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guys:i'm asking for help

patrickwang Jul 06, 2007 04:35 AM

i have a female Burmese Python.she is a bad-temper girl. if i get close to her, she will gallow me away by whiffing.so i'm worry about this.now she is 1.5m long.i wanna know how to improve it.
if you have some ideas,plase tell me.thank u very much~

Replies (9)

HappyHillbilly Jul 06, 2007 08:19 AM

If she's doing that while in her cage her attitude could improve once out of the cage. A lot of snake's chill out outside their cage, it's their territory.

If she's just hissing it doesn't mean she'll strike, maybe, maybe not. At any rate, now is definitely the time to calm her down.

I say pin her head down, remove from cage, handle her. She's not gonna like having her head held so at some point you're gonna have to let it go & take that chance. Any movements you make need to be slow & gentle, staying away from in front of her face. It might take some time but you'll eventually gain her trust.

I'm in a bit of hurry so I'll elaborate more later on.

Tell us more about whether or not you get her out of cage, handling, etc...

Later!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

OKReptileRescue Jul 06, 2007 09:58 AM

she's small enough- hook train her- especially if you're feeding in the cage- we've got a 14 footer that can blow your socks off- when she's in the cage- we have to block her head with a board while another person (or 2) gets a part of her body and then pppuuuulllllll out of the cage- and shes fine....

i'd go with hook training and regular handling- and 1.5 ft isn't all that bad to get tagged by- wear some gloves and just get her- don't teach her that if she hisses- she won't be handled- thats NOT what you want!
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The rescue site: www.freewebs.com/okreptilerescue

bill38112 Jul 06, 2007 05:15 PM

I do not believe that you have to get bitten when training your baby. I totally endorse the use of a hook. A couple of ground rules. Make sure you have no animal smell on you. Don't play with the dog or cat or handle any prey items before attempting to handle the snake. Don't handle the snake within 48 hours after it has eaten, longer, if you can still see a lump. Don't try to handle a snake that is in blue or shedding.

Put on a long sleeve heavy shirt or jacket and gloves. Using the appropriate sized hook, open the cage and gently place the hook on the snake's had until it lowers its head. Once the snake has tuned its head away from you reach in a pull the snake out of the cage.

Once the snake is out of the cage it will probably calm down. Don't try to restrain the snake, but let it climb from hand to hand. However, even if it's snapping like a berserk alligator, keep it out of the cage for at least five minutes. Just don't let it bit you on the face. After five minutes, put the snake back in it's enclosure. Repeat every day for a couple of weeks, gradually increasing the amount of time you have the snake out. Dump the jacket and gloves whenever ou feel comfortable that the snake has stopped trying to bite you.

Try to remember, the baby is absolutely certain that you intend to eat it. We think of burms as large animals, but until they reach eight foot or more they think of themselves as prey. They are not naturally comfortable being handled. They have to learn to tolerate it. I don't think they ever really like it. They just get to the point where they don't mind that much. Most captive born snakes become easy to handle. However, even when they do, always handle a big one with at least one partner.

HappyHillbilly Jul 07, 2007 01:55 AM

quote = "she is 1.5m long"

That's aprox. 4 1/2ft long, not what I call a baby, heh.

I also am a believer in using a hook. I use it to condition & inform a snake that I'm about to get it out for handling.

I'm not trying to insult you or anything like that so please don't misunderstand me. You said, "I do not believe that you have to get bitten..." and also, "Once the snake has tuned its head away from you reach in a pull the snake out of the cage."

Ha! I started to say something about your comments above when all the sudden it dawned on me that you were thinking that the snake was only 1 1/2ft long, not 1 1/2 meters.

> > > "They are not naturally comfortable being handled. They have to learn to tolerate it."

I'm not so sure about that. In a sense, yes, you're right. But in another sense, I'm not so sure. The reason I say that is because I just hatched 5 baby burms. 4 of them are as sweet as their parents, and have been since they came out of their eggs. No signs of intimidation, fear, or anything alike. Now the 5th one, Whew! it's a different story. That sucker came out stiking at shadows, in rapid succession. LOL! Calmed down in a matter of minutes, though.

Have a good one!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

JoshHutto Jul 11, 2007 01:32 PM

hmmmm 4 1/2ft is a baby still. a burm should be that length in around 6-8 months easily and thus still thinks it's going to be eaten everytime you open it's cage (or at least it may feel that way). not all snakes are born with the same temperment and some will be tame while others are hell raisers. I was helping a friend of mine sex a clutch of 43 granite burms 2 weeks ago and i'd say 95% were striking as the lids were removed from their tubs. Of all the biters, only about 5 are still striking at people when they work with them.
-----
Josh & Krysty Hutto
J&K Reptiles

Various Ball Pythons:::

1.0 striped vanilla
1.0 spider
1.2 Citrus Ghost and hets
1.2 Albino and hets
2.3 het Pied
0.6 50% poss het pied
1.1 Pastel (male has additional gene going on with him)
a bunch of normal female breeders
a bunch of normal female holdbacks and several rescued normal males

0.1 columbian boa, she's a feeding monster, controls my
over production of rats, lol
0.1 brazilian rainbow boa, another rat eating monster
1.1 corns

a BAD dog is MADE not bred, support the American Pit Bull Terrier as the greatest breed of dogs on Earth!!!!!

HappyHillbilly Jul 11, 2007 04:44 PM

Ah, c'mon, Josh. Surely you don't expect me to believe that you go around calling 4-footers "babies." Heh! Granted, they are still young, but not a baby.

But I do understand where you're coming from, what you mean.
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

JoshHutto Jul 11, 2007 07:04 PM

my terms are baby, yearling, sub-adult, young adult and then the big-un's. if it isn't a yearling it's a baby simple as that, lol.
-----
Josh & Krysty Hutto
J&K Reptiles

Various Ball Pythons:::

1.0 striped vanilla
1.0 spider
1.2 Citrus Ghost and hets
1.2 Albino and hets
2.3 het Pied
0.6 50% poss het pied
1.1 Pastel (male has additional gene going on with him)
a bunch of normal female breeders
a bunch of normal female holdbacks and several rescued normal males

0.1 columbian boa, she's a feeding monster, controls my
over production of rats, lol
0.1 brazilian rainbow boa, another rat eating monster
1.1 corns

a BAD dog is MADE not bred, support the American Pit Bull Terrier as the greatest breed of dogs on Earth!!!!!

HappyHillbilly Jul 11, 2007 07:12 PM

Ha! Ha! OK.

Catch ya later!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

molurusx3 Jul 07, 2007 05:01 PM

About one and a half years ago i bought home a 4-5 foot male indian python home from holland.
He too was a very huffy/puffy so and so !
He was also a very insecure animal, he would hold on (coiled around my hand) for dear life!
I to used the hook at first to get him out of the viv, and with time and patience he came round in as little time as 3 month's.
I never bothered with gloves and long sleeved jacket's etc. As i'm a ferm believer in that animal's will pick up on YOUR natural body reaction (if your up-tight, then so is the animal).
I had a friend that took on a 4 foot Bosc monitor and was scared s*~@less of it and every time something needed to the viv or with the animal he would call me up to go round and get hold of the lizard. But once he was out and felt secure in my arm's he was sweet as pie.
Just be-calm, be-patient and the animal will come round in time.

-----
19 years in the hobbie/business.
in my personal collection at present;
1:2 p.m.molurus
1:2 chondro python viridis
1:1 dasypeltis medici
had to cutt down as i've moved back in with parent's

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