best time to pick up?

[Kslab]

yes i have had him for three weeks now.. wouldnt take the first f/t mouse but took the next two feeding. i've handled him at least 4 times and when i'm able to pick him up he seems fine. its just the first initial pick up. i pet him from behind and he moves a bit then when i try picking him up he really jumps. i just dont want to stress him out. Also if he does bite me "which i doubt will happen" what should i do? what if he latches on and doesnt let go?

[Marrissa]

I did the whole touch them first before picking them up thing when I first got him too (saw it in a youtube video). Honestly I don't think it helps or hurts at all. He's going to be flinchy about some weird giant touching him or picking him up. When I would pet mine when he was still pretty new to me he's squirm/move wherever I touched him. Now he doesn't care. Just don't pay much attention to his flinchiness and just pick him up. He'll get used to you eventually and learn you're not there to hurt him.

I have yet to be bit, but everyone says it's really nothing with ball pythons, especially when they're young. From reading it seems like it's just the shock that they did it, not the actual bite, that scared them/made them jump. I've seen one youtube video with the latching on but haven't read anything around here that that happened to. I wouldn't worry about it. I would just keep relaxed, unwrap him tail first, and wait for him to let go. I seriously doubt that will happen to you though.

I used to be very nervous about being bit too, but he's never given me a reason to think he would (over excited feeding response excluded). Honestly just don't worry about it. If you're nervous your liable to make him more nervous. I look back and think about how silly my fear was. When I got him in the mail I sat there working myself up to touch him, then working myself up to grab him. I had never handled a snake and I was so nervous about being bit. Seems silly now. You'll feel that way too later on.

[Ozifur]

The "jumpiness" tends to go away. Just keep working with him. Once he's figured out you're not gonna harm him he'll trust you more. Mine would jump a little when I would pet her but now if I reach in and touch her she knows I'm gonna pick her up and either slithers right up my arm or balls up if she's not completely ready yet.

[bcr229]

Also if he does bite me "which i doubt will happen" what should i do? what if he latches on and doesnt let go?

I've never had a BP do this, their strikes have all been defensive. My MBK did grab and hold my thumb a few days ago. She really hates water, so I first tried spraying her with a light mist to break her feeding response. No dice. Tried Listerine on a cotton ball in front of her nose next since I'd read that could work, nope, she was in a hard food drive. A cotton ball with some white vinegar waved right in front of her nose did the trick, she couldn't spit my thumb out fast enough!