Nov 12, 2024
RIP to this poor man 😶
Via
seen from South Korea
seen from United States
seen from Italy
seen from T1
seen from Malaysia
seen from Yemen
seen from Kenya
seen from Australia
seen from Australia
seen from China
seen from Türkiye
seen from China
seen from Greece
seen from China
seen from China
seen from Germany
seen from Greece
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from Italy
RIP to this poor man 😶
Via
I have not been handling Barney much and he has turned into a hungry hippopotamus demanding food literally the day after he eats. He has also decided he’s big enough to try to eat my hand (which has admittedly further reduced his handling [that and general life/home environment changes]). Le sigh. He’s still a cute lil noodle though! I also feel bad handling him when I know he doesn’t enjoy it and he gets nervous around most new things.
I’m going to start tap/hook training but I’m also going to hold myself to a better enrichment schedule for him. He loves exploring a fresh redecoration so much.
Ugh my spotted python bit me today. Hes my first snake and I feel bad he’s getting all my newbie mistakes but he’s done really well with handling and this is the first time I just don’t know what happened? I know they don’t bite out of the blue but I had taken him outside and he was very relaxed in my arms with his head on my shoulder, I stepped off the porch so he could feel some sun and made sure to keep his head in the shade and after a few seconds he moves around to the front of me and just slams my lip. Obviously it’s not bad I’m just so frustrated and feel like every step forward has like three back. And maybe he just doesn’t want to be handled that would be ok but he seems so good and happy to explore most of the time. I have looked into choice based handling but he never wants to wake up and come out of his hides during the day but he always is relaxed once he is out.
Aw, I'm so sorry you got tagged. That sounds like it was really jarring. Please don't be discouraged, though. Snake keeping is a journey, not a destination, and though it may feel like you're not making good progress, every experience is an opportunity to learn and grow with your pet.
Spotted pythons are nocturnal, so he may have been startled by the sudden sunshine and warmth and either mistook you for a predator or a snack. Bites are disheartening (and a bite in the face doubly so!) but it's part of snake ownership. We will all take a chomp at some point.
I once had my leucistic Texas rat snake on my lap while I was reading and I guess he fell asleep at some point, and when I moved my arm I must have startled him awake because he freaked out and tagged me out of nowhere. I was shocked and a bit hurt in the moment, and I totally get how you're feeling. It's nobody's fault. These are animals and sometimes they react to stimuli we think are pretty benign in ways we didn't expect!
If you're going to implement choice-based handing, it'll likely only happen after the sun has gone down. It might be good to try to interact on his terms for a while, as late in the day as you can and in low-light situations. He's less likely to be a butt if he's up and active during the part of his natural rhythm when he's most alert.
I mean, imagine having somebody pull you out of bed at 3am and shine a flashlight with the power of the sun at you. Even if it wasn't right in your eyes, you might be a touch irritable!
I hope that the two of you can find some common ground and that you are able to build more confidence as a keeper. Forgive yourself when you make mistakes, as you so quickly forgave him when he bit you. I know spotted pythons are considered a decent beginner species but I've definitely found them more challenging than some of the other options.
At the end of the day you're just two completely different animals trying to understand each other, and that's pretty cool.
So hard to photograph and so baby.
This saucy bitch absconded for a week's vacation around the house decided to show up in my mother's sweater while she was putting it on. I was worried sick, mom is officially traumatized, and I don't think she'll be visiting me again anytime soon. Two losses and a win. Also her name is Aries so I had a tiny goddess of war free roaming my house for a week.
5 years old and still barely a handful
Done with mite treatment/quarantine, Ophelia has moved into the snake rack!
Yes, I decorated her tub after this, don’t worry. :p
Thirsty noodle