Is handeling BP's as stressful for them as people think?

[queenelvis82]

Hey all,
Just wanted to start a discussion on what owners think about the stress level of handling their Bp's. Whenever I handle my girl, she seems really chill. She is always limp and relaxed with her tongue flickering and checking things out. After about a minute or two, she is crawling around my arm and investigating her surroundings. This type of behavior tells me that she is not too stressed when I take her out of her enclosure for some adventure time. I am hoping that I am reading her actions correctly. Please, post some of your experiences with handling your pets and write your opinions on whether or not you think handling your BP is causing a lot of stress.
I think it will be interesting to hear other people's point of view on this subject.
Cheers!

[Cyndymei]

I think it really does depend on the animal.

Kaa, an adult male I have, loves to be out and is very calm whenever I pick him up or climbs up my arm and will proceed to eat after handling with no issue. I still try to limit handling to 2-3 times a week and no more than 30 minutes, and I give a day off before feeding.

The hatchling I just got is more skittish, but he is a hatchling. Neither of them have ever hissed or bitten.

The first snake I thought of purchasing became very very stressed about handling. Hissed, attempted to bite me and the employee, and moved a lot faster than one would think a ball python could move trying to get away. That particular snake had been neglected by the owner and hadn't been handled in years, however. I do think that removing an animal when they are hiding still adds an amount of stress, no matter what the disposition of your animal is.

[TheSnakeGeek]

I think it really does depend on the animal.

x2. Some snakes are "introverts" and some are "extroverts," just like people. Lol

[alan12013]

It stresses them out.

[CptJack]

I'm adding my voice to the 'it's individual' crowd. They're primitive animals, but that doesn't mean they're lacking individuality, greater and lesser degrees of learning (and I'm not saying teaching them sit, but things like familiar environments being non-threatening) and comfort.

My pastel and normal are different. They're both fairly typical, docile, snakes, but the pastel stresses more easily than the normal. The normal falls asleep on me on a fairly regular basis, will eat anywhere, including while being held, has never shown defensive behavior (even balling up). When removed from his enclosure he immediately lifts himself up toward my face and smells it thoroughly, and when he's aware of someone else in the room comes OUT of his hides and presses his little nose to the front of the glass. He voluntarily comes 'to hand' (as in into' or uses the arm reaching in as a ladder to get out. He doesn't try to hide while he's out, doesn't seek hides, doesn't try to get into my clothes or hair, and instead chills out in the open and often goes to sleep there. He's not as fast moving, but his behavior is fairly close to that of my corn snake, really.

The pastel balls up fairly easily when things like his hide being removed happen, goes INTO his hide if people are in the room rather than out, and spends most of his time out or being handled trying to get under pillows/blankets/clothes/anything he can to hide. When he first comes out he's tense, and makes rudimentary efforts to ball (he's a big boy) and hide his head. He's tense. He'll still eat anywhere because he's a chow hound, but he is obviously less comfortable and interactive than the normal guy and would much prefer to be left alone. So, I drag him out once in a while for short handling sessions and to keep him semi-used to it (and he is getting more comfortable) but mostly leave him alone.

They are very, very different snakes.

[OctagonGecko729]

I have 30 animals, all have different personalities but none "like" being handled and try to get away when given the chance.

[pmarks]

In my opinion no snake "likes" to be handles. Most will tolerate it. Some better than others.

- - - Updated - - -

In my opinion no snake "likes" to be handles. Most will tolerate it. Some better than others.

[JLC]

I'd like to add that "stressed" doesn't always mean what people assume it means. When we think "stressed" we imagine ourselves wigged out and deeply upset about something, or feeling intensely nervous and anxious.

"Stressed" doesn't necessarily mean (or visibly translate into) angry or upset. If you constantly pester and bother an animal like a snake, even a "chill" snake, you can cause a build-up of anxiety that may not be visible to our human eyes. Or if you get your snake out for long handling sessions, such as "chilling on the sofa while you watch TV" or something, the ambient temperatures are almost always too cool for comfort for the snake...especially if you like to run an expensive AC in the summer, or you're a penny pincher in the winter and don't overwork the furnace. Frequent and/or long-term exposure to those cooler ambient temperatures can have a negative impact on their immune systems, which can lead to a greater susceptibility to infections.

[bcr229]

Most of mine tolerate being handled once they're out of their tubs, though many will hiss and dive for their hides when the tub is opened, and they're very obviously tense and will do their best to escape when in-hand.

I have a female normal that doesn't hide, and is fairly relaxed and curious when being handled.

My male mojave either likes being handled, or he looks at us as something comfortable and useful for practicing his climbing skills.

[Rob]

Some will tolerate it better than others. Never had a bp that I would say preferred to come out and be handled rather then chill in its hide. If you want an animal that seems to enjoy coming out , look into boas or Burms. Again even that depends on the individual animals personality.