Training You: "HANDLING" Your New Snake
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- Training You! Handling the arrival and subsequent interactions with your new snake.
I was recently asked if getting a new snake used to handling, even if you have to use force-based or coercive methods, was important or if it was better to work on building truest and getting them used to your presence first.
If you want to be a keep who optimizes your snake’s wellbeing by opting for choice-based interactions, then you want to avoid any coercive or force-based methods unless there is an emergency. You want to avoid being intrusive, forcing yourself on the animal, forcing interactions, or making the animal do something against their will.
If your goal is to build trust with the snake and for the snake to perceive you safe, and even something they are curious about and may find interaction with reinforcing down the road then you need to listen to what your snake is telling you. Watch their behavior and recognize body language indicating they are experience fear, anxiety, or distress and back off if you are the cause. You cannot force the snake to trust you, like you, perceive you as safe, or find pleasure in being handled by you. They must come to learn these things on their own based on your behavior towards them.
When a new snake arrives here, I get them settled into quarantine or into their permanent habitat, depending on which is appropriate, and then I leave them alone. Any forced handling early on is usually detrimental to the long-term relationship. I like to let them passively habituate to my presence and then once they are remaining visible and not showing any signs of fear, anxiety, or distress when I am nearby, I gradually introduce more active habituation. That is when I start to do activities outside of the enclosure, working up to opening the door, and perhaps changing water or spot cleaning inside as long as the snake is not exhibiting escape/avoidance behavior, defensive behavior, or fear. Approach and retreat based on what behavior the snake is displaying is the best strategy to adhere to when things get to this point (note: I have an approach and retreat class which is linked in the card at the beginning).
I do start target training or puzzle feeding with the first feed independent of the general work I just discussed. Target training is a form of active habituation that you can start immediately, if they’re eating, they can be training. Once they are targeting and showing an interest in investigating the open door, and eventually coming out on their own or via targeting, then I start to work on introducing touch and eventually handling through gradual desensitization (note: I have a video about this linked in the endscreen).
The process as a whole should ideally start as young as possible but there is no need to rush into the handling part specifically, that will happen as part of the process down the road. The age when the touch training and desensitization to handling starts doesn’t matter as long as you have been doing the hands-off habituation methods to establish trust. The younger a snake is when they start the entire process the better but the specific age, they are at each phase isn’t going to impact the result. I have started snakes as young as 3.5 weeks old and others that have been adults and it all goes the same or progresses in similar way for the majority of snakes. The pace each progresses varies according to their species, individual temperament, and personality.
There is no reason to be in a hurry. These snake are hopefully going to be with you for 20 or 30 years and the time you take to establish a positive relationship now will make your life together positive in the long run. If an emergency happens then you do what you must to ensure the safety and health of you and your snake. Just remember that handling because you want to is not an emergency, cleaning is not an emergency, showing the snake off to your friends is not an emergency, and even cleaning water is not an emergency. You can easily set a cup of drinking water right inside the door and wait for a more opportune and less stressful moment for your snake to clean out their regular dish.
VOACULARY from the snake's point of view:
aversive, intrusive, force-based, coercive = bad/negative emotional valence
choice-based, freedom, control, opportunity, reinforcing = good/positive emotional valence
www.BehaviorEducation.org
www.Patreon.com/BehaviorEducation - Домашні улюбленці та дикі тварини
I've been watching so many videos about handling snakes and taming them down and what not and every other person is saying to just pick them up for fifteen minutes regularly until they get used to it and I really really love your way of doing things I feel like you have so much respect for your animals
I mean, I still establish contact (touch) with my snakes at least once a week.
But the rest of the week except feeding, I let them be. They know I'm there because they see me moving around though which kinda puts me in the environment, if that makes sense.
@@MaliciousMollusc it does thanks so much. I was really just meaning a lot of people over do it and they say like if they seem scared just keep doing what you're doing linstead of backing off. I like Loris approach and retreat method a lot more than just grabbing them when they're clearly terrified. I got a leopard gecko about a year ago and I tried to take the advice of just taking them out a lot when they're young and I noticed it really freaked him out so I've kinda been trying some of this stuff with him too and I think it's helping a lot. Instead of getting him out I will just move stuff in his tank or sit outside of it and talk to him and since I've started doing that I notice he doesn't hide every time I walk in the room and will sometime come to the glass to see what's up. I've been hand feeding him his whole life so because of that he does have a sense of trust. When I try to remove him from the enclosure he allows it but I wouldnt say he's necessarily relaxed so that's what ive been trying to work on. He's very relaxed and curious when I move stuff in the enclosure and is coming right up to see what Im touching and doing. I'm trying to get the best info before I get my snake and hopefully have a more trusting relationship with my snake right from the start.
@@luwildy Yeah, I tried that old method before on a Cali King.... only made it worse. Imagine a King Snake that has the temperament of a Bull Snake or a Rat Snake
I'm pretty lucky it's kinda cold where I am so the snakes tend to cuddle for warmth whenever they go outside. My larger boas (Acrantophis) tend to get very cozy lol
@@MaliciousMollusc My MBK girl is pretty aloof and enjoys her alone time but she has never once bitten or hissed at me. My rat snake boy is so gentle and a sweetheart.
I now have a new channel to binge, so thank you for all of this incredible information!!
I've been trying a more passive, hands-off approach for a while now and I noticed a difference in how my snakes (both old and new) behave.
They seem to be more approachable and less likely to spook.
thank god I found this channel, thank you so much. I just got a snake and wasn't sure what I should do in terms of training handling
Man Lori ,,, u is a jewel ,,,, This is great education much needed to be posted and shared majorly ' 🏆🏆🏆
Preach!!! 🤘🏼
I Like the ideas you put forward... and I myself am trying these techniques
Excellent!
Alright. Your creativity and YTs are top notch. Now the pvc and hooks. How? Can you share the hooks? Genius 👍🏻
For the perches? I made a video about that.
ua-cam.com/video/GoxsQ8H5quI/v-deo.html
@@LoriTorrini of course 🙏🏻
Hi Lori. Thank you for your sharing your wonderful journey with animals. I am interested in how and how often people handle their babies/juveniles. I am waiting for basic trust and familiarity to develop before handling my babies, the same way I deal with our rescue parrots really. Is that ok? I've only ever adopted older snakes before and when I was a kid, was given larger and tamer snakes; so this experience, while super exciting, is new to me. Should I be handling them despite their nervousness? There are so many conflicting opinions.
I advocate desensitization to handling after they’re used to your presence and proximity and then slowing working up to touch and then Subam ding on their terms. It is the least intrusive minimally aversive way to develop that type of interaction with them. I explain this more here:
ua-cam.com/video/GWQCO7bMN8s/v-deo.html
Can you do toys for snakes people have toys for cats and dogs and many other pets but I have yet to find anything on snakes for that
Watch the videos in this playlist for ideas. ua-cam.com/play/PLNbZzsRecQ2YFk327ZD0q4yyQVlXf8uQW.html
Can you make a video instructing on how to encourage choice based handling for fossorial snakes like kenyan sand boas?
Even fossorial snakes emerge at times and they come out to eat. Take advantage of those times when you not be then tend to come out and take advantage of feeding times to encourage them to interact more. You can feed them on a target or on/in something else and gradually move it further and further away from where they hide until they’re coming all the way out to eat. Then, you can work on moving it eventually out the door. Take note of when the come out at other times like to drink or cryptically bask. Cameras are helpful for surveillance when you can’t watch them so that you can figure out what they’re doing and when.
@@LoriTorrini thanks I will invest in a camera then. Have yet to view when he is surfacing.
👍😊
3:25 New target? Where can I get one? :)
They were 3-D printed and sent to me to test out. I will ask the person who made them if he’s ok with me sharing his information.
What if the snake is in their hide almost 24/7. I have a ball python and it is different than say a corn snake I used to have which was always moving around it's space, so I am unsure how to do this when it's in it's hide almost all the time? Thanks for any help
I have a playlist specifically for shy snakes and videos about snakes hiding. I will link it but you can also do a search for them.
ua-cam.com/play/PLNbZzsRecQ2bfPt03xjMlisZJg6OmNTCi.html&si=f0e0RL-dYtXZUnXT
Does this really work on ball pythons? They are known to be the least intelligent
Yes. Have you watched the Royals are Ranch series? From your question I’m guessing this may be the first one of my videos you have watched. I have an entire weekly series about training and behavior of Python regius. The species is very sensitive and easily stressed. They are not unintelligent and they learn quickly but may be hesitant to perform behaviors out of shyness or fear.
@@LoriTorrini thank you for the answer. I agree and I think, they are quickly stressed. I will watch your series about that topic.
@@LoriTorrini I watched a view videos of yours, but mostly I watch Kevin from nerd reptiles, who once said, a retic makes a boa look dump.. Something like that. And I few other snake UA-camrs said they are not the brightest.. I love them, no matter what, I just was asking myself, if I should handle mine less than my other snakes..I keep Mostly diurnal snakes, they seem to be more open to handling. I just handle once or twice a week and the python regius just in the evening.. But I Will watch more of your content and learn from it😉