ok, now shes eaten... a question

[ADEE]

Ok, so we had a female who hadnt eaten since it got here well over 3wks ago. She finally ate last night! (very happy about that) now my question is, aside from moving her to clean her bin we havnt held her at all. we wanted her to have plenty of time to relax, get in the groove of being in a new home, basically trying our hardest to keep her stress free. Now, aside from leaving her alone to digest for a couple days will it be ok to start handling her? Should we continue to leave her alone for a couple feedings?

whats your opinion?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

My I would still keep the handling to a minimum/necessary at least until she eats with consistency (4 to 6 consecutive meals)

[ADEE]

My I would still keep the handling to a minimum/necessary at least until she eats with consistency (4 to 6 consecutive meals)

thank you. we have lots of other animals we can handle, so leaving her alone isnt a problem.

Now I have a male mojave who is very strikey... he has eaten a few times for us fine but he still remains strikey. he is a late 07' animal, he is fairly new also.. he should eventually calm down with time right? He has an amazing feeding response and hes eating a nice size adult mouse every 5 days and hes still like that. I have to physically put the hide over his head to remove him from the bin or he will lunge at me, i even felt him graze by me the most recent time.. i swear hes going to be the animal who claims my first bite lol.. his temps/humidity/husbandry is spot on. he has a nice small hide that he spends a great deal of time in i just think he thinks were humazilla still... should i try the newspaper trick with him and leave him alone except feeding for awhile also?

[ladywhipple02]

I would leave him alone for awhile too... a couple weeks anyway. It's possible he's just not settled in yet. And the balled up newspaper trick does some wonders...

Some snakes are extremely territorial and will continue striking when you stick your hands in their tubs, even if they feel comfortable. My Gwydion has yet to strike, but he coils everytime I open up his tub and hisses if I touch him with my fingers. I've been using a hook (bent clothes hanger) to get him out of his tub, and he has no problems with it whatsoever. And he's totally fine once he's outside of his tub.

Does your mojave strike outside of his enclosure? Or just inside? Have you tried using a hook?

I agree with the above for your little girl, as well... give her some time before you start handling.

[MATT FISHER REPTILES]

wait till at least 3-4 meals. until the snake is eating every time.

[Brimstone111888]

Same I usually wait 2-3 meals before handling. I've also noticed balls "calm" down more around the 500g mark, at least for me.

[ADEE]

I would leave him alone for awhile too... a couple weeks anyway. It's possible he's just not settled in yet. And the balled up newspaper trick does some wonders...

Some snakes are extremely territorial and will continue striking when you stick your hands in their tubs, even if they feel comfortable. My Gwydion has yet to strike, but he coils everytime I open up his tub and hisses if I touch him with my fingers. I've been using a hook (bent clothes hanger) to get him out of his tub, and he has no problems with it whatsoever. And he's totally fine once he's outside of his tub.

Does your mojave strike outside of his enclosure? Or just inside? Have you tried using a hook?

I agree with the above for your little girl, as well... give her some time before you start handling.

thank you for your comment.. its only when hes in his tub does he strike. he still has that nervous feeling (jumpy) outside of his bin but he at least doesnt strike when im holding him. I havnt tried using a hook but i will if it becomes nessesary (or if it would be more comforting to him)

wait till at least 3-4 meals. until the snake is eating every time.

thank you

[ladywhipple02]

thank you for your comment.. its only when hes in his tub does he strike. he still has that nervous feeling (jumpy) outside of his bin but he at least doesnt strike when im holding him. I havnt tried using a hook but i will if it becomes nessesary (or if it would be more comforting to him)

If you leave him alone for a couple weeks and he's still nippy, I would say to try it. At his size, you could use a hanger still... rub the hook along his back and and over his head a couple times, then scoop him up out of the enclosure. Let him relax on the hook, then transfer him to your hands.

But yeah, try the newspaper thing first Newspaper is a God send to snake keepers, lol!

[Texas Dan]

Ok, so we had a female who hadnt eaten since it got here well over 3wks ago. She finally ate last night! (very happy about that) now my question is, aside from moving her to clean her bin we havnt held her at all. we wanted her to have plenty of time to relax, get in the groove of being in a new home, basically trying our hardest to keep her stress free. Now, aside from leaving her alone to digest for a couple days will it be ok to start handling her? Should we continue to leave her alone for a couple feedings?

whats your opinion?

I didn't give my ball python the necessary chill time that everyone says, but he seems to be doing great. Has eatin' twice so far, and the second time, it took him seconds to eat, not minutes.

Maybe each ball is different, but it seems like everyone is worried about not handling them, I think it just has to be done in moderation. If you don't handle your python until the day you take him out to feed, how do you know you're not scaring the pants off of them?

What if handling them several times before you feed them makes them more relaxed when you take them out of your tank? So when you take them out to eat, they aren't scared of the initial pick-up.

[2Devious]

My het albino is still pretty nippy. Since Oct when I got him home he has been a nippy little bugger. But, only when he is in his tub. Once I get him out he is a perfectly behaved little guy. Then, once he goes back in he assumes a striking posture.
Sometimes when he is feeling extra nasty I have to put a towel over his head and lift him out.
I was hoping it would pass. Left him alone as much as possible and he is still aggressive while in his tub. I just figure he likes his tub so much he doesn't want anyone messing with it.