My 3 month old boy Achilles is still rather shy. In a previous post I talked about our first handling fail and how we both got a little too nervous. While I want to give him time to settle and learn about his new forever home I also don’t want to leave him sitting there by himself for too long.
Have any of you used a hook before? Is it a good way to start de-sensitizing young balls to being brought in and out of their tank and handled?
Instead of using a hook, try tap training. Tap the side of the enclosure a couple of times to let him know you're there and that a tap means engagement. Then, reach into the enclosure and touch him. Make sure you're not coming in over his head. Snakes are leary of that by instinct. Birds and other predators grab them by their little heads and gobble them up! Stroke his back by reaching behind him. Let him get to know your touch and become acquainted with the tap system before you try lifting him out.
Once you decide it's time to hold him, approach him from the rear and scoop him up and out of the cage. It's better than chasing a scared baby snake around the enclosure with a hook.