Diary of a snake (and her girl)...

[EasternGirl]

Big news everyone! Selena let me hold her for the first time today without freaking out! She started off squirming around and trying to get away as usual...but then I took her and sat down on the bed with her and she calmed down and just sat in my hand. We sat there for a couple of minutes...but then my son came bolting through the door and scared her and then she wanted to go home. Big progress, though. I was concerned about one thing....when I was holding her at first, there was a strange clicking sound coming from her stomach. Just a little click...click...click when she was breathing...it stopped though. I've never heard it before. No mites on my hand, though...that's good news.

[guidofatherof5]

The clicking noise is more than likely made when they open the glottis to take a breath. Some click and some don't.

[EasternGirl]

Hmmm..okay...but it was coming from way down in her stomach...near the area where her tail starts...

[ConcinusMan]

Oh, I know what you're talking about. It happens sometimes when you're handling them. I'm pretty sure it's just the contents of their digestive system getting squished around. Nothing to be overly concerned about since it doesn't seem to hurt them but all the same, try to be gentle and avoid that.

[kibakiba]

I've had that happen a few times. It usually happens when I'm holding a more nervous snake, like Snakey and Snap. Since they move around a lot I hold them a lot less just in case it does cause them a bit of discomfort.

[EasternGirl]

It must have been because she was nervous because I barely had a grip on her. Anyway...some other interesting things I have noticed...

Selena seems to definitely distinguish my face from other faces now...even my ex-husband commented on it. She knows my face and will hide if other people come to her enclosure to look at her. Interestingly, I have noticed that if I have my hair up...she seems to recognize me...but if I have it down, she doesn't at first. Also, if she is looking at me...and acting like she isn't sure that she can trust my face, if I smile and show her my teeth, she then calms down and comes over to see me. Weird! But I think it's like Steve was talking about with his glasses....she has come to recognize me..but a change in my hair or face throws her off. Garters are so interesting!

[kibakiba]

I've had that happen too. I got my hair cut a few inches and I had it in a pony tail, my snakes all freaked out and didn't even want me to touch them. The same thing happened after I dyed my hair lighter. My hair has always been blonde, but it's been getting darker, so I dyed it just a bit brighter. Never once have any of my snakes freaked out that much. Poor little ones. They also don't recognize my mom as much when she comes in, moves or looks at them they get scared, but when I do, they come to me in search of food.

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah, you really don't have to be gripping them to feel and/or hear a "squish" as they move through your hands. I always cringe when it happens but it's been going on for years and it doesn't seem to hurt them.

[EasternGirl]

Near Escape!!!

Okay, first..let me explain that Selena is not the type of snake that you can just take out of her enclosure and set her down somewhere...not yet, anyway. I hear some of you talking about snakes in your bed, snakes on beds, snakes on towels and blankets...etc. If I were to put Selena down on the bed...she would slither away as fast as she can and make a break for it! So, today...like every other day...she was burrowed somewhere in her bedding, hiding after I turned on her flourescent lamp...she is afraid of the lamp..I ended up taking it down. Anyway, I decided to try to find her. I always start by picking up her large plant, looking to make sure she isn't in it...and then removing it. This time I placed it on the floor. Then I look through all of her bedding for her. I removed everything in her enclosure and looked through her bedding three times...she just wasn't in there...I was like..."oh no"...I looked down at the plant on the floor....and there she was, just sitting next to the plant. Did I mention my son and his friend were in the room, jumping around playing video games?? Could have been a bad situation... I told her she was a very good girl for stayin by her plant and not making a run (or slither) for it!

[ConcinusMan]

Setting the plant down before checking it... rookie move!