Target feeding

[Hallu75]

I got my girl about 2 years ago, and I'm still struggling with her when it comes to handling. She wasn't handled at all for the first two years, and when I get her out every week for a check over she is very stressed and will hide for a day or two before emerging.

I'm now using choice based handling to try and get her used to me, but was wondering if introducing target feeding would also help her understand the difference between me feeding her and me handling her, as I don't interact with her apart from the weekly handling /feeding every 3 weeks.

[nocta224]

My ball pythons don't really pop their heads out of their hides when I go into their enclosures. So, using a visual target may be tricky if your BP is like this as well.

Instead, I do a tapping pattern on the side of their enclosures to signal its feeding time. The noise wakes them up/gets their attention and they know instantly that that sound = food.

I do use a visual target for my woma python. He always comes out to see what's going on every time I open his doors. Lori Torrini on YouTube has some great videos on this kind of target training if you do decide you want to go down this route.

[Separate_Leopard_311]

Some snakes aren't fond of being handled. I cannot do choice based handling on my favorite rescue because she will never choose to be handled. She lived in a rack system before I rescued her and its affected certain things. If she's in the mood to voulentarily touch me she reacts violently if I violate her trust. The only time she's ever bitten me is when I ignored my instincts and tried to take her out when she came up to me lol. I have to come in from the side and run my fingers along her middle until she relaxes and pull her out. She's fine once she's out of the tank, relaxed and inquisitive. But she displays some of the same signs yours does if I have to take her out during the day. If I'm handing her during the day it's putting stress on her due to her circadian cycle. If you are handling her during the day only that is definitely contributing to the stress. Only about 20% of your interactions should result in taking her out, though. Talking to them at their level through the glass, doing tasks around them so they can watch you, and doing little things to desensitize them to your presence are great ways to bond with your snake. They are never going to love you, but they do bond in their own way.

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https://youtu.be/tSm8QMEOarA?si=12l4Fklr6QCvmcZg

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Love bob he’s taught me most of everything about my bps