Aussie Pythons & Snakes Forum

Help Support Aussie Pythons & Snakes Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.

lilcrash

New Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
hi, i have had a childrens python for 10 years, just putting that in here so you dont think im a total newb. my wife and i adopted a coastal carpet snake from the rspca and all my past experience with snakes i ahvent seen behavior like this new snake is presenting, im not sure if she is just easily startled or she just has a bad history with people.

we got her home and a few days later she was due to feed, we fed her 2 large rats, a day later she shed, then yesterday she defecated so we assumed today might be ok to see if we can handle her. we opened the enclosure, (she hides in a box 90% of the time) and she kind of came out for a look and then kind of curled up like she was going to strike at us, i havent ever handled a snake her size so i thought maybe i should move a bit slower and i went to lift the box off her she very quickly turned to where my hand was and curled up again.

now ive come on here to ask if this is normal coastal behavior. any help is appreciated, we would like her to be handlable as it would make cleaning the enclosure alot easier, we just dont know where to start as we have always had young snakes and she is a few years old.

thank you
 
i didn't know the rspca had snakes for adoption? it's behavior seems normal to me , how old is the snake? and what is it housed in?,you could use a snake hook to hook it out of the enclosure
 
Last edited:
she is 5yrs old her papers say 1.5m but we measured her over 2m. should i be worried about her striking?

she is in an enclosure 1m wide, 1.3m tall and .5m deep
 
is it a melamine enclosure or glass?, also if you're worried about bites you can use welding gloves or something to that effect,when you hook it out gently place it on your hand and support it's body with 2 hands and just let her slither around, persistence is key, i am not saying this will work 100% it's just what works for me
 
i didn't know the rspca had snakes for adoption? it's behavior seems normal to me , how old is the snake? and what is it housed in?,you could use a snake hook to hook it out of the enclosure

Its a qld thing, nsw rspca doesnt do it.

For the carpet I would recommend buying a sturdy hook to get her out as she may be defensive whilst in her cage.
I wouldnt be too worried about the striking just be confident when you get her out and have someone else around incase she goes in for a nibble.
Good luck
 
the enclosure is melanine with glass sliding doors

- - - Updated - - -

i might just make a hide with a door so i can remove her in the box and then get her out.
 
i might just make a hide with a door so i can remove her in the box and then get her out.
This is one I made, works great too.


2013kathyiphone085.jpg
 
Sounds like normal behaviour to me also. Has she actually thrown a strike? My diamond does that all the time but doesn't strike. Not saying that yours won't though. If you are nervous with the snake it will feel your nervousness and may behave differently to when your confident and not worried about a bite. Confidence is definitely one of the main keys, don't fumble or tickle it. I just pick mine up like I'm boss. Its hard to say whether yours will tag u without observing the snakes behaviour and your technique. More than likely its just some cage defense.
 
ok we tried to clean some poo out of the cage tonight and she is being evil, i think we are going to take her back to the rspca.
 
I have a coastal carpet, she is over 2m i got her from a 17yr old boy who seemed to use her as a party trick, part of her tail missing she is also curled up and hiding my partner doesnt use a hook as it shows fear but we use a tea towel to place over her head and lift her body out so she knows it us by our hand temperature. Maybe give her a little more time so she is settled in to her environment couse it is stressful moving into different enclosures.
 
She may just be scared and defensive. If its too much for you move her on, but not all snakes are docile and never bite. She may also be expecting food and be on high alert because it is right now smack in the middle of their feeding season and can be hungry all the time especially after a crap.
 
I would wait a little while til she settles into her new environment as Ninabuddha said, it's stressful for them. Also when you're picking her up try not to prod around and hesitate with her, it's like teasing them if you do that. I know it's hard as fear of getting bitten but just try to scoop her up quick and see how she goes being handled :) good luck!
 
my main concern is that i don't really believe what the girl at the rspca told us when we got her, she was very adament that she is fine to handle and is quite docile, this is why we got her and not one of the others. and since its against their regulations for us to see her removed from the enclosure we had to leave the room for her to be bagged and boxed for the drive home. for all we know she used gloves and a snake hook because she bites.
 
How long have you had her? It doesn't sound like you gave her much time to settle in. It's very scary getting moved from home to home with unfamiliar smells and people, especially when you don't understand anything that is going on and do not share a emotional bond with people for comfort.

Let her settle into her house properly for a week before you pass judgement on her.
 
every snake is different maybe feed her and while she is feeding hold her a little? and because she just shed she is just feeling things again so its like sleeping when your a kid you fall asleep in the lounge room and wake up in your bedroom its scary at first until you understand where you are. your snake is gonna take a little time to get use to her surroundings. such as her positioning in the house aswell she may not be use to alot of tracffic or what not.
 
Snakes freak out due to change sometimes. Both my Bhp's went mental when I upgraded them to their adult cages. They felt vulnerable and were extremely touchy due to their new surroundings. I just left them for a couple of weeks and they returned to their lovely natures.

It is important to note however, as others have already said, some snakes will always just be cranky or bitey. It's just part and parcel of the hobby.

Hope it works out for you
 
every snake is different maybe feed her and while she is feeding hold her a little? and because she just shed she is just feeling things again so its like sleeping when your a kid you fall asleep in the lounge room and wake up in your bedroom its scary at first until you understand where you are. your snake is gonna take a little time to get use to her surroundings. such as her positioning in the house aswell she may not be use to alot of tracffic or what not.

Please refrain from giving advice if you have no idea what you are talking about. Holding a snake while its feeding is a horrible idea on many levels. When a snake is swallowing its prey it is very vulnerable as it has no way to defend its self. They can and will regurgitate there food if they feel threatened. There is no benefit to holding your snakes while feeding.

"because she just shed she is just feeling things again" What do you mean by this? Are you saying snakes lose there sense of touch while shedding?
 
My coastal hisses when I get him out and s's up sometimes too. I used to freak out a bit and end up fumbling with the hook and irritating him worse lol. Eventually I just decided to cop a bite if it was gunna happen, as soon as I grew a set and acted more confindent he was fine, I'm a bumble with the hook so I usually just touch him with it or pull him out a little then use my hands.
He still hisses but has not bitten me nor attempted to. And once out is perfectly behaved.
I think you can get gloves of some sort?
Maybe try that? After you've left him alone for a week? It might just be that youre nervous cause he's much bigger? And just needs you to be more confident?
You'll never know till you try it, it'd be a shame to get rid if him if thats all it is :) good luck

Sent from my HTC Velocity 4G using Tapatalk
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Back
Top