding everyone the same day then not being able to handle not one of them for a couple days lol, thats where I get cranky and whiney lol. Im more excited at the thought of having the animals i never dreamed of having! Just peeking at them through their bin excites me lol. I remember thinking to myself "i would never spend that kind of money on a snake" and to think of the money we have invested in the last 6 months ALONE on snakes is enough to make my head spin lol.. as bad as we want 2 het pieds were going to put that off for awhile (or perhaps only until daytona) eeeeek!!! :rolleye2:

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Lol, thanks Ashley, I try but I ramble...

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no rambling, i thought you did awesome

Striking for me is something I just look at from a stepped back sort of perspective. If it's a very young snake then to me that's just defensive behaviour, quite normal and an indicator the snake is healthy and engaged in it's own need to survive. For those snakes all I can do is provide the best possible living conditions, feed them well and allow time and gentle interactions to help the snake come to understand in a very basic way that I present no risk to it.

If it's an older snake then it comes down to looking at the whole situation and that particular snake with it's unique way of dealing with life. Some snakes just don't want to be fussed with on some days. Feeding day isn't a day we handle any snake here as they are all fed in their own enclosures and are ready and fired up that day. Why bother a hungry snake? For me that's just asking to get struck at or bitten and I wouldn't expect anything less of a normal, healthy, hungry adult snake. A snake in shed isn't going to want to be bugged either. A breeding snake might not care for you that day. A rescued adult with a spotty history of poor care and handling isn't going to cut you a lot of slack at first.

In the end it's for me it's also about this being a snake, not a puppy or a kitten. It's a creature that in the end will attend to it's own needs first, defend it's own survival first and not bond with us in ways that other pets are capable of. For me and my family that's just fine, we respect what our snakes are and what they aren't. Giving the snakes that respect, that space and being very attuned to them tends to allow for a lot of good interactions where the snakes are relaxed and we are able to handle them without any fuss. :)

well said Joanna

I think with Dash (The male mojave) hes young and went through a traumatic experience and im sure his trust for Humazilla is very limited if at all exsistant, especially considering the factors involved. afterall we did call him dash for getting stuck in the breeders dashboard. He has gotten better since we brought him home and im sure with time he will be just as good as our other snakes. He isnt striking at us, he holds a defensive position and if we *must* move him for cleaning we do so after putting a washcloth over his head, i know hes still capable of seeing our heat pattern through the wash cloth but it at least gets him distracted long enough to move him. we place him in the holding bin while cleaning and then put him right back, his behavior/actions are much better when hes out for that brief moment instead of towering over his bin.. hes happy, were not bitten, all is good :D I think its a valuable lesson to learn when its right to hold your animals and when it isnt... after all like you said they arent dogs. You can only become a better herper/pet/reptile owner when you practice your animals ideals before you own... otherwise IMO your just being selfish.