Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a baby black blood that is very very strikey and vicious. today i went to pet him...i went slowly behind him to pet his back and he almost got me..Can somebody give me some pointers how to tame his evil little spirited butt or to calm him down???thanks joe

Petting a nippy blood on the back is probably the worst way to start off.
its like walking alone in a dangerous neighbourhood late at night and having some unsuspected person poke you in the back...lol
I know i would turn around swinging...

What i have found works well if you are a bit nervous about getting bit is to first just wear a pair of gloves. have a few handling sessions atleast 10 minutes each for the first week.
get used to how it moves, what aggitates it, basically start "reading" your snake. you might notice it doesn't like its head touched much, or perhaps has a sensitive tail.
All of this will help you when handling your snake without gloves to lessen the chance of a bite.

Pick up your snake from behind confidently in one swooping motion and gently cradle it with your hands under its body with a slight grip with your thumb and index fingers of each hand. let the snake do its thing is what i always say..meaning, dont control its movements, let it control your hands so to say.
just keep it away form your face at all times....that means no kissing! lol

After the first week, try using one glove.
use the gloved hand to pick it up and then place your bare hand underneath its lower portion of its body. again from underneath.
you may notice a slight burst of energy at this point, and its important to hold on and be prepared for a possible twist, turn, spray or bite.
it should eventually calm down and begin flicking its tongue and moving forard. at this time, move your hands with the snake, keeping your bare hand on the back portion of its body.

stay in one spot and dont make any sudden movements.
also make sure your little sister or parents come walking into the room as this can set them off into a frenzy.
once you see that its calm and doesn't think you are a threat anymore, try turning around.
Get it used to movements while in your hands. open up your gloved hand and let it run through your fingers, gently press against its neck, let it bumb its head into a finger, etc...important part hear is make it seem like its touching you and not the other way around.

after some handling sessions with the one gloved hand. try taking off the glove once its already calm and in your hands.
all of a sudden, you have a calm snake and two bare hands which is what you want.
Assuming its still calm at this point. this should be your longest handling session of all.
give yourself a good 1/2 hour to work with it at this point and before you know it, you will be able to pick it up without hesitation or getting bit.

thats the routine i use anyways and it has worked well for me.
many ppl will say just take the bites, which is fine. but when trying to tame 10 sub adult bloods at once, and working in a kitchen theres only so much my poor hands and arms can take....lol

Goodluck!
let us know how it goes!

Grant vg

I really appreciate the advice it seems like it would hlep very much..thanks........joe

If you don't want to get bit on your hands, wear gloves because you just have to keep handling him a few minutes each day or everyother day untill he calms down.DOn't mess with him though if he hasn't eaten for you consistently, to much stress isn't good for him.In time he will settle down, it took my baby red blood two weeks to calm down, now he's tame as they get. Later, Ethan

Thanks ethan,,,,,,, I will try all of that.thanks.....joe

NP