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How much handling is "just right"
- Thread starter LawrenceM
- Start date
MegF.
That's for sale???
You'll have to judge it by the snake. Some are very laid back and seem to do fine with lots of handling before they start getting very agitated. That's my amel. Others are very nervous, and those should be handled for only short periods of time. That's my Aztec. I have noticed that over time she is getting more and more calm about being held.
LawrenceM
New member
handling
Thanks. I am dealing with a baby Okeetee. He is actually handling pretty well but I notice that after about 5 min. he starts getting fidgety. He is only 2 and a half months old. Do you notice that heavy breathing when they are nervous? I am trying to handle him once or twice a day for 5 min., 3 or 4 days a week - this takes into account "off days" for digestion. I've heard that most corns "settle down" after they are three months old, has that been your experience? Another question - How do you avoid the snake "jumping" completely out of your hands when they are so small? I try not to grab as much as possible because I can see that they do not appreciate that. (it probably feels like they are being attacked and seems to activate a self defense mode - which happily is mostly try to get away rather than bite)
Thanks. I am dealing with a baby Okeetee. He is actually handling pretty well but I notice that after about 5 min. he starts getting fidgety. He is only 2 and a half months old. Do you notice that heavy breathing when they are nervous? I am trying to handle him once or twice a day for 5 min., 3 or 4 days a week - this takes into account "off days" for digestion. I've heard that most corns "settle down" after they are three months old, has that been your experience? Another question - How do you avoid the snake "jumping" completely out of your hands when they are so small? I try not to grab as much as possible because I can see that they do not appreciate that. (it probably feels like they are being attacked and seems to activate a self defense mode - which happily is mostly try to get away rather than bite)
MegF.
That's for sale???
I think they breathe rather noticeably all the time if you really watch them. Sounds like a good amount of time that you've picked. You can slowly work the time up a little at a time. Go to 10 minutes if they aren't too stressed, and then a little more after about a week, or if they seem to be o.k. with it. I lke to let them just kind of slither from hand to hand. That way they feel like they're able to move, but that I still have control. It really seems to calm them too. Even if they bite, they are so small that you don't really feel it.
i just got my baby amel a week ago. i was dealing with the same question. but so far things are going well. i've been handling him for about 10 minutes a day (except for the "3 day wait" and two days after the first feeding). he just slithers all over my hands and explores. he hasn't bite me or made any aggressive gestures. i hope things continue like this. good luck with yours.
LawrenceM
New member
Thanks. I've also noticed that if you make it seem like your hands are tree branches, it relaxes them - it seems like they think they are getting away. The problem is they are so fast as babies it is hard to keep up. Also, I tend to think he is getting used to my smell. The first time I stuck my hand in the tank he bit me twice and was really upset (rattlesnaking his tail etc.). Over a few weeks I've noticed when I put my finger right up to his head he smells and and moves away but doesn't get radically upset. This seems like improvement and him getting used to me.
cornsnake234
New member
I'm not sure about what i've read but did your snake really jump out of your hand!?!?! :eek1:
Amazing Jumping Corns!
Karine,
I'm not sure about Lawrence's corn but out of my family's 4 baby corns, one will jump from our arms to our hand, or hand to hand, etc. I'm a little worried that we might drop him one of these days if he continues to do this but so far he seems to be aiming for hands, etc. We'll see how it goes. Maybe we've got some corn evil kneavils (sorry about the spelling!).
Karine,
I'm not sure about Lawrence's corn but out of my family's 4 baby corns, one will jump from our arms to our hand, or hand to hand, etc. I'm a little worried that we might drop him one of these days if he continues to do this but so far he seems to be aiming for hands, etc. We'll see how it goes. Maybe we've got some corn evil kneavils (sorry about the spelling!).
LawrenceM
New member
Jumping
This little fellow has so much strength it is as if he is "jumping" out of your hand. I also just noticed tonight that after i fed him a pinkie he was still doing laps around the tank hours later. He is a male Okeetee and I've heard they can get really, really big. I have a feeling that is his destiny. Let's hope the "jumping" diminishes with age.
This little fellow has so much strength it is as if he is "jumping" out of your hand. I also just noticed tonight that after i fed him a pinkie he was still doing laps around the tank hours later. He is a male Okeetee and I've heard they can get really, really big. I have a feeling that is his destiny. Let's hope the "jumping" diminishes with age.
Neumann
New member
distraction can help
When our snakes were very young we found that distracting them with things to smell helped a lot when getting them used to being handled. My daughter and I used to let our snakes smell book shelves, toys, windows etc. It distracts them from being held so you can handle them for a longer period of time.
One of our snakes who's almost a year old now still doesn't want to be handled at times. I can always tell when it's unhappy because it shakes its head back and forth in sideways bobbing type motion as if to say no, no, not today cowboy. If I want I can still handle him, but it just stresses him out so I usually put him back in his viv after a short hello.
When our snakes were very young we found that distracting them with things to smell helped a lot when getting them used to being handled. My daughter and I used to let our snakes smell book shelves, toys, windows etc. It distracts them from being held so you can handle them for a longer period of time.
One of our snakes who's almost a year old now still doesn't want to be handled at times. I can always tell when it's unhappy because it shakes its head back and forth in sideways bobbing type motion as if to say no, no, not today cowboy. If I want I can still handle him, but it just stresses him out so I usually put him back in his viv after a short hello.