Bad move form store clerk
I was in Petsmart yesterday getting supplies and I always like to see the animals they keep. During my stay a customer had asked to hold the BP they had for sale. I stuck around to watch and the BP was scared and on the defensive (should have not been handled in my opinion). The store employee did not have the proper confidence to be showing this animal and the customer probably never held a snake at all. Now I am fairly new to owning a BP I've had mine about 2 months, just wanted to get that out there before I finish the story, since everyday I learn something new. While the clerk who was very nervous passing the little guy to the customer the BP had started striking at the customer and the clerk did not know what to do. Honestly thought she was going to throw the snake down. I had stepped in a taken the snake from the clerk and gently covered the him with both hands putting him into a ball position. This seemed to calm him down enough that he was no longer in striking mode but rather in hide mode. I then put the little fellow back in his enclosure and told the clerk she really shouldn't handle an animal that she is scared of. I do believe the customer was turned off to ever holding a snake again or considering owning one due to the clerks reaction. What I had done was out of instinct I didn't really think about what I was doing I just did it. Was this the correct way to handle this situation or should other steps have been taken. I didn't want the snake more stressed than he needed to be and I was not forceful at all.
The first issue was snake did not want to be handled at that time.
The second issue is the clerk should have known to leave it be and was very fidgety trying to pick him up and was scared.
Third issue and under trained employee had potentially stressed out an animal, and turned someone away who might had been interested in getting into this hobby.
I by all means am not bashing the store or the clerk but if she wasn't comfortable handling a snake she should have got help.
I would like to know if handling the snake the way I did was correct, it seemed to have worked but if there was a better way to handle a snippy snake I would like to know. Besides not trying to handle one who is grumpy.
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