Reptile & Amphibian Forums

1: Do any of you think your snake actually recognizes you that they may be less calm when being handled by someone else or is it just the demeanor of the snake?

2: Can they be cage trained? My burm has ALWAYS let loose in his cage only. The guy I got him from had retics that would sometimes spray his house when he got them out. It was funny because he wasn't the most gentle handler and he got what he deserved. He also got bit allot. ANyway, I had Moses at my daughters soccer game a few days ago. I wasn't letting anyone else touch him because he's ready to shed and couldn't see, he gets grumpy then. So what does he do? He's crawling through the grass, then starts the poopoo wiggle, lifts his tail and educates the soccer fans. So you know I got the "You are gonna clean that up, right?" This was the only time he's not done this in his cage. What a brat! Any other stories?

DZ

Boots, my Burmese, is mostly potty-trained. I say "mostly" because it's more a combination of my knowing her schedule and her affinity for urinating and deficating in water as opposed to her cage.

Basically she gets put into the bathtub three times a week. Two of the three times are always one and two days after eating. She also gets extra bathtime during sheds and is always put into the tub when actively shedding ... I'm sure everyone knows why. At least two out of the three times she leaves something behind in the tub, which is quite easily removed and discarded. Whether or not we have "action," Boots is soaped up and rinsed, and the tub is cleaned and polished when Boots returns to her home.

Not only does it keep a clean, fine-smelling cage and animal -- it also encourages a shiny, clean tub!

--jr

Cap, I might be off this subject with this one...but it's great for a little laugh, like yours.

When I was 13, I rescued a BP from a friend's b/f who literally had not fed him in 4 months. Skin and bones, he loved us from the git-go (as we always fed him). ANYWAY!! As a rescue, I was warned not to hold him for a week or so, to let him get used to me. Well, we all know that when he didn't show any aggression with me changing his water, etc. I immediately removed him from his cage. NEVER did he even attempt to strike. Well, weeks passed and he loved his food. I had stupidly stuck my hand into his holding cage (while he was hungry) to get his water dish...and he bit me.

Days later, my guy-friend David came over to see our new addition. On the linoleum, we sat and talked while the BP roamed between us. During my story about how I'd gotten the lovely bandaid on my hand, the BP wandered up his pantleg and...towards the middle (hint hint). I figured David would move him...but with the SCARY story about how I'd gotten tagged, he didn't budge. Against all reason, David sat there (BP curled up and warming himself against Davids underwear) for and hour and a half before he'd let me attempt to remove the BP. Well, the snake never attempted to bite and David never came over to visit with me about snakes again. Too bad, he was a great conversations starter, hahahahahaha.

Sam

My burm is 14 months old and for about 3 or 4 months now he has a habbit of peeing on my god damn carpet! As you can tell I,m kinda mad at the whole situation because all of you I'm sure know python pee smells like hell. It has cut down on his handleing sessions. I'm hoping he is just going thruogh a stage in development and this will pass. Anybody else have a burm the same age as mine with a similar problem?
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1.0 Ball Python
1.0 Burmese Python

My Redtail boa done that when he was younger, he has quit now, unless he recently had a big meal, and they start lookin like they gain a little weight in the lower area of their body and let looooooose

First I would like to ask all to refrain from profanity so we keep the forum clean. Not a slam by any means, just tryin to stay professional.

I wonder if your snake believes he's found a way to keep or limit you from taking him out. I don't know where you live but with the current weather, well, not near Florida, you may want to take him outside when you handle him. I noticed my snake really flattens out when comfortable and tightens up when I handle him. When he crapped at the soccer game he'd been on the ground for a little while. I readily take him out in public so he may be comfortable which I assume is why he did it. Not that you are but, a friend of mine would handle his snakes roughly and this one retic would get him 85% of the time. It was GROSS. When he was moving he got the snake out to ship it in the car. It peed and pooped in every open box in the kitchen as it flailed around for the 30 seconds he was out of the cage. It looked like he was a lemonaid/mozerella canon!

You ain't kiddin about the smell. It's worse than any other animal smell I've seen yet. I love the goofy stories though! Gimme more!

DZ

For the ones that have the problem of urination/musking during handling sessions then I might have soem advice. First off if it is more musking then urination (mever any urates and always just liquid) then I would say that your particular snake does not take to handling very well. Most burms readily accept being handled and taken about but a few are very inedpendant animals and will do anything and everything in its means to detract you from taking it out. If this is the case then I would work with him for longer sessions just not as often. Yu need the longer sessions so you can try to gain its trust and you do not want to immediately return the snake to its cage if it does musk you. Continue to handle the snake for a while and when the session is over then return the snake.
If it is truely urinations taht is occuring than you have to think about the snakes point of view. If you have developed a pattern with your snake where you get him out every day then if I was your snake I would hold all my bodily functions as long as I could so I would not soil the area that I live in. I wouldn't want to live in my feces if I didn't ahve to and I am sure your snake doesn't either. Learn its patterns. Most snakes have a schedule of feeding/bowel movements/ urinations. Learn tehm and with weather permitting take your snake outside immediately and let it let loose then begin your normal handling session. Just some thoughts. Todd