my bp is scared of me?

[SnakeLos]

b4 when i would open up his tub he would just curl up into ball and stay put where he is (outside of his hide)... yesterday i handled him for the first time for about 5-7 mins and then put him back in his tub... and now today when i went to open up his tub he immediately ran back into his hide like he was scared... how can i get him to trust me again??

[lillyorchid]

Just handle him daily. Also remember to give him a 48 hour time rest after he has eaten before handling him again.

[dr del]

Hi,


Basically handling him for short periods now and again until he realises you aren't going to eat him.

It is important to remember not to handle him for at least a couple of days after eating and to stop the handling sessions if he stops feeding.

Ball pythons generally settle down to handling fairly quickly ( 3-6 weeks usually) but each snake is different so just let his behaviour be your guide.

**edit**

Allison beat me to it.

**/end edit**



dr del

[lord jackel]

Also keep in mind your snake doesn't "know" you. They aren't like dogs that will eventually recognize you and "come out to play". So it isn't scared of you per say...it is programmed that any sudden movement, change in light, temp, etc. means danger. Handling as others have said will help train the snake to learn that a certain pattern doesn't mean it is going to get eatin and then it won't react like it is going to get eatin.

A good idea is to do things the same way each time. Get him out at the same time of day, the same way. Any changes will mean a change in pattern and he could get scared again.

[SnakeLos]

thanks for the responses but how can i stop him from running into his hide everytime i open up the lid?

[AzureN1ght]

thanks for the responses but how can i stop him from running into his hide everytime i open up the lid?

I think he'll just need some time. Think of it from his perspective. If some giant possible preditor tore the roof off of your house, you'd probably run for cover, too!

It'll probably take awhile for him to realize that, even though you're a giant, you never hurt him or eat him when you tear the roof off of his house and take him out.

Even then, he might run for cover--it probably depends on his temperment. Don't take it personally, either. He isn't rejecting you or anything like that, he's just being a Ball Python.

[lord jackel]

I might also suggest you leave him alone for a week or so...if you over stress him now you may have a hard time feeding him. I just recommend you slow down some.

[heatherhead42]

Just a thought--if he's been relatively calm until recently and then suddenly tensed up on you, it's possible he's getting ready to enter a shed cycle. Ours did this when we first got him--he seemed calm and amiable, and then he suddenly got really tense and nervous. A few days later he entered blue. After his shed, he returned to his normal self.

You've gotten lots of good advice, and it may have nothing to do with shed. But I thought I'd throw that out there as a possibility.

Heather