Handling a BP

[Clyde Frog]

So, I've been handling my new baby a lot and I just got to thinking if there we different ways that people go about holding their snake. Do you have a certain routine that you do while handling your snake? Do they like to sit on a certain part of your body? I'm pretty curious about this. Never really thought about it before.

What say you, forum posters?

[MDB]

I have 14 ball pythons and I try to handle them as much as possible except for my snakes that are breeding. But I have a spider who hangs out with me everyday, he sits on my laptop keyboard, lays on my chest while Im watching a movie or just taking a rest. Sometimes he even takes a nap with me but I make sure that he cant slip away in the process. He realy likes it when I wrap him up in my shirt. Hes my best little buddy lo

[Clyde Frog]

Lol. That's cute
I'm still trying to make that bond with my newest baby. He's hardly 16 inches and he's a curious little guy so I hope he'll come out of his shell soon! He likes being held after you have him out for a while and he takes a look around and realizes "okay, nothing is trying to eat me. it's okay to relax"

[llovelace]

Neemo likes hanging out around my neck while I do dishes, and he'll chillax with me and watch a movie, usually curling up in the crook of my arm and going back to sleep

[8Ball]

When I see my guy cruising around his tank looking for an out I open the lid and extend a hand. He comes out and hangs on my shoulders or I let him do some well supervised exploring. If I think he wants back in the tank I bring him over and let him slide back in on his own but sometimes he wants to stay out. I like to give him the choice. He's full grown and I've only had him a couple of weeks but so far he seems unstressed by this method.

[mainbutter]

you can usually tell when a snake is "comfortable" in a position, if they aren't they squirm more There are lots of ways to "hold" a ball python, and it all depends on whether you are standing or sitting, stationary or walking, and the size of the snake is also a factor. Just keep an eye out for the snake feeling non-stressed, happy, and comfortable. That's what you're shooting for, so both you and the snake have a happy handling experience.

My snake loves to climb into the front pocket on peoples' sweatshirts..

[cktansys]

I have 14 ball pythons and I try to handle them as much as possible except for my snakes that are breeding. But I have a spider who hangs out with me everyday, he sits on my laptop keyboard, lays on my chest while Im watching a movie or just taking a rest. Sometimes he even takes a nap with me but I make sure that he cant slip away in the process. He realy likes it when I wrap him up in my shirt. Hes my best little buddy lo

How you train that Spider? My Pastel will try to go away every time I handle him. He is very active but never shown any sign to strike or bite. I got him around 3 weeks and hope he will used to me soon. Jealous ~ you have a good boy ~ LOL

[Melicious]

That really depends on which snake I'm handling at the time.

For Hadrian, if he doesn't do it first, I'll guide his head down my shirt so he calms down for the first few minutes. After that, he's squirming all over the place, curious, sniffing. After THAT he calms down. A lot.

Lucius is a little boy, so he's kind of a squirmer.

Ophi is the chill one of the group. She'll curl up at my feet and watch TV under a blanket with me. She'll help me wrap presents. She likes to do dishes. She's not too fond of Grandma(my mom) opening the freezer to get ice, but she loves to cuddle. The child is so bizarre.

[Freakie_frog]

heres my way..

Grab snake.
put snake in holding tub.
clean tub.
grab snake.
put snake back in tub.

LOL. No I do hold some of mine more than others. My Mojo female and male pin gets a lot of attention for some reason.

[rabernet]

I'm of the mind that ball pythons tolerate handling, they don't necessarily enjoy it (but they can't really tell us, so who knows for sure). Handling is really for our pleasure.

All of mine are "tame", and very predictable, even with minimal handling (15 minutes at a time, max).

They all have distinct personalities, and I adore them all, even with my minimal handling approach.