Snake Handling Tips & Techniques

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Have you tried the cardboard or paper technique described by Simon Stone in his articles? This works wonders on womas and flighty hatchlings. You hold a piece of paper or cardboard over their head. They look at this and as their tiny brains wonder what to do about it, you come in underneath and scoop them up with your other hand. The paper is not a threat and not a hand, so no strikes at it. Then they are out of the enclosure and the tough part is done. With the woma, just sit there and let it explore your flat hand/lap. I use a hook for initial contact for some of my carpets when getting them out of the enclosure and then get my hands in - cuts down on the tags because a sudden hand can be frightening. I have used a bag when I'm going to bag a snake and have never been struck at that way, but never thought to use it as a handling technique. I'll have to keep that one in mind. I don't always have a bag, but there's usually a piece of paper or similar around.
 
The bags were not my idea
Taught to me years ago
Most Asian venomous snake handlers use exactly the same method while training snakes
and they cant afford to ever get bitten

Unlike most people on here it seems, I NEVER expect a trained snake to even attempt to bite
If one shows even the slightest impulse or indication to bite I am actively looking for the reason why
After a maximum of four months gentle handling all of our adult wild caughts can be safely handled by any stranger
Young ones take a maximum of one month
Our snakes are placed under a huge potential stress every day they are on display
Yet we have zero problems
Must be doing something right??

I have only ever seen 2 snakes that did not respond to this method
They equate to less than 0.30% of the snakes Ive trained
 
The bags were not my idea
Taught to me years ago
Most Asian venomous snake handlers use exactly the same method while training snakes
and they cant afford to ever get bitten

Unlike most people on here it seems, I NEVER expect a trained snake to even attempt to bite
If one shows even the slightest impulse or indication to bite I am actively looking for the reason why
After a maximum of four months gentle handling all of our adult wild caughts can be safely handled by any stranger
Young ones take a maximum of one month
Our snakes are placed under a huge potential stress every day they are on display
Yet we have zero problems
Must be doing something right??

I have only ever seen 2 snakes that did not respond to this method
They equate to less than 0.30% of the snakes Ive trained

Out of curiosity, how often and for how long do you handle a snake for?
 
It is up to the snake

That is the simple and only answer
We teach our snakes that they can trust us
Only way to do that is let them decide when they want to play

Every morning an iguana 3 chondros a retic and a burmese are let out of their vivs
Retics and chondros usually find a perch up at head level
Burmese usually coils up o or under a coffee table
Iguana wanders outside in the sun or wherever it wants to go
When customers come in whichever snake shows the most curiousity is the first one handled
After that they take it in turns
Maximum of 20 minutes handling per hour for each snake
Maximum of 80 minutes handling per day for each snake
Too many customers??? Just let more snakes out

I have a couple of pet snakes that just cruise around on my bed or lap for hours at a time
But that is different to passing them around like lollies
 
I also use the 20 minute rule with my classroom snake at school. I had to write a formal handling protocol for our ethics application and license and 20 minutes is really enough to have a bunch of excited strangers handling any snake. I may handle him for most of the hour's class, but the kids only get to touch for 20 minutes. He is so used to me he barely bothers to tongue flick and I can often wear him as a belt while he snuggles around my waist. He's a Murray-Darling and doesn't mind having 30 kids huddled outside his enclosure watching him eat or having his head restrained under the visualiser so that I can show the whole class his heat-sensing pits. Just this afternoon there was a girl that didn't want to come into the classroom when she saw me with the snake out (not my class - I was showing him in another teacher's class), but she was touching him 20 minutes later and having someone take a photo on their phone! (BTW - I always have to keep control of the head, much to the relief or disappointment of the students, depending on their opinion of snakes.)
 
Get a welding glove and just grab it, as soon as it is out take the glove off and handle normally. Walk around the house with it around your neck or arm, handle as much as possible.
 
Get a welding glove and just grab it, as soon as it is out take the glove off and handle normally. Walk around the house with it around your neck or arm, handle as much as possible.

If I ever saw one of my staff grab a snake she would be looking for another job in one minute
Ive got a few here you can try that with if you like
I'll supply the bandages
4 metre retics dont enjoy that sort of treatment in any way and would just bite your face off
 
When I say just grab it I mean gently but with purpose, not just slam it.:) Scoop them similar to your bag, the glove is just protection. Sorry if it sounded harsh.:)
 
i used a hook on my coastal for about 9 months as she was very flighty and now im able to get her out with my hand with no problem and i will do the same with my spotted i just got as he is a little cage defensive. i hook them out and then put my hand out and let them come onto my hand or arm as they please. or put them on the ground and put my hand low on the ground let them slide over it and lift them up. im yet to even have them strike at me.
 
My First Post...

I have an almost 6 month old Jungle and my partner has a 5 month ols Bredli.

The Bredli is just like a puppy dog. We have only had them for a week and already the Bredli is happy to wander out of his click clack and explore my partner. He is very lucky to have such a calm Hatching and he is just a pleasure! A credit to his breeder.

My jungle is going to be a challenge, but I'm completely ok with that. I'm keen to try the bag technique, as whenever I have had to open the lid of the jungle's click clack he zooms around warp speed and is very nervous.

They have been with us for almost 1 week, had their first feed overnight and seem to be doing really well. We have their large enclosures ready to go, but they won't be in there for a while. Small steps.

I have been told (and read - A LOT) that Jungles are nippy, but I honestly believe that it will come down to slow movements, short handling times (sub 5 minutes daily to start and working up to half an hour) until he becomes confident enough around me not to strike of become upset.

My aim is to have a jungle that when my family come over, they can confidently have a hold without being struck at (this is my 1 year plan) so I hope that I'm not being too optimistic!

Cheers,
Schnecke
 
lol, i have 6 calm snakes and 2 jungles,....at leasst the junlges dont strike randomly anymore, they now look for a good patch of skin, musta gotten sick of eating sleeves, hehehe
 
Haha - I'm hoping my Jungle (Moose) eventually realises sleees aren't the tastiest thing either! I must admit, I think he's pretty good, hes only bitten me once (day I got him home) and just seems a bit nervy and flighty more than anything, if he does get startled he doesn't go to strike, just zoom away, so I think that's something good to work with :)

Im letting him settle another night after his feed (give him 2 full days) and I'll pop his click clack out tomorrow night in the living room with dimmed lights and he'll be able to start getting used to our presence.
 
Snake hooks are totally unnecessary with 99.999% of pythons
We have wild caught 5metre retics
We dont allow snake hooks on the premises

Putting yourself in a snakes position for a moment
would you ever totally trust someone that picks you up with a huge cold metal thing?

Handling snakes without ever getting tagged is only possible if the snake trusts you completely

I agree. I catch many wild snakes in a year, and hardly ever use a hook. i'll use a hook predominantly for death adders.
The only other time i'll use a hook is usually to change a snakes position.
I teach people that learning how the snake will react is the only important thing to know. A good handler will catch anything regardless of his tools and don't aim to be reliant on a favourite hook etc. That is wrong... be reliant on your ability to read and to know the animal, and act accordingly.
anything can be used as a "hook", a stick, a hessian bag, etc. With enough experience, you will eventually realize its not the tool, but how to act in such a way that the snake stays calm.
I would use the rubber handle of my hook more then the wire end!
 
ive got an 17-18mth old bredl that i cant get out of it cabinet as it strikes at any and everything that goes close to it. and if it strikes my partner and my daughters,it will possibly undo everything ive been able to do to get them to handle snakes so far.
it doesnt strike if there's no open skin,so if i cover my hand with my jumper,it dont strike,push my hand out,goes nuts.

i feed all the snakes in their cabinets,so i dont know if this is the problem with this particular snake,as the others are no problem at all.
 
When I tried using a hook with my Jungle, she was even more aggressive than without..
 
I find the hook more of a pain in the bum, cos mines not really strong enough to pick up my girl. and she has so many things to grab onto in her enclosure. Things I cant move...
 
Need to move my little man out of the click clack tonight to pop some fresh towel in and add a climbing structure, so will use a form of the bag technique. Will let you know how I go :) will be interesting to see his reaction (albeit he has been very good in my opinion so far with the gentle aid of a hook to shift him slightly then slide my hand under him as he leaves the click clack.

I think any advice that works is good advice, as long as it's done with the knowledge that not everything works for every snake, but it's always worth a shot :)
 
maybe a branch you can just lift in and out hun? may cause less stress. Just my opinion, i am by no means an expert, i just thought it might be worth a try!
 
When I tried using a hook with my Jungle, she was even more aggressive than without..

I use a hook on all of mine... even the "calm" ones. It's peace of mind on my part that no one can just grab them out of the enclosure bare handed without paying a price....
Once their out and i tranfer them from the hook onto bare skin they calm right down, just keep trying at it mate. It may or may never calm right down but hey I think we all have one of "those" in our collection. Up to now I have a 2 yr old spotty that even bites the hook but as soon as she's out and on skin she calms right down and turns into a kitten. One thing I do as well is I use the same scented soap before I handle the snkes... sorta like "my" scent to them.
 
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SYNer, If your snake reacts to being picked up by your hands, try picking him up with your teeth.

Let me know if this helps :)
 
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