handling pet python?

Question

Can someone please give me any advice on handling my pet spotted python? Every time i attempt to pick him up he strikes and somtimes bites is there a particular way you should pick them up initially? Will it stop being so aggressive or have i choose the most aggressive in the store? He is about 10 months old and i have had him for about a week. Is it true they are calmer when they are cold?

Answer 1

Here's what you do:

Leave him COMPLETELY alone for one full week. Make sure his environment is set up correctly and that he has two hides in his cage, one on the warm side and one on the cool side. The cage should not be too large, and the hides should be small enough so that he can feel the sides against him when he's inside.

Right now your snake is stressed because he is in a new environment. He needs to get used to his new surroundings, and when a potential predator keeps handling him he will do the only thing he knows how to do when confronted with a predator... hiss and strike out.

After he settles in for a week, feed him and leave him alone for another week. After that you can handle him a few minutes for only a couple times a week, then slowly increase it from there. It will also help if you can place an old t-shirt that you've recently worn in his cage so he can get used to your scent.

Don't believe the advice about feeding outside of his enclosure or dropping the temps. He's striking out at you right now because you are a threat, not because he thinks you're food. And dropping the temps will only stress him out even more and potentially give him an R.I. (Respiratory infection).

Good luck!

Answer 2

Make sure you are not feeding him in the same cage that he is housed in. If that is the case, feed him in another enclosure or else he will continue to associate your warm-blooded hand with food and will strike at you every single time you reach into the cage.

Reptiles are cold-blooded animals so lowering the temperature will make him more sluggish and slow to react. I would not suggest this however since reptiles need to be warm in order to aid their digestive systems and it's just plain mean to do so anyway. There's no reason to handicap your snake just so that you can hold it.

Also, never handle a snake for a few days after it eats. It needs to be calm, warm, and relaxed so that the digestive process goes smoothly. Stressing it out could cause health problems.

Snakes get a little cranky about a week before they shed, ESPECIALLY if their eyes are clouded over simply because that's one of their most vulnerable states. Keep that in mind.

And then some snakes are just nippy by temperament. Burmese pythons, Reticulated pythons, Brazilian Rainbow boas, etc. are known to have nasty dispositions. There's no changing them. You'll just have to adapt to what your snakes want. If he nips at you, give him some space. But keep at it. I don't know much about spotted pythons but I've never heard of them in the list of "nasty snakes". He may become more docile after he's completely acclimated to his new home.

Answer 3

Yes, they're calmer when their cold, because they have no energy, but it doesn't mean their tamer and it's cruel to chill them down just to handle them... Some pythons are bitey, especially as babies, my advice is to just keep at it. Does it bite when you initially pick it up? They can be defensive in their cage and calm down once out. Just keep handling him for around 20 minutes at a time and he'll eventually calm down. At least spotteds don't get that big so you don't have to worry about the bites that much... More an annoyance than anything. Good luck!!

Answer 4

He'll calm down over time with a lot of handling. When you pick him up don't just grab at him Instead slip your hand under his belly. If he sees you coming straight for him he might see it as a threat. You're going to get bit but that's part of it sometimes with a new snake. Also a trick that I've used before is to take and old shirt and rub it over your hands and arms to get your smell on it. Put it in his cage so he can use it as a hiding place. Then he'll be more used to your scent and it might make him a little calmer around you. They will calm down if they are cooled but that's probably not a good idea. When they are cold their metabolism slows and they can't digest food. They're body slows down to conserve energy. Kind of like when they brumate in the winter time. It's not good to just cool them so you can handle them. You could cause problems. Good luck

Answer 5

You'll just have to keep picking him up. I have a corn snake named Rose, and she used to be the most bitey snake you ever did see. Now she doesn't bite when I try to pick her up! The first time, just dive in there and grab him before he has time to think. Hold him for a while, and then put him back in. Hold him for about 10-15 minutes each about 3 or 4 times a day. He'll get used to you eventually. One of the most important things to do is NOT put him down if he bites. That way, you'll be teaching him that you'll put him down if he bites, and that's what he wants. He needs tough love. If he bites, squeeze him a bit for about 10 seconds. Not too hard, mind you, just hard enough to annoy the little bugger. Then he'll learn that if he bites, he gets squeezed, and he doesn't want that.

Another trick is to wear a shirt that you REALLY dont want for abot 48 hours straight. Gross, no? But then comes the good part. Put it in the cage. Yes. If you were doing this while reading, you fail at life, hehe. Read this first, and then try it. You'll be happier. Of course, if you're here already, then you read it, but.... I'm rambling. Anyhow, with the shirt in the cage, the snakie wants to go exporing his new hidey-place, of course. So then snake gets used to your smell, and doesn't want to eat your hand! Bam! You have a better pet. :D

Answer 6

When you get him out try using a snake hook. Most snakes after there out they calm down. A good place ot get a snake hook is here http://www.freewebs.com/bearfootinc/
some more info on a spotted python is: Spotted pythons should be kept in a well-ventilated, secure, escape-proof cage. The cage should be easy to clean & disinfect, and should not be made of a porous material that stays damp. Ideally, for the added convenience of the keeper the cage should be lightweight.


Rubbermaid boxes are the most popular cages for people who keep multiple snakes. These boxes are lightweight, easy to clean, and easy to ventilate by drilling or soldering 1/8 inch holes around the upper sides of the box.

Rubbermaid boxes are typically kept in melamine racks, with the shelf of one box serving as the 'lid' to the box below it. I use a Systems Works model M5 rack (23 ¾ L x 16 W x 35 ½ H), available at Lowe's. Only two shelves come in the main package. Extra shelves are available, two to a pack. You'll need two packs. The rack holds 5 large (No. 2221) or 10 medium Rubbermaid boxes. The rack assembles easily with a Phillips-head screwdriver. To avoid pushing the boxes too far out the back of the rack, I tack two wooden yard sticks (cut to 32 inches) vertically to the back.

Substrate

Substrate should be absorbent and non-toxic. Newspaper and aspen bedding are the two most common substrates used in snake cages. Newspaper is readily available and inexpensive, though not very aesthetically pleasing. If you use newspaper, place several layers in the cage.

I switched from newspaper to aspen bedding a couple of years ago. Aspen is very absorbent, so any water spills are usually localized. Another advantage is that aspen bedding can be easily spot-cleaned without any need to replace all the aspen at every cleaning.

Heat

Spotted pythons must have a proper thermal gradient at all times. An 86 degree basking spot should be located at one end of the cage. The rest of the cage can be at the ambient room temperature.

I use Flexwatt heat tape, three inches wide, under one end of the cage floor for the basking area. The tape is thin & flat and fits easily on the melamine racks. The heat tape is attached to the shelf with aluminum tape, which conducts some heat and provides a basking area slightly wider than the tape alone.

I use a Helix proportional thermostat to control the heat tape temperature. A dimmer switch or rheostat may be used.

Spot bulbs (40 or 50 watt) in reflectors make good basking sources, if you use a terrarium or similar cage. To avoid distracting the snakes with a constant bright light, use red bulbs or moonglow night bulbs.

Water

Fresh, clean water should be available at all times. I use a 5-inch diameter ceramic crock water bowl. It's heavy and smooth on the outside, with no 'lip' the snake can catch in its coils and spill. Keep the bowl half to two-thirds full. Check the water regularly and clean the bowl often.


Feeding

Spotted pythons normally feed readily on appropriately sized mice or rats. I feed younger pythons (less than 18 months old) every 5 to 7 days, older pythons (18 months +) every 7 to 10 days and adults (2 years and over) every 10 days.


I feed frozen/thawed mice or rats to all snakes that accept dead rodents. Frozen rodents are much more convenient and are cheaper than live rodents at the local pet shop. Live rodents can and do injure snakes who aren't interested in feeding. For a full discussion of the live vs. dead prey issue, see Peter Kahl's Frozen VS Live Prey.

There are two occasions when my spotted pythons may not eat:

· during a shed cycle

· at the onset of the breeding season, typically late fall


This refusal to eat is perfectly normal and nothing to be concerned with. After a shed, and when the breeding season is over, they resume feeding.

Hatchling spotted pythons often take some time to get started eating. Many breeders don't even attempt to feed them until they're six to eight weeks old. Keep this in mind when purchasing a spotted python. To avoid feeding problems associated with hatchlings, you're typically better off purchasing a snake that's three or more months old.

Answer 7

snakes are cold blooded and will decrease activity when they are cold...until you get him used to being held and you getting him out, put a blanked on him(especially over him head) and just pick him up. Usually they are not as aggressive after they are being held..that is how Me and my friends always handle an unfamiliar snake or an aggressive one.. I used to be part of a snake rescue group and have done it many times. also try not to feed him in the enclosure he is kept in..I always fed mine in seperated enclosures so as to not get them used to food dropping in their homes....

Answer 8

You won't be able to tame him unless he has a very calm atmosphere, make sure he has a very large vivarium and its very well heated. Then when you attempt to pick him up, make sure you don't move in too fast or he will feel threatened, and also make sure he is fed or he might just want to eat something!!

Hope this helps.

Edit: They are more dosile when they are cold but it really isn't healthy for them to be cold, you could end up messing him up!

Answer 9

you might want to try being calmer when approaching your pet snake they can sense unrest and take full advantage of it so relax and enjoy him they do make wonderful pets i had a Burmese python for 10 years even after she bit me in my face !!! (it was all my fault)

Answer 10

He may be striking at you because he realizes that when his cage is opened that food is coming... you could try putting him in a seperate box for feeding. Some pet stores and zoos use that technique, a large plastic box or bucket. And then while he is eating you could clean his cage.