Reptile & Amphibian Forums

There was a guy who posted here - I have't seen any posts of his lately - who claimed that he handled his snakes every day for two minutes

Anyway, he posted that he handled each of his snakes every day for two minutes. I got the impression that he did this to keep them all used to being handled. I thought this was a good idea because I have a black rat that's pretty mean, and I thought it might calm him down. However, the only noticable result has turned out to be that my black rat is more willing than ever to attack me. Am I just stressing him by doing this, or am I doing something wrong? All I do is open the top, take the animal out immediately, hold him for two minutes, and put him back. The guy who said he did that - I believe it was Darin Chapell though I could be mistaken - seemed to be having much better results than I am.

2 minutes is not enough time in your case. If the snake is biting you within that 2 minute time frame, and you are putting it back into its enclosure after the 2 minutes, then you could be creating the problem. The snake may be associating him biting with getting put back into its enclosure. If that is what it wants, getting put back into its enclosure, then it will bite to get what it wants. I would handle longer than just 2 minutes, and not put the snake back into its enclosure until a few minutes after it has calmed down and no longer biting. I have a female black rat that was the same way. She would bite once pulled out of her enclosure, but I never put her back right after a bite or two. I would wait atleast 5 minutes after she calmed down to put her back. It has worked, as she has not bitten now in about 6 months. Still a little flighty, but no longer bites. Hope this helps.
Brian

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RATS
1.0 Corn snake "Warpath" (KY locale)
1.0 Black rat snake "Havok" (KY locale)
1.1 Black rat snakes "Reaper and Mystique" (MO locale)
1.0 Albino Black rat snake "Malakai" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Everglades rat snake "Deadpool" (Dwight Good stock)
0.1 Greenish rat snake "Rogue" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Yellow rat snake "Wolverine" (Dwight Good stock)
1.0 Grey rat snake "Punisher" (White oak phase)(Dwight Good stock)

Good luck and Happy Herping
Brian

First, thanks for the info. Also, is it possible that you could post a pic of your racer? I'd really like to see it.

>>Anyway, he posted that he handled each of his snakes every day for two minutes. I got the impression that he did this to keep them all used to being handled. I thought this was a good idea because I have a black rat that's pretty mean, and I thought it might calm him down. However, the only noticable result has turned out to be that my black rat is more willing than ever to attack me. Am I just stressing him by doing this, or am I doing something wrong? All I do is open the top, take the animal out immediately, hold him for two minutes, and put him back. The guy who said he did that - I believe it was Darin Chapell though I could be mistaken - seemed to be having much better results than I am.

I doubt it was a strict TWO MINUTES it was probably more like a couple or a few, meaning anywhere from a couple to minutes to five or ten minutes.
I think it depends on each snake.
I handle each of my snakes as often as possible. Probably at least every other day. With some it is just get them out, hold them for a couple of minutes and put them back. A few are a little more hyper so I will hold them until they calm down.
With your black rat the best thing to do is handle it until it calms down and a few minutes longer.
If you are worried you are stressing it do this every other day instead of every day.
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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"resistance is futile"
Jimmy (draybar)

Draybars Snakes

that he would handle the snake 2 minutes after it calmed down. That, to me, wouldn't be long enough. What I did for my snakes that were flighty and such was I would hold them a little firmer when they were tryin to run away and such, then realease while they were good. This worked well, except for my blue beauty. she learned to calm down so i'd let go, crawl out along my arm, then try to fall off the side. so i justp ut my hand under to catch her.

However, I agree that by doing what you are, you are merely enforcing the bad behavior. Keep it out until its calm, then after a few minutes of being calm THEN let it go back home

my BRS was very flightly, however never struck at me, when i got him... now he always comes up to me when i go to open his cage and crawls right up on my arm.
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-Chris

0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat
1.0 Black Rat
0.1 Vietnamese Blue Beauty
1.0 Green Tree Python
0.1 Texas Bairds Rat

The educated are the few. The uneducated are the masses.

North American Rat / Corn Snake Care Sheet

Thanks for the input. It all seem pretty useful, and I'm definitely going to switch up my strategy. I'd really like to get my black rat to willingly crawl up my arm at some point.