Nippy Spotted Python hatchling

[Amby_Purr]

Just wondering if I could get some feedback on when your spotted hatchling stopped nipping, or became more placid....

 

[Aiigaru]

They usually calm down as they age. The bigger they are, the less they fear (or the harder they bite ). I have a monster at the moment who is six months old. I definitely hope he calms down soon lol

 

[bulionz]

i have two adult childreni house'd together and the female is snappy on the occasion but the male is fine.

the female hasn't changed 1 bit since iv'e had her witch is 2 years i beleave.
pritty useless post but owell.

 

[eitak]

My spotted was a lil nippy when he was a hatchie, nothing crazy though) but with regular handling he has become soooo calm. He is 2 and a half and in the last two years has bitten once. Only because my mum stuck her hand in the enclosure to move a mouse she had put in there - not the wisest move

 

[Amby_Purr]

oh no!!!....lol I'm really hoping my little guy settles down - I really want to enjoy his awake time - even though his bites don't hurt yet, he's still drawing blood, and it's getting annoying...lol I haven't had him very long, so I know I'm asking a bit much from him at the moment. My husband is terrified of snakes (but loves that I have one) and he keeps asking how long he'll bite for - I assure him it's something that will pass with age, but now I'm worrying too.....lol

 

[Amby_Purr]

My spotted was a lil nippy when he was a hatchie, nothing crazy though) but with regular handling he has become soooo calm. He is 2 and a half and in the last two years has bitten once. Only because my mum stuck her hand in the enclosure to move a mouse she had put in there - not the wisest move

on dear... lol yes, not the wisest idea... hehe

I had refrained from picking him up, because he was new to his environment, but then he ate a pinky no problems. So I left him 3 days to digest, and have started picking him up again.

Is it right to assume that handling him more and more is going to get him more used to being handled? or is this likely to be pushing him??

 

[Kristy_07]

I got my bredli as a small, unhandled yearling, and he was bloomed in the 3mths I've had him. Once he started to put on some size, so long as we got him out a couple of times a week, and we weren't bluffed by his tags, he has started to calm considerably. I reckon taking them for walks on the lawn or letting them climb on something interesting like the fruit bowl or indoor clothes' line helps, too. Might sound funny, but I'm sure they like it, and it gives them incentive to come out next time It might be an emotional way to view the conditioning process, but I reckon it has helped.

My female md still chucks a BIG tanty for the first 20secs, then loves being out and about. I hope she's not still doing that in 12mths

 

[nudge]

Hi Amber,

They do settle down reasonably well. The one i just lost had settled down really well after a couple of feeds and when i got her out of the enclosure today she was settled and didnt bite me at all.
Just bear with it and you will see it will settle down soon.

P.s. i got mine from the same person you got yours from, is yours from stumpy ot the other one??

 

[Kristy_07]

on dear... lol yes, not the wisest idea... hehe

I had refrained from picking him up, because he was new to his environment, but then he ate a pinky no problems. So I left him 3 days to digest, and have started picking him up again.

Is it right to assume that handling him more and more is going to get him more used to being handled? or is this likely to be pushing him??

I think you should probably try and read the snakes moods a bit to help determine this. I found a couple of times a week with my bredli and MDs at the moment is good, but my Stimmy was happy coming out everyday. I was able to determine this by how stressed they seem to be getting with each handle and what period of time. Maybe start with every third day if he's stressed and nippy, and see how you go once he's a bit bigger?

 

[razeunit]

My girl was nippy and stuck with it everyday for 15 minutes and in less than a week settled a lot. Use a snake hook if thats better for you to get him out and just ease him to your hand and maybe resist the urge to make to much movement with your other hand for a while and let him move around on you as much as you can and only use your other hand when you have too. More or less what I did initially. Seems to have worked very quickly

 

[Spot_the_mac]

my six month old spotted nipped me once when i first got her (my fault ) but never has or looked like it since

 

[Lewy]

Gday Amber,

Just let him settle in for another week or so and he will settle down after some time and with some good feeding.. You can even just feed him 2 mice once a week this normaly settles them as they are nice and full.. With all the snakes I have I almost never handle any of them and yet they are all great snakes to handle. Some will go months with out being handled and they are still great snakes to handle when the day comes lol

Every one has there own opinion on what is right and wrong but IMO less handling = great snake

Lewy

 

[hazza]

yer my childreni is a bit like that aswell?

 

[Amby_Purr]

P.s. i got mine from the same person you got yours from, is yours from stumpy ot the other one??

Hi Nudge, I honestly can't remember...lol but either way, they were both lovely creatures...

Lewy, Yes, your snakes are very lovely - and you don't handle them much?? hmmmm there really IS lots of different theories out there...

I DID however handle gavin last night - and after some innitial nipping, and lessoning the movement of my hands (which was suggested by razeunit) he settled down... I would like to try giving him some free time out and about, but I'm scared of losing him....lol Like kristy suggested, he does seem to like exploring, and I put a fake plant in his click clack, and he LOVES climbing all over it. At the moment, he has burried himself in his breeders choice substrate - I thought I had lost him!!! lol but I saw the smallest section of his back sticking out...lol I think he may be trying to get closer to his heat mat, but I have it set to 29, so hopefully it won't get too hot for him so he doesn't burn.

 

[Asharee133]

Hey, I got my spotted python over a month ago, she has never bit me, shes 5 months old nearly 6 and shes fed 5 times, i just think that you just need persistance

 

[Amby_Purr]

Some positive news... I handled my little guy for about 20min today, and he only nipped twice - once when he saw me looking at him, and the other when he saw my little boy run past... I think he's still a bit scared... I guess it'll only get better!!!