can I get a 'how 2 handle' guide for ball pythons too like cinder's a babe but i feel like i make her nervous sometimes
Ok so the good news about balls is that they’re pretty easy to handle. They’re slow! This is good. However, it doesn’t mean you can leave them on the floor unsupervised. They’re very good at hiding, so make sure you have an eye on them at all times. They’re also usually not too snappy, which means that you probably won’t ever really need a hook to handle them. However, sometimes they can get a little excited if they think it’s feeding night, so watch their posture. Are they all a-flicker with the tongue? Are they holding their neck in an S-shape? Probably best not to hold them, then. Instead, get them out when they’re not particularly hungry
They’re often head-shy; even though we say “boop the snoot” a lot on tumblr, many snakes do NOT appreciate that and will not enjoy being booped. Holding their head tightly is also uncomfortable for them; while it can be medically necessary to restrain them via a tight hold around the head/neck, don’t do this during normal handling. Follow their lead! If they want to put their head somewhere and that somewhere’s ok by you, let them! When I boop Harker’s snoot, it’s actually usually the other way around- he nudges my finger with his nose as I hold it still because he’s curious about what’s going on. Over time your snake might become a bit less head-shy; still, unless you have a chill snake, don’t try to boop the snoot or squish the headboobs (those pouches of fat at the back of the head) because you might end up with a nip.
Don’t pick your snake up by the tail- remember that’s their spine and you need to support them! It can really hurt a heavier snake to be picked up by the tail.
Ball pythons like to hide, and a hoodie is a GREAT way to facilitate this. They love pockets and hoods and will curl up in your sleeves if you let them.
KNOW THE POOP BUTT. FEAR THE POOP BUTT. You shouldn’t handle a beep two days after it’s eaten but ALSO if its tail looks like this (it won’t be this extreme, this is a 30-second exaggerated sketch):
put it down and walk away.
Once you’re past the head, most snakes don’t mind being stroked anywhere along the body. They like to coil around you- keep this in mind. They won’t coil tightly enough to really hurt you, but I’d still advise against letting them coil around your neck. They won’t do anything on purpose, but it can make people panicky. If you do need to uncoil them, start with the head and gently lead the snake off of the coil. Let them coil around your arm or your hand and really get to appreciate the feel of the snake. The strength of their muscles, the smoothness of their scales- it’s really quite soothing to have a snake out. Let them explore- they can be really curious! An engaged snake is flicking its tongue and moving slowly; if it’s moving at top speed, that’s a good indicator that it doesn’t want to be where it is (and should probably be returned to its home). As always, make sure not to handle for too long; you don’t want to keep them away from their heat and humidity for all that long, and you definitely don’t want to stress them out!
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