Quote Originally Posted by Greekinese View Post
How old is she? How long did you leave her in the hide before handling her?
She wasn't always thrilled about being handled I'm sure...can you (or others) describe the process of taking a shy/scared young snake and getting them comfortable with you when all they wanna do is be left alone in their hide?
IMHO, the more you take them out and handle them, the better, as long as it's in a gentle, friendly way. The less you handle them, the more they'll dislike being handled. I saw this when I worked as a zookeeper volunteer at this one zoo. The large retics, for example, were never removed from their enclosures (they were deemed too big at 15-ft.), and over time they became virtually wild and would strike at anyone who got near. We would put our foot out for them to strike at until they grew tired, then we'd grab a head, pull them out, put them in the grass somewhere, and I think they loved being outside in the fresh air. They became easier to handle until we stopped volunteering (and I'm sure they're wild again since no one else gets them out).

So I think just being in your hands or on your arms acclamates them to human contact. Over time I think they'll enjoy it and be far less likely to bite or freak out when removed from their enclosure.