SarahJane
Not so new Member
Another thread about a flighty snake made me think of this, here's the story.
A friend of mine bought a male BHP, great condition and awesome colours. He was told the snake was a bit 'flighty' when he bought it. That's the under-statement of the year as far as I'm concerned. Imagine the worse fit you've witnessed of a baby snake when being handled and now try to picture a 2.5 metre, really heavy BHP having that same fit. It goes totally wild, thrashing it's body against everything in a mad dash to try and escape. The first couple of times I tried to handle it, I couldn't hold on, it's whacked me with it's tail across the face. It's like trying to hold onto a fire engine hose (for those that have tried this).
It was some time ago I realised that it was missing an entire side of it's tongue, one fork was completely missing and the other seems to be cut in half. I'm thinking the poor animal is mostly blind to it's surroundings and just plain terrified when someone touches it.
What are your thoughts on this? Has anyone experienced this before? I doubt there is anything we can do for this snake, but if you've got a suggestion for calming it please comment.
Sarah Jane
A friend of mine bought a male BHP, great condition and awesome colours. He was told the snake was a bit 'flighty' when he bought it. That's the under-statement of the year as far as I'm concerned. Imagine the worse fit you've witnessed of a baby snake when being handled and now try to picture a 2.5 metre, really heavy BHP having that same fit. It goes totally wild, thrashing it's body against everything in a mad dash to try and escape. The first couple of times I tried to handle it, I couldn't hold on, it's whacked me with it's tail across the face. It's like trying to hold onto a fire engine hose (for those that have tried this).
It was some time ago I realised that it was missing an entire side of it's tongue, one fork was completely missing and the other seems to be cut in half. I'm thinking the poor animal is mostly blind to it's surroundings and just plain terrified when someone touches it.
What are your thoughts on this? Has anyone experienced this before? I doubt there is anything we can do for this snake, but if you've got a suggestion for calming it please comment.
Sarah Jane