Yep, as the others have said, wait until he eats at least twice for you. I know it's exciting, and you want to hold him, but you're gonna have him for a while... there will be plenty of handling time.


So, I will share some advice that was given to me, and I fully believe in it. Get a bottle of hand sanitizer and keep it by your snake enclosure. ANY TIME you plan to open that bin, first use the hand sanitizer. This will help the snake always know the exact same scent and will associate it with "not harmful", and "not food". LOL. It sounds silly, but I'm a believer in it. Handling your snake after being around other animals or certain types of food can make it a little jumpy, as it can pick up on the scent left on your hands.


once he's eaten a few times for you and had his time to digest. Open his tub. He'll likely be in one of his hides, so you may have to lift the hide off of him. I try to avoid reaching to pick mine up from the front or directly above. You don't want them to think something is coming at their face on top of their head... that would freak us out too, right? LOL. Just go in from the back or side of the snake, palm up, and slide your hand under it. Use your thumb to pull it onto your hand, and lift it up. It will be jumpy and that will make you jumpy. Just try not to make any sudden movements and that will help the snake feel more relaxed.

Keep the first handlings fairly short. 5 minutes or so. Never let it get out of your reach and always keep an eye on it. I found that sitting with a blanket on or near me or even an empty pillow case helped. It gives the snake something to hide in or around, while still being out and around you.