help...taming jcp

[tumy]

i just got a 10 month old jcp(pair), both are feeding well on weaned rat, my problem is i can't handle them, they are very agressive, always strikes at me whenever i open the cage, pls help, thanks in advance

[Kryptonian]

some jcps just are not tamable, some are very tame like mine is. hes like a bp. Get some gloves and just take a few hits. Handle them calmly every day for a short time exept during feeding and shedding till they get more used to it. They may eventually settle down when they realize you are not a threat.

[mainbutter]

First and foremost, how recently did you get them? They may not have had time to settle in yet. I would give them a minimum of one week after recieving them before attempting any handling, two would be better. Moving somewhere new is stressful, stress causes defensive striking.. plain and simple.

In addition, they are still young. They will likely grow out of it. You can attempt short handling sessions and just 'be ok' with getting bit. It's no big deal. Wear gloves if you need it.

The one thing to NOT do is to run screaming like a little girl when they strike at you. This only reinforces their defensive striking. They learn that if they strike, the big scary monster goes away.

Give 'em time, they should calm down a bit.

Hope that helps.

[jason79]

I use a snake bag or a towel to put over an aggressive snake to pick them up they usually calm down once you have a hold of them just move slowly.

[tumy]

thanks kryptonian & butterman

[tumy]

ooops... sory, i mean mainbutter, not butterman thanks again

[tumy]

thanks jason, i'll try that also

[DavidG]

Baby carpets think they are big and bad. I've received more bites from small carpets than all the other snakes I've been tagged by combined. It just takes time, and you have to be slow with them. Use gloves and one day use one glove, when your comfortable. switch from the gloved hand to the ungloved and back and forth. Eventually you will no longer need any gloves.

[Brandon Osborne]

In my experience, they are either calm or they are not. I got into jungles around 93 and out of the large group I had, only two were calm enough to handle without worry. It's actually the reason I began working more with chondros. I don't understand where chondros get a bad reputation when all the carpets I've ever had were much more difficult to work with as far as temperment. Give me a nasty chondro over a nasty carpet any day.

[mainbutter]

Another thing is the mentality of handling. With bitey arboreal or semi-arboreal snakes, I take a philisophical approach I call "being the tree". Don't move a ton, let the snake choose where it wants to go and assist with minimal guidance when needed. The idea is that once you get the snake out, it hopefully gets the idea that you're an object to be climbed on, and not a creature that presents a threat.