So let me preface this with I'm new to snakes. So this is for anybody else who is as well. My ball is the first I've owned and also the first snake I've handled outside of class trips when I was a kid and whatnot. So yesterday, when Quentin took a shot at me for the first time and tagged my hand, it honestly left me a bit gun-shy. I took him out last night about 5 hours after the bite, and held him for about ten minutes. It took me a minute or two to calm myself enough to get him out of his cage. I lifted his hide and there he was, just looking at me, backed up against the wall so there was no way to come at him where he couldn't strike if he felt like it. I knew then that it didn't hurt, it's 99.9% the surprise factor that really gets you. After a minute or two of staring each other down I reached in and scooped him up. He stayed coiled for about 2 minutes in my palm, at which point he loosened up enough to wrap around my hand. Held him for a bit, then put him back, still just a little nervous about him. Not once he was loosened up so much, but picking him up, and holding him coiled in an S.

Well tonight I got off work and nobody was home and I thought to hell with it. I can't be nervous around my snake. I needed to get past that so we can come to some sort of mutual trust between us. So I went in and picked him up right away with the intention of handling him for at least an hour, unless he clearly didn't want to be. We ended up sitting around watching tv for two and a half hours, and it was wonderful. He stayed wrapped around my hand for a while with his head on my thumb, climbed up my necklace to my shoulders, down my arm and over my lap, all the while as calm and docile as I've ever seen him. It did wonders for restoring my confidence and trust in him, and alleviated all my irrational hesitations.

So, sorry to be so long winded. In closing, new bp owners, if you get nipped, or struck at, get back on that horse! You've got to trust your snake and let him/her trust you. Don't be afraid and don't let it stop you from having a fantastic time enjoying your very own majestic little creature. They truly are something else.

P.S. Just added a pic of Quentin climbing my necklace. Can't figure out how to embed them in posts.

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