Question about handling scared BPs

[Gerardo]

So far he has been left alone aside from changing the water, feeding, and changing the newspaper. I havnt had him long at all but was wondering if any of you had any tips for handling a BP that is literally scared stiff every time i open his enclosure. Ive never had a BP this afraid before.

[Seemingly_Harmless]

Is that all he does is get a little startled when you open up the enclosure? Or does he also get startled if you try to hold him?

And some important questions:
Has he always behaved this way since you first got him?
Is he blind, either in one or both eyes? I know, it seems kind of foolish to ask since snakes don't depend much on their own eyes and rather detect by heat, but they do see out of their eyes - so if they are blind it only gives them more of a reason to be cautious if they are not able to see their surroundings very well. A blind snake could just hear something and not know what's happening so they get startled.
Did you get him from a breeder or from a pet store?
Can you contact who ever gave you the snake? If so, I suggest you do and ask if your pet has had behavioural problems like this when they had him and if so, ask what precautions they took. You're most-likely to get this information from a breeder though of course, since pet store people usually don't take enough care into the pets they have.


One suggestion that seems really obvious :

Have you tried being extra careful when opening the enclosure? I suggest that maybe you could bit by bit, try opening it very cautiously and slowly. Maybe even try to gather up all the patience you have and try opening it up little by little every minute or more and see how he reacts by that.

[Gerardo]

Yea he has been like that since i got him. I got 2 other snakes the same day and one of them is great with handling and the other one is way more relaxed than before. But this guy has not relaxed at all. He literally gets stiff if i even lift his hide.

[Zach Cedor]

Do you know how old he is i have had a few timid babies normally they grow out of it

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[MonkeyShuttle]

I got one like this but she only does it for the first few minutes i have her out then she chills


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[kc261]

If it's eating and appears healthy, I wouldn't worry about it too much. It wouldn't be the one I'd take out to cuddle on the couch during a TV show, and certainly not the one I'd take out to show off to visitors. But I think as long as it keeps eating, just handle it like you do your other BPs when you need to for tank maintenance, etc. You didn't say if it is just a little one or not, but if it is, I'd expect it to outgrow at least most of its timidness. Even if it is an adult, it should calm down at least somewhat as it gets used to its new home & new owner & new routines.

[Gerardo]

He is 244 grams. Im not too worried. Just hoping he doesnt stay like this.

[Saber402]

I don't think it's that unusual. I picked up a 200 gram female from a guy who didn't interact with it very much. It would do the same thing. Just stiffen up and act like a stick. And after being picked up she would flinch at the slightest movement. Now after about 8 months she still "panics" for a couple seconds when I open her cage, but she is totally chill once picked up and never flinches at all.

Now I have a 150 gram Cinna Bee who is a total spaz. The first day he struck at everything that moved and flinched even when he bumped himself with his tail. Now, a couple months later, he is still pretty flinchy but is getting better. Never strikes at all now. We have limited our handling him to short episodes of usually no more than 10 minutes. As time goes by we will increase the time out of the cage. And we don't handle him while in blue until after he sheds, or for at least 36 hours after he eats.

[CrystalRose]

Some just seem to be jumpier than others. My adult pastel freaks out every time I go in his enclosure and looks for somewhere to hide. Once you pick him up though he mellows out after awhile and just wants to explore. My male Mojave on the other hand thinks puffing up and hissing is going to scare me off. He too calms down once he's picked up. My Lessers are very chill and so is my big normal. Just depends on the snake.

[Powerline Reptiles]

I for one can surely attest to jumpy baby syndrome. Most of our hatchlings are snappy and generally super nervous when they're young. About half of them grow out of it with handling. A lot of times it's just the individual. I have some snakes that seem to really love seeing us and being around us, and others that are downright TERRIFIED every time we open a tub. Handling is the best recipe for helping the skittishness though. For like 10 minutes once a week. It's not too much stimulation, but it gets them used to your presence.