agressive youngster

Hey guys. I am new to the forum, i havn't had a snake for about 4 years (right before my daughter was born i rehomed the two i had ball python and a bullsnake) well recently i got the bug again. I got two ball pythons a couple weeks ago. Got a young female and a baby male. The male is well... an :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: lol. He is extreamly excitable he will litteraly strike at anything (except my female) he has eaten twice for me for wich i am thankful (wish i could say the same aboute my female) ive been handleing him for a couple minutes a day for the last few days and he seems a bit better (marginaly) but he still hisses and goes into defence mode. The question is am i on the right track or should i be doing something else? Any help would be appreceated.

You're on the right track. Hatchlings are notorious for being nippy. It's their natural instinct to protect themselves. Continue to handle him for a few minutes each day. Not too long because that will only add to his stress, but about 3-5 minutes a day to show him nothing bad will happen to him when you pick him up. I'm sure in a few weeks he'll start to settle down. However, you need to be aware that some snakes never get over that stage. I have a pastel female that strikes every time. Had her for years and did my best to hand tame her, but nothing ever came of it. I finally had to accept I was going to have to handle her as little as possible. But that is a very rare occurrence. Most snakes get over their nippy phase very quickly. Just keep giving him a few minutes of attention every day. He does have a hide in his enclosure, right? Are you housing the two snakes together?

What is your husbandry like?

Babies can be nippy. They are small, scared, and insecure at this stage. They usually outgrow it.
Don't handle the female until she has become an established eater. Handling too much can sometimes stress out the snake and make them not eat.

that is natural behavior and i prefer it when choosing hatchlings. it's either fight or flight. i'd rather have a nippy baby rather than one that immediately tucks into a ball at the first sign of danger. i tend to have no feeding issues with the nippers. and the times that i encounter a reluctant eater, it's usually one of the shy snakes.....i can't say it holds true all the time, just sharing what i observed.....

Are they housed together?

Okay so first of all thanks for the help. yes They are housed together in a 20gal. (All ive got right now) i will cut down on handling the female to absolutly neccisary. As far as my husbandry well i thik so lol. It is 82-85 on the cold side 90-95 on the hot side. Hides on both and they both go back and forth somewhat regularly. The two hides on the sides are the rock kind (snug fit for them) but they both fit with a bit of extra room. Ive got a log hide in the middle with a small climb they seem to like and a small water dish topped off daily changed every other day. Humidity is between 45-65. If changes need to be made i understand i just want to get it right for them.

first thing you should do is separate them.
then maybe the female will eat and the male will calm down.


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I have a very young male who was quite nippy at first as well. As a matter of fact, I have been "head butted" a couple of times (though never truly bitten) because he was always in defensive mode. I am a newbie by the way, but I have had this little guy for about 2 weeks now. We handle him daily (except on eating days and the day after he eats) and he has calmed quite a bit. My only suggestion is that you separate your snakes. Everything I have read suggests that because snakes are somewhat solitary animals, housing them together can make them a bit more aggressive. I also agree with coldbloodaddict that separating them might also encourage the female to eat. Hope this helps

Worth a shot. Ill get another tank rounded up and set up.

Was not able to get a new tank yet but he is doing much better. Not striking the ladt 3 times i handled him. Also my female ate a small rat. I dont think she liked tge smell of the large mice.