• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

Hitting aggressive snakes??

PlatinumRosePythons

PlatinumRosePythons

New member
Joined
Nov 6, 2012
Messages
277
Reaction score
11
Points
0
Location
Lyman, Maine
Is it the norm to hit or 'tap' very hard your snake on the head to get it to calm down and stop snapping at you? I've just seen this infuriating video of a teenage girl who says her 'mentor' taught her this and she's now giving this advice to inexperienced snake owners! I don't know if it's just me but in this video 90 percent of the snakes she shows seem scared of her. Maybe it's just me because I'm so very PO'ed with this video. The reason I put this under ball pythons is because that is her focus in the video. I have never ever heard in anywhere I have read to ever hit or tap your snake, at least not the 'tap' she did! The poor thing seemed stunned after the first 'tap'! as for the care and habitat advice she gives, I guess that more depends on your personal preferences.

Here's the link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpYX8D7xH2E

Here's my video response since she blocked me after I replied telling her what she is doing is infuriatingly wrong (i'm painthorselover101):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeDhhg5doWM&list=HL1369797482&feature=mh_lolz

In my reply video I show the hit in slow motion twice and its heard to watch (for me anyway)
The hit in her video happens at 10:00
The hit in my video in slow motion and regular motion starts at 5:50
Please note that she antagonized the snake first to make it strike on purpose starting at 7:48 and on top of that this poor boy is also in shed.
I've had and still have some aggressive snakes and I've never heard or even thought of treating them this way. This video still makes me very angry just talking about it :angry:
 
I know this video made you angry, but I think you may be overreacting. The tap wasn't that hard. I've 'tapped' my snakes before when I open the cage for cleaning and they're obviously trapped in a feeding response. It does make them take a defensive posture for a moment, but none of my snakes have ever suffered damage from such taps and aside from the initial "OMG WHAT WAS THAT" response, they uncoil rapidly and seem to suffer no undue stress. Overall I thought she was rather well educated for a 17 year old, although granted I didn't watch all 18 minutes of the video. Do I think the method should be encouraged by inexperienced keepers though? No, there's too much room for going overboard. The distraction at the front and coming from behind method works just as well.
 
snowgyre said:
I know this video made you angry, but I think you may be overreacting. The tap wasn't that hard. I've 'tapped' my snakes before when I open the cage for cleaning and they're obviously trapped in a feeding response. It does make them take a defensive posture for a moment, but none of my snakes have ever suffered damage from such taps and aside from the initial "OMG WHAT WAS THAT" response, they uncoil rapidly and seem to suffer no undue stress. Overall I thought she was rather well educated for a 17 year old, although granted I didn't watch all 18 minutes of the video. Do I think the method should be encouraged by inexperienced keepers though? No, there's too much room for going overboard. The distraction at the front and coming from behind method works just as well.
Click to expand...

I don't know if you saw the slow motion in my reply video but it seems like she hit that snake really hard, not once but twice. That snake bounced and seemed stunned after the first tap.
 
If you really know what you're doing you never have to physically put your hands on them in that way. It's a matter of being able to pick up on their movements and behavior and reacting in a calm and gentle manner.
 
Her attitude is poor and condescending in her comments made about the discussion. So is her self importance of her youtube channel and subscribers. Typical for a lot of people on youtube.

I did notice she claimed you were making racist comments at her. What is that about? I must of missed it.
 
Dennis Hultman said:
Her attitude is poor and condescending in her comments made about the discussion. So is her self importance of her youtube channel and subscribers. Typical for a lot of people on youtube.

I did notice she claimed you were making racist comments at her. What is that about? I must of missed it.
Click to expand...

______________
 

Attachments

  • 1.PNG
    1.PNG
    37.4 KB · Views: 203
I don't think there is much to be gained by hitting a snake, it isn't as if the snake is going to learn to not be aggressive by being beaten.
 
On one hand we can condition our snakes with repetitive behavior (why else would we remove a snake from its enclosure prior to feeding so as not to condition the snake to expect food every time the tub is opened) I don't think we can apply the concepts of 'trust' and 'training' to snakes, the same way we would to dogs for example. I'm not sure snakes are capable of learning the way dogs are and so I don't think we can predict their response... One snake may become conditioned to "flight" while another may be more antagonized and want to "fight". I haven't studied this, its just my theory

I don't necessarily think its wrong (morally, ethically) to "tap" your snake so that it is conditioned to a "flight response," however, I personally don't think it's necessary. I am in no danger if my ball pythons want to be aggressive toward me when I open their tub. For me I just don't see the need to condition them one way or the other.

just my opinion
 
I've noticed that a lot of keepers don't give their snakes enough credit. I realize they have different personalities and some require a different approach. But in my experience most of them recognize the difference between my hands and a food item. Now I'm not saying that when I have a rat on tongs I would stick my hand in their face, but I don't have any problem cleaning around them and feeding at the same time. Is it just me!
 
Dennis Hultman said:
Her attitude is poor and condescending in her comments made about the discussion. So is her self importance of her youtube channel and subscribers. Typical for a lot of people on youtube.

I did notice she claimed you were making racist comments at her. What is that about? I must of missed it.
Click to expand...

I didn't make a racist comment, another YouTube viewer did and I blocked him for it. I haven't called her names or anything. I don't work that way and think its counterproductive.
 
Nima, I rarely use the tap method. Really the only snake in my collection I have to do this about twice a year on is my spider male. Amazing snake most of the time and very well behaved, but he gets stuck on stupid sometimes. My tap isn't a slap like in the video either, it's me using the tip of tongs or my fingers to tap him. I think the 17-year-old is way too young to take criticism with any sort of grace... most young folks are like this. Maybe a couple of years of college/adulthood will bring her humility up a couple of notches. We'll see. At this point she could go either way. She responded cordially enough to my comment, but I was careful to keep it friendly but informative. At least she seems to take good care of her animals otherwise... her setups are good an her animals all appear to be in good health. That's better than even some adults who own reptiles.
 
Dennis Hultman said:
______________
Click to expand...

:eek::eek: She is lying!!!! I have been nothing but polite to her and have never said anything racist!! Another youtube viewer did and I immediately banned him!

Also just an FYI, I deleted my response video because her crazy fans were giving me death threats. These days you can never know if someone is being serious and I didn't want to take the chance.
 
I actually didn't watch the video or see the YouTube thread so I can't comment on that. It does take some patience and sympathy on our parts as care takers, specially with more aggressive snakes. They are not domesticated and if someone can't deal with that they shouldn't be keeping them. For example, I have a female GTP that strikes and doesn't like to be handled. From her behavior I believe it is defensive and food driven. I respect that and never handle her, only take her out on her perch during cleaning. I've never been bit and she has been doing great. I treat her like all my beautiful animals and it pays off for everyone. She is currently locked up with my male and I can tell will be a great mom. :)
 
I think the concerned responses to tapping the snake in the head are a bit over-dramatic. She doesn't hit the snake, she taps it with her fingers. The video quality is poor and the fact that she's trying to hold the camera while doing it instead of videoing with a tripod makes the movements appear worse then they are, especially with the first one.

When I have 1000g+ snakes present aggressively in a bin while I'm trying to clean I use a roll of paper towels to sort of gently bop them a bit to get them to back down. Typically not on the head, more so next to where there head is, but either way, they aren't harmed. It prevents me from getting bit and the snake from sinking it's teeth into a snake hook or tongs which could damage teeth.
 
snowgyre said:
I've 'tapped' my snakes before when I open the cage for cleaning and they're obviously trapped in a feeding response. It does make them take a defensive posture for a moment, but none of my snakes have ever suffered damage from such taps and aside from the initial "OMG WHAT WAS THAT" response, they uncoil rapidly and seem to suffer no undue stress.
Click to expand...

:iagree:
I do it, never had any problems. I haven't watched her vid yet though so I can't comment on how hard she's tapping them.
 
AbsoluteApril said:
:iagree:
I do it, never had any problems. I haven't watched her vid yet though so I can't comment on how hard she's tapping them.
Click to expand...

I'm not against actually tapping, but what she did seems closer to a hit than a tap to me. I think the second time she actually flicked the snake like you'd flick a bug off your shirt. It's easier to see in slow motion but unfourtunatly I was forced to take down my video. Is there any way to upload the slow motion part on here?
 
She didn't "hammer punch" the snake and I don't think there was really any ill intentions. She is just showing a technique which like Stephanie said its easier to use an object without a heat signature. I usually do the same thing for very agressive snakes, use a roll of paper towels that I'm cleaning the cages with or the tongs and lightly touch the head so it balls up. Using her hand she had to be fast or she would have been bit (not that it would hurt at that size) but for her purposes she needed to be fast and that's why I think the video is misinterpreted. Stop being so overly sensitive, she seems like she takes good care of them too by her cleaning standards. Just saying there's worse keepers out there.
 
Back
Top