Bit concerned about handling my baby ball python, need advice

[Cityshy]

You are doing fine, just remember that snakes are not social like us and thats why they hide and are by themselves in the wild.

Thanks i sure hope so =)

[Cityshy]

I think you're humanizing or overestimating snakes' brains a bit much here. It sounds as though you're very concerned for the snake's mental health?

What you should realize first and foremost is that snakes are not like dogs and cats. They don't have the mental capacity for "pleasure" or other such emotions. They are much more basic. They know to be scared, and have the basic fight or flight instinct, but it doesn't go much farther than that.

When it comes to socializing and "taming" ball pythons, you're just looking to condition the snake to accept handling as a safe event, not triggering flight or fight in them. You aren't going to scar the snake or "make him feel bad", he's not that mentally evolved. You may scare him a couple times, but that's just part of reptile keeping and indeed, animal keeping in general.

Follow the advice others gave you, and with time and patience you should have a nice, calm ball python. Just don't stress to much about traumatizing it

haha I meant make him feel bad as in scared/traumatised, as those can't be nice things to feel...though obviously necessary instincts...and certainly I could never make him feel abused like he would feel under animal cruelty, nothing like that.

I think I'm worrying a bit like over a newborn baby, but they're obviously very...very very very different haha. I'll just follow the advice like you said and hope for the best

[Cityshy]

Well I made the clasic mistake of not waiting and it took little longer to get mine new guy to eat so I would go slow and just start with a few minutes and work up with luck he will be around for years to come
Robie

Thanks, that's another thing im thinking about...seems difficult to get a balance between giving him time to settle and keep his appetite, and getting him accustom to human touch. I suppose there's no exact timeframe, so i'll just go with the flow and wait a bit longer.