help

[ladyram06]

I have a 12 month old ball python named ziggy. Well he shed twice in the last two months, 6/17 and 7/27. I cleaned his shed out of the tank and played with him for a bit last monday and then i fed him tuesday. When i went to pick him up to clean the tank and wash his furniture saturday, he was in strike mode and was flicking his tounge very fast. After i left him alone and put clean water in the tank he was still excited and responding very aggressive towards my movements at the glass. I figured he was still hungry so i fed him another mouse yesterday. Was feeding him another mouse the correct response to his actions? What could i do different to avoid him having this behavior again? should i leave him along for more than the normal 3-4 days before i try to handle him again? Any information will help.

[juddb]

After a feeding its best to let him be for a few days. But as far as him being aggressive, just make sure your husbandry is up to par-temps/humidity and leave him alone for a week.

[bigballs]

sometimes you have bps that would eat more often than once a week if given the opportunity. dont mistake that behaviour for agressive behaviour. you can handle them just be cautious when removing them from the enclosure. what i do is let them become aware of my presence and slowly but confidently lift them from middle of their body. after you have them in your hand they just chill...

[Spaniard]

No matter what I do my pastel looks at me like I'm food every time I open the tub. Once I reach in he starts hissing like I'm going to eat him and once I pick him up he's fine with no signs of aggression. Just a matter of getting to know your snakes.

[frankykeno]

Well it could be that the mice you are feeding are a tad on the small side so he's a bit hungry a few days before he's due to eat again (you didn't mention what size mouse he eats on Tuesdays). It could also just be your snake acting like a snake. Sometimes they just act snitzy, strike, hiss or jab at you for no reason you can see at the time. As long as they are being properly fed, their temps and humidity and so forth are fine....I figure it's just a snake being a snake and don't really worry about it if one of ours is out of sorts once in awhile.

[West Coast Jungle]

Many animals are very defensive when you get in their teritory. The more you hover over them the more upset they get. The best thing is to get them out of the enclosure quickly and swiftly. If you are worried about getting bit use a snake hook. Once they are out of their home/safety zone they usually chill out. If they sense you are nervous/scared they usually get more agressive. Take control of the situation and they will relinquish control. hesitate and they feel they are winning the battle. I like to wash my hands so i smell like soap when I pick them up so they won't mistake me for something else(rat). i had a real aggressive girl who got an RI once and had to wrestle her everytime I had to give her a shot and she sensed my uneasyness and fought like the ****ens. Eventually I just went in there like a marine and took no prisioners and she eventually gave in. I always had my hook ready so when she struck at me I didn't hesitate and just pulled her out with the hook and took over. I had to do this all myself, no helpers. Animals have a great sense of strength or weakness. Show them who's boss.

[frankykeno]

Gotta agree with you there, Raul. Dealing with any of our snakes, if they are acting up a bit, you have to be confident, firm and direct in your movements. Hesitation gets you bit. I think being a predator they can likely pick up on nervous tension/fear response pretty easily. I know most of our snakes that hiss in their enclosures very quickly chill out once removed and Brannagh at her worst was always worse in or near her enclosure. Almost like a cage aggression/home territory defense thing with her.

[bearhart]

I have a 12 month old ball python named ziggy. Well he shed twice in the last two months, 6/17 and 7/27. I cleaned his shed out of the tank and played with him for a bit last monday and then i fed him tuesday. When i went to pick him up to clean the tank and wash his furniture saturday, he was in strike mode and was flicking his tounge very fast. After i left him alone and put clean water in the tank he was still excited and responding very aggressive towards my movements at the glass. I figured he was still hungry so i fed him another mouse yesterday. Was feeding him another mouse the correct response to his actions? What could i do different to avoid him having this behavior again? should i leave him along for more than the normal 3-4 days before i try to handle him again? Any information will help.

You fed him on Tue and didn't open the cage until Sat? At my house, the post-feed rule is 1-2 days not 3-4 days.

If you read many of the arguments about out-of-cage feeding vs. in-cage feeding you'll see that the in-cagers point out that your snake will not associate the opening of the cage with food because you'll be opening the cage much more often than you feed.

Now, before anybody gets in an uproar, I'll say that I too have started feeding in-cage. However, I open the cage several times during the week and I don't feed exactly on schedule. They never actually expect it until they get the first whiff.

I would say that if you are feeding, say, every 3rd time you open the cage then your snakes might definately start getting ready for food. They are quick learners when it comes to patterns, I've found.

Also, be mindful of smells in the air and on your hands when you go to handle them.

[bearhart]

Gotta agree with you there, Raul. Dealing with any of our snakes, if they are acting up a bit, you have to be confident, firm and direct in your movements. Hesitation gets you bit. I think being a predator they can likely pick up on nervous tension/fear response pretty easily. I know most of our snakes that hiss in their enclosures very quickly chill out once removed and Brannagh at her worst was always worse in or near her enclosure. Almost like a cage aggression/home territory defense thing with her.

I've heard this very same reasoning from other people and I'm inclined to agree.

I've taken to wearing a glove on one hand when pulling my JCP out. He's never actually tried to bite me but the extra confidence it gives me makes the whole thing go faster and he actually gets less agitated - which makes for a better handling session.

I think the first order of business is to determine if ladyram's snake is defending itself or if its getting ready to feed.

[Spaniard]

You fed him on Tue and didn't open the cage until Sat? At my house, the post-feed rule is 1-2 days not 3-4 days.

If you read many of the arguments about out-of-cage feeding vs. in-cage feeding you'll see that the out-of-cagers point out that your snake will not associate the opening of the cage with food because you'll be opening the cage much more often than you feed.

Now, before anybody gets in an uproar, I'll say that I too have started feeding in-cage. However, I open the cage several times during the week and I don't feed exactly on schedule. They never actually expect it until they get the first whiff.

I would say that if you are feeding, say, every 3rd time you open the cage then your snakes might definately start getting ready for food. They are quick learners when it comes to patterns, I've found.

Also, be mindful of smells in the air and on your hands when you go to handle them.

How can you make claims of snakes and there learning behaviors with just one snake to conduct your research? I know its your opinion but sometimes I find your info a little misleading