i finally let him roam around

well i allways handled my bp daily for 10 minutes but tonite i let him go whereever he wanted.i usualy just keep him in my hands so i dont have to keep picking him up(im still working on the little fear i have left)i noticed that he wouldnt move off of me like he didnt want to go too far.he also stuck his neck straight up and started looking around flicking his tongue and i was curious if that meant he smelt something tasty or was just checking it out?anyways i was wondering what to look for when he is ready to go back inside his tank.i want to start handling him for longer than 10 minutes.thanks

I can only tell you out of experience that when they are in your hands and flicking their tongues all he or she is doing is getting the scents around them. I even put my ball around my neck and let him do what he does best and thats exploring. As far as tasting something good to eat I was always told so as long as you don't have a smell of what you are feeding them on your hands then you will be fine and all you got to do is enjoy him.

Whenever mine wants to be put away he starts squirming faster than a corn snake. Very out of character for a ball! :D One time after one of these incidents, as soon as he was back in his tank he let out a nice healthy turd. So you definitely want to learn to read their actions! It'll take a little time but it'll happen!

ok i never seen my bp move fast for anything besides food.mine dropped a duece on me one day now i know if he still and straight hes going to do it again.it wasnt a good experience for me

I always let my BP's roam when I handle them. Once they feel secure enough, they will go all over the place. But many times, they will retreat to a secure place, between my blanket is a favorite. Just keep an eye on them and make sure they don't go behind a TV or shelf or something. Usually they don't want to go back in their enclosure, always reaching up towards the exit once I put them down.

ok i tried to keep at least one hand on him.mine never wants to back in the tank too.he will lay on top of his hide until he realizes he is not getting back out

I usually put mine back when he starts feeling cool. If he's moving around more when out, he cools down faster than if he just hangs around my hands/body. He likes to suck the heat right outta me sometimes! lol Usually have him out for 1-2 hours at a time with no problem.

In the summer when my room is warm I give my larger snakes(500g+) some free roam time around my room. Let me say first that my room has no vents, no cracks, no where for them to escape... I usually give em an hour or two depending on what theyre doing. The majority of my snakes will just keep moving from one side of the room to the others and then I have one who the majority of the time will find a nice dark place and chill. I dont give her the free roam option very much bc she usually just chills so theres no real point in letting her roam. The other ones seem to enjoy it and I think thats why when I go into the snake room at night theyre all climbing to the tops of their tubs wanting out. I think its good for the snakes as long as they dont get loose! I dont reccomend this for anyone who doesnt have a snake proof room... Youd be surprised some of the places they can get themselves into.... This is the primary reason I dont let any little ones out bc Id prolly never find em.

I tried letting my bp roam around a little on my bed once. He all of a sudden got comfortable, so I thought, and left my lap but he started going a little to fast (trying to get away I presume) so I went to grab him from behind to get him back at my grasp and he jolted at me with his head which began my nervousness of him =( so now I'm less inclined to let him leave me for fear of striking when I go to retrieve him again. Was he just nervous? How do I pick him back up without scaring him? :confused:

I ran into this issue one time and I think it was because you surprised him. I seem to get the squirmy reaction when I sneak up on them and try to pick em up when they dont know your there. Try to somehow get him to see you and then try to pick him up... This should help out with the surprise factor and keep them calm

Thanks that's what I'm going to do if I ever get the courage to let him run around again :P of course my room isn't "snake proof" but I try not to let him leave my sight. I still, however, have to get over the factor that I'm scared of him :P

Ever been bit? Ive only been tagged 2 or 3 times in the 2 yrs ive owned snakes and I think all the evidence of a bite was gone within 24hrs. They can be intimidating but the bite isnt nearly as bad as their "bark." I'd be leary of letting them roam if there is a chance they could get somewhere they shouldnt be. Youd be surprised how fast they can move when they want to. Your watching TV and take your eye off of them for 2 mins and they can dissapear in an instant... Either way some time and some handling will get both you and your snake comfortable with eachother and then the fun really begins!!

Ya I have total confidence that the actual bite won't hurt per se... It's just that I can be really jumpy and I just wouldn't want to harm my snake my accidently dropping him if he did decide to snap at me. I'm more afraid of being bit and how he will scare me more than the actual bite itself.

It'll be to fast to react.

My bite happened when feeding out of the enclosure, so that myth is gone for me now, inside the enclosure is better.

I have always fed my snake in a large tub. I didn't like the idea that if I fed him in his enclosure, every time I stuck my hand in there he would think he's being fed and possibly bite me. He's a relatively unaggressive snake but seems to eat just fine in his tub. I'm sure it's different for all snakes

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Originally Posted by kojack8389

I have always fed my snake in a large tub. I didn't like the idea that if I fed him in his enclosure, every time I stuck my hand in there he would think he's being fed and possibly bite me. He's a relatively unaggressive snake but seems to eat just fine in his tub. I'm sure it's different for all snakes

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The kinds of snakes this method is meant for is for large (10+ feet) snakes or really aggressive or super food-motivated snakes. Usually, most balls are exempt from this, but as long as he feeds well, no reason to change it. But just for your information, they are pretty good at telling the difference unless you reek of mouse/rat. Just use hemostadts instead of your hand if you need to manuever the prey items and you should be fine. The one time i got bit was using my hand to move an FT mouse-really dumb idea. XD it hurt, but more because of the constriction than the chomping. Just move slow and steady around your guy and he'll be fine... c;

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Originally Posted by darkbloodwyvern

The kinds of snakes this method is meant for is for large (10+ feet) snakes or really aggressive or super food-motivated snakes. Usually, most balls are exempt from this, but as long as he feeds well, no reason to change it. But just for your information, they are pretty good at telling the difference unless you reek of mouse/rat. Just use hemostadts instead of your hand if you need to manuever the prey items and you should be fine.

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I agree with you on most points, but where did you get the large snake idea?? I have never heard it before...

Id think that it would be completely opposite... I know my RTB is starting to get big and soon I wont be messing with moving him from his tank to a feeding tub... Hes only 4ft right now and I cant imagine someone trying to move a 10ft 100lb snake into its cage after its eaten.

i dont let mine go to far away from me when i let him roam.i also feed in a seperate tub and he always eats.if it aint broke dont fix it.

thanks for the tips and comments!