Bad eye sight or just angry??

I picked up a breeder female from a local breeder here for dirt cheap because of her temperment. He was up front and honest about how aggressive she is. And his warnings have come true.. Shes not a nice snake. Like at all. Anything enters that tub gets struck at twice or so before she goes into a screaming hiss and balls up.

I had assumed she was just adjusting to her surroundings because i couldnt get her to eat. She would strike well but i assumed it was just the same aggression enticed by my finger or my snake hook.. Or frankly a cool breeze.

Last night was feeding day. And she hadnt eaten in a few weeks. So i took some more time with her. She would strike... And miss. Or hit but not grab. And then do it again.. I got her wrapped on 1 mouse. An she devoured it. Tried for a second and a rat and an asf.. All the same response.. Strike.. Hit but no grab. Or miss tottally.

She would coild up every 2-4 strikes.. Id leave her for 5 min amd come back and repeat.. Because shes an aggressive snake to begin with im having a hard time figuring if this is a defensive strike or a horribly placed feeding strike. Im also worried if it is a blind or hindered feeding strike if ita going to be passed down to her offspring

This is a defensive strike. She probably is hungry but she should destress a bit more before she stops the angry striking.


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Originally Posted by Homegrownscales

This is a defensive strike. She probably is hungry but she should destress a bit more before she stops the angry striking.


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Okay. One thing i forgot to mention. Is she does seem to strike more frequently when it is a food item.. She will reset and stare.. Where ass when it is my thermo gun for instance.. One or two strikes and shes runnin and coiling.. Shes just not a happy camper.

She may be just a grumpier ball. They aren't all angels. Since she's relatively new to your collection though I still would give her some time. Also perhaps what may be needed is an up in food prey size. Maybe she's a hungry girl.


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I have a shy eater, not the same problem but the fix could work. I ended up using hides with the entrances on the top edge so I could drop her food right into her hide. It's also set up with the hide pointed away from me so she can't see me comming, she feels secure enough in these to eat just fine, and with good regularity.

What's her history? Was she a WC female? They sometimes have to be set up completely different from their CH counterparts.

She sounds like a terrified, not mean snake to me.

There is something about this in the book "The complete ball python" by kevin mccurley. I have been doing some research on this, Since I am in the same situation with one of my Mojave males (I have a thread on here about it). It is a defence thing since these snakes do not have "mean" as a mood. She is really stressed or really scared for whatever reason, Or it could just be in her personality.

Its like people, You get some mean people, then some that wont harm a fly.

No one has suggested this as yet, but you could as well just have a lemon on your hands, its those rare happenings where every once in a while you get a mean mugger that will strike at just about anything.

I suggest not trying to feed her for a week, then try offering food again, if you don't mind getting bit, I'd also suggest picking her up, if she's true to nature, she'll calm down once she see you wont harm her. You may also want to check on how the previous owner treats their animals... as this one could of gotten a bad encounter and decided to go rogue...

It sounds like a fear to me too. just something to try, you might add a fake plant to give her some over head cover maybe it might help.

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Originally Posted by Peoples

No one has suggested this as yet, but you could as well just have a lemon on your hands, its those rare happenings where every once in a while you get a mean mugger that will strike at just about anything.

I suggest not trying to feed her for a week, then try offering food again, if you don't mind getting bit, I'd also suggest picking her up, if she's true to nature, she'll calm down once she see you wont harm her. You may also want to check on how the previous owner treats their animals... as this one could of gotten a bad encounter and decided to go rogue...

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The previous owner is a very good handler. All his balls are docile angles except for her. He has them in a perfect freedom breeder rack. So his husbandry is spot on. Not sure if she is wc or cb but he said shes the first ball he has had that was that bad. He said she calmed down last season after being bred. But soon as she was free from her eggs she got mean again.. Not sure.. I know shes hungry.. But anything bigger then a mouse makes her nervous..