How to tame a Aggressiveeeeee BP

[mainbutter]

I have never met an aggressive snake.. (well, I'd almost call a couple pissy cottonmouths I have stumbled upon to be aggressive), just remember that your snake is DEFENSIVE.

I realize it might just seem to be arguing semantics, but it's an important distinction for understanding what your BP is thinking, and how to deal with it so you can handle your pet without being tagged.

If they are giving you some defensive strikes when you try to handle them, they feel threatened. You're a big ugly creature to them, sticking appendages near their bodies. They are small and still quite young for their species, inundated with instinctual responses to possible threats.

The key is to get them to feel safe and secure. The first and foremost key ingredient to this is good husbandry. Good caging, temps, humidity, tight enclosed hides, and housing both snakes individually rather than together are generic rules that are easily broken, and very likely to lead to stressed snakes that don't feel safe and secure.

Secondly is to get them to feel that the "big ugly creature" they see regularly isn't there to eat them. This can take time. Regular handling , with gloves if you need it, is recommended. Frequent, short sessions are best. If the snake is bitey, the one thing to NOT do is jump, feel threatened yourself, and leave the snake alone. This teaches the snake that if it bites at you, it gets left alone, and only reinforces defensive striking.

In handling jumpy/frightened snakes, I take a philosophical approach. "Be the tree". I do everything in my power to limit my movement to slow, predictable motions that won't scare the snake. I don't "hold" the snake, I make myself into climbing branches, or a "tree"