Quote Originally Posted by Evenstar View Post
Some BPs enjoy being handled more than others. You'll have to get to know your snakes as individuals and determine whether they are truely ok with handling or if they are stressing. If you are observing the "no handling after feeding" rule and your snake stays relaxed in your hands while he's out and he keeps a good appetite, then I'd say the amount your handling him is just fine. We all like to hold our snakes - for me, it's partly why I got into them in the first place!

From personal experience, my adult female, Ella, will sometimes seem anxious in her cage. If she's hiding, I leave her alone (a hiding BP is a happy BP). But she usually starts getting more active as the week wears on (yes, she's probably hunting for her meal) and will start poking around the top of her cage. When she gets like that, I take her out and wrap her around my shoulders and later sit and watch tv or something. Without fail she will eventually relax and just chill on my lap and when I put her back, she's much more relaxed and will usually just go off to her hide. I'd say she definitely enjoys being handled and actually asks for it!
Tonight, Leon [the Spider] was edgy while out and then wiggled down into the chair arm.
[one disassembled Homedics Shiatsu/neg. gravity chair billed to his account]

Then he peed all over me.
[good grief....not another one who detests soiling their own home!]

Now he's got a full belly and is his cheery, cuddly self again.

He's only a little over 2 months old, perpetually hungry and gets jittery when his belly is empty.

He was only eating fuzzies before but has no problem gulping down a more appropriately sized adult mouse.

I know breeders can't really afford to be feeding lots of babies more than they need so he's underweight, I think.
['pyramid' shaped back/no "body fat"]

He'd eat much more if I allowed him to but I don't want to overload his system.

I'm really hoping the next Expo has a frozen rat supplier.

The last show was sold out early on and the only other supplier had frozen mice in a camping cooler on ice and they were covered in shavings, dirty and already thawing.

I could never have gotten them home safely in a 2 1/2 hour drive.

[especially when they already looked iffy/creepy]

Spider, my Fire, is the worst for "guilt trips".

He/she [still not sure] pops out of the hide whenever I go by, swivels his/her neck around and will lay his/her head on top of the hide and look at me so pitifully, I have to stop and cuddle.

Otherwise, he/she goes back in the hide, neck outstretched and looks so dejected I can't stand it.....