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  1. #1
    Registered User EthanMG's Avatar
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    Shy Ball python? + handling help

    So, ever since I got my ball python, when I handle him and touch him somewhere, he moves that part of his body away from my hand/finger. So like if I take my hand and start 3/4 at the top of his body on the side, then rib straight down, he pushes his body away from my hand alongside it as it moves down his body. He does the same if I just slightly touch him on his side while I hold him. Usually when I start to slowly rub him not only does he move the part of his body I’m touching away, but he also gets extra squirmy. He’s 3-4 months old, I take him out about every 3 days for 30-45 minutes, and he’s healthy, sheds in one piece, and never misses a meal. Not sure why he is so shy though? Will he get over this if so about how long would it take, and I’d there something I should do to help him not be so shy/afraid. Should I be rubbing and touching him (slowly and softly of course) to get him used to touch, or should I try and never do that because it takes him out of his comfort zone. This is my first snake and I want the best of him, and I know their first year is the most important, so I want to make sure he’s happy and I’m doing everything right. I’d like to hear any thoughts, thanks


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  2. #2
    Registered User arpowell's Avatar
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    He'll probably grow out of it, or at least get a bit more comfortable with age. It's impossible to say how long it'll take, though, and totally depends on his individual personality.

    My girl is super shy, even by ball python standards; I got her when she was two months old and she's about eight months old now. When I first got her, she would act like your boy does, and would roll into a ball more often than not when I got her out. Now, she handles like an absolute dream, and is very curious and...I wouldn't quite say outgoing, but she's gained a lot of confidence. That's just come with age and consistent, gentle handling.

    I will say, and this will likely depend on your individual snake, my snake doesn't like to be stroked or rubbed very much when she's out. She's a white snake and I always worry that every little bit of dirt on her is an injury, so she's had to get used to some occasional prodding and she tolerates being pet gently, but for the most part when she's out I just let her roam around on my hands and don't pet or touch her very much otherwise. That's what seems to make her the most comfortable - maybe your boy would respond well if you kept rubbing and excessive touching to a minimum while he's out?

    I'd say the best thing you can do at this point is let him set his boundaries, and pay attention when he lets you know that he's not comfortable with something. Remember that he's still young and small - the world is a scary place for snakes, and that goes doubly for baby snakes! He'll probably gain a lot of confidence as he gets older, bigger, and more used to you. My girl definitely did! All you can do is really go at his pace and make sure that every handling session is a positive experience for both of you.

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  4. #3
    BPnet Veteran Snagrio's Avatar
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    Remember he's still quite young. Snakes are very instinctual creatures, and in the wild they're at their most vulnerable in their youth. So they generally tend to be more skittish by default at this age no matter how carefully they're treated. By all accounts you're doing him right with husbandry, but some snakes just take a little more patience to grow comfortable with the giant weirdos they have to live with.

    My suggestion would be, while he's held, let him crawl over the tips of your fingers on his own accord. Say you have him on one hand, and as he starts to move his body around in the air carefully place the fingers of the other hand underneath him so he gets used to the feeling of your touch on his own. After some time of that kind of handling, then you can try more "manual" touching to see if he's gotten more comfortable with it. This is also important to do with the head in particular, as there may come a time where his head needs to be touched (for medical reasons for example) and it's not a bad idea to get a snake used to that at some point. But again, on HIS terms with the method I've described.

    To put it all in a sentence, instead of touching the snake, let the snake touch you.

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  6. #4
    Registered User TofuTofuTofu's Avatar
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    Re: Shy Ball python? + handling help

    It wasn't clear from your post, but if you're touching the snake in its enclosure, maybe this is causing him stress because he feels like you are invading his space.

    I think that reptiles can tolerate touching and petting, but it's not something they... want or would enjoy, just because they are not mammals and aren't programmed to know what that sort of contact is, and don't view it as bonding or reassuring. Like, I can pet my iguana but he will just sit there with his eyes closed waiting for me to stop; I know he doesn't actually enjoy it, but he knows I'm not a threat and is literally ignoring me. With our Japanese rat snake, he doesn't really like being touched while in his enclosure and will sort of twitch or move away from your hand (not dart away, but will start to relocate), but outside of his enclosure, he doesn't seem to care at all. I can touch his tiny little face and he doesn't care, but I don't think like he'd like that in his enclosure (I haven't tried because it seems mean, lol).

    In the long run, I think the best thing to do if you want a handleable, trusting snake, is choice-based handling. This may take a little longer initially (like spending time near the enclosure and eventually opening the door to see if he will come out) but this would be a good way to have him be comfortable with you and have a positive association with you. It will build both confidence and trust in your snake if he thinks it was his idea that he could go explore or be handled. After going through the initial steps, you can pick up the snake from the enclosure as "normal."

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ljtIS4qCKw

    Lori Torrini has a lot of videos on training ball pythons as well!

    I like to keep in mind that reptiles are kind of on a slower "plane" than people, so things may take longer. It may take several months for him to get used to you. But what I like about this method is that you can tell by the snake's reaction when it is time to progress to the next "step."

    If you want to watch a longer video about the subject of choice-based versus force-based handling, you can watch this one (I haven't watched it yet, but plan to):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPKpTh79Oe4
    Last edited by TofuTofuTofu; 09-16-2021 at 10:46 PM. Reason: added link
    ----------
    Animals in my house:

    1.0 Green Iguana
    1.0 New Zealand Rabbit
    1.0 Blonde Trans-Pecos Rat Snake
    1.0 Japanese Rat Snake
    ? Panda King Isopod Colony
    6 Blue Death-Feigning Beetles
    4 Hellburnt Diabolical Ironclad Beetles

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  8. #5
    Registered User EthanMG's Avatar
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    Re: Shy Ball python? + handling help

    Quote Originally Posted by arpowell View Post
    He'll probably grow out of it, or at least get a bit more comfortable with age. It's impossible to say how long it'll take, though, and totally depends on his individual personality.

    My girl is super shy, even by ball python standards; I got her when she was two months old and she's about eight months old now. When I first got her, she would act like your boy does, and would roll into a ball more often than not when I got her out. Now, she handles like an absolute dream, and is very curious and...I wouldn't quite say outgoing, but she's gained a lot of confidence. That's just come with age and consistent, gentle handling.

    I will say, and this will likely depend on your individual snake, my snake doesn't like to be stroked or rubbed very much when she's out. She's a white snake and I always worry that every little bit of dirt on her is an injury, so she's had to get used to some occasional prodding and she tolerates being pet gently, but for the most part when she's out I just let her roam around on my hands and don't pet or touch her very much otherwise. That's what seems to make her the most comfortable - maybe your boy would respond well if you kept rubbing and excessive touching to a minimum while he's out?

    I'd say the best thing you can do at this point is let him set his boundaries, and pay attention when he lets you know that he's not comfortable with something. Remember that he's still young and small - the world is a scary place for snakes, and that goes doubly for baby snakes! He'll probably gain a lot of confidence as he gets older, bigger, and more used to you. My girl definitely did! All you can do is really go at his pace and make sure that every handling session is a positive experience for both of you.
    Thank you so much this was very helpful!


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  9. #6
    BPnet Royalty KMG's Avatar
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    It's a Ball Python sooooo.....

    Lol!

    Mine is over 10 years old and still balls up often when I pull her out. She'll open up after a few minutes though and then be fine hanging around my neck or just being held.

    As for moving away from your hand when being touched that's very common among many....might even say most....snakes. Even my most calm that don't usually flinch or pull away will at times.
    KMG
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  11. #7
    Registered User EthanMG's Avatar
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    Re: Shy Ball python? + handling help

    Quote Originally Posted by Snagrio View Post
    Remember he's still quite young. Snakes are very instinctual creatures, and in the wild they're at their most vulnerable in their youth. So they generally tend to be more skittish by default at this age no matter how carefully they're treated. By all accounts you're doing him right with husbandry, but some snakes just take a little more patience to grow comfortable with the giant weirdos they have to live with.

    My suggestion would be, while he's held, let him crawl over the tips of your fingers on his own accord. Say you have him on one hand, and as he starts to move his body around in the air carefully place the fingers of the other hand underneath him so he gets used to the feeling of your touch on his own. After some time of that kind of handling, then you can try more "manual" touching to see if he's gotten more comfortable with it. This is also important to do with the head in particular, as there may come a time where his head needs to be touched (for medical reasons for example) and it's not a bad idea to get a snake used to that at some point. But again, on HIS terms with the method I've described.

    To put it all in a sentence, instead of touching the snake, let the snake touch you.
    Ok that makes sense. So why you’re saying is just do regular handling where he feels comfortable and as he grows older and feels more secure, then try manually touching. I’ll try that. Probably won’t be till he’s not a baby, but who knows. Also, how do you get them used to head touches if they hate it so much? Thanks for your help


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  12. #8
    Registered User EthanMG's Avatar
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    Re: Shy Ball python? + handling help

    Quote Originally Posted by KMG View Post
    It's a Ball Python sooooo.....

    Lol!

    Mine is over 10 years old and still balls up often when I pull her out. She'll open up after a few minutes though and then be fine hanging around my neck or just being held.

    As for moving away from your hand when being touched that's very common among many....might even say most....snakes. Even my most calm that don't usually flinch or pull away will at times.
    Ok thanks for your response. I guess it’s a normal thing. Hope mine grows out out of it as he gets older like others’ have


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  13. #9
    BPnet Veteran Snagrio's Avatar
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    Re: Shy Ball python? + handling help

    Quote Originally Posted by EthanMG View Post
    Ok that makes sense. So why you’re saying is just do regular handling where he feels comfortable and as he grows older and feels more secure, then try manually touching. I’ll try that. Probably won’t be till he’s not a baby, but who knows. Also, how do you get them used to head touches if they hate it so much? Thanks for your help


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Same way I told you. Have it so that he happens to rub his head against your fingers as he moves about. Don't approach him with the fingers, let him approach them himself and get used to the contact as he moves around them. It will take some patience to have him do so but that's the key. On his own terms.

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  15. #10
    Registered User EthanMG's Avatar
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    Re: Shy Ball python? + handling help

    Quote Originally Posted by TofuTofuTofu View Post
    It wasn't clear from your post, but if you're touching the snake in its enclosure, maybe this is causing him stress because he feels like you are invading his space.

    I think that reptiles can tolerate touching and petting, but it's not something they... want or would enjoy, just because they are not mammals and aren't programmed to know what that sort of contact is, and don't view it as bonding or reassuring. Like, I can pet my iguana but he will just sit there with his eyes closed waiting for me to stop; I know he doesn't actually enjoy it, but he knows I'm not a threat and is literally ignoring me. With our Japanese rat snake, he doesn't really like being touched while in his enclosure and will sort of twitch or move away from your hand (not dart away, but will start to relocate), but outside of his enclosure, he doesn't seem to care at all. I can touch his tiny little face and he doesn't care, but I don't think like he'd like that in his enclosure (I haven't tried because it seems mean, lol).

    In the long run, I think the best thing to do if you want a handleable, trusting snake, is choice-based handling. This may take a little longer initially (like spending time near the enclosure and eventually opening the door to see if he will come out) but this would be a good way to have him be comfortable with you and have a positive association with you. It will build both confidence and trust in your snake if he thinks it was his idea that he could go explore or be handled. After going through the initial steps, you can pick up the snake from the enclosure as "normal."

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ljtIS4qCKw

    Lori Torrini has a lot of videos on training ball pythons as well!

    I like to keep in mind that reptiles are kind of on a slower "plane" than people, so things may take longer. It may take several months for him to get used to you. But what I like about this method is that you can tell by the snake's reaction when it is time to progress to the next "step."

    If you want to watch a longer video about the subject of choice-based versus force-based handling, you can watch this one (I haven't watched it yet, but plan to):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPKpTh79Oe4
    Thanks for your detailed response! I never touch him while he’s in his enclosure except for a light tap before I pick him up (to let him know it’s not feeding time). After that and once he’s out of his enclosure m, he’s completely fine except for not liking when I “manually” touch or rub him. Some are saying this is normal others are saying he’ll grow out of it. I’ll watch the videos you sent, and letting my snake come to me and not come to it sounds like a great idea, but if I’m hesitant to pick him up, he gets in his striking pose because he thinks my hand is food… maybe it won’t always be like this, and if that’s the case, then I’ll try and let him come to me


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