Handling New Snakes

[Damselle]

Ok. So when I first handled my new guy, Louie, in the pet store, he was quite relaxed and used me as a human tree. They told me he never bit. He was warm to touch and very out going... When I handled him in the shop, he was relaxed and explorative.

since bringing him home, he's been afraid, which I understand.

the first week, I pulled him out daily only to check him to make sure he was ok. Day one, he felt cold to touch, so I upped the temps. After that, he felt a bit better temp wise, but I kept finding him borrowed after that in the cool part of the tank. I only held him for a few minutes, cause he seemed stressed, and was posturing.

On on feeding day, he grabbed the food right off, but when I put the top of the tank on, he let go of his pray x2, ... So I left it there. When I checked it in a few hours, the prey was gone.

two days later, I handled him again.. Just briefly.

tonight, though. I took him out. I spent more time. I had to take him to the bedroom cause the dog was inside... It was raining out. I kind of let him explore a little on the bed, but when he started to get too far, I picked him up behind his head, well, by his neck, and brought him back. This happened several times until he peed on me and I recognized this as a sign of stress.

so, I picked him up off the bed to bring him back to his tank and he struck at my clothes ... He's never struck before.


the only other time I've been peed on and struck at was by a king snake at a pet shop two weeks ago. By a guy that kept trying to go down my shirt, and I had to keep redirecting him... I think he was also the one that left two distinctly two fang like bruises on my arm that I didn't even notice until the next day...

so, I guess, I'm looking for some guidance on the best way to handle my little bestie without stressing him out.

thanks ❤️

[Bogertophis]

Too much handling! Best results happen when you let a scared new snake time to settle into a scary new home & do not handle them at all until they have

fed three times easily for you and at normal intervals*. *For example: you'd feed a baby snake about once a week, & you should allow a couple days after a

meal before handling so they can digest & don't regurgitate...plus for the first feeding it's often advisable not to feed for the first week while they settle in, so

following that means you wouldn't handle a new snake that eats weekly until you had it for about a month. Compare that to what you've been doing, and I

think you can see why he's stressed & afraid of you. The only thing that normally picks up a snake in the wild is a predator that's about to eat them...& they

learn their way around by feel & scent, less so by vision...so a new home is quite stressful. Also NEVER grab a snake behind the head...that's what predators

DO...so that's what you are, in his opinion. - If you brought a human baby home from the hospital would you take him out to the yard to play baseball?

You need to be way more patient & considerate...this is a living creature. BTW, what kind of snake are we talking about here? And do you have his cage

temperature, humidity & hides all dialed in?

[Craiga 01453]

Way too much handling!!! And picking snakes up from the neck/behind the head is all kinds of wrong.

Also, judging a snakes temp by touch is all wrong.
They are cold blooded animals, they aren't supposed to feel warm.

I'm not trying to be rude, but you've clearly got a LOT to learn about snakes in general as well as keeping them as pets.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...t-Questionaire

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...Husbandry-FAQs

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ius)-Caresheet

Starting with the above links should get you on the right track

[Damselle]

Ok, well I'm not picking him up directly behind his head. What I meant was that I'm not approaching him from the front, in order to scare him. I pick him up about 1/3 of the way down... That is, when I can see him. When he's burrows, it's a bit tricker.

but that's why I asked. I don't want to stress him. So, leave him be for a few more feelings? Then take him out how often?

Whats ts enough do you think to have him get used to me without stressing him?

[Craiga 01453]

First off, leave your new pet alone until he has time to acclimate. Start over and hold off on handling until he has eaten three consecutive meals without refusal.

Then start slow and steady. Start with 1-2 handling sessions per week, for 10-15 minutes per handling. Gradually increase frequency and duration over time. Allow the snake to dictate how you increase handling.

If you'd like to tell us more we can help you get on the right track too.

What species is Louie?

How much does the snake weigh?
Approx age?

What type/size enclosure is he In?
How are you heating the enclosure?
Are your heat sources regulated by a THERMOSTAT?
What are your temps?
How are you measuring temps?

What type/size prey are you feeding and how often?


The more you tell us, the more we can help you

[Damselle]

Too much handling! Best results happen when you let a scared new snake time to settle into a scary new home & do not handle them at all until they have

fed three times easily for you and at normal intervals*. *For example: you'd feed a baby snake about once a week, & you should allow a couple days after a

meal before handling so they can digest & don't regurgitate...plus for the first feeding it's often advisable not to feed for the first week while they settle in, so

following that means you wouldn't handle a new snake that eats weekly until you had it for about a month. Compare that to what you've been doing, and I

think you can see why he's stressed & afraid of you. The only thing that normally picks up a snake in the wild is a predator that's about to eat them...& they

learn their way around by feel & scent, less so by vision...so a new home is quite stressful. Also NEVER grab a snake behind the head...that's what predators

DO...so that's what you are, in his opinion. - If you brought a human baby home from the hospital would you take him out to the yard to play baseball?

You need to be way more patient & considerate...this is a living creature. BTW, what kind of snake are we talking about here? And do you have his cage

temperature, humidity & hides all dialed in?

hes a BRB. I have another thread asking for feedback in his set up, so I don't want to repeat it all here. Thanks.

[Damselle]

First off, leave your new pet alone until he has time to acclimate. Start over and hold off on handling until he has eaten three consecutive meals without refusal.

Then start slow and steady. Start with 1-2 handling sessions per week, for 10-15 minutes per handling. Gradually increase frequency and duration over time. Allow the snake to dictate how you increase handling.

If you'd like to tell us more we can help you get on the right track too.

What species is Louie?

How much does the snake weigh?
Approx age?

What type/size enclosure is he In?
How are you heating the enclosure?
Are your heat sources regulated by a THERMOSTAT?
What are your temps?
How are you measuring temps?

What type/size prey are you feeding and how often?


The more you tell us, the more we can help you

i think he's about 6 months.. The shop had him for four months ... He's about a foot and a half long. He's been eating wean lungs since 7/26, every week. He ate for me last Friday for the first time, grabbed the prey x2, but let it go when I put the top of the sage back on, so I left the mouse in with him, and it was gone after a couple of hours.

i have a whole thread about my set up that I was hoping to get some feedback on.

[Craiga 01453]

i think he's about 6 months.. The shop had him for four months ... He's about a foot and a half long. He's been eating wean lungs since 7/26, every week. He ate for me last Friday for the first time, grabbed the prey x2, but let it go when I put the top of the sage back on, so I left the mouse in with him, and it was gone after a couple of hours.

i have a whole thread about my set up that I was hoping to get some feedback on.

Ok cool. I don't keep BRBs so I'll let others chime in on the husbandry specific questions.

[JRLongton]

Your first snake is a BRB?! I always thought of those as an intermediate snake requiring high humidity.

Don't give up! Read more and learn as much as you can. Double check your husbandry and take it slow. As I understand, BRBs are more difficult to keep than corn snakes, but are also extremely rewarding.

Just to elaborate on something said earlier, you can't judge the body temp of a cold blooded creature by touch. Your body is 98.4. Their's is the temp of the environment. Plus they absorb heat. So when you touch them they draw the heat from you making them feel cold. It's like touching a piece of metal. Its the same temp iof everything else in the room but it conducts heat very well, making it feel cold.

If your snake is spending all its time on the cool side, you may have temps too high. Go by your thermometers to create the temp gradient that a BRB requires. You do have a thermostat right? If not get one ASAP. A Jumpstart is a reasonable and inexpensive expedient, though there are better (and more expensive) options. Leave the guy alone for a while and make sure he has hides. All snakes like to hide, it makes them feel more secure.

I'm sure with time and patience you'll get things dialed in and the BRB will calm down.

[Damselle]

So, also, because he mostly hides in there, the only way to check in him and make sure he was ok was to dig him out and eyeball him.....