hissy fits

[bellachaos]

howdy all,
can some one tell me why my six year old Murry darling male hisses at me? he is quite new to my home but ive had a fair bit to do with snakes and ive never been hissed at before. he only does it when i handle him and im the only one who picks him up. ive picked the brains of a couple of others with snakes and they have said its nothing but everything i have seen on the internet says that its a warning, a 'leave me alone' but i thought id ask you all to settle the debate
thanks for your time,
bella :?

 

[Slytherin]

My little MD hissed at me once when he was stressed and didn't want me handling him. He hasn't done it since and is such a placid thing.

 

[mysnakesau]

Are you sure he is hissing or is he just breathing heavy. I use to think mine was hissy but when I had her out when a friend was over he was not worried about it and said she was just letting out a heavy breath here and there. Captive snakes don't get as much exercise as wildies so when they are let out for a roam maybe they are unfit. On the other hand if he is hissing and it gets louder every time you touch him and maybe as well as him trying to get away from you, maybe that is asking you to leave him be. Snakes tolerate handling but doesn't mean they like it. So anything longer than a short while can get a bit much for them.

 

[slim6y]

Quite new to the home would be the only clue I'd see there.

I have a male coastal who last winter decided he'd hiss and strike and be full of hatred towards me and humans - which I found surprising - he was the most placid adorable snake I had ever met prior to that.

Now he's outside and hardly ever approached - but... When I do, he no longer hisses - but... instead when I go to take him for his walks - he struggles and strops around so it makes him near on impossible to get out of his cage!

He's a right royal pain in the butt... Though, he's fine when he's out until you go to put him back in his cage again.

Don't know if that helped - or entertained you... But hopefully your MD will calm over time.

 

[disasterpiece7.0]

I get hissed at quite frequently. My jungles prefer just to bite, but my coastals prefer to hiss and are generally pretty reluctant to bite. It seems to be just their way of saying "I don't wanna bite you, but I can and will if you don't bugger off!"

 

[Wench]

my spotted hisses at me if i touch him.
or if i look at him while hes eatting.

he doens't like being handled though.. and no matter how much ive been told to "just keep handling" he hates it.

some snakes dont like being touched whereas others can be placid as.

have u let him settle in and stuff properly b4 handling him???

 

[BrownHash]

My SW carpet hisses occasionally, but she is still getting use to being handled. She normally does it when she wants to be left alone, like when I try to detach her from my arm before I put her back in her enclosure. She will be quite happy to sit wound around my wrist, but as soon as I start to unwind her she will let out a hiss.

 

[daniel0]

I have a 3 and half meter olive that hisses when she is picked up but she never bites and still continues to hiss when she is out but she is the most lovely snake who has never even attempted to strike or bite i think she is just expressing herself

 

[andyh]

they can sometimes use the hiss (mouth closed) as a way of getting a better "smell" of the things around them. My Olive used to do it if she had`nt been out for a while.

 

[bellachaos]

thanks all for the entertaining and informative replies, i hope he is just unfit lol, ill get him a steeper log to climb