aggresive baby ball

Hey guys i just bought a ball python almost a month ago and i havent been able to get near him to handle him.Even if i get close to cage he will strike at side of cage to get me im looking for suggestions on what i can do to overcome this.I dont want to get rid of him i just want to try and break him of it i appreciate any suggestions thanks to all

try bagging him first then handling him out of the bag. For example cover him with a bag/bandana to get a hold of him and hold him until he calms and slowly uncover him. Until your holding him without the bag.

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Originally Posted by dietz3d

Hey guys i just bought a ball python almost a month ago and i havent been able to get near him to handle him.Even if i get close to cage he will strike at side of cage to get me im looking for suggestions on what i can do to overcome this.I dont want to get rid of him i just want to try and break him of it i appreciate any suggestions thanks to all

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tell us EVERYTHING about your set up:

what is he in?
what are the temperatures (hot,cool and ambient)
what are you using to measure those temps
what hides does he have
are they identical
how old is he
how long have you had him
when did he last eat

etc

well as of right now he is in a ten gallon tank he is maybe about 15-16 inches if that he has a nice hide rock on one side with his water bowl on the other i have a climbing stick in there as well i have had him for about amonth and he feeds once a week he feeds great the temps are in the 80s hot spot high 80s and cool side is high 70s i have a digital therm in there alond with 2 other stick on therm

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dietz3d

well as of right now he is in a ten gallon tank he is maybe about 15-16 inches if that he has a nice hide rock on one side with his water bowl on the other i have a climbing stick in there as well i have had him for about amonth and he feeds once a week he feeds great the temps are in the 80s hot spot high 80s and cool side is high 70s i have a digital therm in there alond with 2 other stick on therm

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ok,ditch the stick ons.. They are made to read water temperature :)

It sounds like he might be stressed. This is what I'd do:

- cover 2 sides and the back of his tank with a jungle background or black construction paper. this will help him feel more secure
- make sure he is in a low traffic area
- make sure hes not getting exposed to too much light
- get him another hide. Balls don't really climb so he doesn't need the stick, you can leave it in there but hiding is what bps do 95% of the time.


what are you using to heat him?

Cinderbird is right on with all the schematics. If you get those details on point and still have a problem (do you have a bush baby?) you will need to handle him more often to promote docility.

ok he is in my room so it is very low traffic right now i have a under tank heat mat and a heat lamp i use a 50 watt bulb during day and a 50w infared at night if temp gets to chilly in there but most times i leave the infared one in there all the time

Well the only way to fix it is to hold him. All you need to do is just open up the tank and just open your hand as wide as possibly and just pick him up. Because of how fast you go in and pick him up, they usually never strike. Personally i use this method or i just pick them up from behind.

is once a week feedings to much do you guys think he should be in a bigger tank as of now i am searching for bigger tanks just wondering if you think like he should get a bigger asap i really do appreciate all your guys comments

when i do feed him i remove him from the tank and feed him in a box many people have told me about this is that an ok practice of feeding them the people said he will learn to associate the box with feeding and not something coming into his tank