Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wondering if anyone uses the "towel method" for pre- handling large constrictors (gently throwing a towel over the snake)before handling?Ive been doing this with my boids for years and it seems to calm the instant feeding response.What methods do you guys use?
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The road to hell is paved with good intentions.....

How do you do it? Do you cover their heads? Do you put the towel on them then remove it?

Generally, we use short hooks and stroke the snake with it, then pick them up. This signals the snake that it is not a feeding event.

I try to spread the towel out and gently throw it over their head and body then stroke the snakes gently as to let them know that they are coming out of the enclosure and that food will not be coming in so i would say its quite similar to hook training
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The road to hell is paved with good intentions....

I might use that towel method to get a hold of an unruly snake but I would never use it consistently on one that I expected to learn to trust me. In other words, I think it's a bad idea in your case.

I don't mean that harshly, so please don't take offense. Let me give you a few ways to look at it.

1. How would you, yourself, prefer the Jolly Green Giant get a hold of you? By throwing a towel over you or by gently stroking you with a hook?

2. By throwing a towel over the snake, in the snake's eyes (mind) you are conquering it, defeating it. You're forcing it into submission. And for what - your own pleasure? (You want to handle it) Again, no offense intended - just trying to give you a different view to help you make up your own mind.

A snake's actions upon opening of their cage is often misunderstood. Some people automatically think it's a feeding response when, I personally think it's usually a defensive response. It's the same as someone spending days in solitaire in their bedroom and several days later someone opens the door and comes in unannounced. That's why people knock on other people's doors before entering their house - we don't want to get bitten (or shot).

So, what you ned to do is make an announcement before getting your snake. Use a hook, hook train them. It's simple, and they learn fast. There are a few good threads about hook training that can be found within the 5 pages readily available here in this forum.

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

www.natures-signature.com

Agreed...I would think tossing a towel would elicit a fear response. I see the point behind it, but I prefer the hook as well. Plus, I keep using the hook to guide the head as the snake comes out. I don't like to reach in and pull him out at all, so I coax his head out of the cage. Once I have about 2ft of snake out of the door, then I'll start to lift him out.

The little bugger took a strike at me a couple of weeks ago and scared the pee out of me, LOL! I didn't use the hook and he was about 6 wks since his last feeding. He refused his previous meal and I was getting ready to feed. I noticed he had wet paper, so I thought I'd just slowly pull the paper out while he was looking the other way. Well, he got excited, struck and hit the upper frame of the door. After I wrestled the door shut on his face, I fed him 20 min later and he ate on that same newspaper!

I don't think I'll ever get complacent again.

I truly appreciate a diffrent perspective on this.I also wanted to say i dont use this as a constant i try to read the snakes mood first with a gentle tap on the cage and then open the door and see where we go from there some snakes i can usually just reach in and stroke it. depends on the animal ive also made some mistakes and ended up not having much feeling in my thumb for a couple of months(had to blast the hot shower to get that doll off of me)but i will certainly give the hook a try as im in the middle of constructing some hooks out of golf clubs(sturdy and lightweight)
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The road to hell is paved with good intentions....

We generally use a handy bottle of alcoholic booze to souse our pythons with in case we are bitten and wrapped.

Then we drink some ourslves once released