batter screws

ok this may sound like a totally dumb question but im trying to put the battery back on the bike and i can't seem to get the screws that hold the batery wires to the terminals to hold it seems like there stripped or maybe im missing something

I had to slip a little dry twig under each nut to get them to stay high enough to start back. I dont know why, it seems like the screws are a few millimeters too short. Its on my list of winter activities to fix.

I also used a piece of plastic to lift the nut. It was a pain.