Not Sure What To Do...

[mpdescha]

So I bought a 1 year old Russian Rat about six months ago primarily as a "pet" snake for handling and such. The breeder told me that he had a great temperament but of course when I get him he is flighty and a bit nippy. I've tried to calm him down with handling but it just doesn't seem to be working. I feel guilty having him in a cage all the time without ever taking him out. At this point I'm just so busy with working full time plus school that I don't have the time to devote to handling and calming him down. Do you think I should try to sell him (maybe to a breeder) and get a hatchling instead? I just have feelings of guilt every time I see him now :(. I also am very hesitant to post him on craigsist, as I don't trust that he'll go to a good home. Any suggestions? Thanks,

-Mack

[Mikoh4792]

Some snakes can be calmed down through handling. The point is to make them not threatened by your presence.

A method I've found to work much more effectively is to not handle them and leave them be in their enclosures. The only interaction I get with nippy snakes at the start is cleaning feces/urine, changing the water bowl, feeding, and turning on the lights. After a while they seem to calm down. I've done this with several snakes and they are much better with leisurely handling now. My boa who arrived as the devil hissing and striking everything is puppy dog tame now. He'll wrap up on my arm and stay there for eternity if I let him.

Baby snakes are small, vulnerable, and nervous.. at least many of them. Just keep him for a few years with gentle care and I don't see how he wouldn't calm down after attaining some good size and getting used to you.

[mpdescha]

Some snakes can be calmed down through handling. The point is to make them not threatened by your presence.

A method I've found to work much more effectively is to not handle them and leave them be in their enclosures. The only interaction I get with nippy snakes at the start is cleaning feces/urine, changing the water bowl, feeding, and turning on the lights. After a while they seem to calm down. I've done this with several snakes and they are much better with leisurely handling now. My boa who arrived as the devil hissing and striking everything is puppy dog tame now. He'll wrap up on my arm and stay there for eternity if I let him.

Baby snakes are small, vulnerable, and nervous.. at least many of them. Just keep him for a few years with gentle care and I don't see how he wouldn't calm down after attaining some good size and getting used to you.

Thanks for the response! I agree and feel like forcing handling on him now is just stressing him out even more. When I go to clean his cage or change water if he's out he books it for the nearest hide immediately. In order to handle him I have to remove his hide which stresses him even more. Maybe the bigger he gets the calmer he will become? It seems counter intuitive that he'll calm down more the less I handle him, but maybe that's the approach I should take? Thanks again for your response,

-Mack

[Mikoh4792]

Thanks for the response! I agree and feel like forcing handling on him now is just stressing him out even more. When I go to clean his cage or change water if he's out he books it for the nearest hide immediately. In order to handle him I have to remove his hide which stresses him even more. Maybe the bigger he gets the calmer he will become? It seems counter intuitive that he'll calm down more the less I handle him, but maybe that's the approach I should take? Thanks again for your response,

-Mack

I would say so. It makes sense logically(and through my experience) that a snake would be better off left alone when it is obviously stressed out/scared. Let it live life without being bothered so much and it should learn to appreciate/tolerate your presence. My boa constrictor and jungle carpet python would get more aggravated the more I took them out for the sake of handling.