This is my Bredli. There are many like it...

[zina10]

Don't feel bad.

We get "so good" at reading and dealing with Ball Pythons, that different snakes can be a bit un-nerving. ESP. when we cannot read them yet, and they are defensive and FAST.

While "most" Ball Pythons ball up when they feel threatened and are easy to scoop up that way, many other snakes "s" up and whip around, ready to tag. Whether they actually tag or not, they will make a good show of it, and until you learn that snake better, you won't really know.

At this point the snake is still un-nerved by the change of home. It is beginning to feel secure in the new home and then comes that big, warm predator trying to "pick it off".
It got into a certain routine at its former home. Then it got through the stress of shipping, then a new home. Its quicker to go from zero to 100 then it was before.

Ball Pythons are easy. Even if you have a somewhat pissy or defensive baby, you can easily make them back down with the flat hand gently pushing their head down. That does NOT work with Blood Pythons, for example. I'm not sure if it works with this species, but probably not. You only want to do this if you have an aggressive hatchling, you don't want to add stress to fear.

Just when we fear we are about to die, or about to get eaten, the moments leading up to it are the scariest. So while you try to slowly and gently scoop up your baby, all it does is drag out the panic, and brings out the defensiveness and heightens it.

Yes, you have to be gentle. But you have to be deliberate. Use a hook and gently touch the snake on the lower neck. Not long enough to make it freak out and whip around. Very deliberately touch and at the same time move the hook into position that if the head whips around towards your hand, you block it a bit. Do NOT push the head or neck down, the hook is only there to block. Or you will have a snake that will fling itself around getting ever more upset.

So block and with the other hand scoop it up. Try to do this in a deliberate movement without taking to much time and effort. Yes, that head might snap around. The snake "might" want to tag you, but usually once you lift them, they are to worried to balance themselves rather then to bite the "branch arms" that are holding it up.

To get yourself more confident, wear a sweater with long sleeves. Those tiny teeth can't do any damage, and it will make you less hesitant and worried about it. If need be, wear gloves the first couple of times. Try to find thin ones, though, you need to "feel" the snake, so you don't accidentally hurt it. I've heard those thin soft leather gloves called "rose thorn gardening gloves" or something along those lines would be great. they are super soft yet I doubt you would feel those tiny teeth, and if you did, it certainly wouldn't hurt. Do this in a smaller room, carpeted, and try to be alone those first times.

Once you have the snake, try to be still as much as you can, while allowing the snake to move from hand to hand, if it chooses. Don't force it still or hold it fast, but don't walk or move around to much.

From then on, you just have to keep going. Learn to read the snake. Does it get more frantic the longer the handling? Does it calm down and stay calmer? For how long? Shoot for 10 minutes, but if the snake gets to agitated after 5, then do 5 minutes first few times. You want to return the snake to the bin before it gets frantic. Return gently, many people fear the snake turning back and tagging them as they release them, so they tend to rather "drop" that snake and pull back fast. Which makes the whole thing scary and stressful to snake and owner. Hold your hands still in and above the tub, allow the snake to return on its own, then move back and close the tub.

Most likely the first few times the snake will race back in a panicked hurry, but if you stay calm and patient each time, they will eventually slowly and calmly return to their tub.

It took me a while to read my Blood Python. Boy he huffed in the beginning and whipped that head towards my hands, I was sure he would strike. He had when I first got him. He never bit me. I am more confident now that most of it was "show", but we have to remember they do fear they are about to die.

Removing them from the home is always the most "stressful" moment, to snake and handler. Don't drag that moment out. Find a good position and go for it.

Sometimes, open the tub, and then close it. Nothing more. Sometimes open the tub, touch with hook, close the tub. Try to get the snake to realize "open the tub" does not mean I'm about to die.

I know I wrote a whole book here, and I'm not going to proof read it. I'm german, so excuse grammar and spelling

I have never had a Bredli, so other more knowledgeable people might be able to help you better.

What I do have is a new snake that is a whole nother "ball game" from Balls, on top of it known to be wicked, and he was VERY nervous and defensive. To a point, he still is. We have come a very long way, but I don't kid myself that we are there yet.
However, I have learned to read him, he has learned to read me, and we are making progress.

I'm sharing what worked for me.

Just don't get discouraged, in a few month you will look back and laugh at that little fire cracker