Wiggles, the Children's Python

[Homebody]

I’ve noticed that Wiggles avoids doing things that lead directly to being handled. That’s why he no longer goes in the forbidden gap (post #59). When I open his enclosure now, he still heads over to the gap. He explores it with his head and neck, but he doesn’t go in. I monitor his behavior pretty closely. So, when he does this, I move my chair a little closer so I can grab him if I need to. When I do this, he withdraws immediately and looks at me. I imagine him saying, “I was just looking. I wasn’t going to go in there.” His fear of being handled, in that moment, is palpable.

When I say fear, I don’t mean terror. He doesn’t strike at me. He just doesn’t want to be handled. It’s like if you drive too fast through a speed trap. You’re afraid you’re going to get a ticket. That fear of being handled has proven to be an effective teaching tool.

During last night’s activity session, Wiggles made a beeline for the hallway where I keep my laundry cart. That’s where I eventually found him after I lost him a couple weeks ago and, as a result, where he’s no longer allowed to go. Just before he reached the threshold, I scooped him up and put him back on his activity station. From there, he made a beeline for the hallway again, and again, I scooped him up and returned him to his activity station. I don’t know how many times we did this, 3, 4, maybe 5 times, but, eventually, before he reached the threshold he stopped on his own, sat there for a minute or two and went back the way he came. I hope, eventually, he’ll learn to keep himself in the living room and I won’t have to intervene so often.

This got me to thinking, “How do I feel about Wiggles’s perception of my handling as negative reinforcement?” It turns out I’m totally o.k. with it. I think I differ from a lot of keepers in that I’ve never really enjoyed handling all that much. When I had a bp, who is the undisputed king of handling, I found that what I enjoyed the most was when he climbed off my shoulders and started exploring. By giving him the freedom to explore on his own, I was able to learn what he liked and what he didn't. I got to know him personally. When he passed, I decided to get a snake that was more active and inquisitive. That he was less handleable didn’t bother me.

Now, I know that negative reinforcement is a limited tool. Tickets don’t stop people from speeding. Wiggles will get accustomed to my handing, but I’ll happily use it as long as it’s effective.

[Homebody]

Last night, Wiggles completed five laps around my living room and, when he'd had enough, he put himself away. He was hanging out on his branches when I went to refresh his water and replace his ice block. When I was done, I just laid down in front of his enclosure to watch him. He stopped by to give me a sniff before climbing out onto the top of his enclosure. Over the course of a lap, he'll climb my house plants, surf the screen of the open window, climb down off the window sill into a large fern, crawl under one end table, behind my couch, under the matching end table, and finally head for the door. There I tap him, scoop him up, and return him to the activity station on top of his enclosure. Last night's session was particularly satisfying because my daughter was there and it was she who scooped him up at the end of each lap. I just love sharing the joy I get from playing with Wiggles with others. It was also satisfying because Wiggles was able to end the session when he'd had enough.

It was funny to me how it ended. On the fourth lap, I could see he was getting tired. He stopped to rest in the fern, under the couch and in the wicker basket on the second end table. So when I scooped him up, I thought he'd return to his enclosure. I'm pretty confident that he knows how to get back into his enclosure from his activity station. He's done it before. He did start for the enclosure entrance, but surprised me by heading out for another lap. I'm not sure if he tried to return home and just got confused, or if he changed his mind and just decided he wanted to go for another lap. Either way, on lap five he didn't dawdle. He raced through it. I think he was eager to get home. Sure enough, at the end of it, he quickly and confidently put himself away.

It was a prototypical activity session. He started it; he was active but also safe during it; and when he'd had enough, he ended it. I know they won't all go this well. Wiggles and I still have a lot to learn, but I expect good quality sessions like this one to one day become the norm.