Handling question

[Dkkelly]

Hi. New snake owner.
I have a very sweet 3 month old ball python. From the moment I put him into his tank he’s been stress free ( from what research I’ve done) and spends all his time in his hides besides his temp swaps. I ignorantly handled him a few times in his first week with me but he was calm and gentle throughout it all. I now know to let him settle for some time, but I’m just curious about when and where when picking him up. I don’t want to have to wait to catch him going from one hide to another in order to handle him. Is it okay to pick them up when they are curled up in their hide? I don’t want to disturb him. Plus, I know a big hand coming from the top of them can be stressful. When I pick the hide up he’s very still for a few mins like he’s hoping I don’t see him. Then he’ll start to move around. I’m just wondering if him being still and curled up is a way to say “leave me alone” or is that just normal and I need to just be more confident? Again, sweet boy and has yet to be defensive with me.

[ckuhn003]

Hi. New snake owner.
I have a very sweet 3 month old ball python. From the moment I put him into his tank he’s been stress free ( from what research I’ve done) and spends all his time in his hides besides his temp swaps. I ignorantly handled him a few times in his first week with me but he was calm and gentle throughout it all. I now know to let him settle for some time, but I’m just curious about when and where when picking him up. I don’t want to have to wait to catch him going from one hide to another in order to handle him. Is it okay to pick them up when they are curled up in their hide? I don’t want to disturb him. Plus, I know a big hand coming from the top of them can be stressful. When I pick the hide up he’s very still for a few mins like he’s hoping I don’t see him. Then he’ll start to move around. I’m just wondering if him being still and curled up is a way to say “leave me alone” or is that just normal and I need to just be more confident? Again, sweet boy and has yet to be defensive with me.

The rule of thumb which has worked well for me is to leave them in their enclosures w/ no disturbances (except maybe a minor spot clean) until they have eaten 3 successful times. As for when the times come for you to handle, I usually gently tap on the hide to let him know that I'm coming in to scoop him up. It's kind of like knocking on someone's door rather then barging in and alarming them.

99.9% of my BP pickups have been when he was in his hide.

[Bogertophis]

Agree with above post about waiting for your new snake to have eaten 3 times at normal intervals before any handling. Even now, I'd suggest you go with that, as BPs
don't have any way to really show you they are distressed...they're usually mellow, but that doesn't mean they aren't scared of you, & it's way more important that they
eat for you in their new home. Stress can turn that into a battle, and trust me, you don't want that.

Our approach is the scariest time for any snake: until they learn to recognize us by our touch & scent (remember they don't see well or generally know us visually), they
instinctively assume we're a predator coming after them, so do your best not to seem scary. A gentle touch to their body (not head or tail) often helps, while many snakes
do fine with our scent instead. A tap either on the hide or the snake (gently) is another way to signal you are familiar. Snakes in the wild learn their way around, so they
also learn such cues when kept as pets.

[Bogertophis]

...When I pick the hide up he’s very still for a few mins like he’s hoping I don’t see him. Then he’ll start to move around. I’m just wondering if him being still and curled up is a way to say “leave me alone” or is that just normal and I need to just be more confident? Again, sweet boy and has yet to be defensive with me.

I think your impression is correct: he is essentially "holding his breath" hoping to stay un-noticed where he is. Gently pet his mid-body area, & don't rush him.
BTW,

[BeelzeBall.]

The only times I handle my ball pythons is when I clean the cage,because they're up and about anyways, or in the middle of the night if they're roaming.

[NoodleOwner]

my adult BP is mellow and fine with being handled at any time, but I'm a little more careful with my juvenile as she's a little more skittish and jumpy if I go in too fast or touch her tail by accident. you'll definitely want to lift up the hide to get it out - nothing wrong with that and I do it 99.9% of the time too, but give it a gentle mid body stroke to let it know you are approaching.... I think, mostly because they can be sleeping and startle easily. also be careful not to handle too often or too long. I don't know what the guidelines are for this, but I generally handle mine a couple of times a week, and for 15 minutes or so at a time. sometimes I'll let my adult BP curl up next to me while I'm playing guitar for a while but I'm not exactly handling her during this time.