A-luring Tails
Posted by crystal on March 14, 2004
Q: i recentally got a ribbon snake, at first she was fine but now is very afraid of me i want to know how to calm her so i can at least clean her cage without terifing her.
A: One of the best ways to calm a snake is to hold it repeatedly until it gets used to you. Many kinds of snakes will become accustomed to being held and over time are quite "content" to be in this situation. However, when you're cleaning its cage, you present a very different, and scary situation to your snake. It's almost as if there is a predator in its cage tearing things up "looking for the snake" ! If I were you, I'd gradually hold your snake longer and longer and let it feel your warm hands and become accustomed to being held. Once it is comfortable with you, when I wanted to clean its tank, I'd hold the snake in one hand and take care of rearranging, cleaning, etc the cage with the other. You could also place the snake in a safe container while you clean the tank if that works better. Good luck!
John Wiessinger ( March 17, 2004)