royal python bedding

Question
i bought cypress mulch from wal-mart and was wondering if its the same quality as the mulch i buy from a petstore. if it is thats awesome cuz walmart its only $3 and the pet store is $25. and another thing ive had my snake for 2 years great snake, well 9 months ago he stopped eating started back up 3 wks ago, in that time he started striking at me and im i guess afraid of him should i just let him bite me to let him know that im not scared or do u have any reason why he quit tolerating me holding and picking him up. will he ever not get really tense when i try and pick him up. i ask because he used to be a very mellow snake

Answer
Hi Lizz,

Is Cyprus something you have always used? If asked I would tell someone to never buy it because of the natural oils in it. One of the best is Aspen, easy to clean and great looking as well. Not saying you should switch but I would.

As for the time period of refusing to feed. Your snake is an adult at this point. Breeding season had just past. If your snake is a female she would have had eggs. Either way it is ok.

As for the striking. Instead of reaching in and grabbing try lowering your hand over the top of its head and slowly moving down till your hand is on top of its head then pick him/her up with the other hand. I am sure it will get used to being held again. Give it some time..

Eric Rovegno