Scared of picking up my ferocious snake, Need help.

[Grooove]

Royce, Thanks. Thats the kind of logical answers I think I need.

I still believe that I need to learn more about his psycological side. How he thinks. When I talks/associate with people I read their body language, I think i know what fluffy is thinking, But I think I need to know more about how snakes think... if that makes sense. Then I think I can succeed

 

[Danni]

hehe you are reading too much into it i think, but hey a lot of people do this but on other subjects, yours just happens to be on a hobby that you find enjoyable
You say your ok touching him, its the getting him out thing you freeze up with?
has your python ever bitten you? Is it that you afraid you may hurt him?
can you get your G/F to pick the snake up from its enclosure and pop him on the table, and you pick him from there?
Im also wondering if you keeping a journal will help, this way you can go back and see that you and the python did ok?
goodluck

 

[Grooove]

Thanks everyong for your input so far. I have never been hurt by a snake before or had a bad experience. I just cant reach into his enclosure and pick him up. I will try again tororrow. I thought I did well to touch him twice today when I tried. I will keep you all posted on what happens. I hope if anyone else has this prob they can benefit form this thread

 

[seumas12345]

Sorry bud but its a simple matter of just maning up and picking him up... the more confident you are the less stressed the snake is.... pretty simple concept.... handle him lots and it'll be all good good luck mate

 

[5potted]

I had the same problem with my jungle (but she would strike every time I tried to pick her up) I hated using a hook so i would get a piece of paper and would hold it vertically to split the snake into two sections-on one side was the head and the body on the other and I would grab the body from there so there was no chance of her coming back to bite me... worked like a treat and now I dont need the paper anymore.

 

[whcasual79]

wen i first got my childreni he struck me at least 10 times in a go.... it was more a shock thing ravver than pain or anything... now i think bout it, it was heaps hilarius

get ur missus to lift him up a bit and then put ur hand gently under his belly and let him slither onto ur hand... before u know u know it, you'd be dying to handle him again ;-)

hope that helps....easy lad

 

[mysnakesau]

Does it really matter if it Danielle that gets him out. Sounds to me that you are intimidated by the little snake's defensive behaviour when trying to get him out. Most babies are snappy. Even though you know he can't hurt you, your reflexes are getting the better of you. But most snakes do start to settle down in time when they realise that you aren't going to hurt them. To them, your giant eyes and hands are scarey which is why they strike or run. Then once you have them in your hand, they settle because they realise they aren't getting hurt. That is probably why you're ok with Dani getting him out because he has started to settle.

Obviously you have a phobia which isn't going to cure overnight. For the time being, if it was me, I would be happy letting Danielle get the snake out and handing it to me, for the sheer joy of being able to interact with the little snake. Plenty of time to work on picking him up later.

What about if he is out on the floor, table or your lap? Can you pick him up if he is already out of his tub? Be happy with what you can do for now, and take one step at a time. Before you know it you will be picking him up and one day you will stop and realise, "Oh s%&*, I just reached in there and picked him up."

 

[tenacres1100]

there are a couple of ways you can try, a good one is the use of a hook, gently rub it along its side to let you know your there and when it moves away slowly and carefully pick it up with your hands or the hook or use both as the same time.
The other way if your not sure is use a pair of welders gloves put your hand in and leave it, you won't get bitten through them and you will soon be able to read to mood of the python, you'll find that pretty soon you won't need them. Good Luck with it.

 

[pythons73]

I say toughen up,the little thing is not going to hurt you,as suggested use a hook at first if you have too.

 

[Danni]

actually my bro is the same with his MD ... the only time his python comes out is if i get him him out ... and his is a striker.
Does sound like you have developed a phobia, in time you will over come this.
Goodluck
Danni

 

[redbellybite]

guys ,this is an easy thing to do and it does work ..close eyes ..place both hands into the enclosure ,keep your eyes closed ..wait a good ten minutes ...as you will not be able to see if the snake is about to bite you ,your instinct to pull out wont be there ,,when your comfortable open your eyes ..if you feel that the sensation of fear is creeping up again,turn your head away ,leaving your arms still in there ..do this while your partner is there ,that way if you have had enough or you panic someone is there to make sure the snake is taken care of ...easy as ..

 

[Isabel]

hey,
im new at snakes, i got my first, a hatchie stimmi, just a few weeks ago...
and i had the same sort of thing as you..
i KNEW the snake bite couldnt possibly hurt because id been told ... and the thing i was calling a snakelooked more liek a pretty coloured earthworm...
but i just couldnt get my hand in and pick it up.. the first time i sat in my room on my own wiht it for about 3 hours with my hand in the box letting it smell me and slither away, and i finally got to hold it for a few seconds when it slithered out of the box and onto my hand...
i eventually got my courage up to move my hand slowly to it and touched it... and seiously i was sweating and my heart was beating one million miles an hour and the snake turned around and struck at me..... it managed to miss (silly little thing has a pathetic aim) and it struck again and got me and i was just like ......oh...that was an anti climax
but i still culdnt pick it up. i eventually oinched its midle wiht two fingers and brought it out....
whilst whispering "please dont bite me, please like me, please be my friend":shock:
and it was fine... and ive done it mor and more often sine then and im getting more and more confident... and i was really not sure of what i was scared of...but i overcame it...
so i pretty much agree with most others....
stick your hand in nd let him realise you are there then slowly move your hand towards him and touch him... then slowly position your fingers either side of his body and pick him up.... PERSERVERENCE....



good luck... keep us posted

 

[4orce]

Guys, you all seem to be on the track that he's worried about what it will do to him...I think you'll find that it's more a question of when a hatchie is so small it's what you might accidentally do to it. An adult snake is much more robust and there is no fear of hurting it but in this case they look so fragile you're concerned about hurting them.

Set the enclosure up on a table and open and handle it over a table where there is little chance of it dropping far. Use a hook to get it out, and remember, you are a human branch for the snake to move on, you do not hold the snake it moves on you and you just guide it to where you want it to go.

Take that attittude and you will be less concerned about hurting it...

 

[4orce]

Just thought of another thing you may like to try, when you got to get him out just put your hand into the enclosure and let him move onto your ahnd and just lift him out. This way also you're not scared of squashing him when you get him out.

 

[redbellybite]

Our ferocious snake- Fluffy.

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/...fy-picture10822-danielle-and-fluffy-again.jpg


Hi, My fiancee Danielle and I have recently purchased out first reptile. ( Thanks Jas468 )A Juvi spotted python. He is not very old or big, I love repiles and handle them every chance I get, But Now that we own one I cant pick him up. I have handled him only a few times, each time Danielle has gotten him out of his home.
Everytime I try and pick him up I freeze and start sweating. I can't get close enough to pick him up. I have had no problem up until we got fluffy. I have held burmese, black headed, diamonds and a fair few others and have never had a rise in heart beat. I have not had a bad experience but now I have a mental block and my heat beats real fast.
I am a very logical thinker; I know he is not poisonous, I know his bite wont hurt, I know he is no threat what so ever, I know how to handle and not hurt them. But I just can't pick him up. I tried a few glasses of dutch courage to remove any inhabitions, But I still froze. I tried again tonight, I managed to touch him twice but still couldnt pick him up.

I was hoping you may help and give me some pointers on how to overcome this irrational fear. Yes this is embarrasing for me to admit and ask, But where better to ask for real answears.

Thanks in advance Gary

that is asking how to get over his fear of his snake...not that he is worried about dropping him ..HE CANT GET OVER THE FEAR of actually placing his hand in to his viv to get the snake out ...4orce...thats why I said to close his eyes and place his hands in the viv and when he is comfortable open up his eyes ....etc ...

 

[4orce]

Before you get a little upity Redbelly, in a PM to me he said exactly what I said!!!

Perhaps you should Ready, AIM then fire, don't forget to AIM!!!

 

[mark83]

Hi mate. I have a brother and sister of your little one from Craig. It is a bit of a worry cos they are so small but atm I'm just letting my two settle in. Actually I might go get one now. Pm if you want to keep in touch and I'll help however I can.

 

[Sel]

Open his enclosure and let him climb out and then pick him up. When youve done that a few times, then try picking him up from inside the enclosre.
I hardly ever grab mine out, i open the doors and she cruises out when she wants

 

[Jazza369]

lol when my 6ft snake bit me, i dint want to ever pick him up again but thats not right i just had to do it

 

[MZ33YO]

I am having the exact same problem.
Although I am finding bringing him out on a hook first makes me feel more comfortable.

He has never even attempted to strike at me, the first few times i did it no problems... Then all of sudden I got scared.
He is the sweetest little thing and when I was cleaning out his enclosure today he came up onto my arm and I kind of just froze, then he went away again... he's a hatchie so how pathetic am I haha