Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i just acquired a baby everglades rat that was wild caught, it is extremely aggressive, i have held it a few times bare handed, after about 5 minutes it gets antsy, tries to get away and starts striking alot. is it possible to get this snake to calm down?

The answer to that would be yes, things will get better with some time, and gentle handling. The little guy is fresh out of the wild, so his "perception" of you is that you are a giant "monster" that swoops down on him with a giant hand to grab him, and consume him. He will soon learn that he won't be devoured by you, and that he doesn't have to be agressive and try to protect himself whenever you handle him. After a while, you'll notice that the biting, and musking is less and less frequent, and he'll begin to trust you and recognize your scent as something not to be afraid of, this is quite common with very young snakes of many types.

Have fun, and enjoy your new Everglades!

~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

alot of it is going to be how you pick it up don't be afrade to get bit it wont hurt if its a lil guy gently slide your hand under it and slowly lift it up I have allread found and releassed 5 black ratsnakes and only one was alil agressive at first but never bit me one of the other ones just opened its mouth once but they where calm I left most of them where I found them I had 2 with me for a night till it got warm then I released them in the woods I got them right by a board with two or there vole familys I'm just not a big fan of takeing wild snakes out of there habbitat

Germex your hands and then very slowly move a closed fist near the snake where he can see it. Allow him to get used to the presence of your hand and the smell of the germex. Then slowly pick him up and handle him gently. Don't try to hold him still, it will make him feel trapped. Instead, allow the snake to crawl from one hand to the other (called "walking" If he starts to get too squirmy, place him back in his cage. Do this for a few minutes, once or twice per day.

If it works on a Texas Rat it will work on anything.
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