# Rough/sticky skin?



## shade215 (May 14, 2015)

I recently got my first snake (an africain house snake), but when i handle him it seems the palms side of my hands are rough/sticky (even after excessive washing or use of rubbing alchohol) and he has a bit of a hard time moving.
I'm worried i might hurt his scales/skin, is their anything i should try to use (like moisturizers, oil or some special soap) on my hands or is it something he just has to get used too?


----------



## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

no don't worry about it, even the roughest builders hands are soft compared to the kind of branches and rocks and all sorts that most snakes spend time on


many moisturizers are actually more likely to be dangerous to the snake, rahter than helpful, they arnt particularly good for humans, despite what the marketing departments might claim!


the difficulty moving was possibly down to having slightly damp/sweaty hands, so i'd recommend giving them a good wash first, dry off well, then wait 5-10mins bfore handling - alcohol based hand cleansers (scent free) are good aswell, and also useful for after you have handled the snake


----------



## kbonnington (Mar 15, 2015)

i have exactly the same problem, sweaty ass hands, i would like to hear how this post pans out because i havent found anything yet other than sitting down and making sure i let my hands dry off. im sure alcohol something without a moisturizer would do the trick.


----------



## CloudForest (Nov 27, 2013)

I have the same problem, and its doubly worse with high humidity species when I pull them out of a pile of moss lol

just wash your hands with a gentle soap (I use an Aloe Vera gel soap), dry them off, then use the alcohol cleanzer, it'll help evaporate any excess moisture...and you should be good to go


----------



## shade215 (May 14, 2015)

alright thank you all very much for your responses, ill be sure to keep my hands thoroughly washed (and sanitized) for when when i handle him.


----------

