Quote Originally Posted by Kira View Post
Honestly it's probably best to wait to handle her until she has had 3 consecutive (no refusals) meals with you. Ball pythons- especially young ones, tend to get stressed out easily. She is still getting used to her new home. Handling before she is regularly eating could lead to meal refusals.

After she is regularly eating I recommend handling her 3 times per week for about 5 minutes each. Don't handle the day before, the day of, and the day after feeding.

Trust me, I know waiting is hard but keep in mind that 3 weeks of no handling is nothing compared to the 20 or so years you will have with her! I waited to hold my ball python and it was worth it because she is a fantastic eater and very easy to handle. Let us know if you have more questions!
Yeah the waiting is killing me lol but I'm more than happy to wait as long as she needs. So, 3 feedings, 3 weeks. Would it help to increase my activity around her enclosure before a handling attempt? We have a designated critter room for her and our tarantulas, away from noise, light, traffic of us going back and forth, and it's easier to control temp. Normally I'm in there multiple times a day for the tarantulas (cleaning water, spot cleaning, and just relaxing to read since that's where I go for peace and quiet with book shelves) but so as not to stress her, I've kept my activity in there to a minimum. Apart from my tarantula care, I only go in to check her humidity/temp, and change her water. Would just hanging around in there cause her too much stress so soon? My chair for reading and relaxing is beside her enclosure, its a very peaceful room to relax in.