Posted by:
antr1
at Sat Jan 23 18:34:24 2010 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by antr1 ]
I saw your post below and you had a similar question. Personally I like to try and handle all my snakes every other day. It doesn't always work out that way considering the number of animals I have, but the babies definitely get handled every other day, and right now I still have about 50 hatchlings. As someone else pointed out hatchling milksnakes tend to be very nervous and try to bite, defecate, and flee.
Just about every hatchling milksnake I ever handled has calmed down with in a few minutes of being handled. When you handle a nervous hatchling, never try and grasp it and contain it. Allow it to move about, it's movements will be jerky and flighty, but you should be able to move your hands under it as it tries to crawl forward. As it is trying to move get your fingers so that the snake is twisting through them, and do not let it get so that it dangling in the air.
Typically after about 3 or 4 minutes of this the snake will settle down and you will be pretty much able to hold it in you hand comfortably. I normally do this with all my hatchlings and within 2 or 3 months this behavior lasts only a few seconds before they settle down.
Even though the snake is only really stressed for about the first 3 or 4 minutes it is still stressful, and doing it daily might be too much for the little fellow. Stick to ever second day, handle the Cal king one day, and the Hondo the next.
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"The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think. Oh by the way, which ones pink?"
[ Hide Replies ]
- Question about King - kingqueen, Sat Jan 23 17:05:09 2010
 RE: Question about King - antr1, Sat Jan 23 18:34:24 2010 
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