What you’re describing beyond the gradual desensitization to touch and handling is resiliency training. I have a couple of videos about that but I really should do more. Building resiliency includes stress inoculation which is exposing animals to small amounts of tolerable stress as they learn to cope with adversity. It prepares them to manage things they may encounter over their lifetime because the world is not stress-free. It’s accomplished through choice-based interactions working up to gradual desensitization to touch and handling and then gradual exposures to additional stressors and then setting up appropriate challenges (low skill animal and low challenge, high skill animal and high challenge etc.). The challenges need to be achievable and exposure to stress done appropriately by a handler such as yourself who will know when to stop.

@Snake_Therapy

2 ай бұрын

Thank you for the clarification! I look forward to seeing your videos on this! And thank you, Lori, for all the work you do, how you help people and animals, and for taking the time to watch my video! What an honor.

@triplefreeerror

2 ай бұрын

This is awesome. On a more internety note: “Low skill animal” is a hilarious statement out of context

@Snake_Therapy

2 ай бұрын

😂

@BriDia3

2 ай бұрын

I really enjoy both of y'all's channels! I'm so happy there's no animosity from one to another ❤

@Snake_Therapy

2 ай бұрын

@@BriDia3 Animosity? Hell no, not from me, at least! I respect Lori SO much! :) She does such important and incredible work!

I have a Dumeril's boa who was in a breeder rack for almost 2 years. Very shy and clearly hadn't been handled. I decided to use choice based handling with her. The hardest part at first was not being able to check on her and see if she was OK. What works for me is to slowly desensitize her to touch and handling. I've spent many hours with my hand and arm in her enclosure. When she does get curious and explore my hand I lift her up and use this as an opportunity to handle her. Also when she's in an enclosed hide I pick up the entire hide and place it in her play pen where she's much more curious and explorative and will choose to explore and climb all over me and her new environment. So it's choice based but I try to set up low stress situations where she's more likely to be amenable to handling and even choose it. She rarely moves inside her enclosure so the enclosed hide into the playpen technique has been crucial to her process. Love your content!

@Snake_Therapy

Ай бұрын

That's so awesome, she is SO lucky you are her caretaker now and she's getting the opportunity to develop and choose more about how to be a Snake :) Olórin is definitely more curious when he's in his playpen or being handled than when he is in his enclosure as well. Thanks for sharing!!

@lydiawaters3546

Ай бұрын

​@@Snake_Therapy she's a wonderful gentle girl and I adore her. She's so docile that even though she was completely unsocialized she never lashed out or showed a hint of aggression. It all manifestes as fleeing, avoidance, or freezing. With snakes like her learned helplessness can easily be mistaken for calming down. It's alway in my mind to avoid putting her in a stressful situation but she knows there's nothing she can do to avoid what's scaring her so she just shuts down. Shy docile snakes are so vulnerable to this so it's on us to make sure we don't mistake this behavior for other healthier behaviors. Avoiding learned helplessness is one of theain reasons I decided to go with choice based handling. But I also believe they need to be comfortable with and desensitized to handling. So I try to set up situations where she's more likely to choose or at least not avoid handling and interaction.

@Snake_Therapy

Ай бұрын

So well said! (although I will note I would replace the word "aggression" with "defensive behavior" 🙃)

Definitely agree with you on this. I've always found that animals develop the best bond when you socialize them with choice-based interactions that you actually initiate. It's important to demonstrate for them what they can expect or even ask for, like opening their door when they want to come out, or getting a lift back to their enclosure when they're done exploring. They can't be expected to just intuit that this is possible, that they can trust you. It's so rewarding to earn that trust! But animals aren't always likely to initiate that kind of interactive and communicative relationship, so you have to do it for them. They just need to realize that you'll respect their feelings if they're really uncomfortable or don't want something.

@Snake_Therapy

2 ай бұрын

100%!!! thank you!

New subscriber here. I'm a friend of Lori's who has used choice-based methods for the last several years (basically since the moment I discovered Lori's work). I am really enjoying your videos, the way you relate to your animals and the way you discuss and describe this. I have 19 snakes (with no plans for more, lol) including two lovely Dumeril's boas. I appreciate your notes about Dumeril temperament. They are sweet snakes who are a tad different than my other boas and most definitely different from colubrids and pythons. I'm going to catch up and watch your other videos, and look forward to more content.

@Snake_Therapy

27 күн бұрын

Thank you SO much for your thoughtful comment and for sharing about your experience! Welcome, and I'm so happy you're enjoying the content. ❤❤❤

Great video good points! if my texas indigo is wandering around his enclosure i take him out if he is hiding or basking i try to leave him alone thats one way i go about it.Also he loves to wonder out when its nice out sooo he always wants that so if its nice out i take him outside.

@Snake_Therapy

2 ай бұрын

Thanks so much! That's awesome! Indigos do love their outside wandering time!

21:17 Montage of stress free snake handling. 😊

@Snake_Therapy

Ай бұрын

I love that part too ❤😊❤🐍❤

I'm so excited to get our snakes into front-opening enclosures to start working on choice-based handling! But I also intend to keep working with them with desensitizing on a regular basis even if they aren't always choosing to come out, because of my plans to use them for education programs in the future. My corn snake Doc is so over his head shyness that he will sometimes stick his head between my fingers and my keys while I'm typing. Even when I've ended up pressing a key with his head, he doesn't care at all.

@Snake_Therapy

2 ай бұрын

😂 omg that's so funny about typing with his head. I love that you'll be doing educational programs! I want to hear all about that!

@Snake_Therapy

2 ай бұрын

@seagraveSerpentarium just checked out your channel for a sec and saw your first expo was in Springfield, MA... I'm from Amherst :)

@SeagraveSerpentarium

2 ай бұрын

@@Snake_Therapy Thanks for the sub! My friend that helped with filming at the expo actually went to college in Amherst so that's a pretty funny coincidence lol And I definitely plan to post videos about my in-person education programs as soon as I'm ready to get them started. I'm hoping it won't be much more than a year before I'm ready, just want to have a couple more snakes so I don't run into the issue of having a booking and both of our snakes end up in blue at the same time.

@Snake_Therapy

2 ай бұрын

good idea, I had several snakes in shed this weekend and I was glad I still had others to take with me on a gig! I look forward to checking out more of your videos!

Very good points!I really agree with you, if we keep animals in captivity. We need to be able to handle them for their own safety and ours. I believe that my snakes are much less stressed in a home environment and in human presence if they are used to handling.

@Snake_Therapy

2 ай бұрын

Thank you! 😊

I am very new to snakes well its been a 25 year gap since v the last time . But i am finding much more relaxed snake behaviour now i am taking on board what you and lori say 😊

@Snake_Therapy

2 ай бұрын

That's great to hear!

I have always done what you do with pets without knowing there was a name for it. On Bunbspace,some people would refuse to handle their house rabbits due to stress...Like you,I always explained why it was important to handle your rabbit and how to help them learn to accept and sometimes enjoy being handled.. I now have a gecko and sometimes I choose to hold him,sometimes he gets to choose not to be handled. I felt this would fit the personality of this gecko the best,and it has. I have no snakes,but I like them and apply certain tips to my gecko.

@Snake_Therapy

2 ай бұрын

Totally! all of this can apply to any animal, I think. They'll each have their own unique response and dynamic with you, but the concepts are pretty universal.

Great job, I think you covered the topic really well. I practice choice based handling and have found it to be very rewarding approach to socializing my snake. I appreciate the time you took to cover the pros and cons for people, and yes I put my needs second, the animals first. That includes getting my snake used to shifting, traveling, and handling. Being as strictly choice based as I can my snake is used to all this and will regularly travel with me and get handled. It does take time and patience but like you pointed out any socializing methodology you go with will require both of these things if keeping the animals welfare first and foremost. Beautiful snakes!

@Snake_Therapy

2 ай бұрын

YOU inspired this episode, and I am grateful for that, and for your feedback! 😊

I want to learn so much from you only of you are willing to help me I’m just getting into snakes I have a normal boa and her name is chi and I love the way you interact with your snakes please teach me my name is James

@Snake_Therapy

Күн бұрын

😊I'll do my best! Keep watching!

@LavarLynch

Күн бұрын

Ok I will

Isn't it animal cruelty just to own a snake? You don't need to own one and they HAVE to eat another animal. Live feeding is common. Seems like by owning a snake you're just causing more death than necessary.

@Snake_Therapy

2 ай бұрын

Wow, there are a lot of things to unpack here! Is it animal cruelty to own a dog, cat, or any other animal? The cruelty would be if you keep them in poor conditions, which I do not. I also do not keep snakes that were born in/taken from the wild- they were born/hatched in captivity. However your argument about having to eat other animals... Dogs and Cats are also carnivores, and the industry of processing of their food kills a MASSIVE amount of animals, and in very inhumane ways/conditions, no less. Do you eat meat? People are carnivores and cause WAY more death (on so many levels..) than any other animal... so.. I'm not really sure how this justifies your argument. Also, I don't, in fact, feed live animals to my snakes. I feed them pre-killed, frozen/thawed rodents that come from a company that euthanizes the animals humanely. and even if they weren't in captivity, they would need to eat in the wild... it's the ciiiiircle of liiiiiiife! Also, pet snakes cause less death than almost all other pets, because they eat infrequently- once every week or two. If you'd like to learn more, I can point you to some great resources! :)