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Any advice about taming young snake? Will my young house snake settle down with time?

J

JohnCA

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First time snake owner .....

I have a very young Zambian House snake, about 14 inches long. He has tried to bite me on only one occasion. I have had him for about 2 months. Most times, when I pick him up, he struggles for the first 5 seconds ... really struggles.

He is so fast in his cage that, if I don't catch or surprise him & grab him in the first few second of my entering the cage, he just sprints around the cage trying to get away from me. He is impressively fast. He the greyhound of house snakes. Thank goodness he is so small and manageable.

Does anyone have a few hints about getting him to settle down?

I try to pick him up about 4 or 5 times per week for a few minutes each time. I assume the best approach is to handle him as often as possible (???).

He tends to calm down if I am holding him and holding him far from anywhere that he can "jump" or lunge at to escape. This strategy requires me to stand when holding him. If I were to sit down or place him on my hand in my lap, he would bolt for sure. If I stand and keep him and my hands far from anything else, then he just slithers around in my hands and through my fingers. I just support him and let him move around as much or as little as he wants.

Has anyone else had the experience that younger snakes are more flighty or skittish but then move a little more slowly when they mature?

Thanks for any advice,
John
 
Patience! You are a huge scary predator, at least in his mind. Remember that the only thing that normally picks up a snake in the wild is a predator about to eat them. Try to imagine how that feels to be him.

Remember that while snakes can SEE us, they do not identify things visually. They recognize us (in time) by our scent & touch. I assume you have no problems with him feeding? Handling too often can sometimes stress a snake to the point of not eating, & if it's too soon after their meal, they may also regurgitate (which is undesirable & can actually be harmful.) I actually prefer not to handle baby snakes all that much as they are fragile & there's really no rush (they aren't going to get huge over-night). Baby snakes need time to grow, and yes, most kinds of snakes get calmer in time. Even the ones that don't, at least when they're bigger they're easier to hang onto. Another consideration is that we are 98.6*- too hot for most tiny snakes (they heat up faster) so while most snakes calm down after you hold them for a while, you cannot really do that with a baby snake because they can over-heat rather quickly. Sometimes snakes have a good reason for wanting to escape.

You say he "really struggles" when you pick him up...you might also be holding him too tightly...that tends to panic a snake. Not saying you should let him fall either, just that
it's a fine line...it's better when a snake isn't panicked & they hold on to you.
 
Thank you. Great advice.

The snake is eating well (which I think a real positive characteristic of many house snakes). And I make sure that I don't bother him for 2 or 3 days after every meal.

Yours was the reassurance that I needed. I was actually worried that I was not doing enough. It sounds like a measured and gentle approach is the best approach.
 
I'm glad he's eating well, that's a good sign. I've kept many kinds of snakes, including some very small & squirmy ones (milk snakes are like this too) but not specifically house snakes. They are one kind I was very interested in, but didn't get around to.

I've talked with many new snake owners who think they have to worry about taming a snake right away but that's not so. And once a snake learns not to fear you, they nearly all keep that impression, even without a lot of handling. Stress is harmful to the health & longevity of snakes, just as for people; going easy on young snakes, giving them time to settle in & overcome their instincts, pays off in the long run.

One other thing- I never hold a snake behind the head to keep them from biting, because if you do, then biting is exactly what they WANT to do, lol. It's like putting a choke-hold on your next door neighbor for a greeting, instead of a friendly wave. Predators tend to grab either end of a snake, so that's the signal that a neck-hold sends. Gentle mid-body holds leave a far better impression.

When I handle snakes, I usually hold (cuddle) them close to me...they feel safer than if they are out in the open (dangling on your hand). They learn to relax, even trust us, as we do of them. Welcome to the fun of understanding them.
 
Good advice. Thanks.

Luckily, I picked a small snake to start with and male house snakes at full maturity are usually around 2 feet (the females are longer in length). So when he did try to bit me, I just let him bite and then he settled down after 2 or 3 strikes. I never restrain him in anyway.

I wouldn't be so brave with a larger snake, but luckily I picked a small one to start with.

Thanks again.
 
I've raised plenty of snakes, including corn snakes: their teeth are so tiny, they don't even penetrate my hands enough to hurt, they feel more like sandpaper...like getting bit by a sunflower seed, lol. Yes, it's way better to start small until you learn to read snakes.
Bites are best avoided.

We generalize about snakes (of necessity) but they all have individual personalities too.
Keeps it interesting.
 
Some snakes are notorious for a stronger 'food drive' than others (or the tendency to not admit a mistake- "oops?")- I think house snakes might be in that category, but I'm not sure. Very typical of boa constrictors & king snakes...even my little Australian spotted python has a killer food drive (& she's only about 3.5' long). It's up to you to recognize their body language, what they're thinking and how to change their focus when you want to approach or handle them, or reach in to change the water bowl, for example. (there are ways to signal you are not food)
 
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