Large collections and handling

Linds · 07-12-04, 07:03 PM

I know with my collection, I don't handle most of them with the exception of general maintenance and the like. Does anyone here with collections of 20+ snakes handle them more regularily than maintenance requires?

Tim_Cranwill · 07-12-04, 07:49 PM

I don't handle mine much. Don't get me wrong, I love holding snakes but I get almost enough of it durung cage cleaning. lol

Once in a while I take one out for just a casual handling session... maybe once a week or something...

Matt_K · 07-12-04, 07:56 PM

The only snake i try and handle on a regular occasion is the retic.. For obvious reasons.. Aside from that, i only handle my animals when im cleaning..

Jeff_Favelle · 07-12-04, 08:18 PM

Even if I only had one snake, the amount of handling per snake would be the same. Not much! I treat them like fish. They are neat to look at and study, but as far as interaction goes, its purely a one-way street and I don't feel its fair to the animal.

Classic · 07-12-04, 08:27 PM

Its very difficult to handle all of them on a regular basis. I mostly try to handle the more skittish ones more often.

Brian

justinO · 07-12-04, 08:37 PM

there are a few animals that we take out more then others. I like to have my 8' burm out every now and again.. My girlfriend likes to take out some of her fav balls out occasionally as well.

BOAS_N_PYTHONS · 07-12-04, 09:17 PM

LINDS:

I try and handle each individual at least 10 - 15 minutes per week. Other than breeding and sheds each boid gets some time.

I just need more helpers at times, lol.

Cya...

Tony

marisa · 07-12-04, 09:24 PM

I have only like 10 snakes give or take a few now and again, and we don't have time to handle them. I take out a couple more than others, other than that, we only hold them while we clean.

Marisa

thunder · 07-12-04, 09:43 PM

i have about 25 snakes, and aside from the ribbon and garter snakes, i handle them all, some more than others, either because i like them more or they require it to remain docile. since they are used for education, i try too keep them all tame enough for kids to touch.

Stockwell · 07-13-04, 01:54 AM

I have a good size collection, several hundred when babies arrive.
I don't handle much at all, unless there is a need and frequently use gloves and hooks even for small species like Rosies. I don't particularily care if they are tame, and I've been bit by everthing in my collection except Rubber boas(that days coming)
I handle babies because you need to remove them and sex them and sometimes feeding them involves handling, and I handle a few favourites like my black milks, albino Hondurans and rosies and sand boas, but there is a different mentality about handling between breeders/collectors and pet keepers.
I guess it starts as pets for most of us especially when you have only a few. It did for me many years ago, but as the collection grew there came a time when I no longer felt the need to name or watch TV with my herps, not that there is anything wrong with that...
In fact somewhere along the line I started referring to them as "charges" I guess a zoo- keeper, farmer type mentality replaces the pet owner type sentiment. It's just a natural progression for some.
When I'm asked if I have pets, I generally say NO or refer to my Cardinal tetra tank. but then I don't name or pick them up either

CamHanna · 07-13-04, 02:15 AM

I try to handle my burm as much as I can to ensure she stays handleable, colubrids I generally handle as an extension of maintanence, my storeria I handle as little as possible.

knoxvillef4i · 07-13-04, 07:17 AM

We have 2 Kings, and we handle them at least every other day (my daughters and me, that is).

lakeridgekennel · 07-13-04, 07:58 AM

I hold my snakes when i need to but a couple of burms i have get out when ever i have the time which is like 10 min once a week-2 weeks.I hold my monitors on a weekely basis and my crocs because of there size i try to get them as tame as i can which is still nil.

BoidKeeper · 07-13-04, 08:19 AM

I'm up over 30 now and as a rule I never touch the female boids at all. The rest only gets touched during cleaning. If someone comes buy and wants to hold something I give them a corn a normal male ball.
Cheers,
Trevor

wyz · 07-13-04, 08:42 AM

Hum ! kinda question that makes me realize having more snakes is not allways more fun.

We use to handle all or snakes weekly.. I'd say 'till we had 5 or 6. Now with more than 30 + the babies it's very occasionaly.

We handle the ones that are in display enclosures (ATB, Carpet, Sinaloan).. the others that are in the racks we don't handle them..

It's really too bad because I miss that.

I'm planning to build some more display enclosure pretty soon in order to have at least one specimen per species that will be on display so we can handle them more and see them more.

Good poll, makes me realize stuff

WYZ