How often do YOU hold your reptiles?

awwalz01 · 01-25-17, 07:28 PM

After seeing a recent thread on here about "Would you keep reptiles if you couldn't hold them?" it made me wonder. How often do you all hold your reptiles? Or do you even hold them at all?

Personally, I hold each of my animals (not the carpet yet - still waiting on him to eat in my care) a few times a week. Not the same one every day, but I do like to get my guys out. I usually get one of them out as I sit down and watch Brian Barczyk's daily vlog on YouTube. It is the perfect little handling session! Only about 10-15 minutes usually, so it doesn't stress them out too much. I also like to hold them while studying for my tougher computer courses. Getting into the 4-500 level classes and my snakes keep me from stressing out too much!

Do you all have that certain time you like to get out an animal? After work? After dinner? Before work? I'd love to know!

**Minkness** · 01-25-17, 07:35 PM

I handle mine 'all the time'. Probably daily. Not usually te same one, though my sd retic seems eager for handling or out of cage time when I open the door to the reptile room. Depending on my mood I may get one out before work. Most times its aftwr work though. I actually seem not to handle much on weekends because I run errends or clean or have all hell break loose, but I also feed on weekends, so that works out actually lol.

GyGbeetle · 01-25-17, 07:45 PM

I work from home and my husband is a stay at home dad. So we're home all day long. And get to handle our babies daily. Not all of them come out every day, and some days no one comes out, but we spend up to 5 hours on average a day handling snakes. A buddy will sit on my desk and work with me for awhile. My husband will let one sleep on his belly. We exercise them on the floor. When the weather is nice, we'll take them to the park and let them feel the grass. They get bathed at least 2-3 times a week. When we mist their enclosures we will take them out and let them chill. And they will interact with the kids when homework is all done.

Sometimes I'll sneak one over to the dinner table, but my husband frowns on that because a foot long snake trying to be a centerpiece isn't usually a good idea.

awwalz01 · 01-25-17, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minkness

I handle mine 'all the time'. Probably daily. Not usually te same one, though my sd retic seems eager for handling or out of cage time when I open the door to the reptile room. Depending on my mood I may get one out before work. Most times its aftwr work though. I actually seem not to handle much on weekends because I run errends or clean or have all hell break loose, but I also feed on weekends, so that works out actually lol.

Yea I can't wait until my carpet gets setteled in so I can start handling him. Having a snake you can't hold really sucks because I am so excited to hold him but he won't eat. Hopefully he will take this weekend. After work is always nice though. Sit down and relax and just hold a snake! Thanks for the partaking!

Quote:

Originally Posted by GyGbeetle

I work from home and my husband is a stay at home dad. So we're home all day long. And get to handle our babies daily. Not all of them come out every day, and some days no one comes out, but we spend up to 5 hours on average a day handling snakes. A buddy will sit on my desk and work with me for awhile. My husband will let one sleep on his belly. We exercise them on the floor. When the weather is nice, we'll take them to the park and let them feel the grass. They get bathed at least 2-3 times a week. When we mist their enclosures we will take them out and let them chill. And they will interact with the kids when homework is all done.

Sometimes I'll sneak one over to the dinner table, but my husband frowns on that because a foot long snake trying to be a centerpiece isn't usually a good idea.

lol I like the idea of a snake centerpiece! Sounds like you got your hands full of snakes all of the time!

Klinger · 01-25-17, 08:06 PM

My Sinaloan Milk snake comes out every two weeks, or when company comes over, and loves to explore and meet people! I've had it for almost twelve years, and there is no fear or nervousness at all.

The 2.5 year old Blue Beauty comes out once or twice a week, but is very nervous still. He huffs a bit and will slightly open his mouth if agitated enough, but never really goes into defensive posture, unless there is a camera around. Not sure why that is. Hopefully this will mellow out with a bit more age.

mattd · 01-25-17, 08:16 PM

i try hold my ball python every other day and i just got a new one. it sucked cause one was shedding one was knew 2 snakes and could not bother them. my new bp just ate his first meal and my other just had a great shed. dont think id ever want a hot snake.

bigsnakegirl785 · 01-25-17, 08:24 PM

I work a lot now so I don't handle my snakes as often anymore, but I take a few snakes out once or twice a month, as I feel up to it. That's for actual handling sessions anyways, I take them out more often for husbandry maintenance. Before I had a job/when I was working a more reasonable 20-25 hours a week, I'd take at least one snake out twice a week.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GyGbeetle

I work from home and my husband is a stay at home dad. So we're home all day long. And get to handle our babies daily. Not all of them come out every day, and some days no one comes out, but we spend up to 5 hours on average a day handling snakes. A buddy will sit on my desk and work with me for awhile. My husband will let one sleep on his belly. We exercise them on the floor. When the weather is nice, we'll take them to the park and let them feel the grass. They get bathed at least 2-3 times a week. When we mist their enclosures we will take them out and let them chill. And they will interact with the kids when homework is all done.

Sometimes I'll sneak one over to the dinner table, but my husband frowns on that because a foot long snake trying to be a centerpiece isn't usually a good idea.

Bathing is completely unnecessary and can actually cause more harm than good. Snakes have tiny little pores at the tips of their scales and their skin is slightly porous. Constant soaking can strip away the oils under their skin and cause dehydration, dependence on the soaks for a good shed, or stuck shed in extreme cases. Snakes only ever need to be bathed if they're having a medicinal soak, such as a Betadine soak for scale rot. I would also hesitate to soak for a stuck shed, as wrapping them up in a warm damp towel works just as well (I did that for the first 5 years I had my bp before I learned about keeping up humidity inside the enclosure). If they get dirty, you can soak if that's easier, but a quick wipe down with a wet washcloth or towel works just as well. If they soak on their own in their enclosure that's one thing, but I've found when their relative humidity is kept properly high they won't generally choose to soak on their own (they'll still soak when stressed, if they damage their scales, sometimes after a large meal, if they have mites, etc.).

**EL Ziggy** · 01-25-17, 08:31 PM

I don't handle my snakes very much. I'd say everybody gets handled once a week for about 5-10 minutes each. I sometimes sit and watch them for hours though, especially late at night. It's better than television.

awwalz01 · 01-25-17, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigsnakegirl785

Bathing is completely unnecessary and can actually cause more harm than good. Snakes have tiny little pores at the tips of their scales and their skin is slightly porous. Constant soaking can strip away the oils under their skin and cause dehydration, dependence on the soaks for a good shed, or stuck shed in extreme cases. Snakes only ever need to be bathed if they're having a medicinal soak, such as a Betadine soak for scale rot. I would also hesitate to soak for a stuck shed, as wrapping them up in a warm damp towel works just as well (I did that for the first 5 years I had my bp before I learned about keeping up humidity inside the enclosure). If they get dirty, you can soak if that's easier, but a quick wipe down with a wet washcloth or towel works just as well. If they soak on their own in their enclosure that's one thing, but I've found when their relative humidity is kept properly high they won't generally choose to soak on their own (they'll still soak when stressed, if they damage their scales, sometimes after a large meal, if they have mites, etc.).

Good to know!

Quote:

Originally Posted by EL Ziggy

I don't handle my snakes very much. I'd say everybody gets handled once a week for about 5-10 minutes each. I sometimes sit and watch them for hours though, especially late at night. It's better than television.

Yea I like to handle my snakes a bit more!! I can't get enough of it. Unfortunately though I cant really watch any of mine roam around because they are in a rack. I see them every once in a while moving around though.

uhhlise_nacole · 01-25-17, 10:25 PM

We LOVE Brian's videos!! Watch them everyday religiously. Usually get each one out for 15-20 minutes daily. try to keep them on a good schedule of handling around the same time every evening. The juvenile BP's are all around the same age so more often than not we'll get a couple at a time out together, they love to follow each other around. I'm slowly adding a small amount of time each day with the Burm specifically. She's growing rather curious of her surroundings now and is quite the (playful) handful. She's also quite the mommy's girl.

awwalz01 · 01-25-17, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uhhlise_nacole

We LOVE Brian's videos!! Watch them everyday religiously. Usually get each one out for 15-20 minutes daily. try to keep them on a good schedule of handling around the same time every evening. The juvenile BP's are all around the same age so more often than not we'll get a couple at a time out together, they love to follow each other around. I'm slowly adding a small amount of time each day with the Burm specifically. She's growing rather curious of her surroundings now and is quite the (playful) handful. She's also quite the mommy's girl.

Yea I watch his vlogs every single day! Thanks for sharing!

**Tsubaki** · 01-25-17, 11:44 PM

I only take my snakes out for cleaning and other maintenance, I do tap train and touch my retics every other day when I clean the waterbowl so they'll stay used to it. And with some luck not try to eat my face while I grab the bowl

MartinD · 01-26-17, 04:04 AM

Mine are handled everyday for around 5-10 mins each and because they are nocturnal it's usually around 19:00 when they start moving around.
I do not handle them when in shed or Sunday's which is their feeding day or the Monday as I leave them to digest their dinner, unless it's an emergency or they crap everywhere and they need cleaning

akane · 01-26-17, 04:28 AM

Someone daily except I have a few that are too fast, small/thin, and fragile. The bull I have to unstack some rocks so unless I catch him out basking maybe only 1-2 times a week. My blood python is still settling in some but I weigh him weekly and check his health periodically. I just don't bother him for a day after a meal or when he feels like soaking. The rosy can come out whenever. She just usually has herself wedged between something and the glass so I have to wiggle her out but she gets over any annoyance right away. I just have to watch out for the cat because she doesn't go in the room with the other snakes but the rosy is by my desk and the cat hangs on the back of my chair. She will whap the snakes without claws just to see what they do if allowed. She tries the same thing with the parrots but they more obviously threaten back so she tries to hit their tails instead of their heads now. Even the slow rosy can strike faster than the cat can whack and I don't want that disaster. Both would have puncture wounds to get infected. Bird and snake handling is slightly cat behavior dependent for that reason. Some days she just goes to sleep somewhere or stares at the rodents instead and some days she's within a couple feet of me minimum all day long.

regi375 · 01-31-17, 05:06 PM

I handle my Kingsnake Oreo at least once a week for about 10-15minutes, and my Spotted Python Jethro about the same. I handle my bearded dragon everyday just for maintenance reasons alone. Same thing for the frilled dragon, he's a lot more cranky than the beardie. Although he absolutely loves my girlfriend. She can get him out without any defensive gestures and put him in her lap. He'll sit there for hours. For me though, I'm lucky if he'll sit still for five minutes.