| T O P I C R E V I E W |
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Posted - 02/06/2010 : 20:24:47
Right, so I've decided that today is the magical first handling day. I've read as much as I can on the subject, but I'm still annoyingly nervous! It's not that I'm afraid that she'll bite me (she's already nipped at me twice, no sweat) or that I'll hurt her...it's more that I'm afraid she'll wig out, wriggle free of my grip and zoom off before I can grab her. I'm sure this is fairly common of new owners- anyone had this happen to them? |
| 11 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
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Posted - 08/06/2010 : 13:43:00
I was mostly concerned about her being uncomfortable because I thought she was close to shedding 
She practically leapt on to my arm on Saturday, though, and stayed quite happily wrapped around it for a good fifteen minutes before letting me put her back in the viv. Dizzy little shoestring  |
| sullysteve |
Posted - 08/06/2010 : 13:39:15
quote:
Originally posted by ladyevil
Thanks for your advice, everyone! We had a small amount of progress in that she seemed happy enough to come about halfway out of her coconut and investigate my hand. She even went so far as to rub her little face against my hand a bit, but was NOT keen on being removed by hand (perhaps still waiting on shed), so I just let her crawl on top of the viv and eat as usual. Saturday is her birth(or hatch?)day and she'll be getting lots of lovely new plants and hidey places as well as a full cleanout, so she'll be coming out properly then.
ya big softi! |
| Kellog |
Posted - 08/06/2010 : 04:49:48
quote:
Originally posted by deedee71
......then i let him slide over my finger, and I scoop him up. I'm lucky because, he is soooo calm and laid back, and loves taking his time to move over my hand, and i can feel him flicking his tongue in my skin so gently, barely feeling it. his skin is so silky, i am very lucky to have a chilled out lad, i love him soooo much :)
You really are lucky Dee, I know a lot of snakes that wont come to their owners hand and there is nothing wrong with that....it is just a case of you choosing to pick them up, from wherever they are.
Sometimes I have to take a hide off one of mine when it is handling time....but you must not let your snake's behaviour dictate when you are going to handle her Rachel....dont be put off just because she doesnt come to your hand or tries to get away. All snakes are different and one thing we have learnt on this forum is that there is no such thing as text-book corn behaviour  !
xxx
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| n/a |
Posted - 07/06/2010 : 13:26:55
Hi,
Don't worry too much, and i'm sure everything will be fine :)
When i find my little boy in his tank, he is usually curled up, then i touch him gently and he starts to move slowly, then i let him slide over my finger, and I scoop him up. I'm lucky because, he is soooo calm and laid back, and loves taking his time to move over my hand, and i can feel him flicking his tongue in my skin so gently, barely feeling it. his skin is so silky, i am very lucky to have a chilled out lad, i love him soooo much :) |
| n/a |
Posted - 03/06/2010 : 12:12:49
Thanks for your advice, everyone! We had a small amount of progress in that she seemed happy enough to come about halfway out of her coconut and investigate my hand. She even went so far as to rub her little face against my hand a bit, but was NOT keen on being removed by hand (perhaps still waiting on shed), so I just let her crawl on top of the viv and eat as usual. Saturday is her birth(or hatch?)day and she'll be getting lots of lovely new plants and hidey places as well as a full cleanout, so she'll be coming out properly then. |
| Kellog |
Posted - 03/06/2010 : 04:04:29
Dont worry about being nervous Rachel, I think we all were the first time we handled our snakes and went through exactly the same fear as you....that they would wriggle out of our grip and disappear.
I have never dealt with hatchlings before, but I have had an adult that was not handled at all well by his previous owner so had to ‘start from the beginning’ with him, the way I would imagine you would with a hatchling.
Neither of my corns come onto my hand....wanting to be picked up. It is a case of me choosing to pick them up from wherever they are in the viv. I know some of the forums' corns do this, but not all....so dont worry if Ruby doesn't. When you do pick her up try not to come at her from above, but rather scoop her up from the sides....that will scare her less.
Very calmly and confidently scoop her up, using both hands and being careful to support her so she isnt dangling. Hold her firmly and gently as she WILL try to escape from your grip - but that is a natural reaction for her and you must not react to it but continue as you are. Hold her fairly firmly but gently to bring her out of the viv. Once you have her out, sit with her (covering your lap with a towel is a good idea in case she decides to poo on you) and just let her run through your hands, moving one to the other to the other and so on. Sitting on a bed is a good idea as then if she does slip away she doesnt have many places to disappear to. She may seem flighty and scared to begin with...but again, you have to realise it is natural and something both she and you have to get used to. You must just be very calm and steady with your movements. Dont have her out for more than 5 minutes, and return her gently and calmly to the viv. Repeat again and again and again....(except for 48hrs after eating of course!)....and you will begin to notice a difference in her behaviour as she gets used to being handled and will begin to tolerate it. As she gets used to it so will you and your confidence will grow. At the moment it is a case of quality not quantity.
She will be able to tell you are not confident and that will make her more stressed. It is a case of you needing to 'fake it until you feel it'....behave calmly and gently, with no sudden movements, and she will respond positively to that. Her reaction when you go to pick her up will be a fear response....but that will lessen with time.
Now I can talk from actual experience. When I took on Silvesta, his previous owner only handled him a few times a week, with a glove after being bitten, and he was very obviously underfed. When we went to see him the owner got him out with the glove and Silvesta was all over the place trying to escape....I immediately took him from his owner (with my bare hands) and within a few minutes his movements had calmed down. I think he was truly picking up on the vibes of his previous owner that he was scared of him. Since having him I treated him as a hatchling, giving him the week to settle in and then only handling him twice a day for a maximum of 5 minutes. To begin with he would try to escape when I went to get him out of his viv (and caused total chaos spreading substrate everywhere!) and when I was handling him it was a job to keep my hands up with the speed he was moving through them, but it was possible. I just held him firmly, despite my fear about hurting him....they are a lot hardier than we give them credit for. Now he will let me pick him up without fleeing from me. The handling sessions have lengthened and he has become accustomed to me running him through my hands and letting him roam my body. I am now able to let him explore, although I always keep a hand on him because he is exceedingly fast and I know that if he decided to he could escape before I could get near him to catch him.
It really is a case of time and patience and quality of handling rather than quantity. Take it slow and trust yourself...only when you do that will Ruby trust you.
xxx
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| stotty01 |
Posted - 02/06/2010 : 23:34:09
nope had no troubles with my little one, just keep on letting it move about your hands for a while then it will eventually calm down and wont move to much :) hope i helped |
| LittleMick |
Posted - 02/06/2010 : 22:41:23
My Elijah tries to zoom off sometimes, so what I do is hold him, not on the palm of the hand, but in the joint of the palm and the fingers, and when he goes to do a runner, I just lightly close my pinky (no pun intended) finger around his body to slow him down or stop him. |
| Sta~ple |
Posted - 02/06/2010 : 21:04:37
Handling on bed is good. You just have to be fearless I'm afraid and if she really starts to wiggle a firm hold might be good although she might get even more angry and nippy. |
| mozacchio |
Posted - 02/06/2010 : 20:42:44
I still have that fear sometimes and i have my corn for 5 months now..!
It's normal! |
| matty18714 |
Posted - 02/06/2010 : 20:41:56
Handle her on your bed or anything else flat and open, and avoid fast movement that will spook her. You will be fine  |
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