Handling

FinishingFlight · 08-30-15, 01:25 PM

I was starting to wonder how most people go about getting their snakes used to handling. I have a young Western Hognose (I think about 6-8 months?) that I got about a month ago. She is eating eagerly at each feeding (every 6 days), exploring her cage and using the hides that I have bought.

She is still very very flighty when she sees anyone walk by or if I put my hand in there (cleaning, filling water or handling). When I do put my hand in there she panics trying to get away very quickly. Yet once I have her in my hand and lifted away from the terrarium she is fine. She calms down, relaxes and moves around my fingers. Occasionally she will still get spooked if I move too quickly, but other wise seems not frightened. Sometimes I will let her explore the bed while I have her out and she will try to hide under my hands or legs.

She gets handled 1-2 times a day about 5 days a week (she does not get handled two days after feeding) She isn't in blue yet and I plan on not handling her when she is.

I am handling her too much, too little? Is this normal for Hoggies? I've heard they tend to be calmer and more curious. I know she is young but just want to make sure that I am doing things right.

AZretic · 08-30-15, 01:35 PM

Twice a day for 5 days a week is way to much. I would try a few times a week. The snake is probably stressed with a lol the handling. Remember these are solitary creatures who aren't used to handling. Try once every few days

Sylphie · 08-30-15, 02:02 PM

I'm with AZretic, try to space the handling sessions more. And about panicking while being picked up... most of my snakes all the same, they just don't like being "chased and catched", as in nature they will be dead if predator will catch them. She may calm down a little as she grows too, my snakes gained a lot of confidence with age.

**Minkness** · 08-30-15, 02:19 PM

Age/size plays a big part in it. Also, if you are grabbing her, that could be it too. I like to 'scoop' up the little ones if the substrate is deep enough (I keep mine about 2 inches since they like to burrow so much).

Also, only handle if she is out of a hide or not burrowed and when moving into her territory, try to move slowly. =)

Good luck!

FinishingFlight · 08-30-15, 04:27 PM

Okay so overhandling. I just love that I was told by the guy I got her from to handle her more than I have been (10 min 3x day). I was starting to worry that it was too much, which I thought it was. Thanks for confirming that!

I almost always wait until she is out and moving before picking her up, and normally I place a hand on the ground in front of her while she is moving and about half the time she will crawl over my hand and I will pick her up from there. Other times I do my best to scoop. I have about 1"-1 1/2" of substrate. Anything more and my I can't get the temp up enough on the hot side from my under tank heat pad. I'm almost to the point where I can post pictures so I can show my terrarium.

prairiepanda · 08-30-15, 08:57 PM

With new snakes, I try to handle them for just a couple minutes once every day(except 2 days after feeding or when they're preparing to shed), and if they have any problems feeding I handle less. Once they get to a point where they're very easy to handle and no longer nervous, I start handling less often but for longer periods of time. When I feel like they've gotten completely comfortable and familiar with me, I experiment to see how they feel about handling in blue(I don't do this regularly, but it's good to know how they feel about it so that I can act accordingly when doing cage maintenance or if they become ill while in shed).

I've had a lot of good outcomes with this method. There was one milk snake, which belonged to a friend of mine, who needed to be worked with continuously to be kept in a tame state. After I was done with the initial taming stages, as described above, my friend had to handle him once or twice each week to keep him tame because if she left him too long he became flighty and defensive again. All the other snakes I have tamed in this way have stayed docile even without regular handling afterwards, though.

Humble308 · 08-31-15, 07:45 AM

I handle my little girl every other day for about 20 mins. It sounds exactly like you're describing my snake hahaha. Just don't take it personally when she runs away a bit, just an instinct they have. Mine is a little nervous when I walk up to the cage or take off the lid, though like yours is just completely docile once picked up. When she's up and about exploring her cage i'll handle her, but I don't dig her up from the aspen to handle her so every other day seems to work out well for that.

I got to experience my first hoggie hiss yesterday when I was trying to feed a pink. She just wasn't having it, gave it a sniff and when I wiggled it she hissed and fell right over, HAHAHA. Cutest thing ever. Tried once more and she gave another hiss. Fine then! I'll wait a couple days and see if she's interested.

I'd drop your handling to once a day at the most. All the best!

FinishingFlight · 09-01-15, 04:59 PM

Well I think for a little while I'm going to try every other day and two days after feeding so that put me at handling about 3 days a week.

@humble308 She has hissed at me twice and flattened her neck at me a few times too. Always just after feeding though. She gets super active and more flighty after feeding. I feed her in a separate container cause I don't want to to think that things coming into her cage are food. If I can just convince mine to strike the head instead of the side so she doesn't spend a few minutes rearranging it so she can eat it. I use tongs and try to feed it to her headfirst but nope! She has gone around to strike it on the side every time.

She has even bit me once. Wasn't from a strike though, it was a day before she was supposed to be fed and just casually, low effort, put her mouth around my finger. She is so small, I didn't even notice she was biting me until I looked down. I thought she had been trying to dig with her nose.

MosesT · 09-01-15, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FinishingFlight

She has even bit me once. Wasn't from a strike though, it was a day before she was supposed to be fed and just casually, low effort, put her mouth around my finger. She is so small, I didn't even notice she was biting me until I looked down. I thought she had been trying to dig with her nose.

Mine has started to do the exact same thing... Not sure why though.. Right now she does this almost every time I hold her... Mine is almost 50 grams in weight.. So shes a decent size so far... Anyone have any ideas as to why?

FinishingFlight · 09-01-15, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MosesT

Mine has started to do the exact same thing... Not sure why though.. Right now she does this almost every time I hold her... Mine is almost 50 grams in weight.. So shes a decent size so far... Anyone have any ideas as to why?

The only thing I thought up for mine is that she was hungry. She had gone 6 days since her last meal which had been a smaller than normal pinkie. They are very good eaters. From what I've heard, when hungry, they have a higher tendency to bite. Mine hasn't done it since that once, though honestly I have been a bit more careful.