Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Lately my burm has been a little cranky.

She is about 9 months old. I think she is going to shed soon, but hasn't gotten cloudy eyed yet. I keep her on a maintenence diet. I feed her every 6 days a large/medium rat.

When I take her out of her cage to play with her, she gets all huffy and hissy at me. She jerks her body to get away from me, but once I get her out, she is fine, and tries to find her way back into her cage. how weird

Am I alone with this kind of thing? Whats the deal with her?

Richard

Usually this type of behavior will be associated with another smell on you that the snake may find threatening or percieved as a possible threat. Do you handle any other snakes before handling her? If so, try handling her first. Also, very important,... they don't have really good eyesight and can't usually identify you when they see you. The best way to identify yourself to them is to let their tongue hit your skin. Perhaps if she knows it's you before you attempt to pick her up she won't be deffensive. As a general precaution against serious mishap I always do this with every snake I work with/around each and every day. Once there is no mystery as to who and what I am they seem to calm dramatically.

>>Lately my burm has been a little cranky.
>>
>>She is about 9 months old. I think she is going to shed soon, but hasn't gotten cloudy eyed yet. I keep her on a maintenence diet. I feed her every 6 days a large/medium rat.
>>
>>When I take her out of her cage to play with her, she gets all huffy and hissy at me. She jerks her body to get away from me, but once I get her out, she is fine, and tries to find her way back into her cage. how weird
>>
>>Am I alone with this kind of thing? Whats the deal with her?
>>
>>Richard
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Believe in yourself and your abilities and you can accomplish anything.

In my experience, I would not advise letting a snake's tongue "touch" your skin. I have taken a different approach than Brian's in the past, as far as touching the snake near the tail and conditioning the animal each time you want to remove it from it's cage. I only touch my snakes (away from their heads) when I want to get them out for exercise or to clean their habitats. On the contrary, when I am feeding my snakes (which only eat dead prey items) I make sure to place the prey in close proximity to the animals head so they can sense it. This action usually elicits a strong feeding response, even in animals that I consider very tame. Most snakes, by nature, are what is termed "head shy" and I usually only attempt to let my animals "touch" my hands after they are aware that I am attempting to get them out and not attempting to feed them. What I am saying is that by taking Brian's advice on this has the potential to frighten the animal or elicit a feeding response and should be avoided. If your snake it going into a shed cycle and you attempt to handle it, you risk doing damage to the animal's skin. Leave it alone until it sheds- just make sure to check the humidity in the cage. Just another opinion.

I agree with greensnake that certain smells can elicit a flight response with snakes. Making sure you have no strong chemical scents or prey/predator scents on you is important for both your safety and the safety of your pet. I prefer to use a snake hook to remove my snakes from their enclosures. As you noticed, snakes can be more skittish or aggressive in their cages, but calm once in hand. Consistent gentle handling is needed to acclimate snakes to handling, especially important with a snake that will eventually be a giant (you don't want him/her to still have an agressive response at 10 feet). Also, snakes are more prone to be aggressive around their sheds and the new skin can be damaged if handled while they are in shed. If you believe the snake to be in shed, it's best to leave them be until they've completed the shed cycle.

Raven

“The best way to identify yourself to them is to let their tongue hit your skin.” - BrianSmith

Hi Richard - I’m pretty sure Damon wasn’t advocating that you approach your snake (or really any snake) by putting your hand in front of its face when you first enter its cage. Big mistake! Especially with a snake with heat-sensing pits.

“When I take her out of her cage to play with her, she gets all huffy and hissy at me. She jerks her body to get away from me, but once I get her out, she is fine, and tries to find her way back into her cage. how weird.” - rsalib

Perfectly normal behavior. Keep up calm, deliberate interaction with her from time to time.

-Joan

Thanks Joan. I'm just guessing it's part of a new scent on me that is freaking her out at first until she realizes its me.

I just picked up the sport of recreational shooting. So maybe the lead on my clothes may be giving her a scent that is making her uneasy.

I would never approach her to her face without making sure she knows it's me and not food. I always shield my hand from her face until I have atleast had some contact with her, and her body is party in my hand to take her out.

Thanks for the info.

Richard

Trust me, by allowing the burmese to smell you first you will instantly identify yourself with the snake. The way to do it is to hold your hand under her thermal "radar", below her chin, until her tongue comes out and contacts your skin. Once an otherwise tame/docile burmese knows you are human it has no interest in any deffensive or aggressive behavior. Anyone that has owned one or two burmese but only works with hooks and shields might not know this. One needs to develop a working relationship with their snakes. Up close and personal is good. These snakes aren't as dumb as many herpers are led to believe and they do in fact understand the situation and what your role in it is. I have never once, in over 25 years of working with literally hundreds (not one or two) of burmese, seen a burmese get confused or go nuts once they have identified their owner. Try my method and see for yourself. The proof is, shall I say, in the pudding.

>>Thanks Joan. I'm just guessing it's part of a new scent on me that is freaking her out at first until she realizes its me.
>>
>>I just picked up the sport of recreational shooting. So maybe the lead on my clothes may be giving her a scent that is making her uneasy.
>>
>>I would never approach her to her face without making sure she knows it's me and not food. I always shield my hand from her face until I have atleast had some contact with her, and her body is party in my hand to take her out.
>>
>>Thanks for the info.
>>
>>Richard
-----
Believe in yourself and your abilities and you can accomplish anything.

“I have been bitten thousands of times, sometimes ripped wide open” – BrianSmith

“Trust me, by allowing the burmese to smell you first you will instantly identify yourself with the snake. The way to do it is to hold your hand under her thermal "radar", below her chin, until her tongue comes out and contacts your skin” – Brian Smith

I think Damon has been omitting a step or two from the protocol that experienced keepers follow with even smaller snakes to avoid stressing them out when initially approaching them after entering their cages.

-Joan

in the 'hundreds' of bites mentioned in my burm bites post?

Quote by BrianSmith: Being bitten goes hand in hand with keeping snakes. I get bitten all the time. Not because I am necessarily foolish or careless, but because I prefer to get up close and personal with all my snakes. I have been bitten hundreds of times and have pretty much just gotten used to it. It's my choice to work up close and personal with my snakes and I accept full responsibility for the times that I get bitten.

Getting up close and personal is a choice, but it is not necessary to unduly stress the snake OR take a bite when it can be avoided. Using a hook to remove the snake from it's enclosure is the safe (and accepted) method when dealing with large boids...tempting it with your warm hand isn't. Consistent gentle handling is important in taming a snake that will eventually be a giant, one that CAN cause serious harm as an adult. We should support safe handling practices in our hobby, not potentially reckless behaviour. There is simply no reason we cannot enjoy handling and caring for our pets while at the same time minimizing the risks to ourselves and others.

Raven

>>in the 'hundreds' of bites mentioned in my burm bites post?
>>
>>Quote by BrianSmith: Being bitten goes hand in hand with keeping snakes. I get bitten all the time. Not because I am necessarily foolish or careless, but because I prefer to get up close and personal with all my snakes. I have been bitten hundreds of times and have pretty much just gotten used to it. It's my choice to work up close and personal with my snakes and I accept full responsibility for the times that I get bitten.
>>
>>Getting up close and personal is a choice, but it is not necessary to unduly stress the snake OR take a bite when it can be avoided. Using a hook to remove the snake from it's enclosure is the safe (and accepted) method when dealing with large boids...tempting it with your warm hand isn't. Consistent gentle handling is important in taming a snake that will eventually be a giant, one that CAN cause serious harm as an adult. We should support safe handling practices in our hobby, not potentially reckless behaviour. There is simply no reason we cannot enjoy handling and caring for our pets while at the same time minimizing the risks to ourselves and others.
>>
>>Raven
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Believe in yourself and your abilities and you can accomplish anything.

Hi Raven - Yes, I believe so. I was going to put Damon's “I have been bitten hundreds of times” quote in there before his “I have been bitten thousands of times” quote But I got confused since two months after he had been bitten “thousands” of times it had dropped to only “hundreds” of times. I guess it can be difficult to keep one’s story straight sometimes. I probably should have just gone with Damon’s “I get bitten all the time” quote. My head is spinning!

-Joan