Reptile & Amphibian Forums

how often does everyone handle their snakes? i recently purchased a blue beauty about 6 weeks old right now and i want her to be very mellow being that they develop some attitude. I hold her at least once every day, how much will holding play in with a rats tempermant? Im fairly new with rats, i had two russian rats when i was younger and they were angels, i wanna my blue beauty to be the same, whats your thoughts?

By holding your snake each day, you are habituating your snake to you. You snake learns that you are not a threat, and therefore it needs to do nothing if you pick him up. Some snakes learn this more quickly then others. Some never learn to do this at all. By holding the snake each day, you should get very good results.

A word of caution, don’t handle your snake for 24 to 48 hours after feeding, or when its eyes have turned blue just before a shed. In the former, it could cause the snake to regurgitate its meal, and in the latter, the snake is almost blind and wants to be left alone.

yea i always wait at least a day after they eat, thanks for the input

I have a baby Leucistic Texas Rat and she was aggressive when I got her, not much to worry about though because she is so small. All of my snakes are notorious for being aggressive and she was not really that bad. Actually she never bit me before yesterday. I usually hold her every other day at the least, and again she is a baby. I was out of town for four days, her lights and heat are on a timer so she had absolutely no human contact the time I was gone. When I got back last night the first thing I did was go in and hold all my snakes. They all seem to remember me, or at least tolerate me when they haven't been held in some time. She on the other hand went nuts. I held her and she must have bitten my twenty times before she calmed down. At one point I was laughing so hard I nearly dropped her. She was striking at my face, my hands, anything that she could see moving. I held her for a few minutes and got her calmed down and really didn't want to stress her all that much and put her back. Today she was better, not like she was when I left but better. I think Rats have one of the shorter memories when it comes to human interaction. Anyway, slow forum, thought I'd share. Eric-

0.1 JCP
0.1 Blood Python
1.0 Mangrove Snake
0.1 Leucistic Texas Rat

I have 1.1 cave dwellers and let me tell you, this pair is fiesty! I get bit or musked every time I attempt to pick the male up. I can hold him for 2 hours and he constantly tries to take my nose off. I gear up now before handling him with a long sleeve shirt and aviator gloves because I was tired of looking like I got into a fight with a pin cushion. the female is a little better but still bitey. She is more of a musker. Anyway, with asian rats you can expect a little attitude. The only ones I have ever owned that never bit me were my Taiwans...

how about when they were hatchlings? Mine blue beauty is only about 6 weeks right now and shes really not bad at all, shes never musked or nething, i got bitten once when i was feeding her thats it and when i take her out to hold her its not really any trouble, so im really hoping she will be use to me when she gets bigger