snappy hatchy with no luck in taming

[Chuckface01]

I have written a few times about my snappy Stimsons python hatchy Hannibal. He has been here for about 8 weeks and is feeding really well, but is very nervous and snapy around me.

I havent handled him for about 4 weeks just to see if he can relax in that time. But even if I put my hand in the tank to change his water he will snap and bite me. I have tried putting him on my hands but he completly flipped out and goes flying in all directions. at the moment I have to wait until hes in a hide and then put him in another container to clean.

He has pletny of hides, and he is in a click clack with a hot side of 32 and a cool side of about 25. This is my first snake so Im really unsure about handling.

Im happy to wait until hes bigger to try handling again, but I was just thinking ,if i wait and he has basically no human interaction for that long( until hes is a yearlign or so), will he just become feral and harder to tame later on?

Thanks everyone.

 

[fidzy]

i say keep trying, if you handle regularly, say about 5 minutes every couple of days he should calm down

 

[redbellybite]

you can not TAME a snake ......
some will over time TOLERATE being held and 'played' with
some will never
the gamble is yours when you get a snake
best of luck

 

[Chuckface01]

thanks.ill see how he goes.

 

[benmcalpine]

You can try putting a tub with a hide in the middle of the lounge room, leave the lid off and watch tv sit back and wait .If you do it a few times a week.it will eventually get comfortable and come out to you and won't feel threatened.

 

[Inlandtaipan078]

Lower the temps

 

[Timmy-Morelia]

patince

 

[Acrochordus]

Just keep trying, patience is the key.

 

[Allies_snakes]

I have had success with a snappy juvinile spotty by taking him out and putting him in a tree/shrub to cruise around under superivision, then I will hold is back end for a bit, then let him go so he is still happy in the tree, he seems to be happy to let me touch him or hold him with this method. By about 10mins of this he is good to handle. 90% of the time I do this, he is great. 10% of the time he will still grip tight on my arm and then go to latch on. When he latches on he wont let go and I usually have to run his head under water to pry him off, so now, I am onto the signs now of when he is going to bite so I will put him down on the bench or lounge to cruise around for a bit and do the, hold the back end thing on and off again, till he feels like he is ready to be held.
Its good to try maybe twice a week. I wouldnt recommend every day. The other thing you might have to consider is that he will always be a snappy biter. It could be its temperment and character to be a biter unfortunatley, its not uncommon. Best of luck and keep us up to date with any improvements! Ali.

 

[amy5189]

lol. my hatchie childrens is a horror. I had him out the first time the other day, and he sat on my hand unmoving for about 5 minutes, then decided he would try and eat me!! The funny part is, is that he's not a striker. He doesn't strike for food, he just goes up and puts it in his mouth, so he was trying to put me in his mouth!!!
But I am hoping their is hopef or him too. I think once they get used to you they get better, but if you just leave it for ages, its going to not be used to people at all. Cuz thats what happened to my 2 year old coastal. She was never handled by her previous owner, and now when I try to get her out, she isn't used to being touched and shoots around. But at the same time, I can leave my 14 month old coastal for ages without handling and know that she is quiet as anything.
So it also depends on the snake.

Sorry that doesn't help much at all does it....

 

[Chuckface01]

Thanks so much everyone! great advice.

Ill keep up the handling. Even though the bites dont hurt, its stil a bit of a shock and I really dont want to pull my hand back and send him flying. Ill keep you all posted. Its like a habit to bite me now, practically routine, everytime the hand goes in, the teeth come out...lol

Thanks again for all the advice!

 

[Kersten]

Sorry, I'm going to buck the system here and say that I think it'd be best to leave it be until it's a bit older.

 

[whyme]

its a snake. What do you expect:?. And a hatchie at that

 

[Chuckface01]

how much older would you recommend? I just dont want him to go too long without handling and then be harder to calm down because hes a bigger size.

Im not in it to have a snake I can just pull out at any moment and pretend that he loves my company. I just want to be able to transfer him from container to container and change his water without recieving a bite everytime or him completly flipping out on me.

 

[DA_GRIZ]

have you tryed using a hook to get him out? it may be stressing, just imagine if you where a tiny snake and had a big hand come down and pick your up. if it was me i;d feel stressed etc and bite the crap out of them.

so maybe get one of those little pocket hooks i use them and are good for hatchies.

 

[Slyther83]

I had this problem with my Bredli recently. I used a hook to pick her up out of the tank (she also would snap at my hands). I would let her hang out on the hook near a heat lamp for a little while and then I'd just sit there holding the hook out in front of me. When the snake would turn around I'd move the hook closer to myself. While sitting down I laid the hook across my legs and she just sat there, she looked ready to strike a few times but eventually calmed down. When she would turn around I would move my hands closer to her on the hook, and eventually she turned around to see my hand right there, licked it, and then crawled over it as if it were a branch. Then when I started moving my arms (because she was used to being moved on the stick) she didn't seem to be worried about me being a threat anymore.

I'm a newbie snake owner myself, but this has been working for me so far, I haven't been bit, yet.

Someone on here told me that while it is good to let your snake calm down (assuming thats the cause of her snappiness), you should be careful not to train her to think that if she strikes you wont pick her up. Don't let her get her way like that, I'd start picking her up out of the tank with a hook on a daily basis to start, at the very least. I got mine in my hands the day I took her out with the hook.

 

[craig.a.c]

Even though some have said to have patiance, he might not calm down at all.

I have a had my BHP for about 2 years now and no matter how much handling he gets he still wants to kill me. It all comes down to the snake its self.

 

[Chuckface01]

Thanks everyone. I try the hook idea. I think it is his personality, but I think he also has the potential to calm down just a little bit. I think he will always be a snappy snake, but it will get better if I handle him more. Again. thankyou all so much!!!!

 

[azn4114]

use a hook,im a newbie also,my stimmie wasnt to nice when i first got it,especially getting it out,once i got the hook it has never attempted to strike again,but i do think mine is kinda placid,its sibling was very nasty

 

[edgewing]

The hooks are easy to make, I just made mine from a thick coathanger and placed heatshrink over the loop to ensure it doesn't hurt the snake. I have a darwin that has been pretty snappy, tried to eat me everytime I went near her but she has now calmed down considerably. I think it was the sight of a large hand bearing down on her that triggered the defensive strikes.

Now I get her out on the hook and she will put up with being placed on my hand without striking at all. Patience is good.