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Handling time?

How often do you handle your snake?

  • once a day

    Votes: 34 41.0%

  • once every 2 days

    Votes: 15 18.1%

  • once every 3 days

    Votes: 15 18.1%

  • once a week

    Votes: 17 20.5%

  • rarely

    Votes: 2 2.4%
  • Total voters
    83
I handle mine every day (except for when it's digesting a meal).

But then I only have the one.
 
About once to two times daily (about 5-10 min each time per snake). The only exceptions is when they're are disgesting food. Even though I have seven corns currently, I somehow manage to find the time. I love 'em! :grin01:

Lisa
 
i just got mine last saturday, so naturally im gonna be handleing him more than i will a year from now, lol, but i handle mine alot every single loving day! :grin01:
 
alexisXflames said:
i just got mine last saturday, so naturally im gonna be handleing him more than i will a year from now, lol, but i handle mine alot every single loving day! :grin01:
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You may change your tune when they're a yearling. Handling hatchlings does nothing for me any more. I'd much rather handle yearling to adults.

I handle my hatchlings on feeding day and that's pretty much it 'till they get a little size to them.
 
By now, a lot of you know that I am an advocate of less is best. I don't think snakes like to be handled ever. But being a grabby, species dominating human, I force myself on my snakes..pretty much the way I was during my dating life. :sidestep:

I handle my snakes when I feed them (every five days) and whenever I clean their vivs(once a month). I give my snakes 72 hours to digest their meals. Said another way they spend 60 percent of their time digesting meals. I also don't handle my snakes during the shedding cycles. That's another 7-10 days a month the first year. The way I count it up, 66 percent of the time (20 days a month) it is detrimental to your snakes' health to handle them.

But I believe that many of our native species will survive only if they can be adapted to captivity. We don't handle a lot of our cage birds or any of our aquarium fish and still learn to enjoy them in captivity. I hope more people will learn to enjoy their snakes in ways that don't stress the snakes.
 
I dont agree completely with what you say.

Snakes can get used to being handled.

Its kind of like dogs, some hate being petted, but others (ones that are played with all the time) dont mined getting their ears pulled, and jumped on and other stupid things
 
bill38112 said:
We don't handle any of our aquarium fish.
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Who in their right mind would attempt to handle their aquarium fish? I do think they enjoy spending some time in the bathtub though; although they don't care too much for bubblebath.:sidestep:
 
I handle mine 15-20 minutes a day, except for the 2 days following
their feeding.. The yearling is more fun and curious than the little one.
With my big hands the little one is harder to hold sometimes ( I call her Lightning because she's so fast)
 
I handle my only corn every day, with the exception of the 72 hours following a feeding, most of the shedding cycle, and if there's any other spontaneous circumstances that occur that would prevent me from handling.
 
Derek54 said:
how often do you guys handle your cornsnakes?
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Everyone gets handled for a few minutes when moving from viv to feeding tub, so every four to five days for babies, once a week for subadults. I also spend one afternoon a week taking each snake out of the viv, handling it for five minutes or however long it takes for them to calm. Some of the babies are still trying to make mad dashes from freedom, but they'll come around, too.

My non-feeding lavender baby, ShoeString, gets handled at least every three days. I handle him for force-feedings, but take him out at other times as well so he doesn't associate being handled solely with the forced feeds. He is still a tiny little guy, but is very sweet and gentle. I'm not sure how long his not eating will last, but he is active and appears healthy, so I have high hopes.
 
bill38112 said:
By now, a lot of you know that I am an advocate of less is best. I don't think snakes like to be handled ever. But being a grabby, species dominating human, I force myself on my snakes..pretty much the way I was during my dating life.
Click to expand...

I agree partially. You do have to consider that snakes are not social in any way. They do not seek reassurance, touch, or company from other snakes as many mammals do. It is hard for us to understand that. But, I think handling gives them exercise (especially those who are in racks instead of big elaborate vivs), it gives them a change of scenery, makes their brains and senses work, and I think sometimes they like being by us because we are warm. For instance, my Steve seems to seek out my boyfriend now if we are sitting together, because Chris is always warm (I'm covered in blankets, and he's in Tshirt and shorts!). Steve also likes to watch what's going on. Even in his cage, he will poke his head out and watch everything. This is far from affection, but if he doesn't show stress or agitation, I don't think it's detrimental. Some snakes just don't like us, and they show signs of stress or anger when held. Those I think would prefer not to be handled, and if I had one, I think I'd just do what it wants and leave it alone.

Of course maybe this is my view just because I am female :) But I do have MANY other creatures in my house that can't be handled and I love them just as much. I just spoil them in other ways. :crazy02:
 
I handle mine at least once a week. I don't agree that all snakes hate to be handled. My amel will come out of his cage and climb on your hands when you open his lid. My Green tree python will lay her head on my chest and hang out when I lay around on the sofa, or she'll rest her head on my wrist if we're walking around and I stroke her head and neck. If I try to put her back, she climbs back out. I have some others that I think just tolerate being held. Otherwise they could care less. I don't think it stresses them, it just isn't something they care one way or the other about.
 
I agree with steve'smom.... Some snakes just dont like to be handled and some do... I handle my snakes every 3 to 4 days for about 30mins to an hour... out of those 3 to 4 days i take them out in the back yard and let them roam around the grass and get some good exercise.... they LOVE being outside and exploring the grass! My female jungle doesn't like to be held as much as my other snakes and she darts about at random times... lol! But other than that my snakes love being out of their vivs :)
 
I handle the snakes according to their age and feeding schedules. I've used a real 'hands off' policy with my new batch of babies, and found they have tamed down just as fast as my first ones that I handled more, but have grown faster. The bigger snakes get handled more according to their temperament, at the moment I'm still concentrating on my bitey ratsnake, and have got to the point that I have been picking him up without gloves for the last month. My bigger hypo, anery and r o male and granite female are all dog-tame, and come out for at least an hour's handling when it fits in with my work schedule
 
I don't handle that much, and I've only got one snake. Generally, it spends most of its time in its' hide box, and I don't like the idea of reaching in there to take it out for handling. I think that would just cause it stress. If I see it cruising, then I'll open the viv and let it come out onto my arm, then take it somewhere to sit down and let it exercise.

Apart from those few occasions, the only other handling it gets is feeding day and viv cleaning day.

While I enjoy handling it, I get more enjoyment from knowing that it is healthy and well looked after, and watching it grow. Also, I'm super lazy, spending most of my time on the couch watching tv, while the snake is upstairs in a tv-less room. Where would I rather be? ;)
 
Hi.

I handle my snake allmost everyday. i tend to give it some space the day after he's fed and also let it shread in peace. Except for that everyday.
 
I don't handle mine as much as I like, I just seem to run out of time... something to do probably with that two hour commute each day. Even my poor horse doesn't get the attention he should :(

Also, I wanted to point out that the bird reference doesn't work either... the birds who do get handle alot are the big ones who live decades longer than the smaller variety who don't get handled :)
 
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