Handling question

[Albert Clark]

@ Hilroy48

[IMG]Hilroy48 Hilroy48 is offline Registered User Join Date 10-06-2021 Posts 12 Thanks 0 Thanked 19 Times in 6 Posts I have 8 different snakes. I have 2 ball pythons. My 4 year old took about 6 months to trust me, now he is no longer head shy and will lay on the bed with me, move around and come back to me. My 9 month old is very calm and relaxed, i got him at 2 months old. Both pythons lay on my chest at first, while i run my fingers all over them. In about 5 min they are now ready to explore. All of my snakes trust me, and hang on my shoulder, or around my neck or they crawl inside my hoodie. I have a job where i work from home for the last 15 years, so my snakes get handled every day.[/IMG]

If that works for you it’s one thing. Your reptiles are not living a natural life being handled every day. Not being critical of you but just advocating for the captive reptiles who deserve to be in a more simulated natural environment. It’s very unnatural for them to be held and exposed on a daily basis. Doing so is more of a anthropomorphic behavior on the human side.

[Hilroy48]

LMAO. ok. Have a great life. Whatever.

[Bogertophis]

Suffice to say that we don't all agree on how much handling is too much for our pets. Different species react differently, and just like us, they have their own personalities too.

We all need to pay close attention to how they respond to handling- if they stop eating or act defensively, that's a pretty big hint that handling is excessive, or that you're doing it wrong.

On the other hand, while our snakes did not evolve being handled & handling may not be "natural" for them, they DID evolve with some ability to adapt, & they certainly did NOT evolve living in cubicles with perfectly-controlled "weather" either.

So let's all play nice (respect our differences of opinion) & keep an open mind, OK?

[Albert Clark]

So my ball python is 9 months old, eats perfectly, never struck at me, but he seems a bit shy. Any time I take him out to handle he doesn’t seem to like to leave his enclosure, and when I do take him out he tries to squirm away. If I don’t constantly control him he’d slither off of me and go somewhere into my room.
I handle about 1-2 times a week at most, and my question is is this enough handling to try and combat his shyness? I’d like to just be able to lay down with him and watch a movie without having to constantly prevent him from trying to get away.
My other question is: Once they are Adults is it harder or impossible to change their temperament/personality such as his shyness?


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That term I was looking for is Thigmotactic

Understanding Ball Python behaviour…
Ball Pythons are considered to be thigmotactic meaning they keep large areas of their bodies in contact with surfaces of the environment in order to feel safe, limiting how much of it is exposed to open space and therefore predators.


[IMG]Snakes are often kept in small enclosures or rubs ( really useful boxes ) as they feel more secure. Not all snakes like large roaming areas and/or open spaces as this makes them feel vulnerable to Preditors, and causes stress.[/IMG]

The less we handle them the less stress and difficulty.

[Bogertophis]

Thigmotactic eh? My new word for the day- gotta remember that for Scrabble, too. (tactic + thigmo...)

That's a perfect description of ball pythons too, & something to keep in mind when furnishing their homes.

...The less we handle them the less stress and difficulty.

See, I think that's your assumption, & I think that one could argue that it's not so much the "handling" that matters as it is the WAY snakes are handled by some people.

For me, the word "cuddle" is a lot easier to remember than "thigmotactic". It's also about being respectful & having empathy with snakes.

While I don't handle my snakes all the time, when I do, I'm pretty good at settling down even the most panicky snakes so they feel safe with me. Keeping their stress level low also helps their appetite, the function of their immune system, & ultimately, their longevity.

I actually think it's better that our captive snakes learn not to fear us, rather than having a snake that's never handled always feeling cornered & thinking that there's some huge predator (us!) lurking nearby all the time. Remember that in the wild, snakes must learn their way around to survive- so as pets, we're part of their environment which they can also learn about & accept as "harmless".

You can't tell them they're safe...you have to show them. The only way I know to do that is with patient handling, & keeping their "need to feel safe" in mind.
(ie. By not swooping over & picking them up suddenly, not dangling them out in the open, not expecting them to enjoy roaming across open spaces, but instead, holding & supporting them so they feel sheltered by us. And by the way, this is not likely going to happen when young children handle them- they're too young to really understand.)