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Adult rattlers (other than pygs) are usually very docile, and I've done many, many
veterinary exams and procedures in a similar manner when gentle handling benefited the patient more than being grabbed by force. I don't advocate freehandling however, especially for entertainment.
Nice dark phase pyg, but you should ask some of the Florida peeps from venomousreptiles.org to send over some of the pale pink and purple morphs of
S. m. barbouri that occur there. I was up to my eyeballs in these guys and giving them away by twos and threes to my buddies when I was doing a lot of professional snake removal in Florida. Some really striking colors, many even better than
S. m. miliarius in my opinion. The
barbouri subspecies is underappreciated by hobbyists, and it shouldn't be, because the central Florida locality animals are absolutely stunning.
I'm actually licensed by the State to take Carolina red pygmies, which isn't a common thing; it's not even possible to get this kind of permit through normal channels. Except I don't meddle with them in the wild atall unless they're sick or injured and need rehab care, which is why the WRC was willing to license me in the first place. LOL
And if you breed them, starting the wee ones can be tough. Try pinky parts. Detailed assist feeding instructions on my web site.