Can't tame my snake

[RedSidedSPR]

He is wild caught so that could part of it but Im not sure. He dosnt run from me any more, he comes up to me, he'll touch me, and he'll eat out of my hand but HATES being handled. I caught him two months ago.

[jamromhem]

Yes after a year my wild caught checkered is still a little finiky.. She will run through my hands a while before calming down.. then I can pull her close and she relaxes..

It might just me a while for them to relax. but who knows it might be a, "wild horses" moment where they never completely tame.

[RedSidedSPR]

Thanks, He has tamed up considerably just not with handling.

[jamromhem]

that is the case with my checkered as well. She doesnt care for handling much and preferes to hide if the area around her is too active.

[guidofatherof5]

If it's a male it may never settle to the point of holding.
My male radixes will let me touch them but don't want to be held.
The females love/tolerate all my intrusions into their lives and I think look forward to them.;)

[RedSidedSPR]

Im pretty sure he's a male, so that might be it.

[infernalis]

Steve summed it up nicely, Most all of my males are squirmy and dislike being touched.

I can hand feed them, they will follow my finger around, but as soon as I pick them up, they freak out.

Personally I prefer to observe my snakes rather than handle them anyways.

[RedSidedSPR]

Me too, but still, just moving him is hard.

[mustang]

some snakes dont like to be held at all.....and like checker (which took a long time) hell run but once hes in my hand he acts like hes been caught and dosnt try the old suicide leap out of my hand like he used to for the 1st few months i had him

[infernalis]

Me too, but still, just moving him is hard.

When I take my males out at feeding time, I just put up with them, I often get musked in the process.

When I return them to the enclosure, I set the feed box in the cage and let them crawl out on their own.

One of the things I miss the most about my male Infernalis' was that they would coil up and strike at me in tandem if I even reached into the cage for anything.

My male Puget, I have to give him a pinkie just before I take him out, then swiftly remove him while he is still busy eating, or he will bite virtually every time.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

It sounds like your snake is actually doing pretty well. Snakes don't really become "tame".... I think "tolerant" would be a better word to describe the majority of snakes. There are exceptions though, some of my garters seem to like the mental stimulation of being handled... Some don't!

[kibakiba]

Snakey is a male and doesn't really enjoy handling. He doesn't fuss too much, I've owned him for almost 2 years now and I used to hold him every day. Sometimes he wants attention and if I put my hand near him he'll slither around on me and let me rub his neck a bit. He doesn't do it very often, but it's always nice to know that he likes some attention every once in a while.

[mb90078]

I've got a male and a female. Neither of them are crazy about actually being picked up, but once I have them, they are both OK with it. In fact, sometimes I just want to move them between tanks for cleaning, and they don't even want to leave my hands/arms. The female will get restless though after a while, but the male actually would sit in my hands all day if he had his way.

[RedSidedSPR]

Ok thanks, I'll just keep working with him.

[Tyrel26]

Think of it as a relative that pinches/kisses your cheeks. If you don't like it no matter how many times the relative does it won't make you like it more. Snakes are like people, some just want to be left alone.

[Mommy2many]

My W/C really don't want me bothering them but they are female. They tolerate me changing water and food dishes, sometimes with curiosity, sometimes with "Hurry up and get the #$%$ outta here!"

Cleaning house is always fun...

[guidofatherof5]

My W/C really don't want me bothering them but they are female. They tolerate me changing water and food dishes, sometimes with curiosity, sometimes with "Hurry up and get the #$%$ outta here!"

Cleaning house is always fun...

That's another thing I like about garter snakes. Those attitudes. Some may be in captivity but they keep their independence.
I have a couple of adult female radixes that put me in my place and I don't mind at all.:rolleyes:

[Mommy2many]

I just got the completely wrong image there, Steve:D:eek:

[RedSidedSPR]

Yeah, mines got a very curious attitude. You put a new water bowl in his tank, he goes immediately goes to check it out. He is very curious of me but, but just dosnt like handling

[kibakiba]

That's how my babies are, if I'm doing anything, they have to know about it. Of course, some of them, like Ember, seem to enjoy having lots of interaction. Snakey also likes to check things out if my hand is in the tank, but doesn't like it if I touch him. If I keep my hand in the tank, I let him come to me before picking him up. He's more calm if you do that rather than grabbing him.

[guidofatherof5]

I just got the completely wrong image there, Steve:D:eek:

Now I'm confused.:confused:

[Mommy2many]

I have a couple of adult female radixes that put me in my place and I don't mind at all.:rolleyes:


Ladies are always in charge, one way or another!":D

[guidofatherof5]

Ladies are always in charge, one way or another!":D

Thanks for bringing me up to speed.;)

[Mommy2many]

No problem!

[ConcinusMan]

Steve summed it up nicely, Most all of my males are squirmy and dislike being touched.

I can hand feed them, they will follow my finger around, but as soon as I pick them up, they freak out.

Personally I prefer to observe my snakes rather than handle them anyways.

Same here. Concinnus are generally like that with a few exceptions. Females generally tolerate handling much better than males. WC or captive bred doesn't seem to make any difference. Heck, I've had WC adult Cali kings that were sweethearts compared to some that were born and raised captive. You can probably count on a WC snake to be as calm as it's going to get after several months of interaction and feeding. Some just tolerate you because your their provider and they know it. Doesn't mean they like to be handled.

[tstill14]

Ur troubles with Ur snake seam odd to me. I have two wild caught snakes and they both stoped musking a day or two after I caught them. They both love being handeled and eat like pigs, and I've only had them fro almost a month now

[zooplan]

This thread is supporting my general immage og the genus: Variability!

Some snakes will enter their provider, like thinking:
I like you to be my heat source!
Other are acting like: Give me the food and leave!

[mustang]

This thread is supporting my general immage og the genus: Variability!

Some snakes will enter their provider, like thinking:
I like you to be my heat source!
Other are acting like: Give me the food and leave!
others will be like "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH GIANT HAND WANTS TO PICK ME UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNN......hhmmmm ill show him ill go off food for a few weeks

[RedSidedSPR]

Ur troubles with Ur snake seam odd to me. I have two wild caught snakes and they both stoped musking a day or two after I caught them. They both love being handeled and eat like pigs, and I've only had them fro almost a month now

He has stopped musking and biting just dosnt like being handled

[mustang]

Ur troubles with Ur snake seam odd to me. I have two wild caught snakes and they both stoped musking a day or two after I caught them. They both love being handeled and eat like pigs, and I've only had them fro almost a month now
i think checker (my wild snake iv had over a year now) will never like being handled...well he wont come to my hand..but he never ever bit or musked me tho

[ConcinusMan]

Ur troubles with Ur snake seam odd to me. I have two wild caught snakes and they both stoped musking a day or two after I caught them. They both love being handeled and eat like pigs, and I've only had them fro almost a month now

Seemed odd to me when I first joined too. Fact is, there are a few snakes out there, WC or not, that just never tame down much at all. They do seem to be the exception, but it does happen.

Pueblan milk snakes, just for example, are known for being docile, tame, and easily handled. The one and only I ever had was wild and unruly as can be and really difficult to handle. A real PITA.

[RedSidedSPR]

All right let me get something straight... he has tamed pretty well, will come to my hand, eats out of my hand, and almost seems like he likes me. My question is: How do I tame him to handling?

[ConcinusMan]

It's been my experience that you don't. Good luck with that. If you must handle the unruly ones, do it when they are very cool.

[New Mutant]

I have two wild-caught ribbon snakes, an Eastern, Luke, and a Western, Percy. Percy stays in his hide or in the corner most of the time, runs like the devil's chasing him if I go near him, and bites and musks and literally flips out if I pick him up. He's not happy with being a pet, I think. Luke, on the other hand, is friendly and curious, spends most of his time exploring the cage and looking out of it (when he's not cuddling under the heat lamp with Percy), is fascinated by my hand (he knows where the food is coming from), and settles down after a while being held. He even seemed to enjoy an outing to the pet store (I took him back to be sexed). Really big personality difference!

[ConcinusMan]

I have some concinnus that flip out and musk me every time I try to pick them up. Others literally crawl into my hand very calmly and don't fuss at all about being handled.

[stonyloam]

I only have experience with Easterns, and the may tend to be at more mild mannered than others, but I can almost always get a wild caught snake to sit quietly for me, at least for a little while. When I pick one up they can be really squirmy, so I carefully work them into my hand and cup the entire snake between my hands, one over the other, so it is in a nice dark warm place, and just wait. The snake will usually settle down and stop struggling and just sit there. Slowly take your top hand off and most of the time they will just sit there, for a while at least. Below is a wild one, took about a minute to settle down. Just sat there till I but her back on the ground. Good luck. :D

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/june_2010.jpg

[ConcinusMan]

What a handsome eastern.

[kibakiba]

Lovely little snake. I'd love having one of them once I move out of my "closet" and have enough money to pamper them. Must save up to move into my own house in Michigan and have 2 rooms just for my snakes. :D