With our snakes, big or small, when they are new and have settled in and are eating regularily and all that good stuff...we just start out with opening the tub and just gently stroking their back a bit first...not near their head and just letting them get used to our routine....tub opens, hide off, gentle stroking for a couple of seconds...then the lift out of the tub. We don't usually even remove them from the area of their enclosure for the first few sessions which are really short. Then just gradually we move up the time out of the tub and if they are not stressing out, we eventually sit on the couch with them. We generally only handle in the evening when they are normally active and watch them for a bad reaction of any sort or if it's just a bad day and that particular snake doesn't want to be messed with. We don't handle on feeding day as they are primed and ready to go or for 48 hours afterwards. We make sure it's quiet and calm when we remove and return them to their homes and during the time they are out of their tubs. We stay mindful that these are snakes and not puppy dogs and most likely handling is more for our pleasure than theirs so we don't overdo it.

The big thing we are finding is just routine...routine...routine (thanks for that tip Adam!). Seems to help them be less stressed.

Just our way...not "the" way but hope it helped somewhat.


~~Jo~~