new owner tips?

[frankadank]

so i've recently became the owner of a beautiful female bee, some of you may have seen her in my recent forum. and now some new owner fears are coming in since it's my first snake let alone reptile. what's some good beginner tips? about behavior and what not. i have a good enclosure set up for her, just need to work on humidity but that's not a main point here. some general new tips would be nice. do i handle her right now? or should i wait some days for her to get acustomed. how can you tell if she's stressed? i want a happy snake, she has been exploring her enclosures been in both hot and cold hide. but now staying in the cold hide at around 80°. i just wanna play with her!!! but don't wanna freak her out. any tips/advice? thanks guys

[EL Ziggy]

It sounds like you have your husbandry dialed in Frank. That's a big first step. Now just let her settle in and get comfortable. I know it's tough not to handle her but it's for the best :). Let her eat 2-3 times and then start your handling sessions. She'll soon realize you're not going to eat her and you'll have many happy years together. :)

[BillyCostume]

After she's settled in and a consistent feeder like Ziggy said you can start handling her. Start with brief handling sessions at first. Also don't handle her for a couple of days after feeding. Enjoy and just a heads up, this hobby is very addictive! :D one other thing the best tip I can give you is to try not to stress to much and just enjoy your snake. I still have a hard time not obsessing over everything when it comes to my snakes and more often than not all my worrying is unwarranted

[frankadank]

It sounds like you have your husbandry dialed in Frank. That's a big first step. Now just let her settle in and get comfortable. I know it's tough not to handle her but it's for the best :). Let her eat 2-3 times and then start your handling sessions. She'll soon realize you're not going to eat her and you'll have many happy years together. :)

sounds good. alright so i'll leave her alone for awhile. how do you recommend feeding? so many pros n cons about inside the cage vs outside. is it more of just a personal preference? thanks for all your advice ziggy!

[frankadank]

After she's settled in and a consistent feeder like Ziggy said you can start handling her. Start with brief handling sessions at first. Also don't handle her for a couple of days after feeding. Enjoy and just a heads up, this hobby is very addictive! :D one other thing the best tip I can give you is to try not to stress to much and just enjoy your snake. I still have a hard time not obsessing over everything when it comes to my snakes and more often than not all my worrying is unwarranted

thanks for that advice. and yeah i took me 1 full month of trial an error until i was happy with my enclosure. everything i do, i do to the fullest and best that i can. so i'm just nervous/freaking out about maybe it's not that good. but i'm sure she'll be happy after she's accustomed to the change. thanks!

[EL Ziggy]

@ Frank- The majority of us feed our snakes inside their enclosures. It's less stressful for the snake and for you. I have 8 snakes and they are all fed in their enclosures and have been since they were hatchlings. There are some keepres and care sheets that speak of snakes becoming aggressive or worry about substrate ingestion but I've never had any of those issues.

[GyGbeetle]

@ Frank- The majority of us feed our snakes inside their enclosures. It's less stressful for the snake and for you. I have 8 snakes and they are all fed in their enclosures and have been since they were hatchlings. There are some keepres and care sheets that speak of snakes becoming aggressive or worry about substrate ingestion but I've never had any of those issues.

I too think it's a good idea to feed them in their enclosure. Some of mine get fed in feeding tubs, but there are specific reasons (co-habitating babies, mite treated tank, poop to clean in the tank, etc). None of them show aggression in their tanks on non-feeding days. Some will talk about hook training to try and avoid aggression towards food, but I think you're good with your BP.

One thing to note, once you start handling, don't stop. A very well trained, docile snake that is handled frequently, can turn into a completely different snake after 2 weeks of no touch.

Another thing to note.... make your presence known when you are doing stuff in their cage. Touch them slowly so they know it's you in there. Be cautious when they are in their hide too.

Keep a spray bottle with water handy by the tank too, just in case of a bite. They don't want to bite the big human that they can't eat or successfully kill, but if they feel threatened, they will. Don't be that threat (I was that threat with my male retic. It didn't end well for me). And try not to jerk away if you get bit.


Just love them. they know when they're being cared for.

[EL Ziggy]

One thing to note, once you start handling, don't stop. A very well trained, docile snake that is handled frequently, can turn into a completely different snake after 2 weeks of no touch.


I'm going to slightly disagree with you on this point Beetle. I personally don't believe that more handling necessarily leads to a more docile snake. There are times when I don't handle my snakes for weeks or longer, beyond routine maintenance, and it doesn't change their behavior.

[frankadank]

some interesting tips that i needed to know. thanks guys i appreciate the advice!!!