Do you take your snakes out often?

hissykisses · 09-14-14, 06:33 AM

Hi,

There is something I realized recently while posting in other (german) forums. If you tell the people there that you take your snake out of it's tank for feeding or to take pictures, they literally freak out and tell you off for it, saying it's a no-go to handle snakes when it's not necessary...
On the other hand, I have a couple of friends who live in the US and they're perfectly fine with me handling my snakes from time to time and do so themselves. Why's that?
Like, I get it: The snake needs a certain temperature and humidity to feel comfortable, but it's not like I take them out of the tank for hours on end. Actually I only take my corn outside only when I am feeding him, because he has started to attack my hand as soon as I open the tank and it has gotten better since I feed him in a box outside. Since he's still bitey at most times, I don't take him out too often because I don't want him to be stressed.
Auri, though, is really calm when I take her outside and on nice days with the sun out I like to sit in the garden for a bit and she seems to enjoy it (it's kinda hard to tell if snakes enjoy something sometimes...)

I get told often that snakes are 'wild animals' okay... Yeah. Sure. But I still like to handle them from time to time and even if it's just to check if they're alright after a shed or something like that.
Do you think that's wrong?

Jim Smith · 09-14-14, 08:13 AM

Yes, I take my snakes out about once a week for handling and/or feeding. I find that if the snake is somewhat used to being handled, then they are not nearly as stressed out as when they are never handled and then you have to take them out of their enclosures. I believe that it really stresses a snake out if you have to "chase" it around the cage as you might have to do with some of the colubrids if they are not used to being handled. That said, I am not a person that watches TV with my snakes or walks around with it draped around my neck. Different strokes for different folks, but I don't believe that handling a snake is wrong or harmful for the animal if it is done in a quiet environment and not done too frequently.

**EL Ziggy** · 09-14-14, 08:19 AM

Welcome and best wishes hissy. I handle each of my snakes once or twice a week for about 10-15 minutes a time. I don't think there's anything wrong with some light handling but I'm not a fan of feeding outside their enclosures.

BIGT FROM F.B. · 09-14-14, 08:45 AM

Why have a pet that you're not going to handle? Doesn't make sense to me. Like putting food in the fridge that you never plan on eating. Crazy, right? Handle your pets.

hissykisses · 09-14-14, 09:03 AM

Hi!

Thanks for the answers so far (:
I never planned to feed outside the tanks, but since my corn really got aggressive whenever I had to do something inside his tank, I decided to feed him outside and it worked out well. To prevent my Boa from doing the same, I fed her outside from the start. I also like to weight them before feeding so that comes in handy. Besides, I tried to feed them in their tanks and it was always a mess with blood on the glass and the plants and stuff like that ... so I will feed them outside of the tank as long as it's possible.

It's not like I think: I have a pet so I want to touch it ... I had fish before and you can't handle them very well, haha. And we also have some ducks which won't let you touch them, so that's okay for me. I just think it's useful if a snake is used to handling in case I have to go to the vet or whatever, I wouldn't want to have to be afraid that they're going to bite if I have to take them out for whatever reason.
I just never understood why people freak out when I tell them that, yes, sometimes I take my snakes out of their tanks. Never for long, but it happens. There were even people who told me to give the snakes away again and buy stuffed animals instead if I want something to cuddle (but hey, I've got cats and a dog for that!)

In my opinion, people don't give snakes enough credit. They aren't as 'wild' and 'stupid' as some people make them be. I love to see how they're all curious when I put something new into their tanks or how Auri loves to chill on a branch of one of our trees in the sun. So yeah. I guess I will keep handling them from time to time!

sharthun · 09-14-14, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

Welcome and best wishes hissy. I handle each of my snakes once or twice a week for about 10-15 minutes a time. I don't think there's anything wrong with some light handling but I'm not a fan of feeding outside their enclosures.

I agree with EZ, I don't feed outside the enclosures.

bigsnakegirl785 · 09-14-14, 09:24 AM

Depends on the snake. I rarely ever take my ball python out, as he's been a problem eater for the past few years. I take the garter out maybe once or twice a week for up to 30 minutes. The boa I take out just about every day for up to an hour if I take him outside, inside it's maybe 30 minutes or an hour if it's warm inside. But I'm also gone 3 days out of the week most of the time, so between eating, me being gone, and shedding he's handled nowhere near what he used to be. Even before, I didn't notice much stress. He behaved normally, ate with gusto, and never became defensive or gave me trouble taking him out. So it's up to the snake how long or often they'll put up with being handled. That being said, I also try to limit how long I have them out for health reasons, so they don't get sick or anything.

hissykisses · 09-14-14, 11:02 AM

I wonder why some people dislike feeding outside?
Some say it's a good thing to do, others say it's useless and makes no sense at all.

poison123 · 09-14-14, 11:40 AM

It's been a while since I've handled my snakes for the fun of it. I'm not against handling or not. It's your choice. But I very much enjoy my animals in their natural looking enclosures more than I do outside of it.

Pirarucu · 09-14-14, 11:55 AM

I only take my snakes out to clean their cages, or to take them outside so they can explore. I almost never take them out just to hold them, but neither would mind if I did.
I will say that feeding outside of the cage is unnecessary and stressful. The reasoning behind it is that it helps avoid the snake accidentally swallowing any of its substrate, but in all reality the snake will be able to pass just about anything it happens to swallow as long as it's properly supported by the conditions in its cage. Taking it out of the cage, though, will make the snake less comfortable and more likely to refuse food or regurgitate, especially while you're trying to get it back into the cage. And that's not to mention the species with very aggressive feed responses. If anyone tried feeding a retic out of its cage, they would likely end up with a pretty serious bite sooner or later.

hissykisses · 09-14-14, 12:36 PM

I don't feed mine outside because I am afraid that they would swallow substrate since I have soil in the tanks. I guess it depends on the animals too. My corn has definitely calmed down when I do something inside his tank since I feed him outside. Before he used to attack and actually try to eat my hand whenever I had to change water or clean something inside his tank. My boa is eating more properly outside too. She's extremely clumsy when I feed her inside the tank and it takes her forever to get her food down. When I feed her outside it's much quicker and she never regurgitated or anything.

Shann · 09-14-14, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hissykisses

I wonder why some people dislike feeding outside?
Some say it's a good thing to do, others say it's useless and makes no sense at all.

I don't feed outside the cage because I have no desire to move a large boa while she is in feed mode. She will mistake me for food and a bite like that is unpleasant and easy to avoid. As she continues to grow it becomes even more important to avoid these bites, for both our sakes. Plus I don't see any real benefit from a separate container.

As for handling, I think that as long as the animal is healthy and eating well, handling is usually fine. I don't handle mine a lot, but I'm not against it.

hissykisses · 09-14-14, 01:26 PM

Okay, so maybe I will change my mind about feeding outside once the snakes are older, but for now, they never tried to bite when I took them out for feeding or when I put them back into their tanks after feeding.
Although, who knows, maybe they just never were hungry enough!

CosmicOwl · 09-14-14, 01:33 PM

I'm in the middle when it comes to views about handling snakes. I've come to the conclusions that it's probably better to build up a trust relationship with a snake if you want them adjust to you. I don't personally believe in "taming down" a snake by force handling them frequently. From what I've seen and read, most snakes either adjust to humans with age, or they do not. I don't handle my adult corn snake much, but he's still very docile. However, he's always been like that. Even though he has a wicked feeding response, he's never bitten me. He's never so much as struck at me. He was flighty as a youngster, but settled down with age. That is the way I think it is with most snakes.

In the grand scheme of things, I don't think handling causes any real harm. As long as you're not stressing the animal out or breaking the agreement of trust that you've created, I think it's okay. I even believe some snakes do enjoy being taken out of their enclosures and allowed to roam. That being said, I prefer to watch my snakes than to handle them.

JWFugle · 09-14-14, 01:41 PM

feeding out side the cage is more of a "by the size" issue, yea my retic will rip my hand and attempt at my arm if i tried moving and feeding her outside her cage. however like OP said i feed my corns outside the cage b/c they get nippy if you feed inside. small snakes are much eaiser to transfer then 6ft+ chainsaws.

at the end of the day someone will always disagree but as long as the animal is healthy and safe whatever floats your boat.