Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for the advise! After 2 years of fearing my corn snake and her bites I've finally been able to pick her up with the 'confident grab technique' and she didn't even attempt a bite, thank you for helping me to grow the balls and pick her up to give her a better life.
I had someone arguing with me that snakes have no memory and no ability to learn - that they act purely on instinct no matter what, even in the case of species known to migrate between different areas seasonally like eastern indigo snakes, but I just don't understand how he could be arguing that - everything has some capability to learn in some fashion... Even just simple cells. The idea of 'memory' I think was confusing him, but I was using the word in its very simplest form. I always recommend using a snake hook to gently nudge or rub fiesty/skittish snakes to teach them over time that things will be fine, or to use them to get them initially from the tub. I can eventually leave the hook behind as the snakes grow and recognize different cues as 'feeding time' or 'handling time', and they learn to trust that I am not here to eat them or harm them. I know their brains lack certain parts like an amygdala for emotions, but to claim they cannot learn was really surprising to me. His argument was that these actions are pointless, and that even Pavlovian conditioning is impossible with snakes because of their simplicity, which I know by living experience is not the case... I have gone through training many different species of snakes with gentle handling and hook conditioning. Can you add your two cents here and maybe help me understand where he is coming from? Or was he perhaps just confused/misunderstanding my intentions?
To be honest, I bet the media is what molded his perspective of snakes. Movies, the news, and plenty of places online tell you that snakes are dumb animals that act solely on instinct. Which, albeit, is partially true. As much as I love my snakes, I know they don't recognize me. But they can certainly pickup on learned cues like snake hook touches. If they all acted on instinct, I don't think there would be a tame snake out there because they don't naturally trust any other animal in the wild like they do humans after socialization.
Snake Discovery Yes, I feel like he was using a lot of defensive arguments like lack of scientific proof - but lack of proof in one thing does not equal lack of proof for another. He is otherwise super great at husbandry with the snakes and I dropped it because we just weren't communicating and it ultimately is not a big deal to disagree on between a couple hobbyists, but any bit of research I have found or conducted myself (small scale, small study groups - things that make for very imperfect studies of course), all lead to certain answers often enough for patterns to emerge indicating these snakes are not just dumb instinctual machines; that given time they can learn certain things. Simple, yes, but it is a survival technique. Like remembering what prey makes you sick or not. I wish he would understand this because he kept saying every defensive or fiesty snake was totally impossible to condition and I just do not want to deter people from this passion with that reasoning. I don't like to assume my answer is the best answer either though. It is tricky. I wish there was way more large scale studying going on from reputable sources and being published online to find.
Essex Hognose What do you mean by tap training? Use a hook when you intend to hold the snake so it learns that you’re going to hold it and not feed it?
I use a black glove. I hand the rat to my snake with the glove, so he knows when he sees it he’s getting food, so I’m can safely grab him with my bare hands very easily. It also helps that he’s the most docile snake I’ve ever seen, but my point still stands.
Great video! I use the "confident grab" to handle my bp. Teaching my kids to do the same, as they are still kind of nervous. Thanks for making this video. I will show it to them so they can better understand.
hey! a year ago we brought a snake, and he was quite aggressive, so we had a tough time handling - but after watching this video we handled him for the first time without (much) trouble and I just wanted to say thank you!.
Emily I usually quietly lurk around and in stealth mode watch your vids lol. Your expertise around these animals is awesome. Keep up the good work, you know your stuff!
Oh wow! I’m coming back to this video from Aug. 26 2020 and Popeye has made some amazing progress since he has been in your care! Thank you for always being willing to take in and rehab sick and needy snakes! You guys are awesome.
Emily can you show these techniques with small snakes, like a baby hognose? I feel like their head is everywhere if I reach for the body, the head is still within a inch! I know the bite won’t be bad, but the hissing is so convincing!
I won't guarantee this but Garter snakes are known as one of the most docile snakes when handled. So, every time I have caught one I've never been bitten. So my assumption is yes, as grabbing them away from their mouth assures getting bitten is just all the more unlikely. However they can still bite, just want to make that clear.
@@crimson5958 Well, coming back 3 years later, I've caught more garter snakes than I can count haha. Taken plenty of bites as well, to be honest it's just part of the experience. Garters have anticoagulant in their saliva and a rear fanged venom that can sometimes result in a mild allergic reaction, but they're practically harmless. Their musk is the worst part about grabbing them imo lol.
I just want to say, thank you very much for the advice, I like snakes but I don't know how to handle them and we get wild snakes in the garden. So I like knowing how to safely remove snakes although seeing how to do a confident grab and actually doing it is not easy as I was able to remove a slug eater snake safely from the garden so that it won't get harmed by the lawnmower, but the snake did tag me twice in the effort of trying to get a grip on it initially. I just wander what different techniques to use against venomous species such as black mamba and the green boomslang that also sometimes appear in the garden.
Doubt you have time to hel with individual questions in the comments but......I've had my corn snake a week. The pet store said she's around 4 months (she's about 10 inches long). I carefully removed all the hides so I could pick her up but she went into full blown panic and whizzed around her enclosure at incredible speed. No way could I have "grabbed" her. I was scared for her and actually shaking myself......haven't tried again since. Its impossible to try the methods shown here because she just moves soooo fast. (Also tried a hook but that didn't work because of the sheer speed she was moving). Like everyone else, a huge part of the pleasure in owning a snake is to handle and interact. I would be really grateful for any help or advice. I watched loads of your videos and they all helped me prepare for being a first time snake owner but really don't know how I am ever going to even catch her, let alone handle her! Thank you.
Random thought....i know it's typically rule of thumb to feed a snake a meal the size of its thickest part...does this apply to underweight snakes also? such as the burmese python in the video.
I need to start using the confident grab for my ball python he's got quite the attitude. Food aggression isn't an issue because I knock on the viv at feeding time~
fun fact, when at petssmart, they let me hold a ball python, and she struck at me, but didn’t open her mouth, I was confused as to why, but after she calmed right down she was a real sweetheart, I guess she was confused as to what was going on?
LoL I have a Pueblan milksnake that I am working on to tame him. He always bites me after I pick him up, but it doesn’t hurt a lot. I kind of feel he tells me I told you not to. LoL, he calms down right afterwards and stays still. He is so funny, and I see progress. I named him Max.
Not much! She did a video on bites, you can see those for some more info. Tags hardly hurt at all, just a little sting. It's more of a shock than a pain. Would much rather get tagged by my BP than bitten by my cat in terms of pain. Feeding bites are usually a bit worse, but i won't go into detail cuz there's a lot of factors going on there like where they bite, if and how long they hold on, if they twist or wrap around you, etc etc. Just watch her video on snake bites
I've managed to stay pretty free of snake bites myself, so I'll share my top techniques: 1. Live my entire life in Ireland and New Zealand, 2. don't own snakes, 3. don't climb into snake enclosures at the zoo. Been working pretty well so far.
If you feed one in a separate bin, would any of those techniques work to get the snake back in the enclosure without the risk of the snake losing it's meal?
hey Emily I love your videos and I was wondering if you could do a video on corn snake facts because this coming Sunday, 4/7/19, I am getting an albino corn snake because about 3 months ago my ball python snok, that's how you say it his name is snake with no e, died because he wasn't eating and would like to get more facts on corn snakes from you because I don't know if google would be the best source and if you do the video thank you so much Emily! :)
One of my kings, an albino king snake is kinda aggressive no matter what. Even if she doesnt try to bite at the moment i open her enclosure, she will always tag me even after 5, or 10 or even 15 minutes in my hands. She is just chillin and suddenly snaps and bites. I do not have a problem with my other corn snakes, milk snakes, hognoses snakes, pythons and boas, even with my other normal king snakes. Just this one.
My snake is also kinda agressive when in the enclosure, but once out, he is just fine. I think this may be my fault; I stopped taking him out so ge got wilder :(
i use the lid for all my corn snakes ball pythons and one king snake, stopped with the king snake and tong feed him because he will bite himself if set down into a feeding container and once he bites himself we have to grab him behind the head and spray him with water until he lets go.. he has bit himself many times and caused possible scale damage on himself... probably why we got him so cheap cause he is so old and damaged. the owners probably got sick of him biting himself.
I am having a hard time finding advice on handling and taking down larger ADULT snakes like red tail boas. We took in an adult/subadult bci from someone who was out of other options. Now we’re not sure if we need to invest in new equipment or rehome her to a more experienced handler.
It is possible to stress your snake by overhandling it. This can be due to differences in heat and humidity outside the enclosure but also to the fact that moving them around too much is unnatural for them. Ball Pythons in particular are a very sedentary species. I have multiple snakes so I will handle one on most days of the week, but that means each animals gets handled one day of the week at most, and not within 48 hours of feeding them. They are most comfortable at rest in a proper habitat. Some animals are so stressed by handling that they are relegated to be purely display animals, observed and appreciated for their beauty but not touched unless absolutely necessary.
is that an avengers belt buckle?? ha have you ever heard of or are there any snakes that become more aggressive as they age? like your burmese python? will he stay friendly
Lol I’ve literally picked up wild snakes no problem, yet my legs get to shaking when I pick up my 4 foot ball python with a confident hook grab. I’m like ahhh now what, my mind instantly went back to bite mode. She bit me before when I first got her and tried to clean her cage. She is spooked from my trembling, I’m spooked by her cute noodle head. I kind of wish I got a baby to start with, but here we are 🥴
can u do a video of how to get over the fear of getting bitten by a snake whilst getting them out of their cage.......... i definitely need help cause when i tell myself “ok let’s get you snake out” i feel all confident but then when i actually go to get the snake out i start shaking and i feel extremely nervous about getting bitten........ if your reading this while scrolling through the comments could you please put pointers to help me😁😫
Ahhhh. I'm learning so much from you! My mind is stimulated and my love for Jehovah's amazing creations, grows. To me, it seems that spatially, the 'S' formation gives the snake some 'slack' that allows them to use more of their length to strike out further. Thank you Emily! #TakeCareBeWellDoGood
i got bit my snake and i lost my confidence to pick him up now… i’m tryna get my confidence back but it’s a hard. trying to remain confident and all but im considering getting a snake hook for my corn snake. sucks i lost my confidence and idk why i did cuase i love my snake and the bite wasn’t even that bad. just the strike makes me jump and all
question, how can you tell if a snake is venomous or not? i'm very interested in snakes, and i have rattlesnakes where i live, so i want to be cautious. i also want to make sure my sister will be safe.
The best way to know if the snakes in your area are venomous is to do your research on the local snakes and get familiar with them. In my area I also have rattlesnakes, and we also have gopher snakes which look very similar to rattlers but are non-venomous; most rattlesnake bites around here are from people actively disturbing them, trying to pick them up, or mistaking them for a gopher snake.
Hi um so I have a question if you have a snake as a pet how do you make it love you and make it calm and friendly can you please make a video about it cause I really don't understand
How to avoid snake bites: Step 1: Don't get a snake Step 2: Don't go to places where there might be snakes. Step 3: If snake have been spotted near you, push friend or innocent passerby on it to distract it from biting you. Have A Great Year.
