Getting new bp used to handling?

[Nikki1292]

My sweet girl Lilith (Lily for short) is only about 3 months. I've had her for four days and absolutely do not plan to handle her until she's been here eight to ten days since her next meal is due Sunday and I want her food to settle before I begin handling her. The breeder said she handled her quite regularly, but I would like to know how often I should handle her to begin with such as once a day for a few minutes, every other day, and so on. I don't want to stress her, but I want her to be accustomed to it to where she is "tame" for lack of a better word although I know they can never truly be tame.

[Kira]

Honestly it's probably best to wait to handle her until she has had 3 consecutive (no refusals) meals with you. Ball pythons- especially young ones, tend to get stressed out easily. She is still getting used to her new home. Handling before she is regularly eating could lead to meal refusals.

After she is regularly eating I recommend handling her 3 times per week for about 5 minutes each. Don't handle the day before, the day of, and the day after feeding.

Trust me, I know waiting is hard but keep in mind that 3 weeks of no handling is nothing compared to the 20 or so years you will have with her! I waited to hold my ball python and it was worth it because she is a fantastic eater and very easy to handle. Let us know if you have more questions!

[Nikki1292]

Honestly it's probably best to wait to handle her until she has had 3 consecutive (no refusals) meals with you. Ball pythons- especially young ones, tend to get stressed out easily. She is still getting used to her new home. Handling before she is regularly eating could lead to meal refusals.

After she is regularly eating I recommend handling her 3 times per week for about 5 minutes each. Don't handle the day before, the day of, and the day after feeding.

Trust me, I know waiting is hard but keep in mind that 3 weeks of no handling is nothing compared to the 20 or so years you will have with her! I waited to hold my ball python and it was worth it because she is a fantastic eater and very easy to handle. Let us know if you have more questions!

Yeah the waiting is killing me lol but I'm more than happy to wait as long as she needs. So, 3 feedings, 3 weeks. Would it help to increase my activity around her enclosure before a handling attempt? We have a designated critter room for her and our tarantulas, away from noise, light, traffic of us going back and forth, and it's easier to control temp. Normally I'm in there multiple times a day for the tarantulas (cleaning water, spot cleaning, and just relaxing to read since that's where I go for peace and quiet with book shelves) but so as not to stress her, I've kept my activity in there to a minimum. Apart from my tarantula care, I only go in to check her humidity/temp, and change her water. Would just hanging around in there cause her too much stress so soon? My chair for reading and relaxing is beside her enclosure, its a very peaceful room to relax in.

[Kira]

Just keep to your usual schedule. I used to worry that my dogs jumping off and on the bed would stress out my girl but she didn't seem to care. As long as your husbandry is on point then you should be fine

[Craiga 01453]

Honestly it's probably best to wait to handle her until she has had 3 consecutive (no refusals) meals with you. Ball pythons- especially young ones, tend to get stressed out easily. She is still getting used to her new home. Handling before she is regularly eating could lead to meal refusals.

After she is regularly eating I recommend handling her 3 times per week for about 5 minutes each. Don't handle the day before, the day of, and the day after feeding.

Trust me, I know waiting is hard but keep in mind that 3 weeks of no handling is nothing compared to the 20 or so years you will have with her! I waited to hold my ball python and it was worth it because she is a fantastic eater and very easy to handle. Let us know if you have more questions!

Just keep to your usual schedule. I used to worry that my dogs jumping off and on the bed would stress out my girl but she didn't seem to care. As long as your husbandry is on point then you should be fine

Both great replies. Kira has given you some good advice.

I can understand wanting to hang out with your new pet, but there will be plenty of time for that. Her health should be top priority to start.

BPs are an extremely docile species, which is one of the main reasons they're the most popular snakes in the hobby. They acclimate to handling very well.

Let me put this disclaimer out there first:
I've NEVER done this, NEVER will and DO NOT recommend anybody else try it, it's simply hypothetical to make a point.
I'm pretty much positive I could be blindfolded get my BP, Tyson out of his enclosure without even a hiss, never mind being tagged.
The point being: when provided with proper husbandry, proper security (hides, clutter, etc...), proper meals and proper handling BPs are an extremely docile species.

Once your new girl is settled in and has eaten three consecutive meals without refusal, start handling 3-4 times per week (avoiding feeding days and at least 24 hours to digest) but keep the handling sessions short. Start with 5-10 minutes at a time and gradually work up in 5 minute increments until you're at 20+ minutes. In my experience with all my snakes through the years, I find that not many snakes are comfortable being handled for more than a half hour.

Good luck!! Feel free to ask any questions you may have. We're happy to help!