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Handling hatchlings-Opinions please

HannaKonda

HannaKonda

New member
How much is an appropriate amount of handling? how much is too much?

Ive read that handling should be limited to 5-10 mins, 3 times a week taking into account days off handling after a feed and during shed, 2 days in a row of handling should also be avoided. Do you agree with this?

Do you think regular handling really socializes your snake? Why/ why not? And if your decision is based on your snake's behavior, what are signs of handling stress?

Thanks in advance for your input.

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I think it's dependent on the snake. I don't think there's any magic number of time that is right.

I do think that younger snakes get stressed more easily in general, and overall should be handled less. On that note, you do want to "socialize" them so to speak -- get them accustomed to human interaction.

So long story short, read your snake's body language. It's definitely trial and error, especially if you are a first time snake owner.
 
Sorry I forgot to add signs of stress.

For my snakes, basically they get very restless and try to get away from me :p almost flighty. When they are content, they seem to move slower and check everything out, and they aren't timid around me or my face or hands. This might not always be the case for every snake though, and some may always avoid hands or faces, etc.

I know that when it's hot in the apartment and the snakes haven't yet eaten that week, not a good time to handle. They are super flighty compared to their normal selves. If, however, it is average temperature inside and they ate a few days prior, it's usually a fine time to take them out. The ball python can be out for longer than my corn, because he's more cool and collected, whereas the corn snake is very curious and likes to get into things (even if she's hanging on to me).

The time of day can also be relevant.

I love handling my snakes. I think it does help accustom them to people, but I also know they will act differently around me versus someone else OR someone who is very comfortable handling snakes versus someone who rarely handles them.

All the best in figuring out your little critter's patterns!
 
For hatchlings I keep handling to a minimum. I only handle the little guys once a week for 5-10 mins. When they are really little I want most of their energy to go towards growing. They are just so tiny.

Once they have a bit of size I increase handling to whenever I feel like it lol. They seem to mellow out either way. When my last baby was about 2 feet long I didn't worry so much about handling. He was out pretty much whenever he wanted.

I'm also more comfortable handling babies once they are on fuzzies. They tend to hit a growth spurt around this time. I don't think pinkies are very nutritious.
 
Good post. I am getting a few beebees this fall and I didn't think about when and how often to handle them, all the others I have I got when they were at least a year old.
 
Mine are on a 4-day feeding schedule so I handle them the 2 days that they didn't just eat. Less than 5 minutes each. They're getting much calmer.
 
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