Spotted, Wont come out.

[Bonustokin]

hey everyone,
Firstly, i would like to apologise for not giving any answers on these forums, i just dont know enough to give advise yet, sorry.

My question is, Do any of you have problems with your python hatchlings not comming out from there hide? Mine is always under the paper, and i never get to see him!

I would like to make him a good handler, but i seem to be upsetting him everytime i go to lift the paper off him. Do i keep doing this? or is better the get him when he is out and about? ( but that never happens) please give some advice guys.... Im getting frustrated because im not sure if im doing the correct thing. Cheers.

[SamMamba]

hi there i have a bredli hatchlin that neva coms out of his log which is in the heat side so wen i want 2 handle him i just pick up log an take him outside an he coms out an is fine, until u try puttin him back in his tub

[pugsly]

Maccies and other childrens sp love to hide under newspaper, if you really want to see him then put breeders choice in there so he cant hide under it but you s to provide him with a hide box which he will be in anyway lol. Maccies arent the best species for a display or handlable snake, i think ya need another one! hehe. Get a carpet there always out and generally easy to handle.

[Bonustokin]

oh no, dont tell me that.... i cant afford another one.... i was told they are good handlers.... damn...

[Kersten]

No need to apologise Bonus, no one expects you to offer advice, and if you're not sure then it's always best to ask for it rather than give it anyway

I'ts normal for any snake to want to hide, but hatchies are prone to it even more as they're such teeny, vulnerable little things. Everyhing outside their hide just seems huge and scary to them and anything that breathes and is bigger than them is seen as a predator. Imagine what you would look like to your hatchy! I understand that you want him to be used to you, but it'll take some time for him to get there. The main thing to do is make sure that he isn't in what he percieves to be an open environment-in other words, don't have him in an enclosure which is clear around all sides, and also one that isn't really big. Make sure he has lots of small hides, they like to be squished up and surrounded compeltely when they hide, that's why they like hiding under paper so much. As for the handling...well that will be a while in the making. The important thing is not to force the issue. Just handle him in a way that lets him know you aren't there to eat him (so keep him away from your face and resist the urge to grip him tightly) and if he seems distressed stil then let him go. He'll get used to you in the end....once he knows you wont hurt him.

Whoever told you they are good handlers probably hasn't had a problem with them himself. I find Antaresia in general to be snappier as juvies than carpets. But that's not to say that your little man wont become comfortable with you, just don't give up on him yet :wink:

[pugsly]

All my maccies and childreni calmed down after a few months so dont stress, use a hook to get them out of there enclosure and then put him onto your hands, but dont do it every day or you will stress it right out, I did this once a week for a couple of months he went from an absolute psycho to eating a mouse out of my hand, no strike just slides up and opens his mouth lol.

Goodluck

[Bonustokin]

ok, great, thats some better news for me.. phew..... does anyone have a pic of a homemade hook?

[Mangles]

My Stimmie hatchling mostly hid in his hides for the first 6-12 months, but he is over a year old now and except for after he has eaten or is in a shed cycle is out and about once the sun goes down every evening climbing on everything. Mine is a good handler, but every snake is different. Just give it time and be patient.

I also have yearling carpets, and they are also good handlers, but still only very rarely do they come out of their hides. I usually have to get up in the middle of the night when the house is in total darkness to be able see them, but hopefully as they get older and bigger will come out more, but again this depends on the snake.

[Bonustokin]

Okey, well maybe the enclosure is too big.... i will make a smaller one today.

[Sdaji]

Snakes don't really like being handled, but Spotted Pythons generally tolerate it well. Most of the ones I've bred are calm right from the start, I have had very few snappy ones (I'm not sure what you mean by him getting 'upset', do you mean he just sort of seems unhappy? Does he try to bite you? Does he flee in terror?) and none which have stayed snappy after about two or three months of age. Pythons of all ages and species spend a lot of time hiding, but I've found that if they're in an enclosure they like, juveniles will move around as much as adults. Keep in mind that Children's Pythons (all types) are nocturnal, I've never heard of a wild individual being seen active during the day, if it does happen, it's unusual.

And don't be at all sorry for not responding to questions! We get so many posts along the lines of "I'm sure someone else can help you, sorry I can't" and "I really have no idea at all, but I suggest...." worse still, we get people who know nothing dispensing advice like they're veteran herps. Too many people don't understand that it's often better to say nothing, which is one of the most common causes of annoyance around here (okay, I probably fit into that category, shoot/flame/stone me now).

[Bonustokin]

ok thanks Sdaji, when i say "upset" i mean, by the time iv taken his water bowl , logs and hides off the paper, so i can lift it to get him, hes a bit angry..... this makes me not want to pick him up, also the fact that he hasnt biten me yet, so im still jumpy coz i dont know what it feels like. He has striked, but hasnt hit me. I think i will justhave to fireup and take it on later today, when i get a new container for him, and while iv got him out ill put him in it. also, when do u handle your snakes? at night? or day?

[Sdaji]

How do you know he is upset? Is it just the striking? If you're nervous and hesitant picking him up, you'll likely induce defensive behaviour. I don't believe they can 'smell fear' or sense that you're scared, but if you're scared, you'll hesitate, which means your hand is shaking and likely this will happen while it's near the snake. The snake sees a shaking monster waving around just above it, which really frightens them. I think if you're going to be handling snakes, you either need to make absolutely sure that the snake won't bite you, or accept that you might get bitten, and if you do, it's not a big deal, it's something you're content to take. I think confidence is very important when handling snakes, for their sake. A small Children's Python bite isn't going to hurt, and that's something you need to understand and be comfortable with. When handling hatchlings snakes, it's common to be repeatedly bitten. I've handled hatchling carpets and been bitten non stop, taking dozens of bites in a row, but they're so tiny, it doesn't bother you.

When I was selling babies from one of my first clutches of snakes, I had someone really nervous come over to buy their first snake, they were really nervous and kept waving their hand in front of snakes' faces, I kept telling him not to, he kept doing it, finally one of the tiny little snakes bit him, he completely freaked out and immediately whipped his hand back, fortunately I wasn't holding the snake firmly, so it wasn't ripped in half, but its teeth caught in the guy's hand firmly enough to hang on, the tiny little snake went flying across the room. I'm extremely cautious around nervous people now!

If you're going to handle, I suggest going in boldly and acting like you don't care if you get bitten. If you do get bitten at this stage, you'll find that you actually won't care if it happens again... until the snake is larger

Bonustokin... maybe it would be a good idea to avoid handling him too much while he is so young and wait until he's grown a bit more and has calmed down... I don't think its a good idea to continue handling young animals especially when they get very aggitated, defensive and stressed..

[Sdaji]

Sorry Bonus, I missed your question. I don't handle my snakes often at all, most of them only come out a couple of times a year, none get handled more than every couple of months. If they're to come out, it's usually either for pictures, which is usually during the day, or whenever I feel like it, which is probably most often at night.

[Bonustokin]

yea i would have to agree Sdaji, im just a little unsure and nervous.... and thats exactly what my hand does (shakes).... ill just have to grow some balls and reach straight in and gentaly grab him. thanks guys.