picking him up

[bwellsy53]

now i have had my snake for a week and he still is obviously a little cautious he is only a baby. i know the bite isnt much and im not worried bout that but im worried about the surprise of the bite and hurting him by dropping him. i pick him up with a glove on and once hes on my hand i take it off and its fine never any hostility...any suggestions on how to get over that?

[Nanci]

Has he ever tried to bite you? I'd be more worried about crushing him/dropping him with a glove on. Probalby if he bites you, you won't even know, you'll just look at him and he'll be doing it. If he does try, you may as well get it over with. Once you know what it feels like, you won't have the tendency to fling him if he does it again.

NAnci

[CornNoobie]

I agree with Nanci. I was stupidly nervous when I first handled Arlo, but after talking to people on here I just had to go for it and it within minutes I was wondering what I had been fussing about! Just go for it and im sure everything will be fine, good luck and keep us posted!

[bwellsy53]

i use a light little glove but every once and awhile he will coil his head but never strike just move away and when im holding him he has never bitten me. as soon as he is in my hand i take the glove off and never had a problem im just worried with the surprise somethin will go wrong

[Rich in KY]

Just dont put the glove on and go for it. It is not gonna hurt if he bites you. I agree with Nanci, I think there is risk using a glove to pick it up.

[bwellsy53]

thanks for the bode of confidence so i went for it and it all went well i just get nervous when i take his hide out and hes coiled up i feel like when hes like that hes defiently going to strike so i have a tendency to try and get him moving to straighten out but again that will be fixed with time

[Nanci]

You know what I do with the small ones- pick the hide up, there's the snake all coiled up, not because he's going to strike, but because that's the snake's natural shape to fit the shape of the hide. He's like "What???" and you have a minute to scoop up the whole snake, still coiled up, loosely in your cupped hand. Much easier than getting him moving and then having to pincer him up.

Nanci

[bwellsy53]

yea but i use reptibark substrate so its hard to get under him without making a mess on the floor...cant wait till he calms down on my hands so i can get some good pictures he is a grogeous snow corn

[Rich in KY]

It wont take long. Just be confident when you go to pick him up. Then before you know it, it will be easy for you and him.

[susang]

I agree with others, when a hatchling bit me I didn't even know it, just looked down and he was latched onto my finger. When they are going to strike they will get in more of a 'S' position, but mostly that's show too, just like tail rattling. susan

[MerlinsPop]

yea but i use reptibark substrate so its hard to get under him without making a mess on the floor...cant wait till he calms down on my hands so i can get some good pictures he is a grogeous snow corn
I have aspen and I get a handful of it when I scoop up the snake. Ever seen someone seperate an egg by rolling the yolk from one half of the shell to the other while all the egg white falls off? That's what I do with Vern. As soon as I have him up, he's moving, so I hold him over the viv and let him move from one hand the the other. In the first transfer, 90% of the aspen fall off. In the 2d, 90% of what was left falls out. I don't worry about the few slivers that are still in/on my hands after that.

[nickj]

someone gave me the advice to hold out your hand in front of it till it climbs onto your hand by it's own free will. HA. the worst thing you can do is fanny about, the more you hesitate the more stressed the snake gets, and dangling your hand in front of it, the second your hand even twitches you'll have a baby snake extension to the end of your finger. not that you'll feel it anyway. wouldn't recomend letting him straighten out cause then you end up chasing him round the tank. as for the bedding making a mess, there's more wood chip on my floor than there is in the tank. thats my experience anyhoo :)