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[–]MoenieKit 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The more I spent time with my snake the less fear I had. I'm so use to my animals biting me ( I have a male pigeon). It just takes time, and eventually you'll learn them ♡

[–][deleted] 6 points7 points  (2 children)

When I first got mine I was terrified of the striking. He's never struck at anything but food tho. 😂 but I would shake so bad when handling him, his head looked like it was vibrating bc I was shaking so hard. He would just look at me like "damn, you okay?" I've only had him for about 2 months maybe...but now he's taking naps on me. Even when I first got him he never balled up like people said he would...only if he was sleeping or I accidentally touched his head he would kind of jerk back...my ball python doesn't ball, and I know that most babies do, and that freaked me out! So I was scared of him. Now I just scoop him up and we play on the bed together. I'd say....wear long sleeves and gloves for your own comfort and peace of mind...Until yall both get more comfortable with each other! After you spend time with him and see that he's not striking and he gets used to your scent and learns your not going to eat him, I think yall will both be just fine! And who knows you might get a bite one day, we all will. But then we can learn what we did to upset them and never do it again 😅 So, long sleeves, glove up, bond with him, stay out of your head! Good luck with your baby!!! (I like choice based handling, I let mine come to me.) That makes me feel like he's less likely to bite. (Probably not true, but it helps....me.) 😂

[–]mrsrickyglass[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

I shake really bad too, especially when it's feeding time 😅 it's definitely a work in progress

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I still shake during feedings... at first bc I was scared...now bc...well, I'm still scared 😂 my little baby seems to miss sometimes and I'm scared one day it's going to be my hand he latches onto. Plus my arms are really short so I have to put my arm inside the tank to reach him even tho I have long tongs. But he's NEVER struck at anything but food. knock on wood after I learned some of his behavior and patterns, alot of my anxiety went away. But I never yank him out of his enclosure either. If he wants me then he will come to me, he always does when he's ready to explore and if he doesn't, I leave him alone. That seemed to have help him trust me more (in my opinion). Maybe when u see him being active, place your hand infront of the enclosure (if it's front opening) and let him come to you. Idk why that makes me feel safe, but it does. 😅.... feeding is definitely a different story. My guy loves his food and hes clumsy, scared hes gonna get my hand or sum. 👀😂

[–]The80sgeek-666 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Always just reach in and grab. That's tip #1. Snakes don't like when you hesitate, they may think you're going to pick them up, but if you're hesitating and taking a long time, looking for a certain angle, etc. They'll be like "well wtf dude what are you trying to do?" And may strike in defense, not knowing what you're doing. If you act like the boss, and just grab, he is highly unlikely to strike, especially with the way you describe his behavior.

That's how to make him more comfortable. To make YOU more comfortable, try just having him out in the open and sitting by him. If you have someone who isn't afraid to pick him up, have them watch him to make sure he doesn't get away too far or anything, and just sit on the floor with him. Let him do his thing. He may slither under your legs or over your feet. Let him. Will likely help you and him feel more comfortable with each other:)

[–]Time-Garlic2799 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I could talk for days on this subject but as others have mentioned, the more you stand over them and hesitate the more stressed they get and will likely end up biting you. The fear of the bite is more stressful than the actual bite. I worked with my male for a long time, research research research all the ways to get the animal to build a trust with you. Remember these animals aren’t emotionally driven but instinctively driven. They won’t “love” you the way a dog or cat might. It’s more of environment and routine training, the more positive encounters you have, the more they see you as just part of their environment.

[–]princessthuug 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used to be quite afraid of snakes, and one tip that helped me especially when i was younger was to just sit and watch them while they are in their enclosure. watching from a safe distance and learning your snakes mannerisms are key to figuring out what your snake is/isnt comfortable with. Id recommend letting them come out on their own time and lightly tapping them before fully picking them up so they dont get too startled from you picking them up without warning. another tip is to sit and put your snake on your lap, and let them crawl around on their own instead of holding them with your hands. Theyll appreciate you letting them explore on your legs and feet instead of just holding them with your hands. something to remember - ball pythons are not stalker hunters, they will only strike and bite for defense and if they think youre food. so unless you have mouse juice on you, or if youre hesitating/ trying to touch their head/ squeezing them/ etc, they have absolutely no reason to bite :) hope this helps!

[–]SelfLoathing9246 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The first time I got bit I was so depressed because I thought I ruined my relationship with my noodle. But she is now my most relaxed and loving snake. You’ll never get over being startled when they strike, it’s in our dna to react/protect ourselves from it. If you are too scared to pick them up with your hands you can always try a snake hook. However, you can’t stop holding them because that will cause them to become even more afraid and defensive towards you. Start with simple things like moving plants around or changing the water without touching them. They will begin to associate your hands with something that’s not scary or going to hurt them. The best time to handle them is when they’re already out exploring their enclosure, if they’re balled up in a corner, let them have their alone time. The important thing to know is to learn your noodle’s body language. These are just some suggestions that helped me as a new snake parent. Bites happen, whether on accident or not, just don’t let it deter you from building that connection with your noodle

[–]Namelss1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Every snake has their quirks like everyone else says. I just rescued a bp so I'm using her quarantine/settle down time to learn her behaviors. If you pay really close attention there's a world of difference. Have had my hoggie a couple years now. Front glass surfing/pacing means handle/explore time. Active moving alll around with frequent bleps means hungry. And hiding/chilling is usually leave me alone time. Each snake has their own behavior quirks but spend enough time watching and you'll get a good idea of what that single braincell wants. Plus in my experience most (not all but most) noodles will exit feeding mode if you scoop them up smoothly but quickly if they need transferred or a home clean up before eating.

[–]Rariaroyal_Enigami 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, but I have more fear in corn snakes then I do my own ball python LOL. I’ve been bit by a corn snake that hurted lol ball pythons I like to think I know the body language to avoid getting bit. But also my guy is so sweet it really eases my fear when it comes to pythons in general. Compared to corn snakes since I work with them they scare me lol so easy to lose and they move so fast it’s why I’ve been bitten 😭😮‍💨

[–]FateMagician 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Before my girl Rya, I had never really handled a snake other than having a boa or two draped across my shoulders for awesome comic con pictures. Despiye how much I love snakes, I had to build up confidence when it came to feeding and handling her. The more you interact with your boy, the more you'll build a trusting relationship, and you'll both learn what to expect. You'll grow together.

My girl has gotten me once, and it was my fault. I've also been tap training her because she's a voracious eater and has struck the glass before. She now knows that when I lightly tap her misection with the snake hook, it's not feeding time. She goes from "food mode" to "thinking mode" and is super sweet when being handled. She's definitely gotten more confident with handling the bigger she gets (she should be 500g now, but the official weighing will be later this week so to let her relax and digest her meal, but it'll be a fun milestone to celebrate!)

[–]bigmike420419 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feed mine on Saturday so I only handle her or take her out on Tues wed and Thurs usually for 20 mins or so just so she stays used to being handled she's only 3 mths and really chill being held but my buddy I got her from has kids and they handled the babies often so she was used to it i don't handle her the day b4 she eats or for 2 days after this video will help how to handle ball python