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In reality the psycho snakes are the most fun to handle
 
I think owning a Hatchling to Sub-Adult snake is very much like being a first time parent, you never know if you are going to get 1 that cries all night, has problems with feeding or even teething problems, but the 1 thing we mostly have in common is we don't give up, we approach every problem singularly and consistently, nothing happens overnight and sometimes it can even be 6 months or more till these problems are fixed, don't get me wrong some things never get fixed 100% but at least you can say you gave it everything you have. Sub-Adult snakes have ingrained into their DNA a survival instinct that tells them "get the hell away from that big thing" or at least try and bluff it with a tough stance and mostly ineffectual bites, please do not give up on your little 1 there is nothing to fear from the bite of a 7 month old coastal, sure there might be a little claret spilled from their tiny little teeth but nothing to worry about, i think it has to be your mind set that needs to change and stop being affraid of it, if you can't change that, well, without sounding too callous IMO you have no business owning it and should onsell it to someone that is prepared to put in the time required to soothe the savage beast. I am not trying to be a know it all but i do know that 98% of all Hatchling to Sub-Adult snakes eventually settle down, "BE PATIENT" :) .......................................Ron
 
I think owning a Hatchling to Sub-Adult snake is very much like being a first time parent, you never know if you are going to get 1 that cries all night, has problems with feeding or even teething problems, but the 1 thing we mostly have in common is we don't give up, we approach every problem singularly and consistently, nothing happens overnight and sometimes it can even be 6 months or more till these problems are fixed, don't get me wrong some things never get fixed 100% but at least you can say you gave it everything you have. Sub-Adult snakes have ingrained into their DNA a survival instinct that tells them "get the hell away from that big thing" or at least try and bluff it with a tough stance and mostly ineffectual bites, please do not give up on your little 1 there is nothing to fear from the bite of a 7 month old coastal, sure there might be a little claret spilled from their tiny little teeth but nothing to worry about, i think it has to be your mind set that needs to change and stop being affraid of it, if you can't change that, well, without sounding too callous IMO you have no business owning it and should onsell it to someone that is prepared to put in the time required to soothe the savage beast. I am not trying to be a know it all but i do know that 98% of all Hatchling to Sub-Adult snakes eventually settle down, "BE PATIENT" :) .......................................Ron


I even heard on the grapevine that a less than hospitable Bredli that nearly got a holiday to "Uncle Rons" has turned the corner and now on the way to earning itself a glowing halo........8)
 
I even heard on the grapevine that a less than hospitable Bredli that nearly got a holiday to "Uncle Rons" has turned the corner and now on the way to earning itself a glowing halo........8)

You are dead right Rob, it has surprised even me and that is saying something. This is a perfect example of never give up, my nephew has a beautiful 2 1/2 yo Bredli that was bought as a yearling from a breeder that did not handle his young 1s except to *** them or change the bedding and from day 1 my nephew experienced a whole new world of pain, this thing was the spawn of satan it lashed out at everything and everyone even lashed out at it's own tail if it seen it on the other side of a rock or something, Rob (Bart70) knows what i mean, he seen it in action at our local Herp Society meeting, it did not matter which method was used to get it out of the enclosure (hook, gloves, pillow case, towel, sherman tank) it lashed out, and not just once, this thing was like a gattling gun, i tried once and in the time it took to get it out and put it back i had 4 bite zones all bleeding profusely, Ok now you all have a histology of this spawn of satan.
Just recently this Bredli has decided that living in my nephews bedroom is not such a bad deal after all and has become manageable, it still stikes out occasionaly but with none of the fury which is previously possessed ( i think "possessed" is a good word for it lol) and is well on the way to congeniality, this just goes to show all that it is never really too late for your snappy charge to get it's halo (as Rob said). Patience, Patience, Patience :) .........................Ron
 
You are dead right Rob, it has surprised even me and that is saying something. This is a perfect example of never give up, my nephew has a beautiful 2 1/2 yo Bredli that was bought as a yearling from a breeder that did not handle his young 1s except to *** them or change the bedding and from day 1 my nephew experienced a whole new world of pain, this thing was the spawn of satan it lashed out at everything and everyone even lashed out at it's own tail if it seen it on the other side of a rock or something, Rob (Bart70) knows what i mean, he seen it in action at our local Herp Society meeting, it did not matter which method was used to get it out of the enclosure (hook, gloves, pillow case, towel, sherman tank) it lashed out, and not just once, this thing was like a gattling gun, i tried once and in the time it took to get it out and put it back i had 4 bite zones all bleeding profusely, Ok now you all have a histology of this spawn of satan.
Just recently this Bredli has decided that living in my nephews bedroom is not such a bad deal after all and has become manageable, it still stikes out occasionaly but with none of the fury which is previously possessed ( i think "possessed" is a good word for it lol) and is well on the way to congeniality, this just goes to show all that it is never really too late for your snappy charge to get it's halo (as Rob said). Patience, Patience, Patience :) .........................Ron


I still reckon it was the threat of a holiday with "Uncle Ron" that did it......:lol:
 
And besides there is no such thing as a hand tamed or reared snake.......birds yes.

I now have three womas....the first two no probs but my recent addition as of 2 weeks ago, albeit she is only 6 months old has a fiery temperament. Will this deter me or put me off? Nope, not a chance. The challenge has been presented and I think that's what some of us reptile keepers enjoy is the ability to gain the trust of our animals to make them better, not necessarily ideal handlers.
 
And besides there is no such thing as a hand tamed or reared snake.......birds yes.

I now have three womas....the first two no probs but my recent addition as of 2 weeks ago, albeit she is only 6 months old has a fiery temperament. Will this deter me or put me off? Nope, not a chance. The challenge has been presented and I think that's what some of us reptile keepers enjoy is the ability to gain the trust of our animals to make them better, not necessarily ideal handlers.
Im with you. What's a hand tamed snake?!!!
 
A hand tame snake is my bredli I got here, he is an absolute Angel

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Does he sit and shake hands? I'm not trying to be nasty, but come on!
My bad.... Ima pull my head in!! Sorry to the OP. Good luck with your hand tamed centralian;)
 
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I can kiss him, I can put his head in my mouth, I can grab his head, I can pick him up and touch him when he has food in his Cage without him striking or biting me. He really is a good boy

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I can kiss him, I can put his head in my mouth, I can grab his head, I can pick him up and touch him when he has food in his Cage without him striking or biting me. He really is a good boy

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I can do that with my juvenile children's python, but that also hasn't stopped him from snapping at me on occasion, or my 7 year old childrens python who has never bitten until recently when being handled.
You should never fully trust a snake, as docile as or they might be, you should always treat them carefully, respectfully and unpredictably, it's only over time that snakes, including new snakes and hatchies, become used to being handled and being able to tolerate being handled, it's in their survival nature to protect itself from the big scary hands that come close.
 
I have three swcp.
1 from the last 3 seasons.
1st baby who's now over 2 was never aggressive and never bit just very flighty.
2nd carpet who's now over 1, wa she first snake to ever bite me and was a shock cause he never bit when I previously held him where I bought him from.
He was a pain but with daily Handling and trying different techniques he's now calm, not 100% trusty worthy like my big boy but soon enough.
3rd carpet I bought less than a month ago, he's not as aggressive as number two was but will still bite anything moving around his face.
I'm trying the feeding box just as a personal experiment.

But at the end of the day, just chill out talk sense into your self then jump in the deep end.
I actually find it more rewarding watching a python relax and become comfortable around you than just a chilled animal who's never been aggressive.
 
I can kiss him, I can put his head in my mouth, I can grab his head, I can pick him up and touch him when he has food in his Cage without him striking or biting me. He really is a good boy

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Then maybe just be happy with him:D If he likes going in your mouth, and getting kissed and getting annoyed when he is feeding, then he's obviously a cruzy duuuude. Good luck. Sorry to have wasted your time/thread time! Cheers;D
 
To the ppl that had snappy snakes that are now placid

Hi guys, how long did it take for your snake to stop biting, how often did u get it out and how often? And what did u do when it was out?

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my jungle was very snappy wen i got him as a hatchie, i would pull him out without hesitating and just sit still and hold him for 5-10 mins a few times a week. he sometimes would strike especially if i moved so i just sat still. after a few weeks i started letting him explore me by climbing over me, up my arm ect.

once he started to improve i started holding him for 10-20 min and more frequently. and he is great now.

best to start off with short periods of time holding and only a few times a week.
 
Had a hatchie that was rather snappy and I followed pretty much what SaintAnger posted. Is now pretty calm and rarely has a go these days.
Be warned though. I've had two Snakes who had never bitten have a go after 8-9 months. A lot bigger than when I first got them. You can never truely trust that they wont bite.
Haven't had a go since though. Not sure what set them off to be honest.
 
Most of my hatchies, a couple of weeks. In saying that I had a pair of water pythons that made no progress while i owned them (around 8 months) until i had to get out of tge hobby. I was happy to see them go. Its a thing individual to each snake. They are like children, you need to be patient and repetitive.

All i did, i just picked them up with no hesitation with my hands. I have never used a hook, pillow case, gloves etc once the where out i just let them cruise around always when i needed to move them, touch from underneath and let them come to the hand. I didnt have them out for a long period of minutes a day. Did i get biten? Yes. Not as often as i thought i would. Did it hurt? No, sometimes i dud realise i hadnt been biten until after i had put them back. When it comes down to it they are snakes, you will get biten.
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I think some people should keep plush toys rather than living reptiles.

A snake is a snake, all snakes can bite, snakes don't like being handled, snakes aren't puppies.

If you don't want to be bitten don't handle it.
 
My Jungle hatchling Caine was quite the mini chainsaw to start with at four months old. Though it's to be expected of a hatchling, they're scared of pretty much anything bigger than what they are. He calmed right down within a week or two of handling, with daily sessions lasting from three to fifteen minutes, not including the day and day after a feed of course. From ten bites in one session to none, I certainly wasn't expecting him to be such a great handler in such a short frame of time. However, I do admit I wasn't confident in handling him to start with, as he was flighty and bitey at the same time. After the first bite, I realized it didn't hurt half as much as I imagined, the family cat bites heaps harder than what Caine does, and that's when she's in a playful mood!

I think confidence has a factor in how well a snake responds to being handled. I wasn't confident in handling Caine when I first obtained him, as I didn't want to hurt him or stress the little guy too much. He's only attempted to bite once since he calmed, and it was purely my fault, I startled him when changing the water, as he had milky eyes due to an upcoming shed. He isn't the best handler out of our three hatchlings (always on the move!), though he's come a long way. :)
 
I think some people should keep plush toys rather than living reptiles.

A snake is a snake, all snakes can bite, snakes don't like being handled, snakes aren't puppies.

If you don't want to be bitten don't handle it.

Interesting comment that snakes are not puppies
lot more reports and hospitilisations because of dog bites than snake bites

all animals can bite
but all animals that trust their owner choose not to bite
and some snakes definitely dont mind handling at all
 
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