Troubling attitudes

[Webley]

I have had my new BP's for 12 days now. They are all at or around the 140 gram mark. I have only bothered them for feeding, something i have only been doing once a week. I have yet to clean their cages, but they haven't really gotten them dirty so far. They tend to be really skid-dish and quick to curl up, hiss or strike whenever i open their tubs. How long do hatch-lings take to calm down? I never thought they would be quite this aggressive. Is it just because they are so young? Do i need to handle them more to get them more comfortable with me? What are your experiences with baby Ball Pythons?

Anyway this is just a late night rant. I want to do a longer post about the care i'm giving them with some pictures. I think that will have to wait for another day though. Please give me any info on how you deal with young bp's.

[TheSnakeGuy]

They just have to mature a little. And some won't, but daily handling(except within 24-36hrs of feeding) for 5-10 minutes will help this process. Also be prepared to take bites and go in with confidence.

[BHReptiles]

They could be more defensive because they are new and scared. They just went through the stress of moving to a new home and are probably still getting used to you and their surroundings. I had a spider female who would hiss EVERY time I opened her tub. I just kept picking her up and handling her for a few minutes every day and she calmed down after a month or so. A bite from a baby that size won't hurt (my 200-300gers don't even hurt) so don't be fearful of the bite. When you reach in, if they hiss, don't back off. Just pick them up gently with confidence. They will eventually warm up to you.

All that said, I'd try not to handle them until they have eaten 3-5 times consistently before handling them. It could be that they are just stressed from their big move. Keep your chin up and keep trying!

[Alexandra V]

As was said, they're probably just adjusting and that's why they're being so defensive.

Another thing that might be aggravating them even more could be if the temperature is on the high end, but their behaviour is much more likely to be stress-based. They should calm down in a few weeks

[DooLittle]

If I remember correctly from another post you made, you were moving them to another tub to feed. Could this be when they are hissing and striking? When you are moving them from tank to feed or from seperate tub back to tank? If so the strike could be due to still being in feed mode. Or from being stressed out from being moved all over. It is not necessary to move your bp to a seperate feeding enclosure. Bps do not develop cage aggression, and feed much better in their own home, imo.

Providing your husbandry is spot on, let them settle in for at least three consecutive feedings, then begin handling for a few minutes at a time. Gradually working your way up, as your snake can handle it.

More info on your set up would help. Sometimes there is an "issue" that could be affecting behavior that can very easily be fixed. What are your temps, how are they controlled, what kind/size of hides do you have? Bps like tight dark hides, not open ended half logs. So if hides aren't right, could be defensive strikes because they don't feel secure.

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