Vik absolutely positively hates me.

[Quadrophenia]

Hello everyone.

Well, I got Viktor mid December. He was a month old (born Nov. 22nd '06). I'm sure everything is perfect... I've got a herpstat ND maintaining my temps, two identical hides on each side, a humidity level averaging 50ish%, 20gal long, eco earth substrate, no real "open" space... it's a nice place to live... he'll sleep during the day and come out between 8-10pm. His first shed went perfectly.

He didn't like me at first, so I slept with some clean socks and put them in the tank for a few weeks so he'd get used to my smell. I think that helped for a little.

I was handling him 2-5 times a week, but as of late I haven't handled him in a week. He'll curl & rear up whenever I open the tank to take him out or change his water. I have not been bitten yet, but I've totally built up getting bitten in my mind & have become a complete wimp because of this. I know it won't hurt, but the fear of the strike is making my attempts to handle him deteriorate.

He eats every time I feed him (every 1-1.5 weeks). The last time I fed him he sniffed the mouse then went right for my hand. I was wearing a pair of rubber gloves and holding the mouse by the tail with a pair of foot-long tweezer/tongs - my hand was basically out of his line of site! He had to move and climb to get a clear shot at me. And I always make sure I don't get my own stink on the mouse. I left the mouse on a piece of paper towel and let him eat it that way.

I was looking at him through the glass today and he stared & mouthed the words "get f'ked" to me.

I know from everything I've read here that there are just some snakes that are this way and never change.

As of today, I feel like I've fallen victim to what I preach against - my pet owns me. I also feel like a failure of a herp owner. Any advice? Have some of you dealt with this & managed to "change" the snake?

edit: crap, could someone move this to "General BP?" Sorry about that.

[wildlifewarrior]

1st question what sized mouse? I am assuming adultish. You aren't a failure, you have only had him for a month and a half, no worries. The hatchling that i had bought was very snappy. But after about a month of persistance he began to relax. what i try to do when i take out a snake that is a bit deffensive/aggressive, was keep him moving in my hands, you don't want him to be feeling that he is being grabbed by some monster from the sky. If you keep him moving then he feels like you are part oh his enviroment. try that and keep us updated.


~mike

[Quadrophenia]

Hey Mike. I've been feeding him thawed fuzzies. I'll be staying on it like you said. I really really hope he comes around soon. I don't want to stress him out over and over.

[wildlifewarrior]

i would try moving him up to about a hoppersh sized mouse, the snappyness may be from being a bit hungry, unless he is a really small snake. hope that helps!

~mike

[Quadrophenia]

I'll definitely do that, starting tomorrow. Thanks again.

[wildlifewarrior]

glad to help. keep checking back incase others have any suggestions.


~mike

[Quadrophenia]

Yeah, I'm going to. I'm F5'ing this page every 10 minutes or so =)

[speepdaedeesi]

just remember hes a snake, not a dog. his instincts, especially being a little guy, are telling him you are a threat. hell come around. it just takes time and patience. dont give up!

[tigerlily]

Be careful of putting sock in the enclosure, as you don't want them ingested. You might want to consider lining the top of the cage, if you want to familiarize him with your scent. (although I've had no experience with this method)

My advice is to cover 3 sides of your tank. 20 gallons is still pretty big for a 4 month old snake. He's also young, so keeping handling sessions short and no longer than 15 minutes. You may also want to consider a small adult mouse as well. Remember this little guy is bottom of the food chain and he knows it. Remember to have patience, move slowly and always wash your hands before and after handling.

Good luck and let us know how you progress.

[Quadrophenia]

Hey, thanks for the replies. I'll keep an eye on the sock, maybe change it to something with more bulk to it. I've already got three sides covered . How often have you handled your youngins? Daily?

speepdaedeesi - yep, I had a little trouble with that at first (the dog comment), but I caught on after all the research I did. I'm glad I'm getting positive replies about this, I was anticipating "well, some snakes are like that." Either way, I hope that isn't the case.