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glynjones
Egg
United Kingdom
92 Posts |
 Posted - 28/06/2010 : 04:16:57
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Hi all
How do peaple get on handling larger snakes, at the moment, Marge is 27" long and slithers around my hands mainly. I have not let her have a wonder around yet, mainly because i like to handle her but also the worry of escaping or the cats( bubble and squeak) getting to interested?
I can shut them out no problem,but do larger snakes prefer handling or exploring?
When do people take there snakes into the garden, i am not sure i feel confident for that yet, there is a real risk of escaping or of her coming across something she shouldn't.
Glyn
Glyn
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Glyn
1.1.0 Marge (Amel)
Nelson (Lavender) |
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Sta~ple
qeeun speler
United Kingdom
6129 Posts |
Posted - 28/06/2010 : 08:29:01
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Depends how big, I normally drape venom around my neck as he is almost as tall as me, he loves snuggling in my hair XD
Large snakes going exploring in my experience can be a bit of a problem if hey are in one of those moods. I have had to cut Venom our of a chair before as he decided that he would explore it and ended up poking his head inside a small hole and once they have made up their minds that they are going, you have to let them go as no amount of you pulling will deter them and they will pull just as hard back.
You can let them wander the garden when you feel confident and when they are quite big, if they are small I assume it would be very easy to loose sight of them. When in my garden, I am always very near to my snake, like literally hovering about it. If it was just snake on it's own then the cats would have it but all the cats are scared of me so they stay away lol. My garde is also quite a large, flat area apart from the edges so I always keep him in the middle of the garden and I am always very close by as I know if they got to the edge and wrapped them selves around something, that would be it I would probably never see them again. I have only just started letting them into the garden to wander about, there are some people who bring them into the garden with rubs, If I can figure a nice shady spot to cover half the tub with I think I might have a go with this but I will always be with. |
   
A very special super, duper thanks for K :3 |
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Kellog
the nice one
United Kingdom
7308 Posts |
Posted - 29/06/2010 : 03:58:26
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I have only dealt with adults Glyn, although when I took on Silvesta he had hardly ever been handled so I had to go back to basics with him. I would THINK that the first thing you could do is start letting Marge explore more of your body....moving around on your lap, up your arms etc. You could also try sitting on your bed and letting her have a slither around freely on there (although I would suggest you cover it with a towel in case she decides to leave you a little gift  !).
Kellog enjoys being around my neck while I do things but once given the chance will happily go off and explore the lounge floor, which is where their vivs are. Silvesta, on the other hand, shows no interest in being on my body but once I let him go he always comes back to check I am still there - strange. I ALWAYS keep a hand on Silvesta cos I know how quick he is and I want to remind him that I am there and be able to grab him before he heads somewhere I dont want him to go....the idea is to stop them before they get near any danger points like under furniture or behind bookcase or any holes in the wall or near electrical appliances.
One thing I was told was that if your snake does head for a hole then you must hold it steady, not try and pull it out as this can damage it. I have had a real battle with Kellog soon after I got him when he headed round the back of a chest of drawers that I didnt realise were hollow. I spent half an hour on my hands and knees holding on to him, slowly losing my grip....these animals are strong! I wasnt so worried about him going under the drawers but I was worried as they backed up against the sofa and I knew that if he went from one to the other then I would lose him properly. I finally realised couldnt hold him much longer, my arms were exhausted and I had carpet burns on my elbows. So using my feet I hooked as many cushions as I could and jammed them down between the back of the drawers and the sofa....hoping that it would stop him going from one to the other. Then I let go, grabbed the phone, rang my OH, confessed I had lost the snake and burst into tears. While I was on the phone I walked around the chest of drawers to find Kellog happily sliding out from a tiny gap between the cushions and coming round to the front of the drawers! I didnt know whether to kiss him or wring his neck!
I took Silvesta out in the garden for the first time last week and have taken Kellog out a couple of times....but it is something I only do to try and get good photos....I know that there may be a risk of them picking up some types of parasites etc from being on the grass and I dont think it is worth it.
In answer to your question....my 2 adult snakes probably prefer exploring to being handled, they tolerate my handling them whereas I think they enjoy being allowed to explore.
xxx
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hillzi
The Lost boy.
United Kingdom
3984 Posts |
Posted - 29/06/2010 : 09:22:12
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Well my Blitz can still a bit cranky, this is my handling routine.
I open the door and let my smell waft in;
Take out his logs and plants,
Wait a minute or two lift off his hide.
Wait a minute again (gives him time to chill out - not shocked)
Gently place a towel on his head,
SCOOP not GRIP his big coil,
Rest his belly on the palm of my hands,
Gently coax him out like this,
then let him wrap around my arms/back/neck wherever he wants to go, he goes.
Just I keep a hand semi tight gripped round him, he allows him to move freely but if he decides to try to go under my sofa I can gently get him out and place him somewhere else to go.
When it comes to go back in, I place him in the viv so he slithers off me into the viv, and when he's got his tail through the doors I shut them.
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mikerichards
don't say the 'M' word!
United Kingdom
2901 Posts |
Posted - 29/06/2010 : 12:35:02
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Anything up to 6 or 7 feet you don't need to do anything different, but that depends on the type of snake too, I don't take the corns put much, but the boas I do.
The big girl loves comes out, but as she is 9.5ft I am careful as to where I let her go, and where our cats are, for the cats sake not the snakes! She is so big that although she wouldn't be much of an issue to me, a lot of smaller people might have issues with her weight and strength.
Anything over 12ft is a 2 person job, that's just too dodgy to play with!
But, if you are just on about corns, don't worry, just carry on as you as you are, but remember, adult corns can still get into very small spaces, and holes in the floor are too good an opportunity to miss! |
Location : Worthing, West Sussex
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Handling larger snakes
