how often do you hold your snakes?

[singingtothewheat]

It just totally varies, depending on my work schedule and feedings but everyone get's held at least a couple times a week.

[Suzy]

This is an interesting thread. I know it's slightly old, but I just wanted to comment.

I've got 8 snakes (6 Corns, a Black Milk, and a BP) so handling them all every day would be fairly difficult. I handle a few of them once a week or so. I don't handle new snakes (such as the BP) for a minimum of 1 week, but it's usually at least a few weeks before I do my first handling session.

I also wait to hold my colubrids until they hit a certain weight - usually about 30 grams. When they're smaller than that, they're a little flighty and hard to hang on to without worrying about squishing them.

My Black Milk really likes to come out fairly often, so I find myself bending the rules for him, but I still don't handle him for a minimum of 48 hours after feeding.

[HypoPita]

yea guess is wasn't paying attention, clicked on this thread from the main page lol. the title just says snakes. you bring up a good point tho. gotta do whats best for the snake. and it is hard to pick up on animal behavior, only comes with experience and im still learning.

I find it kind of sad that you are the only person backing me up on this, at all.

[DarkDazeys]

I hold my snake whenever I can, provided that she's 1. not in shed 2. it's not feeding day (she gets a little strikey on feeding days) and 3. she has defecated. So, it leaves me with a couple of days a week during the day.

[Oroborous]

Well, I have five snakes, and they all get handled a few times a week. Sometimes more or less often, depends on how much free time I have, or if they're in shed or whatever. I like to get them out for exercise, cleaning, feeding and to keep them docile ect.

[Bruce Whitehead]

I handle my snakes daily, but due to the number it is not the same snake everyday... well except for the habitual dish flippers.

Bruce

[baller29]

I hold Daisy about every other day(accept after she feeds and during shed. Ugh, snake puke) She seems to be getting used to my scent.

[Mr_BoaJangles]

I handle mine once every other day or so... since I have a good number of pets its not that I dont want to handle them more but there is no time. I usualy trade off on days between the RTB, my BP and my wifes Corn (on days that she is off at work and not planing on handliing her)

I can agree that exploring in some cases is fine, though my two young adults dont, that just sit in my lap or on my arm and chill. My BP will parascope if something interesting is on TV or if there is action in the fish tank. Beyond that they just get cozy and warm and sit with me.

[BeastMaster]

Maybe a mod can help out and put a few more options onto this poll, it's......uh....lacking a bit I think.

I handle mine 2-3 days after they eat and then it is not but 2-3 days until they eat again ( for everyone except Albert, he likes to eat every 10 days, but I don't know why, that's just him ).

So I guess you could say that on a given week, most of mine get handled 2-3 times, for a period of 15 minutes to 2 hours or more. I just pay attention to them and make sure holding them is not causing them undue stress.

[Aeries]

hrm, hard to answer!
Usually everyone's cage gets opened at least once a day, sometime more than once a day, and they choose whether to come out or not. I'll just pop it open and sit beside the cage and read/do homework whatever, and if they choose to stick their heads out and stare at me or climb around the cage top or on my shoulders, than so be it.
I usually take out at least one or two snakes a day and 'handle' them, but not every snake every day.
My ball actully has a pretty exact shedule of coming out of his hides around 10pm and waiting by the door until I open the cage, then he'll slither on my arms and I'll take him to the bed while I read or play video games. He'll usually just sit on my lap and periscope it up.
I don't change my handling based on shed, not a single one of my snakes acts differently to being handled during this time than any other time. I don't bug them for two days after eating though.