Taming Eve down?

[BlueMoonExotics]

For those that haven't read any of my other posts, Eve is my first and only ball python. She's been eating very well for me and she's very beautiful BUT she seems to have quite the temper since day 1 if she's not balled up she would love to eat my face . The moment she hears the "click" of her tank being opened she starts to go into a striking pose ready to strike at me. She has struck at me several times and even the mister that I use to spray her tank. At first I thought she was just scared from being in a new environment but at this point I think she's pretty well settled in. I've read that the babies can have an attitude but about how long does this phase last? I'd really love to be able to handle her and see her as more than just a display animal. Any advice would be much appreciated!

[snakesRkewl]

Sounds like stress.

Do you have 3 sides of the tank blocked off?
Hide?
Temperatures on the cool end, warm end and hot spot if you have belly heat?

[BlueMoonExotics]

Wow I actually JUST blocked off 3 sides of her tank tonight with black. Do you really think that's the problem? Her tank is sandwiched in between 2 gecko tanks that have a lot of foliage so I never thought she would feel insecure. Guess I was wrong! Now I feel terrible!

I set up her tank with advice from other people on here so I think it should be good other than the tank being blocked off until tonight. Her temps are around 86 on the warm side and 78 on the cool side. She has both a UTH that is on a thermostat set to 90 and a heat emitter on a lamp dimmer. She has a hide on each side and she uses both. She also has a piece of grapevine to climb on which she really loves. She seems to lounge around a lot but she also spends a lot of time "feeling" the screen on the top of her tank like trying to find a way out.

[BlueMoonExotics]

Well, she's still got an attitude. Some asked if she was in shed but not that I can tell. I got her October 18th and I haven't seen any signs of shed in her tank or on her (eyes not cloudy or color hazy). Someone else asked if she was eating and yes she's an excellent eater. She's been on pinky rats and she's eaten 10 since she's been with me (guy I bought the pinkies from said to give her two if she would take them). She would eat as much as I could give her I think lol. Her temps are good, her eating is good, her humidity is good, I blocked off 3 sides of the tank and she still got a striking response to pretty much anything that enters her tank. I'm starting to think maybe she's just a more aggressive snake or there's something wrong with me. Not really sure what to do with her at this point other than wait it out and see if she gets better since she is still a baby. Someone recommended that I buy some gloves and a snake hook and handle her anyway but I'm not sure if that's a good idea. Let me know what you guys think. Any ideas are appreciated at this point.

[arialmt]

I read somewhere that cobra trainers used to put a piece of their clothing with the snake and it would acclimate to the smell of the keeper, it's not much but it is an idea. I don't know how well it would work though.

Is she actually striking or just raising up a little with an S in her neck. If she's not moving her whole self then she probably won't strike, and if she does it won't hurt you. Wouldn't you be afraid if a giant kept invading you home and you couldn't comprehend why?

[angllady2]

Pinky rats are a mighty small meal for a ball python unless it's just out of the egg. It sounds to me like your little girl is hungry and crabby. I don't know about you, but when I get hungry I'm liable to snap for no reason too.

I'd try upping the size of her prey and see if that helps her settle down.

Then again, she may just be a little monster. One of mine is. She hatched that way. Doesn't matter how full she is, how warm or secure, she's just a little meanie butt. Snaps at anything that moves, even herself.


Gale

[brobertson]

First, your temperatures are a bit low. Try to get that hot side to about 90. As for the temperament, don't worry too much about it. When I got my first BP,I was scared to even walk by the cage because he would strike at the glass whenever I walked by. I gave him a few weeks of no interaction besides feeding and maintenance, and the first time I tried to handle him, he was a bit nervous, but not strikey at all. Now, he is as tame as can be, and my favorite snake to show people when they are scared of snakes. The first thing that I tell nervous people is "I bet you $5 that you can't make him bite you!" good luck!

[BlueMoonExotics]

Arialmt she does raise up her head and go into an "S" form and then strike usually but sometimes she will strike with no warning at all and other times she'll just sit there and stare in her "S" shape if there's nothing close enough for her to strike at. You can tell that she isn't a happy camper though because she will breathe heavily and stare without even touching her. Angllady2 she came to me eating mice fuzzies from the breeder and he told me if I was switching to rats to go with pinkies. However, the guy I got the rats from said go ahead and give her 2 if she would take them so she is fed 2 of the pinkies to make up for size. I went ahead and ordered some bigger rats (rat fuzzies and pups) and I am going to try larger rats with the next feedings just incase. Right now with the pinkies I'm feeding her every 4 days. Maybe I should just feed her as often as she'll take them but my boyfriend commented that she is getting a bit chubby looking. I'll take her out tonight and get a weight on her just to be sure. If she is just hungry, I'll definitely bump up the feedings to her satisfaction. Thanks for the replies! I'll keep you updated on how things go within the next few weeks.

[angllady2]

Well, baby ball pythons do eat a lot for their size, that's how they grow. And ball pythons are chubby snakes anyway. I would not do any more often than 4 days, but maybe try offering her a third pinky and see if she'll take it. If she does good, if not that's ok too.

Many young ball pythons are very nervous and flighty and will "s" up at anything and everything. It is their only means of defense. It can take patience on your part to gradually win over a young ball. Most of them do grow out of that phase before long. I've rarely seen one act that way once they hit a few months old and get some size to them. But there are exceptions. Some will simply never outgrow their nervousness. It isn't really meanness, it is almost always due to fear, occasionally to hunger, and very rarely to aggression.

If I were in your position, and truthfully I am with my own hatchling, I'd work on one thing at a time. Start with hunger, since that is the easiest and most obvious. If she gets a few extra meals in her and still acts this way, check into her surroundings. Is it tight enough, warm enough, quiet enough to suit her ? Once hunger and stress are ruled out, it's time to accept it as typical young snake syndrome. Be patient with her, but be persistent as well. Be gentle with her, do handle her, even if she doesn't care to be handled, but do it gently and move slowly around her. Keep handling to brief sessions at first. As time goes by, she will almost certainly come around. I've had a few rescues that came to me with various reasons for attempting to remove my fingers and face, and all of them eventually turned into the docile darlings they are supposed to be once we worked though whatever was causing the behavior for each one.

I wish you all the best.

Gale