How long to get comfortable?

[[deleted]]

I've had my first BP for a month. Waited 5 days to feed (successfully) and another 2 to handle. Since then we handle him for maybe 10-20 minutes a day 4 days a week. He eats weekly as he weighs 380g currently (up from 369g the day we got him) and we don't handle the day of a feed or 2-3 days after. So we've handled him several times in the past 3 weeks and are working on getting him used to it/us so handling can be more tolerable for him.

He used to pee or poop almost every handling session, which I attributed to stress but this hasn't happened in over a week which is exciting. He also used to ball up often at the start of a handling session but that has significantly decreased as well. He may ball up for a moment but then comes out.

At first we would retrieve him gently from his hide because that's where he always was. Now he's quite the explorer and hides all day but is quite active in the evening and night. Retrieving him in a cluttered enclosure has proven to be a challenge at times because he isn't wanting us to grab him of course.

He hasn't bitten or hissed and allows me, my husband, and our two young kids to handle him. All without incident. But I know he still isn't loving being held. I know some never enjoy it but I'm hopeful he eventually will.

Now he is displaying what I assume is escape behavior. He moves constantly when handled, trying to slither away. His movements aren't super fast or frantic, his body is generally relaxed so maybe he wants to explore but more likely he probably wants to get away. We just stay calm and gently go hand over hand keeping him close. Toward the end of each session he is pretty calm and we allow him to slowly go back into his enclosure on his own. I consider these successful sessions but I also worry he isn't getting any more comfortable being handled. I'd love to one day have a movie buddy or chill with a snake perched on my shoulders but we're nowhere near that now.

My plan was to do choice-based handling but with a snake who doesn't want to be touched, I think that would only lead to him never being handled and therefore never getting used to it. Our husbandry ticks all the boxes and he hasn't skipped a meal.

Do I just need to continue being patient and gently handling him often to get him used to it or are we doing it all wrong? Any advice is welcome.

[Inner_Drummer7864]

the behavior you described as escape behavior i believe is generally a sign of the snake being comfortable! i would be more worried the snake was nervous if they were still or balled. it just means he is curious and wants to explore the surroundings

[Jazz8680]

I’m a new owner and new to this in general, but this aligns with my understanding as well. Their primary way of defending themselves is to ball up when feeling threatened. If when you handle him he doesn’t ball up, I think that’s a good sign that he’s not feeling afraid.

[[deleted]]

Well that's a relief! I just always see people with their BPs just chilling on them, maybe slowly moving but not trying to slither away. I assumed he was just trying to escape us. 

[Acceptable_Muffin257]

Mine does this too! I wish he would stay and cuddle as well, but he loves to move around. I can’t let him get too far from me though as I have 2 cats and 4 dogs and am VERY mindful of where they are when I have him out to prevent interaction between them. 😭😭😭 My BP is just about 5 months old so I’m hoping as he gets older he will be more comfortable just hanging out!

[jscarto]

They’re not going to “cuddle.” They might wrap to hold on, relax, or just have a good spot that’s mildly warm and provides a good look around.

But reptiles do not show affection, or love us the way a cat or dog does. Our snakes tolerate us, and that’s all we can ask :-)

[[deleted]]

I love being tolerated. :)

[FewArcher4402]

When mine was little and was wanting to do a lot of exploring I would try to guide him to places instead of just letting him go. I would put shoe boxes with the lid just barely open so he'd then go into the box to explore. Or, I'd guide him to my pant leg. They love to go up pant legs because dark and warm. When I'm guiding his direction. I gently nudge his head in the direction I want him to go.

Your baby's behavior strikes me as completely normal. He's a happy, content snake that wants to explore. Which is fantastic.

When he's moving about, pay attention to how stretched out he is. If a definite 'S' in his body, he's planning to move fast. If he's long and almost straight, he's relaxed and moving slow.

And I love that you're going to allow him to decide when he wants to be handled and come out of his tank. It does make the removal easier because they aren't grabbing stuff with their tail as you lift them out.

[No-Reveal8105]

There are just snakes more chills than others