Which Do You Prefer - Handling or Display?

[eminart]

I know that the vast majority of reptile enthusiasts enjoy both handling and viewing their snakes. I'm just curious what the split is. Would you have snakes if you could never handle them?

[BillyCostume]

I'd keep just as many, mind you that's probably due to all the years of keeping fish:D

[EL Ziggy]

I definitely enjoy watching my snakes more than handling them but I also like handling and interacting with them sometimes. I'd probably keep fewer snakes if I could never handle them.

[Minkness]

I would have fewer because I probably wouldn't have the less seen snakes like my boa or BPs. If for display only I would rather have a large naturalish looking enclosure with all the bells and whistles. I have tubs and racks as well as display cages myself right now and I love them all for different reasons. To me one is only better than the other depending on what or who is in it. Like my female ivory BP is ALWAYS out unless shedding. So she will always be in a display cage. But then I have a king snake that only ever hides, so he is in a rack. Then I have my ridleyi who are now more active and visible in their tubs but still require limited, contained space until they eat more readily.

All that being said, handling is a big deal for me. If I had something I couldn't ever hold, I don't knowhow well I'd like that at all! Not that I hold them ALL the time, but as wel all know, I have many to cycle through. =)

[MartinD]

I find that handling my snakes really help's me relax and it has a nice calming, peaceful effect. They also help pick me up whenever I feel down or sad.

[Aaron_S]

Just as many. Maybe different species but I'd be comfortable with that. Mine are mainly hands off as it is.

[akane]

I display all of mine and while I do like handling some I also have a burrowing desert king I see less than once a week. Every time I threaten to drag the sand mix because I worry he's dead he appears or some sign of him. The mice weren't disappearing and I was ready to go digging when a snake skin appeared overnight so I guess he's fine and I'll try food again in a couple days. I put some green anoles in the top so it's not an empty tank of rock and wood 90% of the time.

[dave himself]

I'd be the same as Aaron I'd just change species and carry on

[SWDK]

To me it doesn't matter if I handle them or not. Handling is an added bonus for sure. I keep hots as well so viewing only isn't an issue to me.

[riddick07]

I'd have less and definitely wouldn't have the retics. The retics are too much work if I can't get them out to enjoy every once in awhile plus I would have them in way bigger cages if they weren't coming out.

[serpentgirl123]

Just as many if not more. I only handle when absolutely necessary and view them as I would if I had fish. Why I own them isn't for me to have a cuddle pet, I have cats for that. I own them because they are gorgeous, different, easier/different level of maintenance, exotic, wild, and fascinating to watch in their "natural" habitat/behavior without being eaten/fear of death.

I feel every time I go into their territory, not only am I disrupting them, but causing stress/low levels of flight/fight response and pulling them out of a controlled environment. For me, the handle is very one sided who is getting "enjoyment" and "benefits" out of it and I know I am a "big/scary" thing to them.

[Captain837]

Just as many if not more. I only handle when absolutely necessary and view them as I would if I had fish. Why I own them isn't for me to have a cuddle pet, I have cats for that. I own them because they are gorgeous, different, easier/different level of maintenance, exotic, wild, and fascinating to watch in their "natural" habitat/behavior without being eaten/fear of death.

I feel every time I go into their territory, not only am I disrupting them, but causing stress/low levels of flight/fight response and pulling them out of a controlled environment. For me, the handle is very one sided who is getting "enjoyment" and "benefits" out of it and I know I am a "big/scary" thing to them.

This may be the case for some species however some are very inquisitive and will come out to you when you open the door to their cage. Case in point, our womas have no fear and take full advantage of every opportunity to come out and explore. Our ball pythons could not be more opposite.
I personally like display snakes as well as hands on snakes. More than anything i enjoy snakes you can interact with be it between glass or not. Just because you can't touch them does not mean you cannot learn from them.

[eminart]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I'm a little surprised at the results so far. I really expected more people to choose the second option.

[GyGbeetle]

I like forming that bond with my snakes. Watching them exercise and explore is awesome. When the weather is nice and humid, they get to take "walks" with us, which they absolutely love. So if I could never handle them, like in a zoo, I don't think I'd have them, because I would feel guilty for not being able to provide them an environment where they could have ample space and ample decor to keep them stimulated. We have mostly large bodied snakes, so keeping them in their smaller enclosures all the time I don't really think would be fair to them. Just my opinion.

[bigsnakegirl785]

I probably would keep fewer snakes, because I enjoy photographing my snakes and watching them crawl around outside. Right now I hardly get to handle them like I used to because work eats up so much of my time that I'm exhausted 24/7, so that I feed and maintain husbandry and that's about it most of the time. Although I've got the actual time to handle them I often don't feel up to handling a moving animal I have to actively monitor once I'm done working, eating, and doing whatever maintenance work I need to do in their enclosures. But I still like to know I can take the majority of them out when I can and not worry about it.

I like forming that bond with my snakes. Watching them exercise and explore is awesome. When the weather is nice and humid, they get to take "walks" with us, which they absolutely love. So if I could never handle them, like in a zoo, I don't think I'd have them, because I would feel guilty for not being able to provide them an environment where they could have ample space and ample decor to keep them stimulated. We have mostly large bodied snakes, so keeping them in their smaller enclosures all the time I don't really think would be fair to them. Just my opinion.

The only thing about that is, you're either not taking the snake out enough to make any difference in their daily activity, or you're taking them out too much and risk stressing them out and running into health problems down the road. A properly-sized enclosure is one of the most important parts of keeping snakes imo, and handling them doesn't make up for it.

[jossh27]

I would keep just as many. I would probably just switch to atb, gtp and etbs

[Piggybuns]

I rolled the dice with Ghost when I got her as a hatchling from online; she coulda been a lil nippy, but she turned out not to be! And I specifically asked for Vespa's temper before buying her, and she's actually more relaxed than Ghost is. I don't think I'd have snakes if I couldn't handle them. Or any pet that I couldn't, honestly. My girls help with my depression. Companion level pets in general do.

[RAD House]

Honestly if I were never able to handle snakes from the get go, I don't think I would have ever gotten into the hobby. If for whatever reason I could not handle them now, after being in the hobby for a bit, I would probably keep a few display species around.

[Churro]

Oh, I think I would be sad if I could only display my snake. I like interacting with my animals. Churro does not seem to be stressed when sitting my my sleeve while I watch tv/Youtube videos. If she was freaked out by that, I might have different views.

Also, she really, really seems to like smelling new things. Gets all perked up and licking at the air. She decided licking at my face was the thing to do a few days back after I had eaten Indian food. Thank goodness she isn't nippy. I don't wear perfume if I'm going to handle her though. Something in the back of my mind tells me that's not a good idea.

[sirtalis]

Do lizards count lol. I only handle my geckos about once a week and my monitors about once a month haha

[CosmicOwl]

I think it depends on the temperament of the snake. My oldest snake is also my best behaved. He is the "golden retriever " snake that people always talk about. So hes fun to handle. My gray rat isn't aggressive but he musks be sometimes so I think he needs to be handled more but maybe more gently. My bloodred just wants to bite me all the time. I think I'll change her name to lana'thel.

[Thatjanelady]

For me, it depends on why I couldn't handle them. If it is just the risk of being tagged, I would probably have more and more. Because if the snake were ill and needed a vet, I wouldn't mind shedding a little blood to get it to where it needs to be. If we are talking, can't handle because of size like just me trying to handle a full grown female retic... Yeah it would probably just be that one because the cage would take up nearly an entire room and it just wouldn't be safe for me to have that big of a snake without help.