question on handling

ErgoProxy · 08-13-10, 11:00 AM

just wondering how often and for what duration you all normaly handle your older snakes? oh and on handling during shed..my jungle python just cam out of having the cloudy blue over her eyes..i wonder if it is safe to handle her for 5 mins or so or shouldi wait till she completely sheds?

Pythonian · 08-13-10, 11:28 AM

I normally handle mine every night for about an hour or two.. but he's used to it and doesn't mind it at all... I don't handle him if from when his eyes go blue, until the shed is done.

Freebody · 08-13-10, 12:33 PM

some snakes wont let you get near it during sheding , mine dont mind it much but i still dont do it, it is a stressfull time for all snakes so i leave them alone, most people say they hold theirs 1-2 times a week for an hour or less, mine love the attension so i try my best to take her out and say hello as often as i can but it works out to 2-3 times a week for 15-20 min at a time longer if i can, somtimes she will be out for and hour or so and fights when i go to lock her back up lol she loves it out of the cage

I just got 2adult snakes that never been handled, they come out for 10 min tops and put them back,ill do that untill they are not scared of the touching and stressed out.

ErgoProxy · 08-13-10, 12:39 PM

thanks for the replies guys.. i guess i will let her be untill she completely sheds then ^--^; dont wanna stress her out.. can i still feed her on feeding day if she is still in shed? guess it wouldnt make sense not to be able to.. just wondering

Freebody · 08-13-10, 12:43 PM

some snakes like my retic will eat if it was trapped in a vise and dieing lol so feeding her at anytime she dont care and will happily eat, but some snake that dont have a real crazy feeding response will just refuse to eat, as far as i know if they will eat and its feeding day go for it,im sure if im wrong the proper answere will be coming soon, but im pretty sure im right.

Will0W783 · 08-13-10, 01:41 PM

Like Freebody said, some snakes are fine to be handled more often than others. Generally you want to go by the snake's responses- you want to handle enough to maintain a calm demeanor, but don't want to stress the snake out too much. There are some snakes that just will never calm down and will never really be handleable. Then there are others that would love to be handled every night. Generally, each of my snakes that is amenable to handling is handled about once a week, sometimes more often, sometimes less often, but about once a week. If they are in shed on a feeding day, I offer food and if they don't take it, they wait until the next scheduled feeding. Most of my carpets and my sd retic will eat readily even when deep in shed. My womas will tear up anything, even if they were dying. But my white-lipped pythons won't touch food if they have even the slightest haze to them. I also do not handle any of my snakes when they are in shed, unless I have to clean a cage or give a treatment of some kind. It's just less stressful on them.