Taming Hatchlings

[SnakeWrangler]

Hey everyone,

Just wondering if anyone can give me some tips for taming a very "touchy" hatchling coastal, she has never bitten me but whenever I go near her she gets into strike position. I can hook her out with a coat hanger but even then you have to be very very slow when moving and you cannot even think of putting the slightest bit of restraint on her or she goes ballistic trying to get away. I know this can be common with hatchlings so I am just wondering what can be done to calm her down.

Jake, my male coastal is a dream to handle, I can do almost anything with him and he is fine. He investigates everything and is just a "friendlier" snake.

By the way, both of them ate today, Jake wacked down another 2 fuzzy mice without hesitation. The female hasn't been interested in eating very much at all, in fact she has only eaten for me once about 11 days ago and and then it was only 1 small fuzzy, today I offered her two live pinkies and she loved them, went absolutely crazy over them. The only reason I fed her live and will probably for the next few feeds is because she came to me slightly underweight and I want to build her up a bit, then I will probably ween her from live pinky mice to thawed fuzzy rats, I have read that it is hard to change their diet, is this true? I don't think Jake will have a problem changing but the female might be a different story.

Cheers.

[sxereturn]

1. Don't be scared, getting bit doesn't hurt, just reach in and pick it up. They can sense if you are nervous.

2. Handle it deliberatly. A friend of mine grabs his hatchlings behind the head for 5-10 seconds everytime they bite. Works wonders...but don't do this if you are not comfortable with head-restraining, you could break their neck.

Don't use gloves/hooks etc...get it used to your smell. And remember, getting bit doesn't hurt!

[Blue_Streak]

I am having problems with my hatchling to, it used to be fantastic then ane vent happend, whoch i solved, and i had to basiclly drag the snake out totally against his will for its saftey, that was about 2 and something weeks ago, and now when ever i walk past the enclosure it snaps at the glass, and even handling it is bad, it is constantly biting, it doesnt even rest it finds my arm, (cause i where gloves) and it just savagly bites, my arm looks like its just been used as a pin cushion, and i try to just keep handling it, but it just doesnt stop, and it doesn hurt its like being jabbed by a hundred needles,

will it always be like this, i might have to sell it and my enclosure and give up snakes cause my parents are freaked, and they bought me one and all because a friend of the family had one, before he moved and it was tame and awesome.

is there anything i can do?

[sxereturn]

Yeah, keep handling it. It will calm down.

[Blue_Streak]

is it possible for a snake to hate u? like hate humans altogether, cause im like running out of blood

[jimmy_the_kid]

mine got me tonight and it has been about two weeks since he even tried to bite me but being a coastle hes is always in strike possision at night when i open the door but he has never actually striked till tonight and he got me i could feel it a lot more than when he bit me 2 weeks ago but it still dident hurt alot it just stuns you for a second so im kinda saying she will be more slugish durring the day but i dont know if is a good idear to only handle hert at night or at day wat time of day r u handling her

[sxereturn]

Some snakes never get comfortable being handled, but it is very rare. I've yet to come across a wild Coastal I can not pick up and free handle...it's all about how you do it. Be calm, deliberate and let them move and they are fine...

[ether]

Yeh my Bredli was a bit of nut when i walked passed the cage or turned on a light but now she is great! (just had her out a few mins ago) everyone kept telling me that it will calm down but i never really used to believe it. But believe me it does!

Mine is almost 5 months old and it bit me a few weeks ago and it didnt even draw blood. Do some snakes have different sized teeth? By the wat its a bredli.

Regards Ether

[dobermanmick]

but being a coastle hes is always in strike possision at night when i open the door

Interesting for you to say that Jimmy as my coastals are so placid they just want to slide all over you and never have they been in strike position when i have gotten them out they actually just come out and onto my hand if it is in front of them(SXE I am not saying they are Tame ) just not agressive in the least

[Bryony]

i got my 2 murrays last night and they are lovley, haven't struck (yet) and like curling up in my hand (mayby i'm just fortunent)

[jimmy_the_kid]

yeah i ment being a nocturnal snake and his favorite basking spot is right next to the door and he is only like that when i open the door

[dobermanmick]

I am not doubting you Jimmy just different snakes i suppose my murray is more like that he dosent actually strike at me but he got a bit irritated last week when he had just shed and assumed the strike pose but settled down once he had something to eat it had been 2 weeks since he ate maybe he was hungry

[SnakeWrangler]

Jake, my male is awesome, he gets a bit jumpy when I first grab him but he is ok immediately once he is on my hand. I never try to restrain their bodies but if the gap between my fingers is too small when she tries to go through she freaks out, Jake likes it I think, I can literally rub his sides and he does very light constrictions like it "tickles", I don't know what is wrong with her, I will not give up, like I said she never actually bites, it just looks like she is thinking about it. At least I will gain some experience in "taming" an upset hatchling.

Interesting point about them curling up in your hand Bryony, Jake loves to do this but my female won't have a bar of it, she will however always rather be on my hand than on the grass and stuff, once out of the enclosure she has no problems with me picking her up it is just when I get her out of the enclosure initially, she also always goes into her hide whenever I get too close to the enclosure, but out of the enclosure if she is down on the ground she deliberately comes over to me and tries to get on me. I think she will calm down, how often do you think I should handle her to calm her down without stressing her too much?

Jimmy, I usually handle them during the day, but I have had Jake out at night aswell, he has the same temperament every time I get him out so I don't think time of the day would be an issue.

Thanks for the replies, I guess I am lucky enough to get 2 snakes with completely different "personalities", cheers.

[jimmy_the_kid]

my monty sounds just like ur jake almost identical

[SnakeWrangler]

Cool, Lucky you.

Have you posted a pic of him here anywhere yet?