Large collections and handling

[Linds]

I know with my collection, I don't handle most of them with the exception of general maintenance and the like. Does anyone here with collections of 20+ snakes handle them more regularily than maintenance requires?

[Tim_Cranwill]

I don't handle mine much. Don't get me wrong, I love holding snakes but I get almost enough of it durung cage cleaning. lol :p

Once in a while I take one out for just a casual handling session... maybe once a week or something...

[Matt_K]

The only snake i try and handle on a regular occasion is the retic.. For obvious reasons.. Aside from that, i only handle my animals when im cleaning..

[Jeff_Favelle]

Even if I only had one snake, the amount of handling per snake would be the same. Not much! I treat them like fish. They are neat to look at and study, but as far as interaction goes, its purely a one-way street and I don't feel its fair to the animal.

[Classic]

Its very difficult to handle all of them on a regular basis. I mostly try to handle the more skittish ones more often.

Brian

[justinO]

there are a few animals that we take out more then others. I like to have my 8' burm out every now and again.. My girlfriend likes to take out some of her fav balls out occasionally as well.

[BOAS_N_PYTHONS]

LINDS:

I try and handle each individual at least 10 - 15 minutes per week. Other than breeding and sheds each boid gets some time.

I just need more helpers at times, lol.

Cya...

Tony

[marisa]

I have only like 10 snakes give or take a few now and again, and we don't have time to handle them. I take out a couple more than others, other than that, we only hold them while we clean.

Marisa

[thunder]

i have about 25 snakes, and aside from the ribbon and garter snakes, i handle them all, some more than others, either because i like them more or they require it to remain docile. since they are used for education, i try too keep them all tame enough for kids to touch.

[Stockwell]

I have a good size collection, several hundred when babies arrive.
I don't handle much at all, unless there is a need and frequently use gloves and hooks even for small species like Rosies. I don't particularily care if they are tame, and I've been bit by everthing in my collection except Rubber boas(that days coming)
I handle babies because you need to remove them and sex them and sometimes feeding them involves handling, and I handle a few favourites like my black milks, albino Hondurans and rosies and sand boas, but there is a different mentality about handling between breeders/collectors and pet keepers.
I guess it starts as pets for most of us especially when you have only a few. It did for me many years ago, but as the collection grew there came a time when I no longer felt the need to name or watch TV with my herps, not that there is anything wrong with that...
In fact somewhere along the line I started referring to them as "charges" I guess a zoo- keeper, farmer type mentality replaces the pet owner type sentiment. It's just a natural progression for some.
When I'm asked if I have pets, I generally say NO or refer to my Cardinal tetra tank. but then I don't name or pick them up either :)

[CamHanna]

I try to handle my burm as much as I can to ensure she stays handleable, colubrids I generally handle as an extension of maintanence, my storeria I handle as little as possible.

[knoxvillef4i]

We have 2 Kings, and we handle them at least every other day (my daughters and me, that is).

[lakeridgekennel]

I hold my snakes when i need to but a couple of burms i have get out when ever i have the time which is like 10 min once a week-2 weeks.I hold my monitors on a weekely basis and my crocs because of there size i try to get them as tame as i can which is still nil.

[BoidKeeper]

I'm up over 30 now and as a rule I never touch the female boids at all. The rest only gets touched during cleaning. If someone comes buy and wants to hold something I give them a corn a normal male ball.
Cheers,
Trevor

[wyz]

Hum ! kinda question that makes me realize having more snakes is not allways more fun.

We use to handle all or snakes weekly.. I'd say 'till we had 5 or 6. Now with more than 30 + the babies it's very occasionaly.

We handle the ones that are in display enclosures (ATB, Carpet, Sinaloan).. the others that are in the racks we don't handle them..

It's really too bad because I miss that.

I'm planning to build some more display enclosure pretty soon in order to have at least one specimen per species that will be on display so we can handle them more and see them more.

Good poll, makes me realize stuff :)

WYZ

[primalblack]

I'm planning on getting a boa for a pet. Probably just a common or rosy boa. But when I do I know I will want to handle her a lot. That just cuz shes a pet though, and I would have the time. If I had a larger collection I would try to handle them at least once a week for 5-10 min. I have Golden Spiny mice(too many) and can understand how it can be hard to get enough time to handle. I try to though, to keep them tame. And so I can catch them easier for cleaning.

[corr]

I didn't vote because my collection is only small but it's interesting to see these responses. As my collection grows, I seem to be handling less and I don't want that.

There are lots of other snakes that I would like to keep but only if they're handleable. So, the more snakes in a collection, the less each one is handled - the less handleable they become... hmmm... catch 22...

[Jeff_Favelle]

Hum ! kinda question that makes us realize having more snakes is not allways more fun.


Having more snakes is ALWAYS more fun! My joy was/is getting to watch them until they did something. With 160+ snakes, chances are, one of them is going to be doing something! If I want to hold something, I'll grab my girlfriend.

[wyz]

Just for you Jeff, I've edited my message. I replaced the word "us" by "me" ;)

So I won't be including anybody else than myself in my comment.

I realized I do miss looking at my snakes through a glass window and I do miss taking them out sometimes.

Also I just finished reading the new book "the art of keeping snakes" by Philippe de Vosjoli. And this too, got me to remember why I fell in love with reptiles. I think I'll try to find the right balance in my collection beetwen breeding and enjoying the hobby.

A couple of changes will be made pretty soon.

WYZ

[Invictus]

I handle my snakes as often as possible, especially the skittish ones.

My personal view is this - NOT handling your snakes is doing them a huge injustice. By getting the snakes used to being handled, and used to your scent, and used to being removed from their cages for no reason whatsoever, they get to the point where they just plain don't care one way or the other. Snakes who DON'T get handled, however, have a tendency to panic like crazy even when you just take them out for cleaning. Putting your snake into a panic well into adulthood CAN'T be good for them. I say get the panic out of the way early, and get them at the very least to the point of indifference with handling, and I'd be willing to be they will even live longer. :)

[lolaophidia]

Well I only have 16 snakes at the moment, but I generally only handle a couple of my favorites other than on cleaning days. If I want to hold a big snake- I get the Taiwan, a small snake- one of the Hognose or my Mexican Black King. A few of my snakes really don't appreciate handling (and will go off feed if handled for very long) and I think it would be selfish of me to handle them any more than necessary. They aren't "pets" exactly, and I don't expect affection or even tolerance from them. My Mandarins and Brazilian Rainbow Boas seem to prefer to be left alone and since they're breeders- I'm willing to leave them alone and observe them with minimal disturbance while they're in their cages. Once a week everyone gets a thorough inspection during cage cleaning. I use a hook with most of my snakes, I think it minimizes the stress on them of having some big predator grabbing them.

Just to ramble a bit- I had a non snake loving co-worker ask me if I played with my snakes and I got a mental image of picking one up and tossing it in the air going "wheeee". They don't play was what I ended up telling her.

[Jeff_Favelle]

WYZ, best way to cure that thought is to set up a DISPLAY tank of anoles or a cool desert tank of Collareds or something. Display tanks of diurnal lizards are just too cool for words!!! Sometimes even rivalling salt water fish tanks!!

[Simon]

I don't handle mine much....
I think that I only handle them during cleaning....other than that...basically no....

but I do have 1 or 2 that I show people when they're afraid of snakes to let them see how harmless they are....but I would say most of the time.....no...heck if I were to handle everyone of them for 5 min it might take me days.......

[Jeff_Favelle]

LOL Simon!

[vanderkm]

I handle ours snakes mostly when I need to - cleaning enclosures, assessing body condition, after sheds, checking for eggs in gravid females. The youngsters are housed in tubs and are handled weekly when they are removed for cleaning. Adults are handled less often because I don't have to take them out to clean their enclosures.

I haven't found that handling makes a difference in how well our corns or milks tolerate it - did a lot of handling with some young milks this past year to get them used to it, but left others alone because they weren't feeding as well. Both groups are now quite tolerant of handling and I think they have just outgrown their basic juvenile 'fear'.

Many of our adults are not really handled at all (picked up every couple months) and I can still take them to shows and they are just calm as a garden hose. Others are idiots no matter how often we have handled them - I think there is a lot of individual variation.

Someone on this forum (wish I could remember who) made a comment that when we handle snakes to condition them - the snake don't learn to tolerate handling as much as we (hopefully) learn how to do it more correctly so we don't repeat behaviours that cause them to show stress. I think there is a lot of truth to this - and I am really trying to become better at how I handle our snakes - so I can see them up close and share them with other people.

mary v.

[Leviathan]

I take at least one, if not two or three, of my reptiles out everyday. Most of them are in rubbermaids so you can't really enjoy them staring through foggy plastic. So I'll take one out for a couple minutes just cause I think they're entrancing and amazing. I never get tired of holding my snakes... Especially my bigger female Hog Island! I love to hold her!

Alecia

[Artemis]

I have been taking my one "pet" male BP out about twice a week, because like thunder I want to make him an educational snake, and be used to little kids and people in general touching him (daughter ofcourse also wants to hold the snake, but she is quite mature and gentle about it). I give him a solid 48 hours minimum post meal before handling, and he usually eats twice a week. The differential is that I am naughty and keep him out a bit longer than most people- Id say I keep him out for a good half hour. I also only take him out when he is out of his hides anyway- but he is a pretty active little guy and comes out like clockwork around sunset almost every night. If he doesn't come out on his own I will forego handling and let him be.

Art

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

Originally posted by Jeff_Favelle
WYZ, best way to cure that thought is to set up a DISPLAY tank of anoles or a cool desert tank of Collareds or something. Display tanks of diurnal lizards are just too cool for words!!! Sometimes even rivalling salt water fish tanks!!

>(WATCHOO TALKIN BOUT JEFF?!?! NOTHING rivals a saltwater fish tank(at least not the 180g im gonna set up!)!:D Diurnal lizzies are very nice though;)!

Cheers!

C.

As far as snake handling, I usually handle mine(i've got 5, soon to be 6(new blood) then 10(4 balls), then hopefully will have 20-30 in a year and a half) once a week, but they end up comming out twice sometimes, because I take them out when guests come over. I love to simply look at the animals, and admire them, its very, I dont know, you know what I mean:rolleyes:!

Also, I agree with what Mary brought up, about it partly being the humans learning to read the snake and handle it more properly. I think its a combination of both(the snakes toleration and the human).

Another point I read about on this site, cant remember who it was, but its good to say when someoine asks you about a snake(or lizard) and they look scared/terrified: "If this snake/lizard/ect... is as bad/horrible/weird/dangerous/whatever you think it is, then why would I be handling it?" I just love this statement, and think its the greatest thing. I have asked people that know relatively nothing and could care less about them and they think that is a great line.

Just my 2 cents!

C.

[Lrptls]

i love my snakes like my children ( i dont have any children so i guess they are my children) i try to house them the best i can and give them space so they can move around but i love geting them out. i like to let them roam the yard and climb things including me. i really love taking them places and sorta showing them off and at the same time freaking the crap out of people. handling my snakes is one of my favorite things to do when i'm bored.

[karmeleon]

Its nice you enjoy handling your snakes but taking your snakes places to scare people is not good for your snakes or the hobby. Education is great but only in the right setting. Trying to scare others or gain shock value only gets snakes bad press they don't need.

[Jeff_Favelle]

The common theme I see here is:

" I love doing this, I love handling that, I love, I love, I love".

That's all well and good. Chances are, you're snake(s) don't feel the same.

[snakeylesnake]

good words jeff! the only time i handle my chondros is if one of them needs a poop! other than that they are left alone,
cheers
paul

[Oliverian]

You handle them when they need to poop? Doesn't that result in some very soiled clothing? :D

-TammyR

[Lizzy001]

i have 2 corn snakes, and i try and handle them as much as possible or when i can. Since 1 is a baby i like to try and get her used to handling as early as possible.

[Lizzy001]

i have 2 corn snakes, and i try and handle them as much as possible or when i can. Since 1 is a baby i like to try and get her used to handling as early as possible.

[python_diva_06]

i don't have a big collection yet, but when i do i think i'll still see everyone of them as pets, as members of my family...i ztill sit and watch TV with my BRB and i try to get my Cali. King out AT LEAST once a week to keep him tamed down a bit...all my reptiles are my babies and i don't think i could go very long with out handling them ( that is with the exception of the snapping turtle hehe). so yeah, i handle my snakes ALL THE TIME and i love each and every moment!!!

[bighillreptiles]

I try to handle my boa's once a week other than cleaning and watering them!my balls only to clean and water,all of my snakes get checked once a month for health reasons and general conditions.
At this time we have over 18 Parrots that we handle all the time.
African Gray Parrots, Blue Parrotlets, Lovebirds,Cockatiels,Engish Budgies,Yellow and pied Kakarikis and a couple of of x breeders that i am working with that were left to die in a small cage in a dark corner of a shed, some people don't deserve a pet at all let alone call themselves breeders. Just because they have a couple of babies,whether be cats, dogs,birds or snakes it doesn't make them a breeder in my books. as soon as it takes some money for vet bills or anything, they don't want them anymore. Paul Van Hooser
p.s. if there is anyone that has a female senegal parrot please let me know because i have a male that has lost it's mate and is pining for a new one.thanks again and you can contact me at pkaviary@yahoo.ca or PM me

[burmer]

My collection isn't huge but I don't get much of a chance to handle them. Usually once a week during cage cleanings.

[damzookeeper]

I only have 4, soon to be 6 thanks to retic. :) But I handle them frequently. I guess you could say my leo collection is like most snake collections here, I only handle a few of my favorites but don't handle them often as I have over 30 breeders along with their babies. But I also have had up to 14 beardeds at one time along with babies and they still got handled a few times a week each and as much as I could with the babies. I have since cut that collections down and by next week I'll be down to 8. That will give me even more time to handle them, especailly my little nasty girl. lol. I think I handle my snakes more because I've always wanted snakes and because of my husbands phobia I could never get any. Luckily my blue tongues have helped a bit (since he sees them as snakes with legs, lol) and he finally gave in to the snakes in the house. :)

[emkovar]

I like most others only handle most of my snakes when cleaning. However there are the select few that do get handled more often. The only time I go out of my way to not handle a snake is when im dealing with non-feeders.