Why is she hissing so much??

[Tirevy]

All last night I could hear my '09 female hissing. She's never done that before and I don't know what upset her so much. I was in bed and I could hear her going off on in these short little bursts. What's wrong?


UTH 92F
Cool side ~75-80F
Humidity 50-60%

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I have 2 that are hisser, no matter what you do they'll hiss (now I know that is what they are doing), sooner or later they will likely grow out it's just what they do at this point in time.

Now in your case (since I do not know how much experience you have) the question is do you hear hissing or something else.

[Tirevy]

It's definitely hissing. Like the sound of quick escaping high-pressured gas. I've listened to her breathing. And nothing abnormal.

[JLC]

If you're confident it's hissing and not distressed breathing...then my guess would be that she's very stressed. Especially if the hissing is coming when you're not messing with her at all. Is she in a glass tank? If so, I'd consider covering the sides with something opaque. I'd go so far as to completely cover three sides...and then put a 6"-8" strip of the same material along the bottom of the front side as well. That will make it so she can't see out without deliberately looking...but you can still see in easily enough. I'd also consider putting in additional hides or other decor she can use for cover so she doesn't feel exposed. It all depends on what kind of set-up she's in....but definitely look at it with an eye toward making her feel more snug and secure.

(FYI...if you choose to add some fake vines or other plants as ground cover for her to hide in...be sure to check it over VERY carefully for any closed loops of plastic or thread and cut those off completely!)

[Stewart_Reptiles]

It's definitely hissing. Like the sound of quick escaping high-pressured gas. I've listened to her breathing. And nothing abnormal.

If it is hissing I would look into possible stress factor (over-handling, enclosure size etc), however there are a few even with perfect conditions and limited handling will hiss though they usually grow out of it very fast it can still go on even in adulthood.

So if the husbandry checks out and the animal is not stress, well this means you have Mrs Hissy Pants

[Monster Dodge]

Mine have never made a peep ever. Does somebody have a vid of theres hissing so I could hear what it sounds like?

[Tirevy]

If you're confident it's hissing and not distressed breathing...then my guess would be that she's very stressed. Especially if the hissing is coming when you're not messing with her at all. Is she in a glass tank? If so, I'd consider covering the sides with something opaque. I'd go so far as to completely cover three sides...and then put a 6"-8" strip of the same material along the bottom of the front side as well. That will make it so she can't see out without deliberately looking...but you can still see in easily enough. I'd also consider putting in additional hides or other decor she can use for cover so she doesn't feel exposed. It all depends on what kind of set-up she's in....but definitely look at it with an eye toward making her feel more snug and secure.

(FYI...if you choose to add some fake vines or other plants as ground cover for her to hide in...be sure to check it over VERY carefully for any closed loops of plastic or thread and cut those off completely!)

I've already done this. I had this set up before I even got her. It's a 35G tank, 38"long, 12" wide, 19" tall. Back and two sides are completely covered with black paper, and the front has about 6-7" of black paper from the bottom.

I have two hides for her, one on either side, and two big plants. I guess I could find something else because the middle is a bit bare.

[DC Reptiles]

all my normal breeder girls are hissers, but only when I take them out to clean, they dont bite or strike just hiss a lot

[Pyrosnake]

It means "leave me alone!" I get that a lot from my new girl. She'll calm down with time I bet.

[ballpythonluvr]

My eight month old male normal hisses at me quite a bit. I just pick him up anyways and do what I need to do. Once I have him out of the enclosure he stops hissing and calms down.