So my baby ate another fuzzy today gotta get her weight back up. She is actually staying in her tub! Of course i taped it all around so she can’t explore anymore. Her feeding response is almost as big as my boy’s. Today he wanted his large mouse and jumped out of the tub to get it, i had to wait til he finished before i could put him back. Im still afraid of being bit by either of them but more of him because of his size. Is there a way to teach them that every time i open the lid is not mouse time? I don’t want him assuming that every time is food time for him.
3 Likes
You could try either a small snake hook for handling (I have one for a very food motivated boy) or tap training (many good tutorials on youtube) to get him used to the idea that you are not the food.
4 Likes
I second the suggestion of using a hook and/or tap training. Some snakes seem less stressed/defensive when a hook is the first point of contact rather than a human hand immediately reaching into their tub, and the hook also lets them know that it’s not feeding time.
Do be aware that there is a bit of a learning curve to using a snake hook. It’s not rocket science, but it does take a little practice to get comfortable with it. There are plenty of good tutorials on YouTube, which can be helpful, but mostly it just takes practice and patience. Don’t get discouraged if using a hook feels awkward and clumsy at first. Just be gentle with the hook and patient with yourself and you’ll get the hang of it. Snake hooks can be very useful tools, so I definitely think it’s a good idea for every snake keeper to have one and get comfortable using one. Even if you don’t use it frequently, you never know when it might come in handy.
4 Likes
Here’s a good and sometimes silly video for hook/tap training, from Green Room Pythons. What to do if your snake always thinks it’s meal time.
That’s for telling them “No it’s not Food TIme.”
Another option is Target Training, which is having a specific signal for “YES NOW it’s food time”, and Lori Torrini on youtube is a great teacher for that.
5 Likes
I ordered a snake hook and will review sever videos before i attemp to use it, but i think that will be good with my boy who is always thinking mommy has food for him and for my spicy baby OC bc she is always so extra 
4 Likes
Sounds like a great plan! Rosy boas are famous for their great appetites, so I think if my Ball python goes on fasts regularly as he grows up, someday I might end up with a silvery Coastal just to be sure no rat is ever wasted! Those are from my home, which I miss very much, so it’d be lovely to have one.
4 Likes
He has never turned down a meal yet, and honestly he seems hungry all the time but his weight says he aint missin no meals. Im pretty sure no meal would be wasted as the Rosy is like a bottomless pit
5 Likes
Sounds like a good plan! Snakes often settle down pretty quickly once they’re out of the enclosure, so usually you’ll only need to employ the hook in the very beginning of your interactions.
With my blood python, I’ll usually gently touch her with the hook a couple times to make sure she’s awake and thinking rather than startled and defensive, then I’ll use the hook to lift up a portion of her body just enough so I can get my other hand under her, then I lift her out of her tub and toss the hook aside. Then she’s very docile and easy to handle and I don’t need the hook at all anymore. For whatever reason, she seems to react a lot better to the hook being our first point of contact rather than my hand (might seem less threatening and predatory, I guess).
That’s just an example of how a hook can be useful even when you only use it very briefly at the beginning of a handling session. You’ll have to figure out what works best for you and your snakes, of course.
4 Likes
Just to chime in on the tap training stuff, I have a yearling boa I have managed to target train quite well. He sees his red target and his eyes dilate and S-curve city lol. But I can put my hand in and he just sniffs or backs away a little nervous. Only time he has ever tagged me I had gloves on which confused him and I was hovering over him lol.
Also, a hide that is fully enclosed, like a snake hide (I Dremel mine so that the entrance is a half moon cuz I’m paranoid an animal may get stuck) makes it so you can take the animal out of the enclosure to handle or check, which is nice. Obviously in a breeder/rack situation this isn’t practical but for a pet or small breeder situation it can be useful for training etc.
Just some thoughts with my comparitively limited boa experience 
1 Like