Children”s Python, Choice, Transition, and a Surprise!

Our Children's Python Macel and I benefit from cooperative care training as he shifts out of his habitat to eat and enjoy time on an activity station while I get the diirty job of cleaning his enclosure; howver, I still reaped the benefits of Macel's past training becuase I didn't have to be intrusive or force an interaction to accomplish the enclosure cleaning. The session was a win/win for both of us.

I want to remind viewers and listeners that choice matters! We look at Pavlova and Pfynix as examples.

Organisms are born to choose. The desire for control is present in animals and very young infants before any societal or cultural values of autonomy can be learned.
• Humans and other animals who have choices and who believe they have control over what happens have been shown to be more optimistic, more resilient, innovate and try new ideas, and be more likely to succeed at problem-solving when faced with challenges.
• Choice allows organisms to exert control over the environment by selecting behaviors that are conducive to achieving desirable outcomes and avoiding undesirable outcomes and so opportunities to exercise choice are desirable.
• Animals and humans demonstrate a preference for choice over nonchoice, even when that choice affords no improvement in outcome reward.
Leotti, L. A., Iyengar, S. S., & Ochsner, K. N. (2010). Born to choose: The origins and value of the need for control. Trends in cognitive sciences, 14(10), 457-463.

Remeber thare are lots of ways to interact with your snakes other than physical handling. You can observe their behavior, engage in training or enrichment activities, and record your snake acitivies in a journal, on video, or thorugh photographs.

We take a look at the method I am using to transition Ezra into a new, larger habitat. I am opting to place his entire furnished terrarium along with him into the new enlcosure for Ezra to acclimate and choose to explore it in his own time.

Bonus footage of our Angolan Python, Radek!

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