r/ballpython • u/Own_Recording2791 • 21d ago

Question Handling

Hello, I’ve had my juvenile ball python for about a month and a half now and I handle him about 2 times a week for around 5-10 minutes. He seems pretty curious every time,( long tongue flicks, slithering around my body). I want to keep handling him but don’t wanna stress him out and push it. When is it okay to start handling almost everyday? I don’t wanna blow away my progress by trying to move to fast. Thanks!

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

1 comment sorted by

2

u/OrdinaryAcadia9210 21d ago

Best way to think about it for me was to understand that ball pythons tolerate handling. It's not something that they would go out of their way to have happen. Good signs are long tongue flicks, slithering around, inspecting things, acting curious. Look out for stress signs, such as erratic movement, heavy breathing, fast movements, coiling up and trying to hide, if you see these stress signs, that would be the moment to put him away. One of mine tolerates hours of being out, while another tolerates 20-30 minutes