Reptile & Amphibian Forums

when, where, or how they like to be handled? mine resists being picked up when he is in his warm hide or out "exploring" the cool hide seems to be the only place where he does not resist being picked up. once picked up he is fine. he likes to crawl under my leg or explore my laptop. how long do you typically have them out of their enclosure? what do some of you other pet owners do with your snakes while handling them? just curious.
Mike

When ours are on the warm side the "puff" up so to speak..it's like they are trying to wedge themselves in so you can't get em out...when we do get em out...we let em crawl all over our bed...it's a california king so there is plenty of room...we sometimes walk around with em on our shoulders too

mine has actually figured out how to hook his tail around the thermometer probe attached to his warm hide. and my tank is pretty heavily ....decorated isn't the right word, but it has a lot of stuff for him to climb, on, up, over, under, etc i wanted to give him a lot of stimulation. while the snake likes it, it is almost impossible to get him out if he doesn't want to come. the cool hide is pretty sparse, so that's where i can get him. once picked up he is fine, but i'd just like him to be a bit more amenable to being picked up in the first place, i would prefer him not to resist at all. so i'm trying to figure out how to accomplish this without stressing the snake, BTW once picked up he likes being handled. ahh the reptilian brain.
mike

You simply made his cage TOO good! He enjoys it so much he doesn't want to leave!

DISCLAIMER: I truly have no idea what i'm talking about this time, so do not take my words for true, i just thought that was funny, and wanted to say that.
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-Jacob

Knowledge is gained by asking the question "Why?", but true wisdom only comes from asking "Why not?". -Me

None of mine really resist being picked up - my adult male, Butters, will actually crawl halfway out of the tub and then look at me as if to say "well, are you going to pick me up or not?"
My hatchlings were pretty huffy at first but they all calmed down after a meal or two.
The boys seem to be more 'outgoing', as in they come up to see what I've got to offer for them, while the girls tongue flick to see what I'm up to, and wait for me to mess with them rather than budging from where they are.

While they're out, each snake has its own personality. Periscope is my 'lap snake' - she'll calmly sit in my lap for up to an hour, flicking her tongue once in a while but otherwise not doing much. Butters roams and explores EVERYTHING constantly (he's the one I found in my rabbit's hay bin), and Cindy (my oldest girl) likes to hang out in my pillowcases. With time, their preferences and personalities come out. You can figure out a dog's personality within a week of bringing it home - you don't get the full grasp of your snake's subtle behaviors until months after you get it. They just do everything at a slower pace than us mammals!

Their personalities get more defined and developed the older they get. Compared to my older snakes, the babies all sort of seem the same until they've got some age to them.

~jenny
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"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire