waking up my snake

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I have a question, how you do wake up your snake without startling it?

You need to make your ball python feel more secure in his enclosure. There are a couple things you can do. First, leave him alone. Ball pythons need time to adjust to their new home. We suggest you wait until he's taken three meals from you before you handle him. When you do start handling him, start with short sessions and slowly build up to longer ones.

Second, you need to make some adjustments to your enclosure. Those glass sides have him feeling awfully exposed. Cover them. I hear foam poster board works well for this. If you haven't already, cover the top too. Some use tin foil. Others use aluminum tape. Use something that won't catch fire from the heat lamp. Speaking of the heat lamp, it's too bright. Replace it with a ceramic heat emitter or a deep heat projector. They give heat without light.

These things should make your ball python feel more secure. In time, you won't need to grab him out of his hide. He'll come out on his own.