Hello all. I’m hoping to find a more elaborate guide to handling ball pythons - and possibly other snakes that are commonly kept in captivity. Ideally it would have the pattern of a map/scheme, for example, akin to a “if A, go to B; if C, go to D” format.
I know there are many different opinions as to how snakes ought to be handled. For example, Lori Torrini has videos that can be schematized into the format I mentioned regarding purely choice-based handling. I’m not necessarily seeking a choice-based approach scheme. My interest is in all approaches that would, by it’s creator’s experience, work well both for the handler and the snake long term. So, I’m throwing this question here to see how it fares and if anyone has something to apport 
Share anything that comes to mind!
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I handle my snakes (1) when I want to, unless they’re (a) shedding, (b) obviously or apparently not in the mood, or (c) they ate within the last couple days; and (2) when I need to for their health, safety or cleanliness with no exceptions.
This method, as far as I can tell and over decades and with many hundreds of snakes, works perfectly for me and for my snakes. I taught a few semesters of college logic (formal and informal), so I’m not at all frightened of conditional statements in general. I just think that approaching captive herps with a big algorithm in hand is the wrong idea; logical reductionism isn’t the same as understanding, and while flow charts are great for troubleshooting a broken dishwasher, I think animals are best approached differently.
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An interesting take, thank you for it!
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I just move them as needed (from behind them) for cleaning etc, they soon get used to it if your gentle and dont surprise them too much but you must also be not too hesitant. also know the individuals personality and adjust your approach. it cant always be when they choose but that’s good too,
However, here are some good videos.
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Thank you for your input.
