Help please!? Been a long time..

gLoBaL mInD · #1 (**permalink**) 03-13-2010, 01:44 AM

Hi all.. I'm sure no one remembers me.. its been very long.
For starters though I need some of your guys intelligence and advice!?
Last time I was on this forum there was many helpful people who knew a lot about reptiles.
Heres my story...
Back when I joined this forum I just bought a Suriname Red Tail boa at a Reptile show.. and then I went threw a private breeder and bought a Mojave Ball Python... and I might as well throw this in there.. I also own what I believe is a Sandfire Bearded Dragon. Well.. I've owned a decent amount of snakes in my time.. but.. this is the first time I had to leave them with someone for 6 months. I had to go away for a family death.. so I left them with my brother. Well.. I just got home.. and my brother has told me that he's fed them, gave them water every.. but was terrified to hold them. So.. ok.. I'm grateful he fed them once a week.. he didnt do a good job cleaning the poop out of the tank.. so I'm about to take care of that.. I need to redo the tanks. But here is where I need help.. My ball python looks ready to strike.. when I come to the tank.. as a matter of fact he looks more ready to go then all the others.. when I left her she was a sweet heart.. but now after not being held obviously a lot has changed! My Suriname.. she bathes a lot.. hides in her half of log.. so she seems the same but I havent attempted to hold her yet so I would assume after 6 months she's gonna be aggressive. Bearded dragon actually opens his mouth when i go close to the tank... so I got a lot on my hands right now. OK vital information! When I bought these snakes they were babies! Now they are bigger.. nothing crazy.. Suriname is about 3 feet... still not a thick snake.. still young.. same goes for the ball python give or take. So they aren't snakes that were held for 7 years .. then I went away for 6 months... they might remember me more.. these were babies.. that I held... got them really sweet.. they were always sweet... but they probably only have 4 months of being held.. then 6 months without... bearded dragon was held for about 8-9 months.. 6 months without. Does anyone have any advice how I should go about doing this? Should I go in with a glove? Should I remove them with a handling stick? Kinda got a home made one of those.. Any help would be really appreciated... I will sit and wait to hear from you guys. ohhh and yes.. I am not someone who appreciate getting bit.. so I hope the advice isnt .. just grab them.. if you get bit you get bit.. stop being a [wimp]!! lol
If I can avoid that.. why not! right?

Stargazer · #2 (**permalink**) 03-13-2010, 01:49 AM

I'm not the expert by any means, but they are still young. I think you can calm them down again with a little work. Just use a hook and/or wear some leather gloves for a while. Put a shirt or something with your scent on it in their cages near their hide boxes to get them used to your scent. I think if you can be patient with them, it will pay off. Even older snakes can get used to being handled with a little patience.

The most important thing is that they are in good health.

Keep us posted!

Rachel SS · #3 (**permalink**) 03-13-2010, 01:58 AM

Sounds like it could be them ready for breeding.

If your boa is soaking you need to check for mites.

If you're afraid of the bite just wear gloves.

I also suggest getting a hook to pull them out.

I'm one of those who do not believe handling frequently reduces the chance of being bitten, but clean out their enclosures, check for parasites, let them relax for a week being settled in your care and try to handle them a couple of times a week AS LONG as they are parasite free.

gLoBaL mInD · #4 (**permalink**) 03-13-2010, 02:04 AM

Keep em coming.. I will def check for parasites! I willd def make sure they are healthy.. but I still am looking for insight on what to expect or not expect.. etc etc etc... Thank you so far!

Rachel SS · #5 (**permalink**) 03-13-2010, 02:09 AM

well... they're animals. They're going to bite, it's just a matter of when. They will hiss at you, and they'll have that S shape and wobble a bit, then you know you're going to be bitten.

HERPHAPPY · #6 (**permalink**) 03-13-2010, 02:13 AM

They sound stressed to me...does your brother by any chance listen to loud music with alot of bass? or anything similar that would have them feeling under attack? They feel vibrations acutely! And they sound fearful... so be patient! (I don't like bites either!) and I agree with Rachel SS & Star above.

Aaron-Insular · #7 (**permalink**) 03-13-2010, 02:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rachel SS

well... they're animals. They're going to bite, it's just a matter of when. They will hiss at you, and they'll have that S shape and wobble a bit, then you know you're going to be bitten.

I have never ever been hissed at or stricken at by my BP...

As far as the handling thing, I would just recommend using a snake hook to get them out... They tend to calm down once they are out of their enclosures. Always know where their head is, be very slow and gentle... and you look like a decent size guy... your snakes are still pretty small, it wont hurt very much I promise

BlackLava · #8 (**permalink**) 03-13-2010, 02:19 AM

they prob just got used to your brother only going in thier cages to feed, maybe they just think they are gonna get fed when you try to go in their cages....either way, im sure they will calm down, you just gotta reach in and grab lol. sometimes you gotta take a few bites, then they realize you arent going away and that its OK to be held and you arent gonna hurt them

nitram · #9 (**permalink**) 03-13-2010, 02:25 AM

in my experience boas and bps will not bite the hand thats holding them. you can get something like a piece of styrofoam to block their face and pick em up from their mid-body/tail area. if they seem really uncomfortable (S shape, stuff, fast tongue flickering) simply hold them for a few short minutes at a time. 2-3 minutes, doesnt matter. do this daily. once they start exploring out of your hand, start working in the 2nd hand in there. slowly but surely they will get used to handling time. takes baby steps. this worked for me with my baby motley when i got him he was hissing and striking but now he's a sweetheart. basically you're letting them know you're not a threat to them. since its stressful to them to be handled by an unknown, thats why i recommend just a few short minutes. bearded dragons i dont know about. but thats my 2 cents on the snakes, worked for me!
also the shirt in the enclosure i did too i dunno if that had anything to do with it but it didnt hurt the situation just make sure its a shirt youve worn not fresh out the dryer.

gLoBaL mInD · #10 (**permalink**) 03-13-2010, 02:34 AM

Ok.. just to clear things up.. no no one did anything bad around them.. just my thing is they havent been held for 6 months?? Doesnt that make a snake a little [edited] lol

Rachel SS · #11 (**permalink**) 03-13-2010, 02:37 AM

nope, not holding them is less stress in their lives

gLoBaL mInD · #12 (**permalink**) 03-13-2010, 02:56 AM

so your saying after 6 months of not holding them.. they should be calm when I take them out? I always thought they'd be unfamiliar with it a little again.. and be more likely to snap a hand or two!

nitram · #13 (**permalink**) 03-13-2010, 03:16 AM

i understand handling any snake is stressful to them. the idea is to get em used to it so when you do handle em it minimizes the stress.. i got a snake that will slither onto my hand when i reach into her tub i dont need to grab her i feel she is not stressed when i handle her then again i had her right after her first shed and fed her the first meal she's eaten i handle her frequently so she's super used to being handled and by now probably doesnt consider me a threat. with her the only mission is putting her back into the tub she resists a lot.
i handle all my snakes a lot but theres only like a handful i will let out for a long time (by a long time i mean an hour or more) the rest i just handle em enough to check em out make sure theyre ok usually takes about 5 minutes (at the most, its more like 2-3 minutes) and theyre cool with it, or so it seems. only times ive been struck was due to feeding responses.

Sakara · #14 (**permalink**) 03-13-2010, 03:34 AM

give them time to come around. they are prolly used to only being fed so they are prolly expecting food every time they see someone. a trick I use for my snakes is to reach in with a flat palm and gently put it over their head. not pinning them down, just showing that, hey, this is holding time, not food. all my boas that I have had for a while all know what that means lol. give it some time and be patient. and bites from small snakes like that aren't that bad

and welcome back btw. and sorry for the family passing

Aaron-Insular · #15 (**permalink**) 03-13-2010, 03:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gLoBaL mInD

so your saying after 6 months of not holding them.. they should be calm when I take them out? I always thought they'd be unfamiliar with it a little again.. and be more likely to snap a hand or two!

Basically there are just two schools of thought here, one that handling a snake stresses them out and should be done minimally, and the other is that the more you handle them, the more they become used to it, thus reducing stress.

I personally believe in the later, though, I do not handle for a least a day usually 2 after a feeding or during blue phase shed.
Also, I agree that if your snakes enclosures were only being opened during feeding times, they may just be expecting food, and just need time to realize every time the top comes off doesn't mean it's dinner time. Just man up, scoop them out and hope for the best

HERPHAPPY · #16 (**permalink**) 03-13-2010, 03:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gLoBaL mInD

so your saying after 6 months of not holding them.. they should be calm when I take them out? I always thought they'd be unfamiliar with it a little again.. and be more likely to snap a hand or two!

I think maybe your expectations are coloring your perception of their behavior??? And maybe you are out of practice, and your nervous vibe is rubbing off on them? Honestly, I seldom get bit...I prefer to avoid...but I also don't handle the daylights out of my pets, and have no problem 're-connecting' when I do. My impression is that they do recognize me, but if they don't, they quickly relate to the manner in which they are approached and gently handled. Don't act like a predator...and they won't treat you as one. One more thing: Use their best senses to your advantage! That is, sense of smell & touch: apart from the gentle touch (and don't go for head/neck or tail areas...that's what predators do) I often identify myself thru the cage screen by blowing air across my hand in their direction, so they know by my scent I am not dinner heading their direction. That can be important, because a hungry snake does not identify you visually thru the glass...to them, motion may be dinner until proven otherwise. But give them your scent, & it's "aw shucks! you're no rat!"... Don't assume snakes cannot be communicated with! You just have to get creative, and not use hearing and vision like you do with humans!

gLoBaL mInD · #17 (**permalink**) 03-13-2010, 07:11 AM

Sakara nice to hear from you again.. thank you for your sweet words!

Question to/for everyone..

What was the longest you left your snake in his inclosure without handling him/her?

Icicle · #18 (**permalink**) 03-13-2010, 07:23 AM

they should calm back down for you.

As far as the BP was it being fed the right size of food? if not it might be hungry.

Hairless · #19 (**permalink**) 03-13-2010, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron-Insular

Basically there are just two schools of thought here, one that handling a snake stresses them out and should be done minimally, and the other is that the more you handle them, the more they become used to it, thus reducing stress.

I'll add a third for ya...
I pay attention to the boa as an individual. Some don't seem to mind gentle handling, others not so much. Understanding which is which is the important part, so I handle according to the individual boa.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gLoBaL mInD

Question to/for everyone..
What was the longest you left your snake in his inclosure without handling him/her?

I have a couple that rarely get handled other than removal for an entire enclosure cleaning (twice a year). These boas don't care for handling but will tolerate it and even with this infrequent amount of handling I can pick them up with my hands without getting bit (my idea of ''tolerating'' does not necessarily mean defensive and trying to bite, but they seem uncomfortable). Other boas that don't seem to mind as much, I will handle when I feel like it which would rarely be sooner than every few weeks - and of those, I feel them out first. If they come to the open door and want to check things out, I get them out. (hunger helps with 'curiosity' too)

Jt. · #20 (**permalink**) 03-13-2010, 09:43 AM

You're making this more complicated than it has to be.

Stop being a girl and go hold those snakes.

Edit: If you're really worried, wear gloves.

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