It sounds like you are going in the right direction. I don't expect people to agree with everything I say and I just merely share the 30 years of serious keeping and my years of being a professional herpetologist.



As far as your questions go, here's a couple of quick answers:



1) Proper handling: I like to use a small, hand held shield when taking my large burms out (over 16')...either that or a sturdy hook. What I try to do is to keep the "shield" between the snake's head and myself. That way, in the very unlikely event that the snake mistakes me for food, I have some protection. With my other hand and gently lift the snake from underneath at midbody and pull him/her towards me. Once I have them partially out, the rest is easy and the shield isn't necessary. For large burms, I simply let them crawl on the floor (another reason to not have a cluttered room)....this gives them a little stretch time and people interaction which is very important. Once back in its cage I disinfect the area where the snake was crawling around with quatricide pv by pharmacal (I prefer bare cement floors for this purpose).



2) transport: there are two acceptable methods for transporting large constrictors. Either secure in a heavy custom made snake bag with a secure knot, or, secure in a large plastic storage box WITH A LOCK ON BOTH SIDES. The hard part is finding a box large enough to accommodate a 18' burm...haven't found one yet. I am always aware of vehicle temperatures and either warm the car up or cool it down to an appropriate level before taking the snake to the car/van.



Hope this helps a little. Rob

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