Help with handling a newly aquired BP

[kustom24]

hey im new to owning a snake and i just got a 1 1/2 year old BP that hasnt been hadled in about a year except for feeding and cage cleaning. its a little scared when i reach in to the tank and it goes in to the hide. so my question is what are the best steps for me to get it ok with being handle regularly? thanks for your help in advance

[xxxLIGERxxx]

im quite new to BP as well and had the same situation before. i handled sasha after 3 days i got her and started by stroking her tail part or the distal portion of her body. then started lifting the tail part for a few inches of the tub for a few minutes and gradually increasing the time and length. eventually it worked well for me and sasha.

from what ive read here, each BP has different character and attitude but maybe you could get an idea of how i acclimated my BP.

hope it helps.

[iCandiBallPythons]

Let it settle in for a few days before handling, bp's for the most part will stress when in a new place. I wouldnt recommend handling until the animal is eating for you

[Adam Chandler]

hey im new to owning a snake and i just got a 1 1/2 year old BP that hasnt been hadled in about a year except for feeding and cage cleaning. its a little scared when i reach in to the tank and it goes in to the hide. so my question is what are the best steps for me to get it ok with being handle regularly? thanks for your help in advance

Once it’s had a few weeks to settle in and eating have frequent (every day or 2) but brief interaction. Just start off by picking him/her up for a bit and then back down, then start to extend the handling sessions. Let him/her unball and crawl around for a bit before putting him/her back. Over time these handling sessions build trust. Once your BP trusts you are not going to hurt it you can extend the time they are out of the tank without worries of bites or having your BP become too stressed to eat.

[anatess]

And to add more to the above great suggestions...

When your snake is ready for handling (settled in his new enclosure and eating for you) and he is in his hide, just take the hide off of him. He will probably go into strike mode (neck in an s-coil and lifted slightly ready for a strike). This is okay, I mean, like Mechnut says - you look like Godzilla to him right now. Just open your palm flat - fingers together - like you're giving a boy scout oath - then pat his head down. If he strikes he won't get a good hold of your palm when it's flat out like that. If you're worried about a strike anyway, you can use something like a piece of cardboard or any flat item to pat his head down with. This should cause the snake to retract its head closer to his body. You can keep your palm/cardboard on his head while you pick up the heaviest part of its body. Lay the snake on your lap for a few minutes and put him back into his enclosure. After a while, you can increase the length of handling time until he gets more comfortable.

Okay, disclaimer - I very rarely pick up my snakes from their enclosure. I always let the kids/husband do it for me because I have snake phobia that I can't seem to get over. But, I have done it very few times and that trick that I just told you about worked for a snakephobic like me.

My husband and kids don't bother with that ritual. They just take out the hide, grab the snake in less than a second. I always think that the snake is too startled to strike when they do that. Then they wrap the snake into a ball and hand it to me.

[angllady2]

The above suggestions are all good points.

First off, give the snake a week or two with very minimal handling, only for cleaning. After the first quiet week, offer food. Most BP's are timid in a new place and hesitate to eat. Since we don't want your new snake to stop eating on top of the other stress, it is importent that it's eating well first, being handled second.

Once your snake has taken two or three regular meals for you, you can being regular gentle handling. Odds are by this time, it won't be rushing to hide from you, but if it is that's ok. Since a hiding ball is a happy ball, you will need to pick it up from the hide sooner or later.

My method is simple, I open the enclosure gently, if the ball is in it's hide I ever so lightly tap the top or side of the hide and then roll the hide slowly off from one side rather than lifting straight off. For my snakes at least, this seems to let them know it's me rather than a sudden, frightening lack of security. Once the hide is off, most of my snakes are watching me, so I gently stroke along the back or tail furthest from their head. Again, this is to let them know it's me and that I desire to pick them up. After that gentle stroke, I can pick them up with no fuss at all. They have become accustom to that routine, and it even works when they are deep in shed and cannot see.

Remember balls are terrestrial snakes and poor climbers, so make sure you offer plenty of support when you hold yours to avoid a fall or sudden constriction because the snake fears a fall. Start off slowly, with a 10 minute session each day except on the two days after a feed. I also don't recommend holding right before feeding. For example, I feed my snakes a 9pm each Sunday. So I don't go in and start holding at 7:30. However, I have no problems if I want to spend time with one at lunchtime on Sunday. It is recommended to avoid handling for 48 hours after feeding to avoid the danger of regurgitation of the snake's meal which is very unpleasant and can harm the snake.

Once you have built up a measure of trust and acclimation, you can increase the length of your handling to 15 minutes, then 20. I try not to handle anyone longer than about 30 minutes at a time, unless they are relaxed. Usually by the 30 minute mark, they get really antsy and then I know they want to go back to their enclosure. However, I have one or more who regularly just want to veg with me watching t.v. or on the computer, and as long as they are relaxed and calm, they can stay out for an hour or so. Most of mine drape themselves across my shoulders or down one arm and just chill.

So in a nutshell, take it slow. Establish a good feeding pattern first, then gradually build the trust with gentle handling, you'll be an old hand in no time.

Gale

[Jeo123]

I wouldn't suggest patting a snake in strike position on the head personally. It just seems like a way to stress it out further.

Focus on the mid section. Make contact, hold your hand there briefly, then lift the snake up. The gentle but constant contact will take them out of "where is it going to attack from" mode and will eventually serve as a calming proccess.

If you're really worried about a bit, put a glove or even a sock over your hand. Just becareful when holding the snake because they can't hold onto cloth as well as your skin and are more likely to fall.

[steveboos]

The above suggestions are all good points.

First off, give the snake a week or two with very minimal handling, only for cleaning. After the first quiet week, offer food. Most BP's are timid in a new place and hesitate to eat. Since we don't want your new snake to stop eating on top of the other stress, it is importent that it's eating well first, being handled second.

Once your snake has taken two or three regular meals for you, you can being regular gentle handling. Odds are by this time, it won't be rushing to hide from you, but if it is that's ok. Since a hiding ball is a happy ball, you will need to pick it up from the hide sooner or later.

My method is simple, I open the enclosure gently, if the ball is in it's hide I ever so lightly tap the top or side of the hide and then roll the hide slowly off from one side rather than lifting straight off. For my snakes at least, this seems to let them know it's me rather than a sudden, frightening lack of security. Once the hide is off, most of my snakes are watching me, so I gently stroke along the back or tail furthest from their head. Again, this is to let them know it's me and that I desire to pick them up. After that gentle stroke, I can pick them up with no fuss at all. They have become accustom to that routine, and it even works when they are deep in shed and cannot see.

Remember balls are terrestrial snakes and poor climbers, so make sure you offer plenty of support when you hold yours to avoid a fall or sudden constriction because the snake fears a fall. Start off slowly, with a 10 minute session each day except on the two days after a feed. I also don't recommend holding right before feeding. For example, I feed my snakes a 9pm each Sunday. So I don't go in and start holding at 7:30. However, I have no problems if I want to spend time with one at lunchtime on Sunday. It is recommended to avoid handling for 48 hours after feeding to avoid the danger of regurgitation of the snake's meal which is very unpleasant and can harm the snake.

Once you have built up a measure of trust and acclimation, you can increase the length of your handling to 15 minutes, then 20. I try not to handle anyone longer than about 30 minutes at a time, unless they are relaxed. Usually by the 30 minute mark, they get really antsy and then I know they want to go back to their enclosure. However, I have one or more who regularly just want to veg with me watching t.v. or on the computer, and as long as they are relaxed and calm, they can stay out for an hour or so. Most of mine drape themselves across my shoulders or down one arm and just chill.

So in a nutshell, take it slow. Establish a good feeding pattern first, then gradually build the trust with gentle handling, you'll be an old hand in no time.

Gale

This is great advice!!! I wish someone would have told me this years ago, i had to learn it all on my own or with random help here and there.

Give him/her some time and once they are eating well, then you can start handling. Just imagine your in there shoes, it's a pretty scary thing being changed from one place to another, the car ride, different scents, etc.

[anatess]

I wouldn't suggest patting a snake in strike position on the head personally. It just seems like a way to stress it out further.

Focus on the mid section. Make contact, hold your hand there briefly, then lift the snake up. The gentle but constant contact will take them out of "where is it going to attack from" mode and will eventually serve as a calming proccess.

If you're really worried about a bit, put a glove or even a sock over your hand. Just becareful when holding the snake because they can't hold onto cloth as well as your skin and are more likely to fall.

I didn't come up with this myself. This advice came from 3 places - a book, a breeder, and the herp vet. There's also a video on this on youtube somewhere.

I'll go find my notes from 2008 and see if I can link you to some of the sources.

[kustom24]

thanks for the info everyone its very help full