New Eastern Garter bites

[Solarib]

Thank you for helping me in this precarious time. After 4 days she is a bit calmer. The tendency to bite is when I approach her. After a few minutes in my hand she settles and is quite friendly. This will be a slow process but worth it

[chris-uk]

Thank you for helping me in this precarious time. After 4 days she is a bit calmer. The tendency to bite is when I approach her. After a few minutes in my hand she settles and is quite friendly. This will be a slow process but worth it

Too be blunt, I wouldn't be picking her up after just 4 days. They need time to settle, get accustomed to the new surroundings and learn your smell (and that you bring food not danger). The fact that she settles in your hand after a few minutes doesn't mean she isn't stressed and afraid, it just means that she's weighed up the danger and figures you aren't constantly grabbing her if she keeps still.
For me, the test for when to pick up (other than if I have to move one to clean the viv etc) is when you can put your hand into the viv and stroke their chin without it jumping away to hide.
If you take it slow I think you'll find that you are more likely to get to the point where she will slither out into your hands of her own accord when you open the viv (I have 4 that will do this consistently, a couple that will do it occassionally, and a couple that I think are too shy to ever leave the viv of their own choosing).

As for children handling, a bite isn't going to hurt them in reality, but it will make them less confident to handle the snake again. Best waiting until the girl has settled down and is manageable for a child. The danger to the snake is that kids don't know how tight they can squeeze (or when to just let the snake drop to the floor rather than trying to keep hold) when the snake decides it's going to jump out of their hands.