Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, the title is a little misleading. My BP isnt sick. she is just very timid. I got a ball python for handling. I dont care that they dont really come out of their holes much, i just wanted a snake i could pick up and watch tv with or something.

So anyways, i have had her since september. The guy i got her from said she was about 3 months old at the time. She eats great, working on small rats right now. But whenever i take her out, she always breaths really fast and doesnt seem to settle down. When i put her back she seem sort of frantic to find her cave again.

I have 2 corns, so i have something to compare her to. she seems much much more timid.

some questions: will this ever get better? or am i stuck for 20 years with a snake that never comes out of her hide and is terrified of being held?

how often should i hold her? i have tried once every 3 days for 10 min, then i tried every day for 30-45 min. i am going back to the infrequent setup now. nothing seems to work. i dont do much when i am holding her, i just let her go where ever until she starts to crawl down into something or off of something.

Help me... give me advice... give me hope... lie if you have to
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0.1 Ball Python
1.1 Corn Snakes

You are like Godzilla to her - she has no idea that you do not have any intentions of kiling and eating her - it's something she'll just have to learn - some don't ever get used to being held.

OR -

Everything will be ok

Take your pick.
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Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

6.42.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
1.0.0 Angolan Python (Anakin Skywalker)
0.0.1 Green Tree Python (Verdi)
0.1.0 Bredls Python (Smurfette)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Desert Tortoise (Pope John Paul aka JP )
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.0 frogs rescued from pool skimmer
0.0.1 Lizard of unknown origin

I am confused because we (my husband and I) were told that we should get the snake use to us handling and touching their head. That way when ever they need to be examined for any reason they are already use to it and then they won't pull back and be flighty about you doing it. This was coming from a person at a reputable reptile store.

if it is of any help, my snakes are very docile and dont mind being held,they stay in place most of the time. however, if i let them get away a bit, they get "excited" and start to try to move away faster, so just try keeping your snake from getting to far away while handling