My first snake! Not what I expected ...

[Phillydubs]

First of all, baby colubrids are mostly bark and no bite. A lot of hysterics. Even they do bite you, it won't hurt, and as stated, don't put him back. It will teach him that biting gets him what he wants.

Secondly, the best lesson for baby colubrids I can think of is SUPPORT! All snakes like to be supported, but colubrids don't have the same muscle/body makeup of say, boids. So they don't just like the support, they NEED the support. Even my adult corn snake, Figment, likes to feel completely supported when handled. Babies will want their entire body supported. They also will probably not like being squeezed, at least initially. You are big, they are small, and they know it. Their initial response is going to be SURVIVAL, thinking you will probably eat them! Once that goes away, they should calm down, but I would limit handling to short sessions initially.

Finally, I would begin handling in the tank. I did this with my baby geckos too. They like to run, so the worst case, they run off my hand into the tank and drop an inch.

I would pick him up and let him slither through your hands gently so he gets used to you and your scent, etc.

Not sure the demeanor of your little guy, or his species, but this has worked well for me.

Figment was 9G when I got him. He was flighty, but not bitey. After a couple of weeks, I could handle him no problem and he's been awesome ever since. However, I started with slow handling and observed the above rules.

Good luck and keep us in the loop!

This is awesome and I’ll be saving this for reference !!!


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