New here - and handling questions

[kenthebird]

Hi all! I've been reading posts on this site for months to learn about BP care and husbandry and prepare to get one of my own. Well, after tons of research, I finally got my first baby on Tuesday! He's a June '15 male super pastel lesser, and he's absolutely gorgeous! I'm considering a few names at the moment, but I think I'm going to settle on Basil. I have him set up in a Hefty tub with locking lid, using a UTH with a thermostat, two homemade plastic hide boxes, ceramic water bowl, and some plastic plants for him to sneak around in. Currently sitting at 90 on the hot side, 80 on the cool side, and 75-78 ambient, with 50-65% humidity. I'm planning on feeding him a f/t weaned rat today, then giving him a few days to digest, before trying to handle him on Monday or Tuesday. The prey might be a tad small, but as I haven't weighed him yet I wanted to start smaller and move up next week if need be.

When I first took him out of the bag he was shipped in, he was very puffed up and upset (understandably!), hissed a lot, struck at me a few times, and tagged me once. I've handled ball pythons before but never been struck at, but it was obviously more scary and surprising than it hurt - just the tiniest scratch with just a small drop of blood. Not nearly as bad as I thought a snakebite would be! After I got him set up in his tub he calmed down significantly, made a lap of his new home, then retreated to his warm hide. He's come out at night, and I'll sit next to his tub so he can see me and smell me, and he hasn't made any attempts to strike at me through the tub, or even to hide while I sit next to him. The one time I've opened the tub when he's been out this week he didn't strike, but s'ed up and stared at me while I took temps with my temp gun.

I've been watching tons of videos of how to handle defensive snakes, but I'm still a bit nervous! Also, many of the videos of handling bitey snakes are about babies, but this guy is over a year old so I'm hoping the first day was just him being scared, cold, and stressed out, and not indicative of his personality. Any advice for getting out and handling an older defensive BP without causing him undue stress (or getting bitten)? I'll see how he feeds for me and reassess a couple days from now, but any help would be appreciated! Sorry for the long first post!

Here's Basil!

[Hannahshissyfix]

I've only bought one bp that was an adult and aggressive out of the bag. She huffed and did some defense snaps but as soon as I'd pick her up she stopped. That only lasted a week or two and now she's like any other pet rock to grab. You don't really need to do anything special. Just give him time to relax from shipping. It sounds like your setup is right so just leave him alone until after you get a meal in him.

[Scottywelsh]

That^^ . Give him a couple weeks to settle in and feel comfortable and safe. And when you do pick him up after he's settled in make sure you don't appear to be nervous (pulling your hand away when he moves) and stuff like that. Just pick him up and he will be fine

[blk02ssmonte]

That^^ . Give him a couple weeks to settle in and feel comfortable and safe. And when you do pick him up after he's settled in make sure you don't appear to be nervous (pulling your hand away when he moves) and stuff like that. Just pick him up and he will be fine

Exactly, just leave him be for a couple weeks and a few meals then start handling him. They will settle down.

[jbzapanda]

My 2 month old banana was the same way with stress due to shipping, which is of course to be expected! He struck about 5 times the first day he was with me, gave him about 5 days to settle, fed him, and he's very good at being handled! I am a first time bp owner, so picking him up was nerve wracking! But I've read some ways to pick him up if you're really hesitant. You could put a towel over his head so he goes into a ball which gives owners more confidence in picking their snakes up. Or you could wait until he's out and about to try and handle him

[LittleTreeGuy]

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.

[PitOnTheProwl]

Welcome and enjoy your stay.
I would not worry about handling until you get it feeding regularly.

[jbzapanda]

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".

This! I always sanitize my hands before I pick my noodle up and he hardly ever puffs up when I stroke him a couple of times to let him know I'm there. Also just for cleanliness reasons. Don't forget to sanitize or wash your hands afterwards, too! I also feed my snake in his enclosure and never has he mistaken my hand for food.