cindersnaps

If a breeder/seller tells you that a snake with the spider gene doesn’t have “that bad of a wobble,” they’re still lying. Wobbles often worsen with age, and there is no way to know how much distress and/or pain a snake is in from observation alone.

Yeah sure!

Ok so the good news about balls is that they’re pretty easy to handle. They’re slow! This is good. However, it doesn’t mean you can leave them on the floor unsupervised. They’re very good at hiding, so make sure you have an eye on them at all times. They’re also usually not too snappy, which means that you probably won’t ever really need a hook to handle them. However, sometimes they can get a little excited if they think it’s feeding night, so watch their posture. Are they all a-flicker with the tongue? Are they holding their neck in an S-shape? Probably best not to hold them, then. Instead, get them out when they’re not particularly hungry

They’re often head-shy; even though we say “boop the snoot” a lot on tumblr, many snakes do NOT appreciate that and will not enjoy being booped. Holding their head tightly is also uncomfortable for them; while it can be medically necessary to restrain them via a tight hold around the head/neck, don’t do this during normal handling. Follow their lead! If they want to put their head somewhere and that somewhere’s ok by you, let them! When I boop Harker’s snoot, it’s actually usually the other way around- he nudges my finger with his nose as I hold it still because he’s curious about what’s going on. Over time your snake might become a bit less head-shy; still, unless you have a chill snake, don’t try to boop the snoot or squish the headboobs (those pouches of fat at the back of the head) because you might end up with a nip.

Don’t pick your snake up by the tail- remember that’s their spine and you need to support them! It can really hurt a heavier snake to be picked up by the tail. 

Ball pythons like to hide, and a hoodie is a GREAT way to facilitate this. They love pockets and hoods and will curl up in your sleeves if you let them. 

KNOW THE POOP BUTT. FEAR THE POOP BUTT. You shouldn’t handle a beep two days after it’s eaten but ALSO if its tail looks like this (it won’t be this extreme, this is a 30-second exaggerated sketch):

put it down and walk away. 

you are not a people

stop

HELLO 2016

I met this young man today. He’s an eighteen month old Burmese Python, in need of a forever home. I also met some lovely other guys – a lil’ yellow anaconda, a lively bullsnake, and a fat gentleman ball python healing from some horrible burns – who are similarly homeless. SCAR (Second Chance Animal Rescue) rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome all manner of animals in the SE of England. 

They were recently hit by an arson attack, because some people are terrible, and if you’d like to support snakes like this handsome chap, you can donate via PayPal on their website or via their JustGiving page.