Got struck at today

[Jey5636]

Hello!

Brand new to the forum here.

I got my ball python, Archie, from a local pet shop about two weeks ago. He's 4-6 months old and up until today has been nothing but a joy to handle. I usually let him roam around my bed while I'm laying down. Being that he's really curious and tries to leave my scope of sight, I frequently have to move him closer to me.

Earlier today, when I got up and moved in front of him, out of nowhere, he struck at me. I was about 2 feet away so he did not succeed in nailing me. My question is, what could have prompted this? Could he have felt threatened by my being in front of him, am I being too touchy by moving him a lot? I normally will stroke him before picking him up so I don't know why he would have felt threatened.

Im completely baffled, and I hope this isn't something that I have to get used to.

[Mephibosheth1]

Is there any way you can post pics of his habitat??
And what are his temperatures/humidity at??

They can get a little moody if their husbandry is off, so that would be a good place to start

[martin82531]

Could be hungry...

Could you provide some more details about your husbandry and feeding schedule?

[Jey5636]

Friday nights around 7-9pm. He's currently on F/T white hopper mice.

He is currently residing in a 10G terrarium. Temp is usually 75-80 degrees, with around 40% humidity. He has a single hiding log.

[martin82531]

Are you feeding every Friday? Hopper mice might be too small, rat pups or weaned mice might be more appropriate. For young snakes I would feed 10-15 percent of their body weight.

What are you using to get your temps to where they are at? (i.e. heat lamp) 75 degrees is a tad bit too low. You want a basking spot of 90 degrees, this can be achieved with a UTH or heat lamp. The issue with heat lamps is the tend to wreak havoc on your humidity, if you do use one I would suggest putting it on a dimmer so it is not running at full power 24/7. The overall ambient temp (room temp) should be at 80 degrees.

40% for humidity is not too bad, I would aim for 50-60 percent. What are you using to measure the humidty? Also what are you using to measure the temperature?

Snakes need to be able to regulate their own body temperature, they also need to feel secure, so you want to make sure wither they choose the cool or warm side of the enclosure, they feel secure at either end. To help with this I would suggests getting two identical hides. I like the hides from Reptile Basics, their simple and easy to clean. Depending on the size of your snake, I would pick either a small or a medium.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes

[Cissin]

Yeah your temperatures are way off. You need a hot side and a cool side. In my opinion get rid of the heat lamp. You need to get an Under The Tank Heater and something to control the heat output from it. Cool side 80-82 Hot side 90-92 Humidity in the 60s. The Zilla 11939 Temperature Controller is a great way to control the temperature and they are pretty cheap on Amazon. Also hit up Wal-Mart and buy an Acurite Indoor / Outdoor Thermometer. It has a probe, place the probe on the hot side and the actual unit itself on the cool side. It also gives you humidity readings. You gotta change your setup. You really need to set it up so the snake can regulate its body temperature. You must have a cool and hot side.