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So this be my first post on sareptiles (in fact on any reptile forum!) and I would like to start off by sharing something which seems to be rather unusual in the sense of snake handling, and that is the stretching of snakes!
I've had a steady and consistent increasing interest in snakes recently (few months) of which it started with what turned out to be an innocent rehabilitation of a boa. I don't know the specifics of the species, however I do know that it had experienced something rather traumatic in its lifetime.
Going back a bit in time to get some background history of myself, I have involved my Self in what could be termed "intuitive healing" where I provide a space for maximum healing to take place, to my best ability.
I specifically have had a case where a gentleman has been abled to move his fingers again after experiencing a stroke last year September, whereby his left side of his body became numb and unusable. This is not something that any mechanic, which is what he did for a living, would want to go through.
The movement of his fingers returned after a few short impromptu sessions while I was working in the food industry, so it was not exactly the ideal conditions for him, but that little bit made all the difference in the world to him.
Anyhow I had not been involved with snakes at the time of my life, nor had I even thought to express it to animals of that nature!
So one day I am invited to a braai with some newly made friends, at which at the house, roughly 67 snakes were kept on premises (majority of which are corns). Included in that number was the previously mentioned Boa (about 45cm long) that had its own enclosure, but for the life of itself, did not like any form of contact!
She (I was told) was permanently in a coiled position and consistently striking everything that entered its cage. She had scarring, flaky scales and skin, and wounds that clearly showed forms of abuse on all levels that she had endured.
She was placed on my hands and was immediately like a reoccurring jack-in-the-box, striking out at everything and nothing.
Poor girl had been through a bit
After loving and nurturing her, I returned the next week and resumed my services.
She reportedly started to eat again (yay!) after a long length of abstaining from food.
I was able to handle her this time round and she was no where near as defensive as our first encounter. After some gentle rubs and massages in all the right places, I felt the need to take her out to the garden. I provided her with access to a small bush, where she slowly manoeuvred herself into and around the branches. It's such a beautiful sight to witness a recovery so huge at that level, where nature just takes over it does what it does best
Less than a month later, I was told of her death. Immediately I held a silent prayer in celebration of her life, privelaged to have the encounter with such a divine creature.
I was told she escaped her cage! From a state of hiding from life, to wanting to escape out into the world filled my heart with...I don't have the words for it :')
Anyway I don't quite know the cause of her death exactly, however she was not meant to be in that cage, this I know
So now, a few months later after my first truly personel snake encounter, I am travelling to pet shops all over Durban to see all the different snakeys out there. Today I held my biggest one ever - a 2m albino python ! What a beaut!! (hope I'm not sounding like Steve Irwin lol).
I've recently bought a custom 1200x600x600 cage, so im looking for a new inhabitant and all the accessories to go with it! This will all come together in time I understand. I've been doing a lot of research on this
But for the moment I'd like to come back to why I started this topic... Snake stretching!
Now I do not have years of time with handling snakes, but I do have enough to know when a snake wants its spine clicked.
I indicate very gently while holding it, that I have the capacity to offer that its spine be stretched out. It then, in particular a constrictor that I handled last weekend, manoeuvres itself around me to provide for optimum release. I hold on to where I feel is best to hold, and what's to come is usually a series of popping along the whoooooole area between my hands, simultaneously a continuing stretching of the muscles and body.
Indicated by the snake, I know exactly how far to take it and when to stop. Some times I misunderestimate myself and don't go all the way (I also don't wanna hurt the little beastie), and realising this I proceed to pull more than I had previously.
This sometimes includes twists and turns of the muscles, but overall it gets done. Sometimes repeated popping, or clicks, are done over the same area.
Sometimes not at all!
I trust my intuition on this. Included in this, the snake clearly indicates to me whether it wants anything pulled or not. It's a kind way of saying, "No, thank you." Done deal, I leave it there. No insistence on my part is necessary.
Does anyone else have any experiences to share with deliberately helping your snake to stretch out ?
Peace out
