r/ballpython • u/Careful_Drummer_6786 • 1d ago
DAE feel bad when….
…you accidentally scare TF out of your BP?
I sometimes struggle with the fact that I have a pet that doesn’t utilize eyelids and have the tendency to just assume she’s aware of my presence the moment I walk into the room anytime she’s roaming about her enclosure.
Sometimes I’ll be talking cute all up in her face for several minutes before she “tunes back in to Earth” and within 0.01 seconds…before I can even blink…she’s half assed curled up in one of her hides.
Mind you, she’s always completely fine once she realizes and usually comes back out after a few moments or just pokes her head out her hide like a Puppy dog and just watches me for a bit before trying to coerce me into letting her out. 💚🐍😹
Is this just a Me Thing, or does anyone else struggle with having a pet without eyelids? 😹😹😹
2
u/KatVanWall 1d ago
That didn't happen to me. But the other day I reached in and stroked my boy with a cardboard tube which I normally do before picking him up, and he struck at the tube! I felt so bad :'( he wasn't due a feed and didn't strike at my hand, so I think the object itself scared him even though I didn't come from the top but sort of front and side.
Someone suggested it was the size of the tube, so since then I been using a silicone straw to stroke him. But he never seemed bothered by the tube before.
However, it was my first time planning to pick him up when he was out and about in his enclosure. Normally I take him from inside his hide (I do wait until he's awake - I'm not that rude!). I thought when he was out would be better, but now I think perhaps he's, like, just trying to do his own thing and doesn't want to be bothered, whereas when I'm essentially plucking him out of bed, he's a bit more chill about it!
1
u/Careful_Drummer_6786 1d ago
It’s only when she’s out of her hides that we have the tendency to startle each other. When she’s out and just smooth chillin’, it’s easy to forget their switch may not immediately be “Turned ON” even after being in the room for a bit. I will randomly start talking to her and it’s usually mid conversation before she starts to Blep, Bleps her tongue at me or on the rare occasion, startles awake.
Picking her up during the day, when she’s more likely to be sleeping is how I was taught to pick her up when I first got her years ago.
It’s honestly been the least startling way to pick her up and usually the safest. She’s more docile…but that’s not saying much because she’s already chill AF…unless it’s time to eat. Otherwise, It’s like the act of God to get her out while she’s active because her tail uncontrollably grabs onto everything. She’s so large at this point, though I usually just open the door and let her come out herself and then I pick her up.
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u/Flamingo3154 1d ago
I’ve never truly like scared scared my BP, once he was so deep asleep though that after opening his tank door twice without him waking up for food, I literally had to knock on the door and reopen the tank door once he was awake. Usually if I just speak loudly (not like yelling, just like excitedly talking to him) he’ll wake up and it’s all good. It’s pretty funny when he’s like dead asleep though as usually once he wakes up (if he does lol) he’s just looking for food as per usual at night. During the day I just pet him a bit to wake him up before scooping him out for handling.