First Snake advice needed.

[spotTed]

Gday guys,
I bought my first snake over the weekend and some questions have popped up that i need some help with.
I bought a beautiful male bredli pyhton yealing, hatched april.
He is due for his feed but i dont think he is quite settled in yet but was due for his feed when i bought him.
Should i just feed him even though he isnt fully settled in yet and then start handling him once a few more days have passed or wait till he's settled in fully, handle him, then feed him and leave for a couple more days?
He was fed 1 and a half weeks before i bought him, so im worried he is overdue.

Also, should i feed him in his cage or outside off his cage and what are the down and upsides off either?

I have been told to feed him in his cage so he doesnt think everytime he gets handled or taken out off his cage that he is being fed. Buuuut was also told that he might also become cage defensive if he gets cage fed, which i dont want. Confusing to a newbie and it seems as if everyone does it differently.

Im totally new to this and just wanting some information about which way to go.

I got my first bite last night aswell. Didnt hurt, it just scared the crap out off me. My bad as i was told he wasnt fully settled in well enough yet. I just thought because he was out and about that he might have been alright as he was handling fine when i bought him.
Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.
Ted.

 

[apprenticegnome]

Everyone does it differently and some people get a little pig headed if you don't follow their way. I feed mine in their tanks, 1 is placid and never bites and the other bites at every opportunity but I believe that it's due to annoying her trying to assist with a bad shed when she was younger as she was fine before that. If your feeding him in his enclosure It won't hurt to try and feed him now, he will eat if he is ready if not try again in a few days time. If you are going to remove him for feeding maybe give him a bit longer to settle.

 

[spotTed]

ok that makes sense. i was today told by a reputable store that he will take up to a week to settle in properly and that every snake is different, not only because of personality but with the experiences they have maturing.
i was also told to be patient and the experience will come with time and actually being hands on is the best learning curve.
Im still absorbing information and still interested in other peoples points of view.
any information will still be helpful and im very open minded at the moment, just trying to get the basics right for now.
Ted.

 

[littlemay]

Also, should i feed him in his cage or outside off his cage and what are the down and upsides off either?

I have been told to feed him in his cage so he doesnt think everytime he gets handled or taken out off his cage that he is being fed. Buuuut was also told that he might also become cage defensive if he gets cage fed, which i dont want. Confusing to a newbie and it seems as if everyone does it differently.
.

IMO the whole feeding in enclosure causing aggression thing is crap. I started off feeding my python outside of his enclosure and then moved on to feeding inside his enclosure and am yet to see any difference in his behavior. Feeding inside the enclosure is less stressful for the snake, but feeding outside might be more convenient for you if you choose to clean the enclosure at the same time, while the snake is out. Also worth considering whether your substrate has any possibility of sticking to the food item.

 

[arevenant]

Gday guys,
I bought my first snake over the weekend and some questions have popped up that i need some help with.
I bought a beautiful male bredli pyhton yealing, hatched april.
He is due for his feed but i dont think he is quite settled in yet but was due for his feed when i bought him.
Should i just feed him even though he isnt fully settled in yet and then start handling him once a few more days have passed or wait till he's settled in fully, handle him, then feed him and leave for a couple more days?
He was fed 1 and a half weeks before i bought him, so im worried he is overdue.

If you think he hasn't settled enough, wait some more time then feed him. An extra few days - a week for him to wait to be fed will do it no harm whatsoever.

Also, should i feed him in his cage or outside off his cage and what are the down and upsides off either?

I have been told to feed him in his cage so he doesnt think everytime he gets handled or taken out off his cage that he is being fed. Buuuut was also told that he might also become cage defensive if he gets cage fed, which i dont want. Confusing to a newbie and it seems as if everyone does it differently.

Makes no difference either way, do what you're comfortable with.
Personally I've fed every one of my snakes in the cage over the years and not a single one has ever become cage defensive...

Im totally new to this and just wanting some information about which way to go.

Everyone has to start somewhere, don't hesitate to ask for advice here, just make sure you're wearing your stackhat - can get rough here sometimes but there are always knowledgeable people happy to help!

I got my first bite last night aswell. Didnt hurt, it just scared the crap out off me. My bad as i was told he wasnt fully settled in well enough yet. I just thought because he was out and about that he might have been alright as he was handling fine when i bought him.
Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.
Ted.

Smaller snakes are generally more inclined to bite, but thankfully they don't hurt nearly as much and most grow out of it soon enough

 

[spotTed]

Thank you very much for your help so far guys. I appreciate it and have taken all on board so far.
I have decided to cage feed my boy, and decided to give it a go tonight.

My first snake feeding ever and i was so stoked by his reaction.
He took it like a trooper and had it down within minutes.
Im on a natural little high at the moment. I was a little worried as he was due for a feeding the day i bought him but now know they can go for a while without one.

How many days should i leave him for before handling?
and
How many days till he poops?
So good to have helpful forums like this to help newbies and i know i will still have many more dumb questions to come.
Thank you so much and it does make me feel welcome to the forum.
Ted.

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Ive been lurking for a while now and it still kind off feels as though im lurking because i cant really help anyone else out or add to any other conversations.
But i guess that will come in time and with experience.

 

[arevenant]

How many days should i leave him for before handling?

Most say at least 48 hours, give it 72 to really settle.

and
How many days till he poops?

Snakes don't poop on a regular set timeframe, it all depends on the individual metabolism of the snake, how warm it's kept itself, how large and what kind of meal it had. Could be a few days, could be a few months...

So good to have helpful forums like this to help newbies and i know i will still have many more dumb questions to come.
Thank you so much and it does make me feel welcome to the forum.
Ted.

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Ive been lurking for a while now and it still kind off feels as though im lurking because i cant really help anyone else out or add to any other conversations.
But i guess that will come in time and with experience.[/QUOTE]

 

[spotTed]

OK. just thought i would ask about the pooping because a neighbor has almost trained his coastal carpet to poop outside.
he brings it outside when he thinks it might be ready and then he just poops. brilliant i thought.
After tonights feeding i wasnt thinking off handling him til the weekend in which time he should have settled down i hope and now i will definatley leave him for atleast 3 days.
Thanks
Ted.

 

[Dr-Zoidberg]

I have a woma that doesn't seem to want to poop in his enclosure, at the 5 day mark I put him on the lawn and he goes within minutes. It's only when I've been away for a fortnight or so that there's a poo waiting for me to clean up. He's a champ.

cheers

 

[arevenant]

I'd say that has more to do with owners learning their individual snakes cycles rather than training - as snakes don't have the cognitive abilities to learn 'where to go and when' basically.

 

[snakemisstress]

I personally feed outside the tank, because i dont want my cute childrens python fred, to associate me with food.

 

[arevenant]

I personally feed outside the tank, because i dont want my cute childrens python fred, to associate me with food.

How on Gods green earth will changing the location change how it associates you with food - something they don't do - you're still feeding it.
Thats like saying I enter my house through the back door not the front, because I don't want people to know I use doors...

 

[Newhere]

Mine is fed in its enclosure and depending on the time of day or how hungry he is he will ark up and get into his hunting mode as soon as you open the door, could be interpreted as aggression but it's just him expecting a feed.

I think that's where this myth comes from in snakes that are normally tolerant of some handling. Also I've noticed as soon as I pick him up or touch him with a snake hook he forgets about food and goes back to his normal self.

Its not that the snakes get aggressive by being fed in their enclosures it's that the owner can't read the behaviour properly.

Oh and I've noticed that mine poops once the food bulge reaches his but. He waits until the night to do it but I suspect that's just because he moves around at night and the movement is what triggers them to go. If I took him outside when the bulge was at his tail I'm sure he would go.

 

[Dr-Zoidberg]

I feed all my snakes inside the enclosure. One of my olive pythons bites anything that goes into her home, and will also launch herself at me once the cage is open. Once I pick her up she is a dream to handle most of the time, unless my hands still smell like the pie I ate before hand, in which case she'll throw a few coils around my arm and go all jacky chan on me.

cheers.

 

[spotTed]

Hi guys, I have cage fed my boy and decided that this may be the best option as i also feel that it would be less stress on the snake, but im not really sure if this has changed his behavior or if he is just not properly settled in yet and not use to his new handler.

He was taken out off his enclosure today and he was nothing but a little ratbag.
He was constantly biting and wouldnt really stop so i decided to put him back into his enclosure as i wasnt sure what was going on.
Not latching on but just biting at the hands very quickly and often.
He also tried to bite through the enclosures glass doors.
Will he stop doing this or have i got a little ratbag.
He handled so well when i got him. He didnt even attemp to bite and he was handled by the seller, myself and my mate (experienced snake handler, my mate that is, not me).
Do i have to get him out again tomorrow and give it another go or leave him in his enclosure to settle down a little longer?

Todays experience gave me a little shock and i am now a little hesitant.
Not good for a begginer.
Ted.

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I also want to get him into a routine with feeding and handling.
I gather the evening would be the best time to feed him as this is when he is most active and the research i have done tells me that most pythons are active at night.
But what about handling?
Day or night?
Or will he be ok to handle anytime once he's use to his new handler.
Im going to use my hook as a routine to get him out of his enclosure and into my hand but just dont know when the best time would be.

 

[Dr-Zoidberg]

When ever you feel like it, I feed both day and night and have no set routine with feeding or handling, using the hook to get him out might be a good idea for you, remember to be confident and keep the movement of your hands to a minimum as not to draw it's attention to your hands. Smaller snakes think everythings out to eat them and are easily spooked. Persistence is the key and nothing happens over night.

although pythons are more active at night, if they pick up the scent or movement of a prey item they won't hesitate in feeding on it day or night. I once found a carpet eating a cane toad in the middle of the day.

if you type a few keywords into the search bar numerous threads will pop up with tips on handling, choose a method that sounds like it'll suit you.

cheers.

 

[spotTed]

ok thanks. that makes sense to me. so its just a matter of practice and persistence.
a bit of a relief really. i just thought maybe i was doing something wrong. i still havnt learnt to read any of his body language yet so im still a little hesitant.
reading through some other threads about handling is a good idea.
thanks.

 

[Dr-Zoidberg]

It's all good mate, if he didn't seem bothered by handling when you went to pick him up you'll find he'll come good soon enough. Just needs a little more time to settle in, it might even pay of to let him digest the food you gave him and start again once he's passed it. A snake with a full belly may feel as though it's a little more vulnerable.

cheers and good luck.

 

[arevenant]

Hahaha.
All I was trying to get at was that moving its feeding location will have absolutely no impact on its anticipation of who feeds it, snake brains don't work like that.

 

[apprenticegnome]

Associating being fed in a regular location outside of the enclosure works on the principle that no food enters the living enclosure so your hand entering should become recognised as not food. When snake is in another location used to feed then the hand that was not food in the living enclosure should be familiar and seen as separate to prey. As is often said there is many different ways to do things right. Whatever works for the individual.

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Snakes do associate by smell, that's where learning the smell of the handler as opposed to prey items helps to differentiate.