feed or handle first? how much handling is too much?

Well, next week, I'm gonna do my best to convince my mom to let me purchase a BP. I've gotten everything for the enclosure except UTH and digital thermometers and the hygrometer and I was wondering; Should I try to feed my my snake first before attempting to handle him/her? I plan on waiting 7-10 days and then offering a meal. I wanted to be sure to have the snake eat at least twice before handling, but then I realized I'd never seen any info on handling after/before the first meal...
And how much handling is too much? Is there a specific guidline I should follow? [I'm aware it's best not to handle after eating and during shedding cycles.]

First off if you can get your UTH and thermostat in first and then have the set up running for a week before getting the snake it would probably make your life easier. There is a considerable amount of tweaking involved to getting your enclosure just right; doing this before the snake gets there is a major plus.

Once you get your new snake its best to leave him completely alone for the first week. This gives him time to get used to his new home and settle in. After the week of alone time you can offer your first meal. Hopefully he will eat it. You could start handling 48 hours after feeding. You don't want to handle before this because they need some time to digest.

With that said I like to wait 2 weeks of succesful feedings before I start any routine handling.

Hi, I too am in the process of bringing home a new BP and my game plan is to get him settled in his cage and have basically no interaction for about 2 weeks except for watering and spot cleaning.

Then at the 2 week point I plan to offer him food - if he eats then I will attempt to hold him a few days later.

This is just what I believe is a good plan.

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Originally Posted by Spaniard

First off if you can get your UTH and thermostat in first and then have the set up running for a week before getting the snake it would probably make your life easier. There is a considerable amount of tweaking involved to getting your enclosure just right; doing this before the snake gets there is a major plus.

Once you get your new snake its best to leave him completely alone for the first week. This gives him time to get used to his new home and settle in. After the week of alone time you can offer your first meal. Hopefully he will eat it. You could start handling 48 hours after feeding. You don't want to handle before this because they need some time to digest.

With that said I like to wait 2 weeks of succesful feedings before I start any routine handling.

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Couldn't have said it better myself. Excellent advice there Rich. :)

thanks guys. ^^;
I plan on purchasing those supplies before aqurining the new python..forgot to mention it. x3
Oh, and how long should handling sessions be and how frequent?

With the exception of the 48hours after a meal you could handle every day for about 15 minutes. Some people have snakes that can be out for longer but I never bother them for very long. Some snakes deal with handling better than others. You will get to know what your snake can handle after time.

What you need to remember is that handling is a stress factor to your snake. Some are better at dealing with that stress factor than others. At first I would stick to 15 minute handling sessions every other day.

If your snake feeds that week and the next week you want to try handling for 20 minutes then go for it. If at any point he doesn't eat then I would stop handling until he starts to eat again. I would then take a step back and look at what I did differently that week that may have cause him not to eat.

I handle mine once a week for maybe 30mins (normally more but the weather has been crappy and she wasn't eating for a while). They don't really need much at all (some could argue they don't need any handling). For a newcomer though, maybe 15 minutes?
It all depends on the temp of your room. I don't like keeping my bp out for a long time or at all if it's cold out (stupid rain for the past month).

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Originally Posted by drucebennedict

thanks guys. ^^;
I plan on purchasing those supplies before aqurining the new python..forgot to mention it. x3
Oh, and how long should handling sessions be and how frequent?

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Just remember that handling your snake is pretty much like a gift. It's not expected or demanded, it's just very appreciated.

Snakes are lone creatures on the whole, not programmed by nature to need others as pack or herd animals do. Interacting with us is something that they can learn to tolerate, even perhaps "enjoy" in whatever way a snake is capable of that but it isn't something they particularily need. Your dog would be unhappy without some sort of daily interaction with you, your snake is not like that at all.

Enjoy the snake for what it is and more importantly, for what it isn't. :)

I actually handled my ball python the day I first got him every day:)
I know I was not supposed too but hey, it was a my first snake.
He ate a week later I got him with no ill effects, so I would say it depends on the snake.

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Originally Posted by guambomb832

I actually handled my ball python the day I first got him every day:)
I know I was not supposed too but hey, it was a my first snake.
He ate a week later I got him with no ill effects, so I would say it depends on the snake.

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Its best for most snakes to give it a week to settle in. Its not much to ask from a responsible keeper for a little patience before starting to handle their snake.

Even if it was your first snake you should put the needs of the animals in front of your own desires. That is the definition of responsible keeping.

You got lucky but you easily could have prolonged or created a feeding issue by your actions.

I think he meant he did it because he didnt know better.... I didnt much about BPs till I found this forum.

I handle my snake the day I got her (normal female) from a local private exotic pet store and everyday after that, and I fed her 2 days after. She attack the mouse within 5 secs. She had eaten 4 days before that. And she has been a vicious eater since I have her, but by some weird contrast, she is also very nice and not very shy, she has never show any signs of agression.

After I now know more, much more about BPs, I got a male pastel about 2 weeks ago. They are almost the same age if not the same. same length. He was very thin when I got him. He came in the mail so he was a little shy and shaken at first. He has settle down now, but as for personalities go, he is not as friendly as the normal and he is not as vicious when it comes to eating, and he is a bit shy.

What I am trying to say is that every snake has its personality and while some things hold truth in this site (example: temperatures, meal sizes), some things are just standards (like how often to feed your snake), and you need to adjust to your snake as you see fit. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Danounet

What I am trying to say is that every snake has its personality and while some things hold truth in this site (example: temperatures, meal sizes), some things are just standards (like how often to feed your snake), and you need to adjust to your snake as you see fit. :gj:

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I would agree with this. :gj: I only have 3 BPs so far, and they have distinct personalities and levels of tolerance... therefore I treat them each a little differently, at least when it comes to handling. Delilah is the most cranky, so I only take her out a few times a week for 10-15 minutes. Mona is outgoing but very active and large/strong, so I'm keeping her handling to a minimum until we're used to each other (she's still new). Then there's Toby, who'd chill on me for HOURS if I let him. They are unique, and you have to get to know them before deciding what's best.

As for your other question - I handled mine for a few minutes when they first came home, just to make sure everything was alright. Then I left them completely alone for a week before offering food, after which they can be handled 48 hours later. Toby and Mona ate within a week of arriving, so that formula worked fine... Delilah took almost a month to eat, but we did give in and hold her after about 10 days. Turns out she's just a mouse-only snake (we were offering rats), so the handling didn't affect her feeding either way. So once again, you just have to feel out the personality of your individual snake... they should let you know if they aren't comfortable, and then you need to back off for a while. Good luck!