Blood Update and Question

My Blood Python is doing well, he has never missed a meal and is on small rats now so I thought I'd post some pictures which I just took.

Everything is going good, I am going to upgrade him to a bigger tub soon, the only problem I have is his attitude, which seems common among Bloods.

He was the first snake I've had that acts very upset by my presence haha. When I reach in to get him he hisses a lot and lifts his head up towards me like he wants to tag me. He's never struck at me, or bitten me because I respect his boundaries, but I think I respect them a little too much, so lately I've been sucking it up and just picking him up and setting him in my lap. I don't really hold him, I mainly just let him sit in my lap with my hands cradling him because he acts scared and huffy puffy so I don't hold him in the air or pick him up until he calms down and uncoils his next from the S pose and starts moving around.

Is this the right thing to do? I stopped holding him for a little while because I don't like freaking him out, but then I realized I don't want a huge snake that is terrified of me in a couple years so I should hold him every now and then right?

Well here is the picture :D
Thought I got more but all the pics I thought were good were blurry because of my iphone T_T


http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._2984093_n.jpg

All i know is I'd rather take a few tags from a baby compared to an adult lol

Frequent, short handling sessions are the way to go. My girl would strike and attempt to tag me if I ever got within range, so I essentially had to start handling her by ONLY touching her, lifting her, etc with my snake hook. She's stopped hissing and striking, and in the past month I've even free-handled her on two occasions.

Even though she's only ~500 grams give or take, she's given me the worst bite I've ever had from a snake. I wouldn't want a 20lb adult giving my arm a go.

Ive been hit by adults, its not a big deal.

Ive found that handling my uppity animals only when I need to clean is plenty of interaction to calm them down.

Provided your giving them the right housing as well, they calm down with age.

What you're doing isn't bad and he'll get used to you eventually. As 2kDime said its not as bad as you might think when you get bitten. You could also try to hook train him so that its easier for you to get him out of the tub (what I do for my boa because she likes too eat a little too much lol) but in the end he will warm up to your handling either way.

I think I'm giving him the right housing. His set up is really weird but it works and maintains an ambient temp of 80-81 at all times and he has never missed a meal. He hates belly heat so his tub is wrapped in flexwatt with a piece also on top. I'm having trouble right now deciding what to upgrade him too because he is outgrowing his tub. I don't know whether to insulate and tin foil a tank and use a ceramic heat emitter or try to set him up in a bigger tub.

Agreed with Alexandra...Hook training is a must IMHO...I do it with my retics, burms, bloods, borneos and sstps...Getting tagged is a part of the game and the ones from the bloods weren't that bad...Granted my little borneo, lit me up one day like a copperhead!!! Most of mine are fine being handled, some are feistier than others and short interactions is the best for mine...

Yeah he has still never struck at me, just makes a lot of noise and man can he move fast when he wants too! I held him last night laying on the couch with him under my shirt and he doesn't wiggle around, just lays pretty still. Then after a little while I held him, he's just very fast and nervous and hissy but he doesn't attempt to strike at all. But when I went to put him back in his tub he zoomed out and wrapped around a lamp pole haha. He wasn't too happy about me trying to unwrap him from the pole.

Do you guys bathe your bloods. I see people doing it and wonder if it is a good thing health and bonding wise, or if it is going to scare him half to death.

He also hasn't been acting aggro when I go to take him out of his tub.

My little guy is very vocal when i go to get him out of the cage, but is fine once i do. I have noticed that there are certain surfaces he absolutely hates and freaks out when he is on them, but on others he will chill and be totally fine.

Hands always works better with me and my bloods have got a system as to when they get held as 2kdime said. I tried a hook once and that was it for me that female was mad and bite me and took three wraps i was bleeding and uncoiled her and since then no hooks and we see eye to eye ,it is funny now wish i had it on u - tube. I hold my ultra,s a lot more the are pretty calm and less to hold, adult reds get so big they are hard to hold all of there body. Hey 2kdime i see where everybody went to bp.net.

I am not going to try the hook training right now, because if I don't just reach in and pick him up, he gets pretty scared. If I poke him or tap him first, he gets pretty peeved. Right now I'm holding him a couple times a week and I just go in and grab him and bundle him up under a towel or blanket on my lap so he can relax and he will usually lay there for about 30 minutes and then I handle him with my hands for a little bit and put him back.