Spotted python handling

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Niitro

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I have a spotted python and everytime I go in to handle him he just seems to want to get away. When I lift up his hide and go to pick him up he just squirms and goes back into a hide. He is around a year old and the guy I baught him off didn't handle him much and I think that's why he does this. Any tips would be helpful ;)
 
Leave him alone. He's stressed and doesn't want to be picked up.
 
How long have you had him? Did you let him settle in before trying to handle him? You do realise snakes aren't puppies and you are a predator from his tiny point of view?

Lots of snakes don't 'willingly' come out to be held, my spotted doesn't and never has, but you have to make getting them out as little stress for them as possible and that comes with experience and spending time with more experienced handlers and seeing how they do it.
 
I have had him around a month now, I left him a week-2 weeks to settle in before trying to handle him. Yes I realise he is a reptile and deserves respect but I still want to try to tame him so that when I want to handle him I can.


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I have had him around a month now, I left him a week-2 weeks to settle in before trying to handle him. Yes I realise he is a reptile and deserves respect but I still want to try to tame him so that when I want to handle him I can.


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You will never be able to tame him.
Reptiles just don't have the same brain function that animals like dogs do.
You can only work to have him tolerate you and even then that's not really a guarantee.
 
When it comes to reptiles, it is literally the luck of the draw. As the above poster said there isn't really a way to tame a snake as they basically mainly work of instinct. Because spottys are so small everything looks like a massive threat, so to him he's getting all freaked out because so you're huge and he doesn't want to die or get eaten.

He may gain more confidance as he gets older but at the moment, if he just stresses when you go near him it's probably best to just leave him be. You need work around the snake and how it's feeling, you can't train or force them to like being held.

That being said, snakes don't really like things, they just tolerate them, except food LOL. For example, my little stimson doesn't mind coming out every few weeks, but I don't get him out all the time because he is so little. My Darwin python though is always coming out when I open her tank up. I just lift lid, wake her up so she knows the lid is off and then I leave her to her own devices for awhile.

You must also remember that snakes have their own personalities. Some snakes will tolerate being handled and things, some will just never like it no matter what you do, and there isn't too much you can do about it. I don't think that him not being handled before you got him would have contributed to it though. People who breed snakes rarely spend special snake time with any of their hatch-lings, because there's simply too many of them.

Might just have to wait and see what he does when hes older. :)
 
I know what you mean, and I realise they are not dogs as I stated before if you read what I wrote. I will just have to work with him more and let him get used to me.

also messenoire, may I just say you seem to be very negative, I know your just trying to help but lighten up a bit mate, were all Aussies here :)
 
One thing you can try if you must insist, is get another little box or something for him to hide in, get him out sit on the couch put on some tv and let him hide in the box with you on the couch. He may come out on his own or he might just stay there.

As for people being negative, alot of them have been here for years and years and have come across all kinds of people who just wont accept help or anything, so they can be a bit blunt. Which is fair enough. Don't worry about it :)
 
1 of the other ways you could get him more used to handling is to get a small snake hook and lift him/her from the tank with that instead of reaching in and trying with your hands, can you imagine how terrifying it must be to a little spottie to have some giant hand reaching in to grab it if not used to being handled, i have heard on here and from many other places that using a hook calms them down a great deal and usually settle within 2 weeks :) ....................Ron
 
Thanks for the advice :) although I already have been using a hook and if I didn't I think I would've been bitten a fair few times by now lol. By the way he's not a hatchling either, he is a year and a bit old :)


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Also just another question, if I were to go to handle him and he is in his hide, is it ok to pick his hide off him, as long as I do it slowly and calmly so I don't startle him?


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If hes in his hide, just lift it off. But don't grab him right away because 1: Thats what birds do. And 2: He's probably still 'sleeping' just let him wake up before you do it.
 
^^^ Another very important thing to remember, they hide under objects as a survival instinct not just for comfort, and other animals will roll these objects over to get at the little worm, so then they will just do what comes naturally and strike out, i have had my spotties for a couple of years now and even though they are used to me handling them i still tap the floor in front of their hides to announce my presence so i don't startle them when i lift the hide. :) .....................Ron
 
Thanks guys for all your help, I have handled my spottie a few times now and he has been extremely well behaved [emoji4]


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