Is it ok to handle my BP daily?

[neur0tix]

This might sound weird, but I like to hold my bally almost everyday... probably 4-5 days out of a week..... she likes to just kind of chill on my bed when i am watching tv or a movie or whatnot.... so i let her explore thru the blanket n stuff, or just hold her, i donno.... is too much (like 10-15 mins a day) too much handling?

all signs show she is healthy as always, so i dont see a reason this could be bad.. i just luv her!

[thedarkwolf25]

I don't think so, I personally handle mine more than that and she seems fine. I have heard that more than 15 mins every 2 or 3 days can be bad but I have also heard that you can handle them as much as you want as long as they are healthy.

I would say that as long as she is healthy and doesn't mind then go right ahead. But I am no expert.

[ballpythonluvr]

As long as your snake is not exhibiting any signs of stress or not going off feed then I guess it is ok. Snakes do not like to be handled, they just tolerate it.

[banished]

Snakes do not like to be handled, they just tolerate it.

I agree with this totally ...

[rabernet]

One of these days you're going to have a very unpleasant surprise when she decides to pee and poop on your bed!

As long as she's feeding regularly - you should be fine.

[steveboos]

Yeah just make sure everything that goes in comes out and when she starts to get cold, put her back. I don't see any problem with holding them daily.

[neur0tix]

im kind of afraid one she gets bigger shes gonna bite me, never bit me yet though.

[neur0tix]

ball pythons are super duper domesticated as pets though.... i would think they are accustomed to it... to point they kind of like it?

[JLC]

im kind of afraid one she gets bigger shes gonna bite me, never bit me yet though.

Barring any SFE's (Stupid Feeding Errors such as having rat-smell on your hands)...a ball python is far more likely to try and bite when it is little than when it is bigger. If your young one is laid back and relaxed, it will very likely grow up into an extremely laid back and relaxed animal...especially with regular, gentle, respectful handling.

I'm not saying it's impossible that a BP of any age might bite...just saying it's less likely later than it is now when they're small and vulnerable.

ball pythons are super duper domesticated as pets though.... i would think they are accustomed to it... to point they kind of like it?

Just because they are really common in the pet trade and have been for a couple or more decades doesn't mean they are "domesticated" in the slightest sense of the word. Ball Pythons are simply calm, deliberate creatures by nature...far more likely to hide in a ball than to lash out and strike. There is no ancestral connection to humanity that would make them "used to us". They're just naturally very tolerant...which is among the primary reasons why they make such excellent pets.

But they are wild animals...from the moment they hatch out of their egg in the most sophisticated of incubators...and for every moment they spend in your home and in your hands...you are holding and caring for a WILD animal. And to me, that is a most amazing thing to be a part of!

[nachash]

One of these days you're going to have a very unpleasant surprise when she decides to pee and poop on your bed!

As long as she's feeding regularly - you should be fine.

Yeah, that happened to me once. Shoot... i had her on the covers and I was adjusting something in her tank and I heard a noise like a toothpaste tube being squeezed... Too bad snakes can't be cloaca-trained...

I take my snake out whenever she gets antsy. I'll hold her a bit, let her chill on my shoulders, maybe even let her roam my room. This can be 6 days a week or solitude for a week.