I went to petco yesterday and asked to see their ball pythons. They were fairly new because I went in two weeks ago and they didn't have any.

They were beautiful, no mites or anything, a few of them had amazing markings and I wish I could have taken a few home (aside from the price, and the fact that I shouldnt be getting any more pets for a while). One of them was so light it looked almost pastel, another had a stripe down half its body, another had some serious blushing. Not your normal normals.

The girl showing them to me had just been handling guinea pigs and mice so she didnt want to reach in there. So I did. And boy were they unhappy!

I've never been bitten by a ball python before, and I was repeatedly attacked by each of them (there were about six of them). I picked each of them up and they were just the most angry little things I've ever seen. I wasn't hurt, of course, didnt even get a scratch, but they were letting me know I should stay away. They werent hatchlings, they were small but had some good size to them.

What could be the reasons why they would be so incredibly snippy?