Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just brought home a female pastel on Tuesday. She is gorgeous. I was checking my temps in the racks and I saw her outside of her cubby hole so I picked her up. She bit me while I had her in my hands and then after I placed her down she would not let me pick her up again. She was lunging at me. She is a little baby so it did not hurt, but do you think she will calm down. I have read that if they do that I should be persistent and pick her up anyway. I figured she was just stressed because she just got into my home and she was still trying to figure out what is going on. So I will leave her alone and see what happens...

You're right, she's just stressed and scared. Don't handle her until she's eaten a couple of times for you, and then just handle her for a few minutes at a time. I have had a few snappy hatchlings, but they all outgrew it. It seems like they get alot less defensive once they're bigger.

Hope this helps,
Shelly

I hope youre right about that. Right now I have some hatchlings-from-hell and Ive never been bitten so much in my life, and I dont even handle them!
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The Original Snakechaarmer
}:{..}:{..}:{..}:{..

5.4 "Normal" Royal Pythons
0.1 Pastel Royal Python
1.0 Striped Mojave Royal Python

1.1 Anery Columbian Red-Tail Boas
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
1.1 Columbian Rainbow Boas
1.0 Anery Corn Snake
0.1 Anery Kenyan Sand Boa

I had two like that, and I just left them alone as much as possible until they got bigger. They got much better around 400g or so. I think when they're tiny they're just really scared something is going to eat them, lol.

Wait 2 weeks to handle her again and then try again. By then she should be docile and comfortable enough.
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0:1 Pacman
0:1 Rose Hair Tarantula
0:1 Ball Python
0:0:2 Bearded Dragon
1:1 Cat

balls seem timid but you will take a bite here and there....wait 'til breeding comes around lol.... i have a few that i literally have to pat on the head with an object to see how touchy they are and i also have a few that shoot out of the bins on feeding days lol....
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we're here because a hobby became an obsession

some days you're the dog, some days you're the hydrant...don't know who started this saying but it's the truth

by rewarding them by putting them immediatly down, its a defense response and if it works they will do it again

I figured that, but since I just picked her and took her home on Tuesday, I want her to get settled first. After I feed her once or twice, then I will be persistent on picking her up. Even if she bites, I will not let up. I just didn't want to stress her out even more because I just her home. Thanks

I have a female that is about 7 weeks old. I have not handled her hardly at all since I got here (5 weeks ago). There was never a good time to start. I let her get settled in for two weeks, I didn't want to handle her until 2 days after she ate, or she was in the process of shedding. The only handling I've done is to take her out of her enclosure while I clean it and I do it as quick as possible because she always lunges at me. Is she past the age where she should be really snappy or is this normal?