Quote Originally Posted by bsd13 View Post
I'm wondering why so many people hardly seem to handle their snakes at all. I'm noticing it seems to be the people with lots of snakes which leads me to believe either it's an issue of time, or an issue of you see them as a commodity and not a family pet. Is either of those reasons the case with anyone?
I handle mine about twice a week.

I think most people that have one bp tend to overhandle them. They are not kittens or puppies, and do not have the need to be socailized in the same manner.

I have worked with many different animals, including wolves, who need to be socialized to a much greater level and with much greater intent. So not valuing them as pets is NOT an issue.

The more experienced I become with snakes, the less I tend to handle them, as I do not feel they benefit from long handling periods, and I am confident that I can judge signs of stress. At which point they are placed back in their enclosures.

Also, I seldom handle a snake that is in its hide. To me that is communication that it is being a snake and doesn't need my interference.

When I handle my snakes I am very attentive to them and never complacent. In my experience (anecdotally mind you) the posts online that have to deal with snakes being stuck behind dishwashers, being stepped on, *forgotten* about (and now loose), etc. are from people that have one snake, and are constantly trying to give it novel experiences.

The story that always comes to mind is an individual on another forum that asked for everyone's advice on taking her snake to the park. The cons outweighed the pros, and most people cautioned that it would benefit the individual more than the snake. But if someone needs to bond with their snake (in their minds) in order to give it a good life I would never invalidate that.

So this individual took the snake to the park where it was promptly stomped on (by someone running past to catch a ball).

People will constantly argue that their snakes LOVE to be out, love exploring, love being handled, etc. but I think if you ask most people with several snakes, they won't necessarily agree with that analogy.

Just my two bloated cents based on my experience.
Bruce