help! extremely aggresive month old ball

[jamboree jess]

I got two baby ball pythons a week and a half ago. A month old female spider ball, and a two month old pastel ball. They both ate fine and weren't seeming too timid right away. Today, I went to handle both snakes, the pastel handled fine, but the spider completely freaked out. I have had balls before and I have never seen a snake act this way. She struck at me at least 6 times in maybe a minute. As soon as I saw she was freaked out, I withdrew my hand from the tank, but she continued to strike at me, and hit the glass of the aquarium. It was incredibly strange, and I am very worried. Any tips? I'm not comfortable handling her at this point.

[fndjason4]

Babies can definitely be a little nippy sometimes. Some thick gloves might help to start handling her. She should calm down with time. I have several be very nasty as very young snakes, but all the balls like this calmed to normal in a very short time. Good Luck with the new babies.

[Skittles1101]

Are you sure your husbandry is correct? Are they in separate enclosures?

[jamboree jess]

Are you sure your husbandry is correct? Are they in separate enclosures?

They are both in seperate tanks, ambient tank temp is around 80, and the uth is around 90, and humidity is at at 65%. My other balls have been fine under the same conditions, and I'm just finding it strange that I was able to handle her fine when I fed her, and all of a sudden she's freaked out.

[ed4281]

I would double check my husbandry and make sure it's spot on. If it's not that, then you have a hateling, which is typical of some baby balls. The evil ones usually have the best feeding response.
Handle them often and they will get used to you.

[deto360]

im having this same problem wit my cinni she a side of tub killereven comin from behind her dont work

[Skiploder]

I got two baby ball pythons a week and a half ago. A month old female spider ball, and a two month old pastel ball. They both ate fine and weren't seeming too timid right away. Today, I went to handle both snakes, the pastel handled fine, but the spider completely freaked out. I have had balls before and I have never seen a snake act this way. She struck at me at least 6 times in maybe a minute. As soon as I saw she was freaked out, I withdrew my hand from the tank, but she continued to strike at me, and hit the glass of the aquarium. It was incredibly strange, and I am very worried. Any tips? I'm not comfortable handling her at this point.

Go ahead and take the bite - it's not like she's going to cause any damage. That and if they learn that this behavior will result in you leaving them alone, you can look forward to a hissy fit every time you go to pick her up. The thing about most snakes is that the biting and fighting stops once you get them in hand.

You mentioned keeping them (both?) in an aquarium. That's a very intimidating set up for a young snake. Young snakes, especially ball pythons, are instinctually wired to be defensive due to their place near the bottom of the food chain.

Cover as much of that glass cage as you can, and provide her with ample places to hide. Double check all your husbandry parameters and if you have her shacked up with the pastel, separate them.

[jamboree jess]

Go ahead and take the bite - it's not like she's going to cause any damage. That and if they learn that this behavior will result in you leaving them alone, you can look forward to a hissy fit every time you go to pick her up. the thing about most snakes is that the biting and fighting stops once you get them in hand.

You mentioned keeping them (both?) in an aquarium. That's a very intimidating set up for a young snake. Young snakes, especially ball pythons, are instinctually wired to be defensive due to their place near the bottom of the food chain.

Cover as much of that glass cage as you can, and provide her with ample places to hide. Double check all your husbandry parameters and if you have her shacked up with the pastel, separate them.

They're both in small seperate aquariums with hides, temperature and humidity is spot on. I was able to handle her problem free just 5 days ago, under the same situations :/

[Skiploder]

They're both in small seperate aquariums with hides, temperature and humidity is spot on. I was able to handle her problem free just 5 days ago, under the same situations :/

Are the aquariums open glass on all sides?

[llovelace]

Babies startle easily, the world is dtill so new to them, and yeah they can be nippy, take the nips, they don't hurt, trust me , over time she will settle down.