Hey guys,
I know these questions get asked a million times and I am sorry for the repeat.
I have a young yearling coastal python, approx 900mm long, I recently accquired from a young family.
I am assuming the previous owner was lacking in experience as he was being fed meals much too small for his size, 1 velvet rat every 2 weeks, and the enclosure he was living in had been broken due to a toddler jumping on top of it giving me the impression he may have been living in a stressful environment.
I know he was loved and cared for as best they knew so I don't think he was deliberately mistreated.
He is very defensive in all manner, if i put my hands near him in the cage and general handling.
Sometimes in the few times I have handled him, he will wrap his body around my wrist and stare at me in the strike position or the other times he will do absolutely anything he can to escape me including launching himself out of my hands.
Left alone, I don't believe he feels completely unsafe (aside from being touched) in his enclosure as he will come out of his hide whenever I look in, and will even stretch out to check me out if I open the door, he eats fine, and is regularly out in the open basking.
His enclosure temps are on point, plenty of hides, climbing etc.
He literally hates being touched.
I'm assuming the previous owners toddlers were rough handling him but I can't be sure.
My question is, given that he has decided he doesn't want to be handled and this is ok with me, will he calm down enough over time that I will be able to manage him without being struck at if I go near him when I enter his enclosure to clean?
I have no plans to give him up and will respect his wishes either way, but if he is so stressed out being handled that he would risk his life to "jump" out of my hands, I prefer not to handle him I just want to know if he be comfortable and calm as an adult or is there something I should be doing for him to make him happier?
Thank you so much in advance.
I know these questions get asked a million times and I am sorry for the repeat.
I have a young yearling coastal python, approx 900mm long, I recently accquired from a young family.
I am assuming the previous owner was lacking in experience as he was being fed meals much too small for his size, 1 velvet rat every 2 weeks, and the enclosure he was living in had been broken due to a toddler jumping on top of it giving me the impression he may have been living in a stressful environment.
I know he was loved and cared for as best they knew so I don't think he was deliberately mistreated.
He is very defensive in all manner, if i put my hands near him in the cage and general handling.
Sometimes in the few times I have handled him, he will wrap his body around my wrist and stare at me in the strike position or the other times he will do absolutely anything he can to escape me including launching himself out of my hands.
Left alone, I don't believe he feels completely unsafe (aside from being touched) in his enclosure as he will come out of his hide whenever I look in, and will even stretch out to check me out if I open the door, he eats fine, and is regularly out in the open basking.
His enclosure temps are on point, plenty of hides, climbing etc.
He literally hates being touched.
I'm assuming the previous owners toddlers were rough handling him but I can't be sure.
My question is, given that he has decided he doesn't want to be handled and this is ok with me, will he calm down enough over time that I will be able to manage him without being struck at if I go near him when I enter his enclosure to clean?
I have no plans to give him up and will respect his wishes either way, but if he is so stressed out being handled that he would risk his life to "jump" out of my hands, I prefer not to handle him I just want to know if he be comfortable and calm as an adult or is there something I should be doing for him to make him happier?
Thank you so much in advance.
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