Good news/2questions.

Ok first off 2nd feed since I have had wolowitz first time took him aprox 25 min to strike kill and swallow(that was with me helping him find the head) today took him 5 min on his own! Ok so first question. When I got him out of his tank he hissed at me. Any reason for this? I know my hands had the mouse smell on them. And 2nd after he ate he struck at my hand while outside the feeding tub. Could he still be hungry or just an instinct strike?

The fact that your hands smelled like prey is most likely the answer to both of your questions, since he would have been in "feed mode." Washing your hands after handling prey should prevent this.

I agree. Although probably when you went to get him out of the tank he might have just been a little startled. Some ball pythons are more hissy than others, and some seem to do it more often when they're younger and then grow out of it. But yup, he was definitely striking at you because he was still in "feed mode" and you smelled tasty :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vypyrz

The fact that your hands smelled like prey is most likely the answer to both of your questions, since he would have been in "feed mode." Washing your hands after handling prey should prevent this.

---

Also after petting your dog or cat wash your hands. This has happened to me twice after petting my dog I forgot to wash my hands and almost got tagged by my BP. :)

You should always wash your hands before and after handling your BP. You don't want to pass anything between you & your ball. Also always wash hands after you feed. It prevents striking (well most of the time) also letting your ball rest a few mins after they just ate before moving them from your feed tub if you use one.