Does anyone's BP come out for handling voluntarily?

[plateOfFlan]

My ball sometimes comes to the front of his bin once I've turned off the light, and once or twice I've opened it for him to see if he'd come out on his own and climb on my arm - he watches me open the top calmly but retreats, even if I just hold my hand outside for him to smell. Normally for handling sessions I lift his hide and take him out, but that's in the afternoon and he seems more amped up at night and more likely to think about striking. I was wondering if over time he might come out on his own or if this too big of an ask for a BP -I know some boas will happily climb out onto an offered arm, like a trained parrot, but maybe it's beyond what can be expected of a BP?

[Bleh]

From my experience, BP's don't 'volunteer' themselves to be handled. They instinctively retreat to safety when a bigger 'predator' makes physical contact.

Once out however, and generally after a few minutes, mine appear to relax and become more inquisitive and happy to explore whether that would be me or the close surrounding including other people, i.e. one of the kids sitting next to me for example.

[Neko_snake]

In my experience it depends on the BP. I've had it where the male I used to work with came out on his own almost every time but I've also had it where my baby male doesn't want to come over. I think it's partly a personality thing and a consistent thing. Like if I stood at my baby's tank while I had it open I feel like he'd come over eventually but he has to get used to that and get comfortable. For a shyer BP that may never happen but who knows if you take the time and wait them out their curiosity might get the better of them.

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[bcr229]

I've got a male and a few females that will pop right out and crawl on your arm, unless they are in shed or they just ate and they're digesting. I don't think it's due to affection or wanting to be held, they are just treating us as a convenient stepping stone to being somewhere else.

[Frosted]

I've got two 2021 babies that are both extremely friendly and active and will willingly come on to my hand almost every single time I take them out.

I've also got a three year old male who is shy as can be. He hides pretty much the second I open his tub. He also takes about 15 minutes to warm up once out of his tub.

I think some of it is personality but most is just getting used to being handled. My three year old male was a breeding holdback I purchased from someone and I'm assuming he wasn't handled much. All of our snakes get taken out daily and my daughter isn't always the most gentle when she handles them and she mostly only holds the babies so they've gotten very used to handling. They barely even respond to head pets or sudden movements any more and seem to really enjoy being outside of the tub.

Like bcr229 said, I don't think it's as much of actually wanting to climb on you as it is convenient to climb on you. With that said, they wouldn't do it if they weren't comfortable with it so I believe there is a certain level of trust involved on the snakes end. However simple or complex that response may be for them, I wish I knew!

[Caitlin]

Some snakes absolutely do indicate that they want out of their enclosure by hanging out at the front and/or 'pacing' near the front. I have a few that will climb right out onto my hands when they want out. As others mentioned, this varies based on the individual snake's temperament, how habituated it is to you, and any previous experience with interaction and training.

It's really quite surprising how interactive some (NOT all) snakes can become given the right type of interaction. I use a lot of what's called 'choice based handling' and have gotten very striking results. Linking a video below by my snake training mentor, Lori Torrini, which you might find interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ljt...el=LoriTorrini

[plateOfFlan]

It's great to know some of them will warm up to it - I don't want to cause undue stress by pushing him to do something he doesn't understand. He does seem to really enjoy being out of the tank and exploring, but if you could ask him he'd probably say having to interact with the big weird monkey that wants to pick him up is the part he could really do without!
I did look at choice-based when I first got him, it's part of what made me wonder. I wasn't sure BPs were the best candidates though mostly because they're nocturnal. My boy's most active in the hours right after midnight, meaning my room lights are off and I'm, well, tired, which doesn't seem to be ideal handling time. I feel like handling him late at night is riskier because he's all energetic but I'm tired and less alert, and the room is dark. I'd rather feel like I'm focused and on top of any trouble he could get into.

[nikkubus]

Most of them prefer to be left alone, but I have one female in particular who will come out and crawl around on me almost every opportunity. I have a male who wants out often, but he immediately tries to go straight to the females . Some of mine will come out on their own to hang out with me once in a while, but it's infrequent. I agree with bcr229, when they do, it isn't that they are wanting attention or affection.

[Caitlin]

I did look at choice-based when I first got him, it's part of what made me wonder. I wasn't sure BPs were the best candidates though mostly because they're nocturnal. My boy's most active in the hours right after midnight, meaning my room lights are off and I'm, well, tired, which doesn't seem to be ideal handling time. I feel like handling him late at night is riskier because he's all energetic but I'm tired and less alert, and the room is dark. I'd rather feel like I'm focused and on top of any trouble he could get into.

If you're interested, Lori T. has started a whole video series ('Royals at the Ranch') specifically about behavior, temperament, and training in BP - because they are an extremely popular pet, but they are also a very shy snake, as well as being crepuscular/nocturnal. They often need some adjustments in how we work with them as compared to snakes that may have bolder or more outgoing temperaments. But if you work with them on their own terms, they are a lovely snake.

[plateOfFlan]

If you're interested, Lori T. has started a whole video series ('Royals at the Ranch') specifically about behavior, temperament, and training in BP - because they are an extremely popular pet, but they are also a very shy snake, as well as being crepuscular/nocturnal. They often need some adjustments in how we work with them as compared to snakes that may have bolder or more outgoing temperaments. But if you work with them on their own terms, they are a lovely snake.

Thanks so much, that's a great playlist!

Of course after posting this and reading about behavior and things, this morning he was out and about so I opened the lid and he stepped right onto my hand to give me a good sniff, just like that . I didn't try to pet him or take him all the way out, and he just went back in and continued whatever snake activities he was doing. I don't think he necessarily wants "out" when he does that but it's very cool that he was confident enough to approach me, even in blue when he can't see well (I wonder if this is why he needed a good up close sniff, to make sure this was his usual housekeeping visitor?) You just never know lol