I am strating to fear my snakes?!?!

Ok this is weird. I have had these 2 BPs [I think they are called ghost BP?] tan and brown for a couple months. I have handled them off and on since the previous owner gave them to me. All I know is her boyfriend abandoned them with her and she was terrified of them and used a towel to get them out to feed them in the bathtub. She fed then FF small rats and mice.
since I have had them I have fed them in a container and have given them live mice. [3-4 each feeding I don't want to feed them anything that could challenge and hurt them] but now, I have been bit once by each snake, Slinky was a total feeding accident, but E.T struck at me as I was reaching in to get him out for feeding. [maybe I smelled like a mouse since I had just feed Slinky?] and now.. they are hissing at me. To be honest it kinda worries me though. I have never had snakes and have hardly even layed eyes on them outside of books [I'm from Hawaii no snakes there but NV I can have one :) ]

the girl I got them from said they are about 6 years old... what is the best way to get them use to being handled with out getting harming them or me? If I can't get them to calm down I might have to give them away but I don't want to. I have grand kids in the house and do not want them bit. [for now they are not alowed within my arms length because one night one struck at the baby , i had her in one arm and the snake on the other and i guess E.T thought her pig tail was a mouse. eek! Lucky he missed]

and thats the other thing... is there any way [free] to find out their sex cause I say he he he but I really don't know.

Ok, let's start with the basics.......

What are they housed in? What are your temps and what are you using to read these temps? Tell us all about their enclosures, or better yet, post pics if you can. What are you heating them with? How are you regulating their heat? Everything you can tell us about their homes will help out greatly.

Try using a snake hook, paper towel roll, rolled up newspaper, etc...just something long enough that they can't bite you and gently guide their head away when you open their enclosure. As your guiding the head away, reach in with your other hand and pick them up. Once in your hands, they should be relatively calm. This is not fool proof, but should work.

I had this problem with one of my ball pythons..
there is a great video on youtube justin kobylka

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7DQssbM0uk

it helped with my ball python

hope it helps

Find a new home for them ASAP. Deep down you know that is what you need to do anyway. And don't feel like your abandoning them. Just make sure to find them a good home and you'll feel better about it within a few days.

If you choose to keep them here's some quickie advice on the feeding:

If they're not separated, separate them into their own enclosures. Feed them in their enclosure so you don't need to keep moving them back and forth. I don't believe in snakes becoming cage aggressive from feeding in the enclosure so I think feeding them where they're most comfortable would be best.

As Heather mentioned, we need to know all about your husbandry if you plan to work with them and keep them so you can be the best first snake owner you can be. They may be defense striking if they're stressed out from either over handling or their husbandry not being up to par (or both).

The above youtube video is awesome. I've seen it a couple of times. If you have grandkids then you're probably around my age and I don't believe that you want to give them away. We elders, hehe, get the things in our later years that we were denied in our youth. That said, I suggest getting a reptile hook. It's getting them out of the cage that is so intemidating. And... Watch the above YT video he teaches you how to gain control of your pets.

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Originally Posted by garweft

Find a new home for them ASAP. Deep down you know that is what you need to do anyway. And don't feel like your abandoning them. Just make sure to find them a good home and you'll feel better about it within a few days.

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Why does the OP need to find them a new home? If we can figure out what is casuing the behavior and fix it, then I really see no reason to find a new home for the snakes.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by garweft

Find a new home for them ASAP. Deep down you know that is what you need to do anyway. And don't feel like your abandoning them. Just make sure to find them a good home and you'll feel better about it within a few days.

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I agree. Sounds like these snakes came from two people who should have never had them to begin with who dumped them on someone with no knowledge of snakes and who never owned a snake in their life. Give them to someone who keeps Reptiles or who knows snakes, for the animals sake

(Using a towel to feed them in the bathtub? I can just imagine a scared girl with no clue about snakes stressing to scooping them up in a towel and probably dropping them in)

If the snakes you have are the snakes in your Avatar, they are probably not Ghost. "Tan and Brown" refers to like more than half of the ball pythons in existence. Think about it, the Original owner abandoned them to a girl who knew nothing and feared them. She dumped them on a person with 0 knowledge.

No one with knowledge of snakes has seen them in quite a long time I'm sure so who knows what kinds of previous drama they have been through or if they have been adequately housed for the last few months or right now!