Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got a Barker stock male JCP.I am not too experienced with them.He is pretty cool when you have him out,but when reaching in he will bite.He is about 3.5 ft. Is there anyway to tame him down a little?I know handing will help,but will he become "tame" I would like to be able to reach in on him without getting bitten.

You could use a snake hook until you get a little more used to him. They really help.
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"The serpent crams itself with animal life that is often warm and vibrant, to prolong an existence in which we detect no joy and no emotion. It reveals the depth to which evolution can sink when it takes the downward path and strips animals to the irreducible minimum able to perpetuate a predatory life in its naked horror."
Alexander Skutch

Yea I have been using one after the third time he bit me lol.Do you think he will ever get used to being reached in on?I also have Midwest gloves that I use for some of my venomous.I just didnt know if that would get him used to a warm hand reaching in for him.

try using a thinner glove- at 3.5 ft he's probably got teeth that would pucnture a totally thin glove. with my experiences that they are not as concerned with the warm hand as the scent of it. if you turn your gloves inside out so that he can smell you instead of a glove he's a lot more willing to get used to your smell than the smell of a thick leather glove every time. even if he stops biting the glove and you try to reach in barehanded he's just as likely to strike at you than before you started "taming" him with the glove and you'll have to repeat the process. he's also less likely to bite during the day when they are torpid then when at night when they are in a foraging/hunting mindset. try to put yourself in the mind of the snake and with daily handling of 1/2hr-1hr i haven't had a snake take longer than a month to tame down. but of course that varies with the temperment of the snake, how much you hold it, how often and it's mindset during the experience. if you take the snake out of it's cage for only small incriments of time chances are you're putting him back before he's even had a chance to disperse the stress of initially being removed. give him enough time to calm down and get used to being handled before putting him back or he will continually associate you with an increased level of stress and continue to bite. hope this helps. cheers. schell

Also, I'm not sure where you're feeding but don't feed in the cage this should be a no brainer. Let the jcp get use to you before you just try and take him out. Bye Pat

>>Is there anyway to tame him down a little?I know handing will help,but will he become "tame" I would like to be able to reach in on him without getting bitten.

Yes, you hold him and you take the bites and don't let them phase you. After he figures out biting doesn't work he'll stop. Be patient and use what ever methods you feel work best for you to feel comfortable and calm while letting him get his defensive behaviour out of the way.

I have yet to hear of a carpet that didn't mellow out as an adult. My Coastal male was a 3 1/2ft hellion but with time/handling he grew out of it and is now mellow. I also have an '02 Female at home that needs constant handling to keep her tame. But she is far better than she was even a 6months ago!...It just take time and patience

Darci
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Takes all kinds to make a World...

To avoid the automatic response of jerking of your hand when he snaps at you, I started closing my eyes at the last second and letting them bite me like Darci suggested. Or what I do is pull them out with the hook and then lower them down onto a closed fist or at least all your fingers tight together. Snakes will snap a lot more if they have just a finger in there sights versus a whole hand. Once you have them then hold them for a while so they can check you out. Eventually it will calm down for you. Good Luck