Do snakes jump off you?

[swan91]

I got my jungle out and was handling him a bit.. letting him do whatever on me.. then he sorta went stiff and flung himself off me, like he wanted to jump off.. so i grabbed him out of instinct and he sorta exhaled.. not really a hiss, more like he was surprised that his warm tree just caught him..
is this normal? do jungles in particular have a tendency to just bail from a tree? its happened before, but somebody else had him, and i just thought they weren't supporting him right or something.. until it happened to me..
just curious..any thoughts?

 

[saximus]

I had this happen with a friend's python (the breed is still up for a little debate between Diamond or Diamond x ?) who I was trying to calm for her. She would be ok on the hook but as soon as my warm hand touched her she'd bail and jump straight off. Same thing when she was on my hand and she felt the hairs on my arm which she couldn't see and got shocked when she felt. Without seeing it in person I'd say that's all it was especially with young Jungles. They tend to be a little scared of things they aren't used to feeling

 

[hebi-nsw]

I had a hatchy do a suicide leap from a table the other day he was just to fast for me, sitting there perfectly calm then just lunged towards the edge and hit the floor he seems ok but i wonder what he was thinking.

he did the same kinda exhale your talking about i think it would be similar to getting winded.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Wait a little while and they'll be begging you to pick them up for a cuddle!

J

 

[Wild~Touch]

Young bredli have been known to take a leap, I think it could be the old flight or fight thing when feeling threatened or uncomfortable.

 

[Luohanfan]

I had my spotted do this a few times when i first got her, i agree with Bredlislave, im sure its a fight or flight thing, and this is what they do when they choose the 'flight' option..

 

[saximus]

Wait a little while and they'll be begging you to pick them up for a cuddle!

J

Jamie, are we a little upset by a certain other thread going on at the moment?

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Who? Me? Hehe... not at all! I think the jumping thing is their wanting to become pilots after some of the TV shows they see with their owners. Or it just may be that vulnerable baby snakes DON'T LIKE HUMAN CONTACT... but who could bear to even think like that???

J

 

[Waterrat]

I am just amazed how people interpret reptilian behaviour. The mind boggles!
The government should introduce a compulsory requirement - a tertiary course in animal behaviour followed by another course in human psychology before issuing licences to keep reptiles.

 

[pythrulz]

Id say he didnt want to be handled anymore I have a bredli that hisses at me when i try clean her click clak but none who have jumped of me

 

[Torah]

I had a hatchy do a suicide leap from a table the other day he was just to fast for me, sitting there perfectly calm then just lunged towards the edge and hit the floor he seems ok but i wonder what he was thinking.

he did the same kinda exhale your talking about i think it would be similar to getting winded.

mahahahahaha love your wording , made my day

 

[maanz641]

I am just amazed how people interpret reptilian behaviour. The mind boggles!
The government should introduce a compulsory requirement - a tertiary course in animal behaviour followed by another course in human psychology before issuing licences to keep reptiles.

wha ? wwho said anything about interupting them ? i believe he was asking if it was normal for them to do it

 

[Waterrat]

wha ? wwho said anything about interupting them ? i believe he was asking if it was normal for them to do it

I wrote INTERPRET not INTERRUPT.
wha ? wwho ? Interupting or interrupting?

You are a champion!

 

[shellfisch]

wha ? wwho said anything about interupting them ? i believe he was asking if it was normal for them to do it

:lol: Thats gold!

 

[Snakeluvver2]

Hey.

It's a snake, they sometimes just don't like to be handled.
I wouldn't worry at all.

It's not bailing from a tree, it's just trying to get away from the big thing that can kill and eat it (you) or it's just not comfortable being near you or humans in general.

Jannico

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Whoa it's been a fun day today... Is school back in every state???

J

wha ? wwho said anything about interupting them ? i believe he was asking if it was normal for them to do it

Just about soiled myself when I read that LOL!!!

J

 

[saximus]

lol I love days where it gets like this. It's fun reading all the veiled insults before a mod comes along and closes/deletes them

 

[Waterrat]

What's insulting about it? It's a clean fun, I am sure the mods have sense of humor.

 

[saximus]

I hope so. I enjoy reading these little arguments. I guess this one is pretty tame but I hate missing out on the ones where people get really irate

 

[swan91]

i know most of you think that coz its a jungle its frightened or trying to escape.. but he is extremely placid, and has never even been defensive.. he has never tried to bite or hiss.. i wasnt trying to do anything to him when he decided to jump, he just looked at the ground and decided to bail.. ive read up about some snakes, mainly the paradise flying snake, jumping from trees as a faster way to travel.. why slither slowly down a tree, when u can just jump and fly.. i didnt think that other snakes would do this though, snakes that dont glide.. it was just something i was curious about..yes sometimes its as a means of escape, but these snakes will jump despite provocation.. if you look at a video of a paradise flying snake about to fly, this is exactly what he did.. they sorta stretch their head out, swoop their head down, then do a 'j' shaped flip up while letting go..he had his body wrapped around my waist, and when he let go i felt a push, lie he was lunging, and he went a fair distance, well he would of if i didnt grab him.. but even after ive grabbed him he wasnt at all defensive or agressive, just his normal self, like, hmm that didnt seem to work out how i had planned.. he is quite the acrobat, and when i take him out for walks he explores everything. i think this is some sort of instinctive behaviour that aboreal snakes seem to possess.. whether it can be used as a means of escape, or just to get somewhere they want to be fast..i dunno, maybe i should do a study on it?

also i didnt want to start any fighting, or disagreements, just for people to throw some ideas around.. im no expert on snakes, im really interested by them though, and as a veterinary student i want to learn as much as i can.I dont think people need a specific 'standard' of education to own and care for an animal, you dont need a phd in animal behaviour to look after something. I am not being anthropomorphic in any way, im trying to be as objective as possible as it was just a little peculiarity i noticed, that i thought was interesting.
Just some extra info, this jungle is about 3 and a bit years old, so not a small snake to catch, i may have noticed how he jumped because of his size. also, btw, im female, to the person who called me a he.. no biggy