I have noticed that stress is the biggest problem with snakes. My question is about how handling affects this. obviously a new snake is going to be squemish and not like to be handled right away. what is the right amount of time and schedule to keep the snake healthy but also become docile and a good pet? my new snake strikes and is unwilling to be handled which is fine now because i know time will help cure this. but i also want him to be as healthy as possible. any suggestions?
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stress and handling
jtclark
Sep 12, 2003 04:39 PM
Replies (1)
duffy
Sep 12, 2003 05:32 PM
If he's brand new you might give him a week or so to settle in if he really hates to be handled. Other than that...it's regular, gentle handling that gets him used to it. The handling will stress him at first, so it's all the more important to make sure that you give him a couple or 3 days after eating with no handling. But every week, handle him a few times. Does he calm down after a minute or two of handling. My only "striker" would try to hit me as soon as I picked her up, but after about 30 seconds she was OK. If so, try to handle yours until it calms down...then handle it some more. Maybe for 5 or 10 minutes at a time at first. Getting used to being PICKED UP often seems to be the trick. If the biting throws you off, use latex gloves.
Good luck. Duffy
