Getting Re-used to Handling

Okay, so brief backstory: I've had Lorenzo since he was a hatchling (and I was a wee 13 y/o lol), so he's about 6 years old now. When he was younger, I was a lot better at handling him regularly and being really active in taking care of him. But then high school happened, and my mental heath took a metaphorical nosedive into a metaphorical dumpster, so I ended up being not nearly as present as I should have been.

Now that I'm doing a lot better, I want to be able to take care of him better than I have been, including getting him (and me) more used to handling. He developed a bit of a bad attitude, so for awhile now my mom has been the one taking him out to feed, with a hook and gloves, and I've just been doing all the cleaning and stuff like that. Now I'm trying to figure out how to move away from that.

I took him out by myself a week or so ago, no gloves and only a bit of assistance from the hook, and I think it went reasonably well? The only problem was that I was so nervous and not used to it that I think he was too. Plus, he's gotten A LOT bigger since the last time I held him, so I'm still trying to figure out how to handle so much snake at once! My hands aren't very big, so I feel like I'm not supporting him enough. ^^;

Any tips about being more confident/less scared of hurting him or getting hurt, and supporting him properly, would be very much appreciated.

Keep using the hook. Try and take him out every day even if it’s just a few minutes. You will get used to each other again. Routine will be good or you both


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At least you're back at it and ready to go. Take your time and it will come back to you. Good advice in Cornings post

You can continue to use the hook when you take him out, if it makes it easier.
Cup your hands like a hook, and let him drape in your hands. If he's a fast mover, you will need to be sure to keep up with him, but the less you "grasp" him, the less he will likely try to get away.