Quote Originally Posted by Homebody View Post
It's a worthwhile goal to teach your bp not to be afraid of you, but to enjoy handing may be asking too much. My bp never enjoyed handling, he tolerated it, sort of. During a typical handling, I would remove him from his enclosure and put him on my shoulders. He would slowly try to get down. Just before I felt he was going to fall, I would put him back on my shoulders. Over and over. If I sat while handling him, he always tried to get away. He didn't leave quickly, but slowly. He didn't seem afraid of me. I think he just preferred being someplace else. So, I let him go and got my enjoyment from watching him; trying to predict where he would go and why. I was somewhat surprised to discover that I enjoyed this more than handling.
I think you've hit on something. Consider that our captive snakes live in some sort of enclosure most of their lives- that's not how they evolved to live. If your folks kept you locked in your bedroom all your life, or at least until you became a young adult, wouldn't YOU be inclined to explore when you got the chance? Nothing personal...

Even when snakes aren't afraid of us, it's also not "natural" for them to sit still, especially after they've been "exposed" -they're vulnerable to predators when out in the open or moving around.