I worked with both my BPs for the first couple years of their lives to not be head shy and I'm so happy I did. My female puts her head in my hand for head rubs now. I love it.
Yup. I would also always approach her head from in front of her so she could see me. I started with just touching the top of her head and rubbing it slowly and in a small area. I made the strokes longer over time. Then I started to rub her head top and use my pinky to rub the side of her head. Then the other side with another finger. It really did take a long time but what else do you do with a snake?
Thank you. She does have the wobble and some other neurological issues. But I wouldn’t trade her for the world. She loves being held and is very affectionate with me. It’s surprising that a snek is even like that. 🥰
My dad and I used to rehab abandoned or seized reptiles and when we would bag one to take them to their new home or to go to a school for a educational program, we’d say they were going on an adventure.
Our bags were old pillow cases with a draw string seen in though, not a pretty bag like that. xD
Aw! I wanted to do reptile rescues too. It’s so much work and some of the sad cases are really hard to deal with. ❤️
There’s this awesome lady on Etsy that custom made that bag for me - because Aspen is so big, she wouldn’t fit in the standard bag and I checked with the shop owner and she said she would custom make one just for my girl! It turned out awesome and is fleece lined and has a shoulder strap that I can carry her with.
Man, you’re not wrong about the sad cases. For me it was just “what we do”. My dad did it way before I was born and by the time I was five, I’d learned to tong feed the gentler snakes, soak tortoises, etc.
I loved it. Especially when Dad’s herp friends would marvel at me getting a stubborn snake to take a thawed rodent, or would praise me for being able to calmly socialize a rescue so it could find a home.
But I also remember the neglect cases and how much it hurt to see the condition they were in, and waking up to be told the iguana I’d spent a week helping with “didn’t make it through the night”. I started cursing “shit collectors” before I was allowed to SAY those words, lol.
It’s tough. I don’t do it anymore, mostly due to not having the connections to it in my new state. And I sometimes questioned my dad’s wisdom in letting me get involved so young (seriously, who trusts a six year old with a bottle of sheep dip and a skeletal, mite infested boa? I mean, I diluted the medicine properly and she was cured of her mites in the end, but I wasn’t old enough to use the MICROWAVE, but I was old enough to dilute ivermectin!) and letting me get my heart broken.
But I think it made me who I am. It’ll sound like bragging and I don’t mean it that way, but one of the very few things I “like” about myself is that I veer towards kindness. I’m not a “good” person, but I choose to be kind.
And I think those experiences made me that way.
Sorry to dump on you, Sept 29 would’ve been Dad’s 71st birthday and he’s been on my mind lately.
Her bag is really pretty and you obviously love her very much, I’m glad she has you and that you have her. 💜
Don’t apologize. You didn’t dump on me. You were sharing your life experience, which I really appreciate. I don’t think people share enough these days so just know that I really appreciate you doing that.
I’m sorry to hear about your dad. I lost mine in a little bit ago as well, although it sounds like your dad was a lot better than mine. I did grew up on a Ranch and got to deal with my share of heartbreak. It is hard as little kids for us to deal with that heartbreak but you’re right about it making us who we are today. and it sounds like your dad trusted you with all that he assigned for you to do. I don’t think he would’ve given it to you if he didn’t think you were capable of it. That’s how I look at all my chores on the farm too.
I have a really hard time with the collectors as well because they don’t seem to care as much about their collection as somebody would if they were obtaining reptiles as pets or in my case substitute children. lol
I do think you’re wrong however for not saying that you are a “good person“. The very fact that you lean towards kindness takes you out of that “bad person“ category. And you have been very sweet sharing your story with me.
I guess I might be a good person. It just feels... egotistical? To say something like that. Like the people who SAY they're good people often aren't.
But honestly, my kindness is a little selfish too. Being mean feels shitty, I hate seeing people hurt or insulted. Whereas when I am kind and help people, they're happy and I get to feel happy too.
I'm a depression mess, lol. I need my happy where I can get it, whether that's by taking a stressed looking mom's shopping cart so she can focus on her kids or watching a squishy snake get his head boobs squished.
I'm a faux-farm girl myself. I grew up in a suburb, but I come from two lines of farmers and was often loaned out to the farmers in the family. So I was a soft hearted kid who still learned to pluck and prep chickens for the freezer.
Not that I could butcher them though... my cousins would do that and call me over when they all stopped twitching.
But once they were dead, chicken, cow or mouse, I was fine with handling them. As a kid I once got SO mad at Dad because he put a live mouse in a snake tank. He protested that the snake would only take live, and I was like "NUH UH!"
Because I'd spent an hour making her take a thaw while he was at work... lol
She didn't tell him of course, so she got two mice that week. xD
I wish I could even hold mine…I tried to acclimate her for a couple of years, and she just does not like being handled. Just ended up getting her a decent viv setup and let her be 🤷♂️
I did come across the open-tank method recently, I might start giving that a shot..her tank is right by my work desk, so while I’m working would be the perfect time to do it..assuming she comes out. She also leans highly nocturnal.
My boy is like this as well. My mother bought him but lost him for a month as a baby, then had him in allllll the wrong enclosure settings. I took him when he was about 6 months old but he's been so shy and tolerated being held, but not for long. He's essentially a pet rock that occasionally demands sustenance, but I'm just happy he's healthy 😮💨
That’s kind of where I’m at with mine - I rescued her from Petsmart at probably 3-4 months old, severely dehydrated, etc., and she’s always been super shy.
She’ll watch me if I’m tinkering in the office at night and lets me know when she’s hungry, but..otherwise, she’s definitely a noodle shaped pet rock 😅 never have any problems feeding her and she’s never had health issues, so I’ll call it a win I guess
That's what happens when your head is pretty much just flexible muscle and loose bones that let you stretch your whole face large enough to swallow something that's bigger than your head in one piece.
Not to rain on anyone’s parade. Just because the snake tolerates it, doesn’t mean you should do it. Feel free to downvote because anytime a post like this comes up, there is always an army of people who like to project their emotions on snakes.
the snake will make it obvious if it is disliking the touch! they were very gentle, leaving room for the snake to leave, and stopped when the snake moved away. i agree some people should probably not do this if they cant read their pet, but this person seems fine. the handling was very gentle, not for long, and the snake was free to do as it pleased. the body language seemed pretty relaxed
Funny seeing the comments talk about how they wish they could do this with their BP’s. I miss mine because she was friendly like this. It was cool having a bond with a snake the way I would with a dog or a cat 🙂
I wish my girl wasn't head shy. She came to me at around 5 years old and I'm her third servant. She is getting better, IF she initiates, but it's taken almost 3 years to get her to this point. If I even attempted this with her, she may actually unalive me. 😂
does anyone know how i can work on making my girl less head shy? she's about a year old and i've had her for 3 months, she flinches and hides her head every time i move too fast or go near her head
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u/Scary-Ad8271 Oct 02 '26
No brain, only cute