Resist handling in the beginning?

[brylecc1989]

Am i supposed to let my snake settle in for a week, then feed and wait another 48 hours, and then begin regular handling? Someone mentioned that here, and it makes sense but i hope its not true lol. It's gonna be hard to resist!

Also, she lunged at me earlier, and "bit" me but it felt more like just a tap of her nose. Is this the worse i can expect from a bite from this species? What are their teeth like?

Thanks

Bryan

[infernalis]

Am i supposed to let my snake settle in for a week, then feed and wait another 48 hours, and then begin regular handling? Someone mentioned that here, and it makes sense but i hope its not true lol. It's gonna be hard to resist!

Also, she lunged at me earlier, and "bit" me but it felt more like just a tap of her nose. Is this the worse i can expect from a bite from this species? What are their teeth like?

Thanks

Bryan

I would recommend letting any snake settle in before handling.

a couple days after eating sounds decent enough too.

Give it a little time, we have some carpet experts on here that will be very happy to tell you exactly what they did.

[brylecc1989]

I would recommend letting any snake settle in before handling.

a couple days after eating sounds decent enough too.

Give it a little time, we have some carpet experts on here that will be very happy to tell you exactly what they did.

Thanks dude. Im so amped about this ive wanted a snake for years but always owned lizards. But today i went to a reptile expo and was so drawn to this beautiful species I had to take the jump. Turns out they're docile, beautiful, large and handlable. This is gonna be an amazing experience.:):)

[infernalis]

what kind of lizards??

[brylecc1989]

what kind of lizards??

Ive owned a bearded dragon, leopard gecko, african fat tale gecko, blue tailed skink, and anoles. I also currently own a hedgehog. :)

[infernalis]

I had an anole for 3 hears before she passed away.

Currently have a Leo and a Savannah Monitor.

Have been looking into getting a Tokay, they look so cool.

[stephanbakir]

Grats on the new addition

[NennaMeerkat]

I was always told that you have to wait until the snake is eating regularly before handling in any continual way. I myself waited until my new girl ate 3 times for me with no problem. Its hard to do but worth it to make sure your snake is comfy in its new home.

Did you happen to mention what snake you were getting?

[stephanbakir]

Morelia section of the website

[brylecc1989]

Its a coastal carpet. Already picked her up earlier :)

[stephanbakir]

Make sure to take pics as she grows! People here love that.

[Max713]

Am i supposed to let my snake settle in for a week, then feed and wait another 48 hours, and then begin regular handling? Someone mentioned that here, and it makes sense but i hope its not true lol. It's gonna be hard to resist!

Also, she lunged at me earlier, and "bit" me but it felt more like just a tap of her nose. Is this the worse i can expect from a bite from this species? What are their teeth like?

Thanks
Bryan
As others have said, it's a good idea to leave any reptile alone for at least the first week you have it in it's new home. Leaving it alone for longer would be even better, but most are like you, and want to handle them asap (Like me :) ).

Waiting 48 hours after feeding a small snake should be fine, my 7' Coastal takes about 3 days before she's interested in being handled again, let your snake tell you when it's ready to be handled. If it's sitting still/digesting, probably a good idea to leave it alone. If it's active and cruising around, best bet is it's fine to handle it.

You got off easy, even baby/juvenile carpets draw blood very easily. As adults their bites can be quite nasty; lots of bleeding, bruising, possible nerve damage and numbness. Carpets, like any arboreal/semi arboreal species, have large backwards facing fangs. Very painful bite.


Congrats on your new Coastal, they grow up to be quite the amazing snake!
Here's a good example :)
http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/morelia-spilota/85971-profile-scarlett.html

[belovedboas]

As others have said, it's a good idea to leave any reptile alone for at least the first week you have it in it's new home. Leaving it alone for longer would be even better, but most are like you, and want to handle them asap (Like me :) ).

Waiting 48 hours after feeding a small snake should be fine, my 7' Coastal takes about 3 days before she's interested in being handled again, let your snake tell you when it's ready to be handled. If it's sitting still/digesting, probably a good idea to leave it alone. If it's active and cruising around, best bet is it's fine to handle it.

You got off easy, even baby/juvenile carpets draw blood very easily. As adults their bites can be quite nasty; lots of bleeding, bruising, possible nerve damage and numbness. Carpets, like any arboreal/semi arboreal species, have large backwards facing fangs. Very painful bite.


Congrats on your new Coastal, they grow up to be quite the amazing snake!
Here's a good example :)
http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/morelia-spilota/85971-profile-scarlett.html

I agree with everything he said lol:)

[brylecc1989]

Thanks so much for all the info. I think her strike was more a warning than anything. I was handling her fine most of the day and she musta been gettin stressed out from the move. I love her already and am naming her Nesta, meaning pure. Also Bob Marley's native name :)

[shaunyboy]

fight the urge to handle until he's fed 3 or 4 times imo it's much more important to get him eating regular than it is to calm him down

i only handle mines after they are eating regular

with new hatchlings i leave them to settle in for 7 days then offer a prey item

i wait until they have ate 4 times in a row (4 weeks all in) then i will take them out for a proper thorough health inspection

i wait 3 days after feeding before i handle i feel this gives them more than enough time to digest their meal

carpet hatchlings usually start out defensive biters they think you and everyone else is a threat and will eat them

you get round this by regular handling for short periods of time starting with 5 minutes per day on to 10 then finally up to 15 minutes handling

the hatchlings may remain bitey until they grow a little and feel more secure with their new found size

that said you do get the odd exception that will remain bitey it's whole life and become a bitey adult but most tame down and tollerate us

cheers shaun