How long do i play nice?

[bekers71]

I don't tip toe around and try to be quiet for any of my snakes. For one, snakes can't "hear", they feel vibrations. So I talk, move things and touch their tanks. They know I'm there by feeling my movements. Look at it like this: you sit in your room all day with no sounds at all. Then some one jumps up at your door. It would scare the crap out of you. Now if that person were making noise all day, you would be used to them being there and not likely to be scared when they came to your door.

Like PJ said, I treat them all with respect and don't just reach in and grab one out. I always make sure the boas know I'm at their tanks by tapping the glass and not being super gentle when removing the clips from the lid. By the time I get the lid off, they have their head poked out looking at me so they are well aware I'm there to do some thing. IMO you should go about your activity as you normally would so they become used to your presence outside their home as well.

 

[LBoz]

From my own observations with my very meager collection of snakes, the younger ones seem more inclined to adjust to noise levels than older ones. Kal, for example, the Cali King I got from Dean, was used to being in a rack setup. Now he's in this big, roomy viv and we rarely saw him at first. I've only had him for a month, but he's slowly but surely coming out more even when the kids are flying about. The corn, also several years old, doesn't mind the noise much at all. The baby king...she's extremely nosey. At the slightest sound, she's sticking her head out of her hide to see what's up. If I'm in the same room, she's out and about sniffing for dinner. She's fearless. But like Jay and Bekers said, they get used to the activity, and that has nothing to do with respect. We live our lives and they're getting as used to us as possible. A lifetime of respectful handling, IMO, is only going to help build trust between you and your snake.