I leave a new arrival alone for a week at least. I offer food after that, and if they take it, I start handling a few days later. If they don't take it, I offer over the course of two more weeks. If the snake still won't eat and is over five hundred grams, I sometimes handle it once a week or so but keep it fairly short (ten minutes or less). If the animal still acts nervous or is under five hundred grams, I don't handle it and leave it alone as much as possible until it starts eating. It just depends on the individual snake.