Evil baby - best ways to tame...

[bigballs]

julian,i know the op and when she says she puts her back after several strikes,enough to stress out the snake,that is not giving in and letting the snake know you are affraid.im not meaning to come off rude in any way,but she already knows that method.this snake is truley wicked.

hey i understand what youre saying and youre not rude at all but i think that even though the OP may feel that she is not giving in to the snake, the snake may be learning that lots of striking = being left alone.

the snake is probably not truely wicked and is more likely just scared and maybe taking the time to familiarize your presence with it will work.

this is just an idea and certainly not the only idea and hopefully the OP will figure out a way that will work.

[Bruce Whitehead]

I have always been a proponent of taming out any snake by not handling it...

I had one female this year, same deal, possible het holdback. If I was near the rack I could hear *thump* *thump* *thump*... her striking the side of the enclosure.

She tagged me a few hours out of the egg, I kid you not.

When I would crack her shoebox to change water, she would launch herself at me, a few times ending half out of the enclosure.

When I had her in hand it was the same thing... not one or two strikes, but 8 fast consecutive strikes.

I cut a piece of choloroplast that was the same width of her tub, when I would crack the tub I would slide it in.... pull the tub forward... and change the water while blocking her.

Same with removing her to change the tub. I would force her into a smaller space, then drop a hide over her, slide the chloroplast under her to scoop her up, change out the tub and then just slide her back in.

Same with picking her up when I had to. I would just hold a margarine lid (it was the right size) very close to her face so that she did not have a clean strike. I had heard from another member that if they bump something from close up, they are less likely to strike repeatedly. She would hit it... and that would be it. Then I would scoop her from the bottom and behind.

I do not even remember at what point she stopped, but I can take her in hand now, I can peek into the tub without getting bitten in the face, and I can move her without her launching herself out of my hands.

I know a few people that have great luck with taming out by handling, I personally do not, and I find that for me, not handling them has been 100% effective with my collection.

Hope that helps,
Bruce

[Wh00h0069]

Keep at it. I do have one adult female that I have to use a hook with. She tries to tag me every time I touch her. Most of my other ball pythons are tame. A few take a minute to calm down once I take them out.

[FloridaHogs]

One trick I have heard of is to take an old tshirt and put it in your pillow for several days so that it has your scent on it very strong. Then pu it in the cage with the animals so they have to use it as their "hide". Supposedly this helps them to recoginize your scent as "safe". Never tried it myself, but heard others swear by it.

[Melicious]

I've used the method of taking them outside, or in my home case, taking them outside of my bedroom(my room is the hottest room in the house). My het. albino male used to be really snippy, and he would take a shot at my rear every time I used to walk by. I also bought a rack system, and that definitely improved his temper. I'm still the only one who can handle him, but now, he's very much like Ophi with me. Almost. ^_^ No snake will ever be like Ophi.

I tend to handle him a lot unless he's shedding or eating. That seems, for me at least, to be the best method. He gives me kisses now...and not open-mouthed ones. ^_^

[Muze]

I have always been a proponent of taming out any snake by not handling it...

I had one female this year, same deal, possible het holdback. If I was near the rack I could hear *thump* *thump* *thump*... her striking the side of the enclosure.

She tagged me a few hours out of the egg, I kid you not.

When I would crack her shoebox to change water, she would launch herself at me, a few times ending half out of the enclosure.

When I had her in hand it was the same thing... not one or two strikes, but 8 fast consecutive strikes.

I cut a piece of choloroplast that was the same width of her tub, when I would crack the tub I would slide it in.... pull the tub forward... and change the water while blocking her.

Same with removing her to change the tub. I would force her into a smaller space, then drop a hide over her, slide the chloroplast under her to scoop her up, change out the tub and then just slide her back in.

Same with picking her up when I had to. I would just hold a margarine lid (it was the right size) very close to her face so that she did not have a clean strike. I had heard from another member that if they bump something from close up, they are less likely to strike repeatedly. She would hit it... and that would be it. Then I would scoop her from the bottom and behind.

I do not even remember at what point she stopped, but I can take her in hand now, I can peek into the tub without getting bitten in the face, and I can move her without her launching herself out of my hands.

I know a few people that have great luck with taming out by handling, I personally do not, and I find that for me, not handling them has been 100% effective with my collection.

Hope that helps,
Bruce

Same here. I have not yet been bitten out of fear. But I do have 3 snakes that are not used to handling. I can tell that if I push it with them, I will get bit. So I've been working around them. I want them to know my hands do not mean danger by being close enough to them while I clean the tubs, etc., but I don't want to push it by handling them. They now don't fly off to the other end of the tub when I go in there, or coil up in a ball (or the S strike pose). Now they just lounge around while I work in their tubs. I feel comfortable enough with one of them to gently stroke her a bit while I'm cleaning up & that seems to calm that particular snake down also.

[filly77]

Maybe the dog whisperer can help lol I love that guy!

In seriousness tho, just give her some time, i'd leave her alone and not bother her for a while. Trying to tame her could be stressing her out and could be doing the opposite of taming her.

she should calm down once she gets a little bigger. At least thats what I have noticed with mine.

[JenH]

hey i understand what youre saying and youre not rude at all but i think that even though the OP may feel that she is not giving in to the snake, the snake may be learning that lots of striking = being left alone.

the snake is probably not truely wicked and is more likely just scared and maybe taking the time to familiarize your presence with it will work.

this is just an idea and certainly not the only idea and hopefully the OP will figure out a way that will work.

Hehe - yeah she is no normal baby biter. She is 5-6 months old, all of my baby biters have settled down. I don't want to teach her that biting works by keeping me away and I don't want to keep stressing her out.

[JenH]

Very good information - thanks everyone. I will just do what I've been doing and try not to upset her too much while cleaning her tub.

I like the idea with the tshirt and taking them to a cooler room. Maybe when she gets a bit bigger I'll try those.

[tosha]

the tshirt method is the one i used w/ my snake when i first got him... it seemed to have worked out pretty well... i only had him strike at me once, that was before the tshirt in the tank though..

good luck!