How do you deal with a agressive/snappy/stressed snake? Training them?

[Skyrivers]

I have been lucky so far and almost all my snakes are easy to handle except for Miss Snow. I did not see a thread about it so I thought I would use this for everyone to offer training tips for those who have those "BIG" personality critters that nip anything that moves.

I watched a video or 2 about paper towel training large constrictors. I use this method because it doesn't offer the snake anything that will hurt their teeth if they bite it. It is very visual. It seams to be working so far. It seams to be a good way to let them know I am not food and that it means human interaction is going to happen. I train with it regardless of the personality of the snake. Hormones can change the personality of the snake as they grow so is always great to train them all IMO.

To get them adjusted to training I fallow this method.

For my ball pythons. I hold them calmly in my lap until they get out of the ball position and begin to explore then limit the handling to a few min at a time till they get use to it. Then gradually increase handling them from there.

My Retic requires more attention. She doesn't sit still when you first take her out. She is on the move and want to explore everything.

I have herd of tap training them with a snake hook.

1. What methods do you use?
2. Why do you use the method you use over another method?
3. What are things you don't like about other methods?
4. Do you train all, none, or only aggressive ones?

Please be detailed. I want this to be educational for everyone.

[zina10]

Any snake or Ball Pythons in particular?

I find that one method works great with Ball Pythons but would never, ever attempt that with a Blood Python, LOL !!

[Skyrivers]

Any snake or Ball Pythons in particular?

I find that one method works great with Ball Pythons but would never, ever attempt that with a Blood Python, LOL !!

What would you do different with your Blood Python?

[SDA]

Let them get acclimated. Take things slow. No reason to rush handling when the snake you own will be with you for 10-20 years. You have plenty of time to get them to stop wanting to eat you.

I tend to feel most snakes are never aggressive just stressed and defensive. Time and a stress free environment works wonders.

Also, your temperament and willingness to be bit means the world to being able to handle a snake. You have to accept that on a long or short enough time line you will be bit and that is ok. If you constantly go in with fear and hesitation, you are going to have a snake that picks up on that and gets defensive. Learn your snake's movements and techniques to approach a snake. Figure out their habits and when they are active enough to be handled. You handle them when they tolerate being handled, not when you want to handle them.

Lastly, a snake never has to have physical contact for emotional support. They are not dogs, they can go their entire lives never being touched and be just fine. Handling is for your benefit, not theirs.

[Scherf]

1) tap training

2) i hate that its called that because i NEVER TAP my retic, i lightly brush, then lift slight with the hook and then slide my hand under him while reading body language, but by time the hook is supporting a small section of him, he is already bolting up the hook and to my arm cause he likes his piggy back rides though the house (as seen in my profile photo). i will never hold the hook with feeding tongs/food pray. NEVER MIX THE TWO OR ASSOCIATE THE TWO. i haven't had any incidents in the 7 months i have had him but i have heard stories, but those are also taken with a gain of salt cause you know how they can be blown out of proportion.

3) i have never looked at other methods, when i was considering a large snake, i was always told to hook train and really pay attention to body language and be confident with movements, not fast, but concise and predictable (meaning the same thing every time for the same goal no exceptions, so feeding movements that i do are completely different from "hey lets hang out and play"), even things i do in his enclosure are on different sides as to how i approach him, i feed on the right and handle from the left. and cleaning/water change he is removed for that.

4) i dont train my smaller snakes (royals), no need and they are all friendly, i have had a few royals that were snappy but i worked with them slowly and over time to get rid of that defensiveness.... and i wouldn't say its training my retic, its more of a routine for certain interactions to protect myself for when he is a lot larger... but i guess you could say its training because sometimes when he does see the hook he does run up to his glass now and waits (just moved him out of a tub system).

i hope this helps!

Zack

[Skyrivers]

Let them get acclimated. Take things slow. No reason to rush handling when the snake you own will be with you for 10-20 years. You have plenty of time to get them to stop wanting to eat you.

I tend to feel most snakes are never aggressive just stressed and defensive. Time and a stress free environment works wonders.

Also, your temperament and willingness to be bit means the world to being able to handle a snake. You have to accept that on a long or short enough time line you will be bit and that is ok. If you constantly go in with fear and hesitation, you are going to have a snake that picks up on that and gets defensive. Learn your snake's movements and techniques to approach a snake. Figure out their habits and when they are active enough to be handled. You handle them when they tolerate being handled, not when you want to handle them.

Lastly, a snake never has to have physical contact for emotional support. They are not dogs, they can go their entire lives never being touched and be just fine. Handling is for your benefit, not theirs.

I agree. You bring up good points. Allowing them time to distress and adjust to their new environment and providing adequate husbandry is key to the happiness of the snake. Also they don't need us to handle them, but we do as pet owners. I think is good you point out that "eventually it will happen" and you will get bit if you have them long enough. I also think it is good you point out the fact that leaving "fear and hesitation" out of your mindset when dealing with them is great. That way, when the bite happens you don't act in fear but you understand what is going on and don't hurt the snake or yourself more by reacting wrong.


How would you deal with being bitten and care for the bite?
My answer: Clean it out and treat it like any other wound. Get stiches if needed. Try to understand what caused the bite to prevent it from happening again.

If the snake refuses to let go how would you get them to let go?
My answer: I keep some form of alcohol in a sprayer (last resort) near by. Most of the time they let go just as quickly as they bite.

[bcr229]

My answer: I keep some form of alcohol in a sprayer (last resort) near by. Most of the time they let go just as quickly as they bite.

I would suggest white vinegar instead as rubbing alcohol can be dangerous if ingested. White vinegar stinks and will sting like alcohol but it won't make your snake sick.

If you meant alcohol like vodka or gin, save that for your own medicinal use to recover.

I'm going through this now with my rescue Burmese python as she's 15 months old and her prior owner physically abused her and scared her every time he picked her up, so she has reason to be very wary of being handled over and above typical baby defensiveness. So far I've done the following:

- Put her in a bag, put her on my lap, and sit in a chair so she gets used to my smell and some movement while in a secure space.

- Put a shirt I wore in the enclosure with her (swap them out every day or so), so something that smells like me is in her hide.

- Hook hook hook hook!

- Never pick her up or come at her from above, always slip the hook under, lift, then get a hand under her when I need to pick her up.

- When she's in-hand she's supported from underneath and never restrained or grabbed; if she wants to run she can run.

- Even if I can't pick her up every day, she gets a light rub with either the hook or my hand for a few seconds twice a day every day when I check her enclosure.

- Watch the lighting and shadows in the room so I'm never backlit while handling her.

She has improved slowly over the past year but there's still a long way to go and I don't expect she'll ever be as chill as many Burmese pythons are. At least she no longer immediately strikes the hook when she's touched with it, but she will still strike out when in-hand at sudden movements and shadows.

[Sauzo]

I will whack Caesar in the head with a twisted paper towel if he goes ballistic when i open the cage door but that is pretty rare. Usually he just cruises over and i pet him. The one time i used a hook on him as a baby, he hissed, coiled up and opened his mouth. He really hated the hook.

As for my other snakes, i have never tap trained any of them.

[SDA]

Nothing says get over your fear of snake bites like having to handle a very upset green tree python every few days. After learning to dodge that level of speed, all other snakes are in slow motion!

[Sauzo]

Nothing says get over your fear of snake bites like having to handle a very upset green tree python every few days. After learning to dodge that level of speed, all other snakes are in slow motion!

Lol you have never dealt with the speed of a hungry retic. Nothing like seeing a 8-9 foot snake slam a guinea pig or jumbo rat with so much authority, it shakes glass doors on a cage stack lol. I actually hate feeding him and the big boas. Their size and mass along with the size of their heads just makes it kind of scary lol. I like feeding the little guys and Pat. They are all cute when they shoot out at the food and coil it up. When the big ones shoot out, shake the cage with their mass, coil the food and rip it off the tongs, not so cute lol.