1. Tap on the hide a little to let your snake know you're there. This will wake them up if they are sleeping so they won't bite in defense of a hide suddenly disappearing from above them.
2. Lift the hide slowly off of them. Fast sudden movements are scary for them.
3. Rub them a bit to let them know you are about to pick them up. Do this ONLY if you are going to pick them up. If not, proceed to step 4.
4. Feed BP. If they are still not very interested in the food, do the zombie dance if they're eating F/T. If they are still not interested, there are other steps you can do, but another good one is to replace the hide and leave the food in front of the hide entrance. If feeding live, MONITOR the BP and food. If there is no interest, remove food and try everything again another day.
These steps will allow you to teach your snake simple command-based actions so they know what you intend to do. They reduce confusion between actions, and help them be less stressed out. If the reasoning behind these procedures are confusing, just put yourself in your snake's shoes. How would you like it if someone barged into your home and picked you up from your sleep?
Reply With Quote