Nim the Bredli

[Gio]

I'm having trouble getting Nim out of his enclosure. When touched, he bites if cornered and runs away otherwise. I've been picking him up during the run away phase, but he's long enough now that I have a hard time disentangling him from whatever he grabs on the way out. While I do that, he usually gets his head back in the enclosure and the process begins anew.

I've been handling him minimally since the mite ordeal, and I think I should increase the handling frequency to hopefully desensitize him a bit. To pick him up effectively, I am considering either putting gloves on and taking a bite or two to get him before he starts to run, or strictly picking him up from beneath the hide without moving it off him first. I figure chasing him around for 20 minutes every time probably worsens the problem. Is biting the glove something I should avoid having him do? Is letting him run into a hide, then picking him up from beneath it preferable?

I have some gloves that are bite safe for both snake and human. The biter in my group of 4 is the Coastal. She rarely bites the gloves and is able to tell they are not human. The second I remove one and touch her, she knows and it's open season for a bite.

I use them for the Bredli occasionally but he is more tolerant of handling.

I don't think the Coastal is going to change her ways much.

These are the gloves I bought.
This equipment was purchased for a retic I had here that was extremely aggressive.


I was hoping after I placed him, I wouldn't need to wear gloves again. The "loving" Coastal has given the glove investment more milage.


I'd say with gloves and a nice hook (not this hook) you'll be fine.

When they tangle up in the cage, I just skip the handling until there is a better opportunity.