diff --git a/requests/core.py b/requests/core.py
index 3f599b18..c7726c22 100644
--- a/requests/core.py
+++ b/requests/core.py
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ if not 'eventlet' in locals():
         pass
 
 from .packages.poster.encode import multipart_encode
-from .packages.poster.streaminghttp import register_openers
+from .packages.poster.streaminghttp import register_openers, get_handlers
 
 
 __title__ = 'requests'
@@ -124,6 +124,7 @@ class Request(object):
                 cookie_handler = urllib2.HTTPCookieProcessor(cookiejar)
                 _handlers.append(cookie_handler)
 
+            _handlers += get_handlers()
             opener = urllib2.build_opener(*_handlers)
             return opener.open
 
diff --git a/requests/packages/poster/streaminghttp.py b/requests/packages/poster/streaminghttp.py
index 379d769d..1b591d4b 100644
--- a/requests/packages/poster/streaminghttp.py
+++ b/requests/packages/poster/streaminghttp.py
@@ -181,16 +181,18 @@ if hasattr(httplib, 'HTTPS'):
             return urllib2.HTTPSHandler.do_request_(self, req)
 
 
+def get_handlers():
+    handlers = [StreamingHTTPHandler, StreamingHTTPRedirectHandler]
+    if hasattr(httplib, "HTTPS"):
+        handlers.append(StreamingHTTPSHandler)
+    return handlers
+    
 def register_openers():
     """Register the streaming http handlers in the global urllib2 default
     opener object.
 
     Returns the created OpenerDirector object."""
-    handlers = [StreamingHTTPHandler, StreamingHTTPRedirectHandler]
-    if hasattr(httplib, "HTTPS"):
-        handlers.append(StreamingHTTPSHandler)
-
-    opener = urllib2.build_opener(*handlers)
+    opener = urllib2.build_opener(*get_handlers())
 
     urllib2.install_opener(opener)