Handling problems :(

[Shaney]

My ball seems so have developed a striking habit, he's handled 1ce a week as he's only young and on a 5 day feeding schedule. It's really starting to get to me, I don't even know what he's striking at, it's usually if my fiances in the room. He just strikes at anything that moves! Not when you pick him up, and not at the person holding him, he strikes away from you. I just don't understand and it's really quite unnerving! I nearly dropped him last time as its so fast and it's putting me off handling him! Should I leave him alone for a while and start up again? Any suggestions would be helpful he's handled sat on my bed do if I did drop him he's not going to be injured, it's just frightening

[RetiredJedi]

No I feel you should do the oposite and handle him more. My pastel was very nippy when I first got him but now he is AWESOME and great to handle.

[Shaney]

He always stops eating when you handle him though, I could feed him less often and handle him more I suppose, is it something he'll grow out of?

[Kaorte]

You need to remember that you are a big scary predator to your snake. It is natural for him to be fearful.

My advice would be to leave him alone completely for a week or two, then start handling again.

Edit: If he is so stressed from handling that he won't eat, then don't handle him. Perhaps there is something wrong with his enclosure that is making him so stressed out?

[Vasiliki]

How old and how much does your snake weigh? That will give us a better idea of how to suggest helping you :-)

[RetiredJedi]

Also make sure your husbandry is all good because that could be stressing him out. He should grow out of it. So if you want to be able to handle him, here's an example schedule to try. Let's say you feed on Tuesday like me...Wed, Thurs - leave him alone to digest. Fri, Sat, Sun - handle for 15 minutes (each day) letting him move through your hands freely. Mon - leave alone, Tues - leave alone and feed. You can then gradually increase handling times. No fast movements around him or people walking back and forth around the person holding him. Use hand sanitizer before picking him up ensuring the santizer is completely absorbed into hands. Be careful on days after feeding because he could possibly poop on you.



I don't know, just a thought.

[Vasiliki]

Be careful on days after feeding because he could possibly poop on you.

If you are handling your snake after eating a few days past and letting him glide through your hands, this will happen at some point, haha. The more your snake moves through your hands, the more it's going to increase the chances of moving any poop down towards the vent.

My corn snake has done this without fail numerous times. Now I listen for her tummy and if it's gurgling when I hold her. If it is, we skip a long session that day

[RetiredJedi]

I always have a towel when I handle my snakes now since I've been pooped on about three times (once by each BP). My wife says it's a bonding experience. Sometimes they take a big one right after I out them back in their tub.

[Vasiliki]

I always have a towel when I ahndle now since I've been pooped on about three times (once by each BP). My wife says it's a bonding experience. Sometimes they take a big one right after I out them back in their tub.

That's a good policy. My corn snake has not failed once in pooping on every new person that meets her. Including my good friend who is snake-phobic, decided to give it a try, held her, realized she was actually pretty neat, admitted he liked her.... and that's right when she took the meanest one I've ever seen right in the middle of his lap. I couldn't even help clean it up, because it was RIGHT on his lap.

My girl is great for making awkward moments, it seems.

Towel is a great idea to have handy. Must remember that. Normally I keep paper towels, but an actual towel would probably be more effective.

[Shaney]

Lol I wouldn't mind the poop! He always just sits there in my hands, hardly moves! His hot sides ad 30c and the cold is usually around 27 /28. Our thermostat broke the other day and we replaced it for a new one, I've moved the thermostat temp probe up his substrate as it wasn't heating high enough before hand, do you think he could be too hot? Although he's rarely on the cool side? We've had him since may, and he'd been in the pet shop for a couple of weeks, but they weren't very helpful with regards to age, he was sold feeding on mouse pinks!! We moved him up to fluffs, then small mice and now he's on rat fluffs! Poor thing, but I'm not sure of his weight? How woul I go about weighing him? (sorry if that sounds dumb but he's not being very cooperative with handling at the moment and he's my very first snake