Working with animals as family in the areas of behavior, enrichment, training, and welfare. We believe that through understanding behavior according to each organisms individual worldview is the key to training as well as to conflict free (or at least conflict-reduced) interactions between humans and other animals. We are dedicated education and the study of behavior for better understanding, safe interactions, and less conflict to create harmonious living between all forms of life.
Thank you Lori! I really appreciate the endorsement and all of your help, mentorship, friendship and support. Your work has had a major impact on shaping my understanding of keeping snakes, has made my experience with my animals immeasurably better, and has left an indelible mark on all of the advice and guidance that we give to new keepers every day. Not a day goes by that I don’t mention something to a new keeper about target training, gradual desensitization, choice-based interaction, building trust, providing enrichment, and much more. What I love is seeing other new keepers not only learn and experience success with their animals, but then sering THEM recommend your concepts and educational materials to others in the group. ❤️ I love being a part of Behavior Education’s Patreon community!
This is very cool! I never thought about training snakes but I am absolutely going to work on it with my next snake, which will probably be a ball python (my first!). I wish I'd known about this when I had my boas. Our relationships were always a little tense because I never knew how they would react to anything. I think that training would've helped all of us.
I like your videos, but I am confused on what to do about not force handling a snake in a situation where you have already feed the snake and you won't be feeding them again for 5-7 or more days, do you just not engage with your snake at all? I mean if you have to clean an enclosure, remove stuck shed, clean and disinfect the enclosure if you really cannot offer any food reinforcement because you shouldn't over feed or feed to frequently the snake. For instance, let's say you've fed the snake 4 days ago, he's not supposed to eat for another 3-4 days, and you've opened the enclosure and say he wants to engage with you and you handle him a little and take him to an exercise area, but then 30-60 min later, you need to do something else and it's not really safe to just leave the snake in the play pen and he's not in a hide with a bottom and he's just out exploring, but you need to leave, but you can't target him back into his enclosure or hide because he shouldn't eat again because it's only been 4 days. Why wouldn't you just pick the snake up and move him to his enclosure where you know he'll be safe, especially if you have to leave the area or cannot devote more time to just monitoring his actions/behavior. I'm confused by that scenario. I don't have a house where my snake can free roam. It seems for the snake safety more than anything else, after handling him to a play area, it would be safer to just pick him up and move him back to his enclosure.
I have lots of videos about using reinforcement other than food, using intermittent reinforcement schedules for behavior other than treating, low stress management and introducing touch and handling. Here is one of those playlists. Low-Stress Management for Snakes ru-vid.com/group/PLNbZzsRecQ2aBdAVNhUvExneGlKmE3uRw
Hi, Lori! I would love some advice if you don't mind giving it. I just adopted a 2-4 year old rainbow boa and I've had him for almost a month and he's refused to eat. He roams his enclosire regularly, his husbandry is good, he watches me from his hide sometimes, and he still refuses to eat. I did handle him a bit prematurely, but ive left him alone with no contact for two weeks and he is still not eating. Id appreciate your input before I take him to a vet
Has he had his initial vet check yet? We have intake exams done on all new arrivals and once the vet clears them we start getting them settled in. With adults I do not worry about them eating right away unless they’re underweight. I offer food to let them know resources are available in this new place but many times adults in good body condition don’t eat until they feel safe and settled in. If he’s roaming excessively they do that when nervous and trying to escape to get back to their previous “home range” which is their familiar place they know. Once they feel secure and have accepted their new home territory their exact level should decrease as they will feel more content. It difficult for me to comment specifically without asking lots of details of you.
@LoriTorrini @LoriTorrini I haven't taken him to a vet yet. I was using that as a last resort. But good to think it nay not be a big deal. He doesn't seem to roam excessively. He mostly roams at night once I've had the lights off for a minute and every once in a whole, he'll wake up during the day and poke his head out of his hide. At night he sits on his branch or will just meander around the tank. He doesn't look stressed at all to me (but I'm clearly no expert) and he's comfortable enough to drink water in the middle of the day and he's stopped for a drink as I've held him before and I don't think he's dehydrated or that I scare him, but I can definitely be assuming wrong.
@@theBOOTLEGG Rainbow Boas typically hide most of the time and are active in the middle of the night. I always recommend a vet check for any new animal you add to your family to establish a baseline health status and maintain a relationship with your vet. Why would you say the vet is a last resort”? Annual wellness exams should be routine.
@LoriTorrini because I was hoping that nothing is "wrong" with him, but I did not consider using the vet if he was fine. I didn't consider annual checks.
Lori, I really like your videos. Do you have any videos on how you actually construct your rolling activity centers. I just got a year old corn snake and while I won't need a rolling activity center or pet play pen just yet, I'd like to start constructing one for when I do end up needing it, and I'm not very DIY handy or very intuitive of stuff like that so a step-by-step example guide would be beneficial. Just thought I'd ask in case you have something like that.
@@thewordistruth399 if you search Lori Torrini Activity Stations several videos come up but this one shows how we out there wheels on: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aJqm6R5xugc.htmlsi=7C0DmIMhVuNvQIol
Hi! Thank you for the great videos. They have taught me a lot. Do you always reward the snake with food? For instance, you’re at the vet and the snake is following the target onto the scale, would you feed it in the vets office?
@@Birdie284 Yes. We feed at the vet’s office. It is important to reinforce the target each time the snake completes the goal behavior. The is called a continuous schedule of reinforcement. We use an intermittent reinforcement schedule for other behaviors but the target is always reinforced.
This is very informative, and I am learning a lot. I am researching whether a corn snake is right for me, so I am watching all your videos, Lori. I hope you answer my question. I see that you spot clean a cage when the snake is in its hide if it does not want to leave its enclosure, but what do you do when you have to absolutely remove all the substrate and deep clean the cage, as I understand that should be done at least every 30 to 45 days. Are you just hoping to catch them when they are in a hide with a bottom so you can just remove the entire hide? Not all hides have bottoms. In preparation for a possible shy snake, do you recommend just getting a bunch of hides that have bottoms so that if they end up being shy, they can just be removed? I'm unsure what to do to deep clean the cage (ie the entire substrate) if the snake is hiding in a hide in a corner.
@@thewordistruth399 Unless your snake is super dirty and really makes huge messes of everything there isn’t a need to clean. I only do that once or twice a year. It is really stressful for the snakes to remove familiar scents and disturb their habit. I have a playlist about low stress management and low stress cleaning etc. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EMgwSC8m9ZI.htmlsi=Wfr82TFvqzjVMkAD
@@LoriTorrini Well that puts a whole different spin on things. I was under the impression the entire habitat had to be deep cleaned every 30 days and I was thinking "how the heck do you not stress the snake if you have to deep clean every 30 days" but what you have said makes really good sense.
I wonder, whenever you need to move a snake out of their enclosure due to maintenance, do you always reinforce the use of the target by giving food? If so, what to do when this need arises more often than a feeding schedule would allow?
When directing the snake with a target you want to maintain a continuous schedule of reinforcement so you reinforcer every time they move to or follow the target. This is usually with food but I have several snake who will also target to the door and out when freedom to roam is the reinforcer, in this case you would pair that activity with a different target than you use when food is the reinforcer. You can also easily do maintenance when the snake is in a hide or remove them in a shift box. For example, in this case from the video I could have just moved Rowena while she was in her humid hide, done maintenance and then put her with her humid hide back in her enclosure. I have several video demonstrating these situations and techniques in the Low Stress Management play list. ru-vid.com/group/PLNbZzsRecQ2aBdAVNhUvExneGlKmE3uRw&si=t9NdcXS4Qvg1wmvW
Great video! This has made me consider how i do my own move more carefully. He is a 9mo old but is very small for his age. Ive had him for 2 weeks now - He is currently in a small temporary RUB in my office, where i spend most of my time, its warm and safe and I've let him explore outside of his tub a bit. But his future vivarium is in the next room over, as i dont have space in my office ( as much as id absolutely love to have him in there ) The room with the viv is a lot darker, and is adjacent to the kitchen, which has no door, so its not really safe for him to roam around in there - it would be tricky to do both methods 1 and 2. He is a very bold little snake and i suspect he will take to the vivarium well but i'm worried for him. I guess a first start would be to move his tub into the same room as the vivarium so he gets used to that room?
Will his tub fit into the viv? That’s the best and least stressful way to acclimate the snake to a new and larger space. Put the tub in the fully furnished habitat, make a hole in it or leave the lid off and allow the snake to come and go from it as they choose.
@@LoriTorrini unfortunately not, it's a big RUB and even if I got rid of the bits of wood etc I have in the new Viv, it wouldn't safely fit in around the lighting features
Hi Lori! I’m so grateful I was recommended to check out your training on Reddit where the common practice is scoop them out and traumatize them until they tolerate it 🤦🏼♀️😑 I have a very shy, very hidey 1 year old kingsnake who’s eating off tongs finally, but I want to start target training. Would I skip a few steps and just show her the target alongside the food on tongs, or should I go back to placing the food on a target and work back up to tongs with the target?
I am about to adopt a mildly neurological hognose snake. This was a bit helpful but since their behaviors are different I’m curious how you’d suggest an enclosure set up be for a neuro hog. This will be a 12-15g hatchling that has been eating well with the breeder
@@LoriTorrini he was born with it so unsure. When he lifts his head high he tends to fall backwards and may need help righting himself but not always. Slithers very well, eats well.
Hello Lori im begging for advice, im new snake owner and my snake was always calm and friendly towards me but lately i noticed he is more agressive or at least not as calm as before, i fed him yesterday and i took him out of his enclosure and he wrapped around my hand really tight even tho i gave him enough support almost like he thought i was the mouse, i thought he is just hungry fed him and put him back, he didnt bite me or anything. Today i came home and even tho he usually looks around when i arrive he just sticks his head out of his hiding spot and flicks his tongue. But today he looked at me with his head high up and no tongue flicking and he stays like that for some time.. nothing changed around him his enclosure is still the same and big enough the heat and feeding too so im not sure why he acts strange recently and i seek for help.. Is he scared of me now? Is there something wrong with him or could it be just summer behaviour? thanks a lot for help i really need it..
I would be happy to help you. There is a lot going on here and I have a list of questions I need answered to be able to make a proper behavior assessment and provide you with advice. What I can suggest outside of a behavior consultation is first, rule out any medical issues or problems with his climate. If he checks out ok at the vet and his climate parameters are within acceptable limits and there have not been changes to his habitat, then I am happy to schedule behavior consultation with you. You can set one up individually by emailing me at BehaviorEducationLLC@gmail.com or by joining my Patreon community at one of the levels that includes behavior consultations, there are several options, www.Patreon.com/BehaviorEducation
I have a female Python regius (scientifically proven to have the most perfect name for a Blue Eyed Leucistic; Lucille Ball Python) who will tell me she's hungry 2 days after eating. 😆
I'm a relatively new owner(4 weeks). I sadly found this video to late and most of the previous voices i heard basically said: "Just grab it and it'll get used to it" so i did that. Can i still use these tips, or is it too late as she already associates me with stress? Also, my enclosure is quite high up, and theres no way for my cornsnake to get down properly by herself. Can i assist her then somehow? Lastly, i have a lot of space between the alls and everything in my room, because i live in an old house(no straight walls) and I'm afraid, when exploring, she'll just go in there and i cant get here out.
I have not tried a quail yet, but my girl took a baby chick last night. I am trying to provide some variability to my snake's diet. When I had her try mice, she totally refused.
I have a corn snake that is just over a year old, it's got a 20 gallon tank. I actually have the money for a new tank, but I don't know how long that will be the case. All the research I've done has either been "adult corn snakes only need a ten gallon their whole life! (Completely untrue)" Or a random reddit post that shows a near abusively bad tank.
This is so interesting because I definitely saw a decrease in accuracy with my royal when he was around 1.5 years old but he improved again and is now extremely accurate and i'm wondering if that improvement coincided with his change in feeding schedule!
Hmmm, I wonder if when their strike efficiency declines, if there is a particular food item being abundantly during a particular season, available so they've evolved to direct their energy elsewhere? Animals do evolve to suite their environment, but I don't know if this would be an example of it? However, I believe that we DO overfeed them, as I've read it takes them 4-5 years to mature in the wild and often 2-3 in captivity. I think royal pythons are far more intelligent than people give them credit for and often their "dumb pet rock" persona comes from the snake's apathy or disinterest in pleasing humans, not lack of intelligence. They are very cat like in that regard.
It does not make logical sense that their strike efficacy would decline with age. It absolutely makes sense that their motivation might decline under conditions of being over fed.
@@af7409 The researcher was very thorough and in all the subjects studies strike performance declined over the 3 years of testing. The paper is very Intersting and I encourage you to read it thoroughly.
@@lexsdragon1554 I do behavior based feeding so no charts, no schedule. I have two videos about this though. Just search my channel for Behavior-Based Feeding.
One question… When you ask your snakes to go out of their enclosures with the target, do you eventually reward them with a food item? Or sometimes can you just use the target without rewarding them. Thanksss, your work is amazing
@@sofiaborrero7420 The target is always reinforced on a continuous reinforcement schedule. When the snake’s targets they are reinforced every time. Other behaviors may be out on an intermittent schedule of reinforcement but targeting reinforced each time, this principle of target training applies across species.
I love how all your horses perked up to watch you, ears forward and almost like they wanted in with what ever you were doing or they too wanted food. Most of the time it's food. Regardless, it's fascinating to see how horses interact especially when given choices and they're well loved and taken care of. And always TC wants to climb your face.
TC was trying to crawl on me so I had to pick him up and hold him so he wouldn't interrupt my video recording! He was climbing up my leg. He likes to get around my face and glasses for some reason.
@@LoriTorrini That's HILARIOUS. I would have loved to watch that haha. He really likes you and well duh. Glasses are snake magnets. Why I have to keep Frankie away from my face or I'm fighting for 5 mins to get a snake off because he doesn't want to go anywhere else.
Do you find that the white PVC tanks are harder to keep clean looking/stain easily? As opposed to glass, how do you feel PVC cleans? I'm concerned about PVC absorbing smells - any insights would be helpful. Thank you!
@@The_Confectioner glass is easier to clean than PVC or plexiglass. White PVC or black don’t make a difference. They can both stain and will be more challenging to clean than glass.
This is very interesting. I think I've seen a similar video on your channel before. I have a young Children's python, about 7 months old. For managing our ecosystem, I fed him a small hopper. He had only had frozen mice before, but the lady who sold him to me said he should be fine switching between live and frozen if necessary. He seems to really like the live ones. His behavior is completely different, even after feeding. Now, he always wants them, even though he's just eaten. Before, he would be muted after eating and stay in his cave all the time. Now, he always sticks his head out of the hole to watch me whenever I get near his enclosure. He's more active around his enclosure and always looking for food. I give him cues when he's about to eat by using the tongs and clapping them against the edge of the enclosure repeatedly. It's a very different sound, and I don't call his name. I know snakes hear differently. When I'm not feeding him, every other time I handle him (I handle him every day except the day before he eats, the day he eats, and two days after he eats), I call his name and tap the top of his cave twice. Most of the time, he's hanging out in there. For the first time since he was hungry, he nipped me. But then, when he properly smelled my hand, he started looking elsewhere for food. I hadn't been handling any of the mice. It's possible that he can smell their enclosure right below him, but that never bothered him before until he started eating some live. I will put him back on frozen once the population is back on track. However, I think it has awakened his prey drive. He's also a month older and has gone through his second shed with me. My husband said he looks a little bit bigger, but his head is still so small. I know that the rule of thumb is for the rodent to be the size of the thickest part of the snake. Maybe the ones I was feeding him are a little bit smaller than that, but I didn't think he would still be so excited to eat a day after feeding. I don't want him to burst his tummy, and I don't want to overfeed him, but he's acting as though he's ravenous and has been doing that the entire week 😅 I was curious if we could see a feeding video of your Children's python and what the mouse looks like in comparison.
My 14 year old Children's Python eats an adult mouse once or twice a month. The younger one I have eats hopper and fuzzy mice every 10-14 days or so. Both are target trained for eating and to shift out of their enclosure and to change locations; and. I have a separate cue to let them know when they will be handled or when I need to do enclosure maintenance. Why did you start feeding live instead of frozen-thawed or pre-killed? I would recommend that if you feel you do not have clear communication with him that you watch some of the training videos on classical and operant conditioning, low-stress management, and choice-based interactions. I have a Patreon educational platform where I do group and private coaching if that is something you feel might help you. I have several clients who also have Children's Pythons and other antaresia. www.patreon.com/behavioreducation
I love making new things for my little corn snake! His home will be upgraded within a month as he will soon be celebrating his1st birthday. I can tell from just this video that you are going to give me all kinds of new ideas for my Chile' Pepper! Thank you so much!
