What do you do to 'Handle' your Ball Python?

[KingWheatley]

Do you just pull them out for a minute and act like a conveyor belt for a bit? Or do you make a quiet space for them to "explore" a bit? Or perhaps do you take them out and sit with them in your lap?

I've let mine out to explore the environment around his tank. I don't let him stray too far, because that snake's snoot will boop himself where he shouldn't. I put certain things down to see "why" he's exploring. Mainly to figure out when he's "done." I figure once he finds nothing wrong or particularly interesting he wants to go back to sleep. Lazy butt that he is.

Though, this particular time it was when the cat pooped and the smell came into my room from his litter box... Cookie was utterly offended and most certainly wanted to go home after "smell-tasting" that.

Secondary question, how does your BP tolerate other pets?

Do they get distressed when they sense another animal? Do they attempt to find the other animals? Or do they get bothered and fired up?

Cookie has met a cat. And by "met" I mean she was in the same room as the BP and the BP was in my lap, and the cat was uncomfortably interested in him a meter or so away on the couch. He didn't seem tense or anything, so he must not have been as stressed out as I was. This cat looooves the wild garter snakes, and will catch them and "play" with them. As beautiful as this Maine Coone is... she is merciless. (Needless to say it wasn't very long until I took him back to his tank, so I almost doubt he had enough time to "sense" her? I honestly don't know to what extent they can smell things.)


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[LightningPython]

My spider biy gets to come out often, mainly because he is the most active out of all of my others. I usually just let him go free roaming around by bedroom while I feed my geckos (if it's clean enough lol) which I've snake proofed so he won't be able to get himself lost or stuck anywhere.
As for the others, when I clean them, I get someone to handle them and play with them while I clean

As for the pet question, my bps have never really come in contact with my other animals. I mean the parrot hated snakes to begin with, and I wouldn't dare put a snake near the bird, and the dog most likely kill them if he had the chance

[montymiow]

I just get the royals out to sit and chill for a while, they'll roam around the bed for a bit but never go off it, tried that with the carpet and he had his head out the window while his tail hadn't even made it on to the bottom of the bed yet haha

We had out cat scratching post next to the big viv while we were moving stuff around making room for it, the two of them we basically nose touching the glass but didn't bother, our dog is terrified of only one of our snakes (not the largest surprisingly) when she moves in the viv. When we went to pick the carpet up the guy had him out and his dog just floated around the full time. I thought he was proper nuts to take that chance can't say any of the snakes have even noticed or acted different smelling or seeing them though.

Edit : Our vivs are located in the bedroom, I don't have them out when the others are in the room. This post kind of made it look like I had them all out playing happy families I'd rather shut the dog/cat away for a while rather than take the risk of hurting the snakes no matter how 'friendly and unlikely to bite' they are

[cchardwick]

My ball pythons never come out unless I'm cleaning their tubs, they seem to really prefer to sit in those grey ARS tubs.

[Slither Seeker]

I treat my BP's like my boa. before feeding I get them out and hold them for about 15 minutes, till they warm up and start moving about. I don't know if it helps with the feeding but they readily take their food item once warm and so I've stuck with that. from the time they go down on their feeding pad, I handle them minimally to get them back in their enclosures and generally let them be for 24-48 hours. I might hold them again for 15-30 with my son for a time or two between weekly feedings. we keep all other critters away. we have a rabit, a hampster and a dog and really, never the twian shall meet. we don't generally let them explore, maybe when my kids get older and more dependable at staying focussed and not losing them.

[Vipera Berus]

I usually get my bp out and let her chill with me she seems to like sitting on my headphones although she's grown enough that its difficult now. And as far as letting her interact with my other pets, I found out with my corn snake years ago that I should not allow Testudo Graeca Ibera (medditerranean spur thigh, Turkish subspecies) near snakes since the male I have attempted to trample and flatten my poor little corn. That said this same tortoise has managed to chase a neighbours maine coon cat up a tree so I'm going with the precaution of not letting them anywhere near each other since apparently he likes to beat up any predator he can get anywhere near.

[montymiow]

before feeding I get them out and hold them for about 15 minutes, till they warm up and start moving about. I don't know if it helps with the feeding but they readily take their food item once warm and so I've stuck with that. ..

This.. I do the exact same. I'm not sure if it helps cut out the feeding response with viv feeding but we've never been tagged once, I like to think they know it's only feeding time once they've been out and put back home

[redshepherd]

If I'm just taking them out for fun, I usually just sit on the couch or on my bed and let them chill or slither around, redirecting them if they're going onto the floor or something (don't want them getting stuck or lost). Usually 5-15 minutes of chilling like this, maybe a few photos, and I put them back.

[Kroberts10]

I do the same as redshepherd. And depending on which one of them I have out I might let them roam around the floor and snoop around the furniture a bit. Only if they are in a calm explorative mood.

Kyle


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[Sallos]

I do the same as the prior two posters, only I usually keep him slithering hand to hand, letting him eventually sniff out whatever object he is making his way towards. He never speeds up or appears to get frustrated, just keeps slithering towards whatever thing he's interested in checking out.


The other animals in the house are not allowed to be in the room he is kept in, but I'll bring him out to the living room to handle him at times. So far they completely ignore him, and he shows little to no interest in them.