Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm not a snake newbie, but received my first trio of grey rat snakes. They're very lovely, I believe the male is a white oak phase and the two females are bit brownish with the red background almost in between the scales.

Anyway...they just arrived UPS yesterday and I expect them to be a bit nippy from the stress of shipping. I'd like to get them into a handling routine to kind of take the edge off eventually. Any suggestions from the rat snake group?

Hard to beat using gloves at first . . . let them bite the glove and when there is no reaction, they tend to get the message that this is not effective. And of course the old rule is regular handling will reassure most species. As always, pick up gently from underneath, don't loom over the snakes which they see as a threat and give them time. Oh and wash hands after handling mice. You are too large to swallow but they still want to chomp on that rodent scent.

leave them alone for awhile...let them get sued to the new digs and feed schedule and food item's smells....

feed a couple weeks...then start picking them up......

biting is fine...I hate the musk......
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..J Yohe ....

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Ahem...yeah...experienced the musk. Phew! Will that also calm down? So far I have a nippy but gorgeous male, a musky female, and a smaller female who seems pretty calm and doesn't nip nor musk.

Laura I think with handling it should stop.
Tom

they may or may not stop biting and or musking...
they may do it only on occasion.......when they are in a bad mood, cold, after brumation,breeding time, feeding time,shedding,awake, or asleep even.......like that...

.....females smell worse than males and do musk more...my opinion

.....you'll do fine......teeth are cool, and find a good soap, I don't know what....experiment......
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..J Yohe ....

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