Snake Handling Tips & Techniques

[SYNeR]

Hi all,

I was just wondering if anyone had some good snake handling tips and techniques to share. At the moment, I'm trying to get used to handling my woma hatchling. I've found if I get her out of the enclosure quickly, she'll squirm and try to get away, but won't strike.

But for those times when she's out on the ground, she'll couple up into the S position with mouth gaping ready to strike. No matter how I approach, she seems to want to strike all the time (although I'm learning to restrain my reflexes better).

My partner seems to do a better job, as she's a little bit slower. She seems to approach the snake low from the side with a flat, horizontal hand. The woma doesn't seem to react much to this and it doesn't give much for her to bite on to.

Does anyone else have any good tips or tricks?

Cheers,

Mark

 

[Snakeluvver2]

Not really, I just pick them up, they'll grow out of striking you eventually (hopefully)
With nervous snakes, keep your hand flat and bring it low on the ground, almost sliding it till you touch the snake and pick it up.

 

[Jazzz]

try just hooking them out? i hear its a really good habit to get into =]

 

[moosenoose]

My best tip - don't get bitten

 

[SYNeR]

Not really, I just pick them up, they'll grow out of striking you eventually (hopefully)
With nervous snakes, keep your hand flat and bring it low on the ground, almost sliding it till you touch the snake and pick it up.

Yep, seems to work.. At least when my partner tried it.

try just hooking them out? i hear its a really good habit to get into =]

My jungle was even worse when I tried using a hook. The best way seemed to be pick up her hide, and then quickly lift her out.
Or, of she was out/prowling.. Don't hesitate and just pick her up as quickly as possible. Doing this seems to mostly avoid bites.
She'll act a bit flighty and try to slither away, but that's about it.

 

[longqi]

I very rarely get tagged even though the vast majority of our snakes are wild caught
I put this down to one thing only
Every snake is lifted from its viv using cotton bags like small pillowcases covering your hands/lower arms
The touch of hot sweaty human hands on nice calm snake scares the snake
The bags insulate the snake from direct contact with skin
Just gently pick it up
Let it sit on the bag and after a while it will start to explore
When it is ready it will move off the bag onto your arm
Dont try to push this
Let it begin to trust you
It will quickly associate the bag with no danger
I have done this with every snake we own and everyone who plays with ours say they are the gentlest snakes they have ever seen

Have a gander at facebook [email protected] ... or .. [email protected]
The results of doing this method are very clear to see

 

[CamdeJong]

Keep your hands under or beside the snake, no animal appreciates big things moving over its head, and if the snake's on the ground crouch down beside it. As jazzv said using a hook is a great habit to get into and not as simple as 'hook the snake, pick it up'. It's an acquired skill that can teach you a lot about how snakes react to stimuli. If the snake is moving try to position your hand so that the snake will move over it rather than initiating the contact. All of this applies to flighty pythons; venomous snakes are entirely different, of course.

 

[Defective]

keiko is fine, i just pick her up or let her come to my hand

 

[longqi]

Snake hooks are totally unnecessary with 99.999% of pythons
We have wild caught 5metre retics
We dont allow snake hooks on the premises

Putting yourself in a snakes position for a moment
would you ever totally trust someone that picks you up with a huge cold metal thing?

Handling snakes without ever getting tagged is only possible if the snake trusts you completely

 

[dossy]

stay away from the sharp end as much as possible and do not be scared otherwise it won the battle

 

[saximus]

Snake hooks are totally unnecessary with 99.999% of pythons
We have wild caught 5metre retics
We dont allow snake hooks on the premises

Putting yourself in a snakes position for a moment
would you ever totally trust someone that picks you up with a huge cold metal thing?

Handling snakes without ever getting tagged is only possible if the snake trusts you completely

As in the past I'm gonna have to completely disagree with you on this one, Longqi. I have two that get hooked out of the cage then onto my hand every time. I haven't been bitten by one of them in about three years and the other one is still a juvie but only been tagged once (because I didn't read it properly). However, if I stuck my hand in the cage I'm certain I'd get tagged almost every time.
"would you ever totally trust someone that picks you up with a huge cold metal thing?" - I'm not a snake but I have seen from experience that a snake will jump after feeling contact with my hands for the first time. With the hook they don't even flinch.

 

[moosenoose]

I use a hook occasionally with my water python, simply because the big cow comes charging out at the rate of knots looking to chew my leg off :lol: I'd throw the dog in the road as a sacrificial cow...but I actually like the dog too much :lol:

 

[SYNeR]

Yea, my pythons hate the touch of a human.

 

[AirCooled]

I have 2 unrelated 5 month olds,with different approachs,one is inquisitive and happy to be handled,the other(Stryker) puts on a show of aggression but when I slowly approach and he gets my scent he calms down.

 

[jham66]

I find that you just need to move purposefully, don't hover around. Touching a snake should be done in one movement. My little hatchies will strike at anything held within a 20cm distance from them. If you move straight through the "danger zone" and don't stop within it, you will be fine. I think that, from the snakes perspective, if you move then stop you could be prey; if you move and don't stop you could be predator.

 

[bluey87]

i got a bredli hatchy i found gettin her out when shes roamin around better, she gets a lil squirmish but after a few seconds of being held shes fine ive only had her for just over a week now and she hasnt striked at me at all, im a beginner at snakes tho so im not going to give advice i just reckon do what ever makes u feel comfortable and makes the snake feel comfortable

 

[longqi]

As in the past I'm gonna have to completely disagree with you on this one, Longqi. I have two that get hooked out of the cage then onto my hand every time. I haven't been bitten by one of them in about three years and the other one is still a juvie but only been tagged once (because I didn't read it properly). However, if I stuck my hand in the cage I'm certain I'd get tagged almost every time.
"would you ever totally trust someone that picks you up with a huge cold metal thing?" - I'm not a snake but I have seen from experience that a snake will jump after feeling contact with my hands for the first time. With the hook they don't even flinch.

That is exactly why we use the bags over our hands
I cannot remember the last time I was tagged by a snake once I considered it handleable
I do get sometimes get hit by wild caughts but even that is rare when using the bags

Today we had a member from APS at the display
He wanted to play with a pretty big retic that is very much still wild
He had handled scrubbies before so I let him play so long as he didnt try to restrain the head
Showed him the bag trick
Worked perfectly as per usual
Only time retic reacted even slightly badly was when he tried to touch it with bare hands
Then he played with another pretty full on wild caught with exactly the same result

Our snakes are handled by complete strangers every single day without incident
Cant ask for more than that

 

[SYNeR]

I think I'll just stick to getting bitten and try to train my reflexes a bit better.. My woma (and jungle for that matter) are a tad flight, but fine once you're handling them.
I also thought there was an issue with snake teeth getting stuck in gloves..

 

[longqi]

In gloves yes there can be a problem because they are tight fitting and your first instinct is to pull away
The pulling away is what can damage teeth
With a loose bag the snake very very rarely even attempts to strike
Even if it does strike it only hits the loose bag
Because it doesnt bite into flesh there is no reflex to pull away

 

[Jackrabbit]

I am a big scaredy cat. Even with my juvie Diamond I get the hook now and then. I have been bitten once by a hatchie and know it doesn't hurt but I still don't want it to happen. Once out of the CC I transfer to my hand have no problems.

with my larger Diamond I wait for an opportunity to get behind her and lift her out gently. she is only now getting used to being handled again after biting me before Xmas so we are testing the waters again and she is calming down a little after 3 handles in the last few weeks. I need to get her used to being handled better before she goes into her new bigger enclosure which should make it easier to get her out.