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Fun time outside the viv?

LMS68

LMS68

New member
I was wondering how often you guys take your snakes out & what kind of play/exploration/handling do they get & the duration? Do they stay in their room or can they go outside? I can just imagine that the younger they are, the more apt at slithering away at mach 3 speed happens quite a bit?

The other night, while having quality time with Martha after her soak, she was having fun exploring us, she then went under an arm & though "woohoo I'm free!" & zoomed straight for a crevice in the couch. Much to her chagrin I caught her in time (I always try to have one hand on her always when she feels like exploring like this). I really didn't feel like playing hide & seek with her in a 3 sectional reclining couch. ;)

Tonight's quality time was another little bath, photo shoot, slithering all over me & then having fun warming up & exploring in my knit sweater (tickled like heck!). She had fun in there & did not want to get out & go back in her viv. Lol!
 
I try to hold mine as often as I can so they stay/become super calm while being handled. Cuz who wants a snake that they can hold? Different species have different handling requirements but I think what is the most important is their personal temperament. I hold my corn every 2 or 3 days but not too long cuz its a baby and is always trying to get a way from me. The boa is super cool and loves being handled often. My green tree python i hold about1-2 times a week for at least 30 minutes who is extremely tame, has never bitten or even struck. I do 30 minutes because the first few minutes many snakes are stressed out because they dont exactly know what going on. After the first few minutes they calm down and realize its me and not a threat this way they learn that my scent is not a threat because I give them plenty of handling time to become familiar with me.
 
I take out all of my snakies daily, unless they're in blue or have just eaten. Length of handling depends on how they're acting and how busy I am, but I make sure to get them out every day that I can. The result: 5 totally tame, lazy corns, lol!

-- Kaifyre
 
I take Sirius out atleast once a day, unless he's in blue, or just ate.

he enjoys his time out, always trying to dart for my sweaters, hell happily curl up in one of my sweaters for hours, just sleeping. :eek:
 
I alternate mine every other day since i like holding one while i sit down at my computer, like now, for long periods of time. my corn behaves but my rat does not.
 
I handle my snakes every day except for the 48 hours right after they've eaten. I even handle them in shed, because I want them to learn that they can trust us completely (and because I may want to use them as snake ambassadors some day, and the more comfortable they are with being held the better).

We have a long hallway, and I like to let them occasionally crawl down the hallway and explore. If they try to go into rooms or they get too far away, I'll pick them up again, go back to the start of the hall, and let them go explore again.
 
WE handle our snakes probably once a week (some more, some less. They have different tolerances and desires to be handled). That equals a snake or two daily.
 
Once a week or less... Thought it depends in the snake. I'll get the boa out a few times a week, and I get Shivers out quite a bit too. The others it just depends. I try to get everyone outside a few times over summer.
 
When you take them outside, how do you work it out that you can catch them again? They can go pretty fast. I guess it could apply to inside though I supposed the smaller they are, the faster they are?
 
I have 5 snakes from 4 different species.

I try to handle them at least 10 min a day, not including shed or post-feed time.

The youngest one gets about 5 min a day.

The most I'll hold them is 20 min at a time, except for perhaps the ball python. Sometimes she's really lazy and will sit on a pillow on the couch, but even then I don't like more than 30 min.

When the snakes are small and quick I don't let them 'loose'. When they're bigger, I let them crawl around a safe spot in the living room, watching them every moment. I don't know that the smaller ones are any faster, but a 3ft moving target is easier to catch than a 1ft target.

I don't do with with the youngest snake or the milk snake. The milk snake is flighty, and doesn't handle wide open spaces well. I tried once and even at 2.5ft he was rather spry. The two corns and the BP are usually fine with it. they're crawl around exploring with their tongue, checking out the foot stool or pillow I toss on the floor for them to move around. Sometimes I put them on the bed, but only if I know they're not a loaded if you catch my drift. No need to have those kinds of messes on the bedspread.

As far as outside...hardly ever to almost never. I have taken one corn out once, but my level of enjoyment wasn't any high enough to warrant the risk of neighbors being nosy. I will take them over to the screen door and let them 'taste' the outside, but that is about it.
 
I usually don't put them down when they're outside lol. The ones that are really easy going I'll let explore rocks or trees to take pics. They are hard to get out of trees though, they'll go right up, so I really have to pay attention.
 
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