Ball Python Aggression

Hi

So I've had my ball python for about a month now. I only handle her for maybe 10 minutes a day sometimes she's out of her enclosure for more just because she pees a lot so I need to clean it. The first 3 weeks I've had her she has been the friendliest snake I've ever seen. She wouldn't strike just would be a little bit scared if any quick motions went in front of her. Now she's turned for the worst and is pretty aggressive and mean. Once I actually get her out of her enclosure she's fine and just explores, doesn't try to bite or anything. But when she's in her enclosure, it's gotten so bad to where if i put my hand in front of the glass she strikes at it. This is even after I give the glass a little tap so she knows I'm there so I don't startle her. It's super hard to pick her up because she sits there and tries to strike me whenever I get close. I always have to pick her up from behind just to handle her. I wanna leave her be for a week or so just to see if she'll snap out of it, but how can I not handle her at all when I have to do routine maintence in her enclosure? She's also acting super funny now. She doesn't sit inside either of her hides, not on the basking side, nor the cold side. I have one on each side. She was sitting on the cold side for some reason all day which is about 80 degrees. I have no idea why but she was just sitting outside of her hide over there and when I actually got to pick her up she felt cold. The temps are correct I have 80 on the cool side, 90 on the hot side for her basking spot, and I have fresh water in there at all times. The humidity stays at 50% and I don't see any signs of an RI or anything like that. If she had mites could that stress her out? I don't see signs of any but could that be a possibility? No matter where she is she doesn't use the hides I've provided for her. She used to for the first 3 weeks but now she's showing signs of a pretty mean snake :( any help is appreciated!

I don't have enough experience to comment to much, but I can share a story about my snakes that may shed some light, although it's just my hypothesis right now. I have seven balls, all but one are very nice tempered snakes when I keep them in my rack. I keep one snake in a glass front cage when she spends time at work with me. Any of the snakes that have been in that cage are way more cage aggressive. I always suspected it was due to the reflection on the glass. As so as they are out they are instantly puppy dog tame. If they are out back into the rack that cage aggression is gone. Could it be reflections on the glass spooking your snake a bit?

Post of pic of the setup. This may be related to the setup or husbandry.

Mites could stress the snake but you should be able to see them by now.

Any signs of shed? Going through or having a stuck shed can put them in a bad mood.

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Originally Posted by Bcycling

I don't have enough experience to comment to much, but I can share a story about my snakes that may shed some light, although it's just my hypothesis right now. I have seven balls, all but one are very nice tempered snakes when I keep them in my rack. I keep one snake in a glass front cage when she spends time at work with me. Any of the snakes that have been in that cage are way more cage aggressive. I always suspected it was due to the reflection on the glass. As so as they are out they are instantly puppy dog tame. If they are out back into the rack that cage aggression is gone. Could it be reflections on the glass spooking your snake a bit?

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Does the glass tank have things in it that offer concealment items in it. If not, or not enough, the snake can feel vulnerable and unsafe. This can put them in a defensive mode and cause them to lash out.

From what i've read from others, this could be caused by several things. What kind of hides are you using? Is the tank in a high-traffic area? Is it a clear tank?

It's best to pick them up from behind whenever possible. I always try to reach at my snake from the side or back, and will softly stroke her with my finger for a second before picking her up... to show I'm no threat. Something else I do is I ALWAYS use a hand sanitizer before opening up the cage for handling. My theory is, not only does this prevent me from introducing more germs, it puts a smell on my hands that my snake will hopefully associate with "no threat" and it doesn't smell like food, more importantly.

I'd give your snake a week or so to be left alone. Then try again.

If the environment is OK and the snake is otherwise healthy my first guess would be that she is hungry or that she defecated inside the hides.

There could be something to the reflection thing or the fact that the snake can see out all the time. When I have new arrivals, I keep my clear tubs covered and I gradually increase their exposure. This seems to calm my new snakes a lot.

She's in a glass enclosure so yes, it was see through all around. I placed printer paper all around the enclosure last week though to make her feel more secure, now only the front of the cage is visible. There's 2 hides in there and one of the hides she used to love and always sit in there. I can't imagine how she could be hungry because I fed her a pretty big meal of 40 grams when she's only about 350 grams now. Her feeding day isn't for another 2 days so I don't think it's that.

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Originally Posted by KMG

Post of pic of the setup. This may be related to the setup or husbandry.

Mites could stress the snake but you should be able to see them by now.

Any signs of shed? Going through or having a stuck shed can put them in a bad mood.

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She just shed about a week ago. She did have a bad shed it came of in 3 pieces instead of 1, but the humidity has been fixed so her next shed will be good.

It could be she isn't eating properly/enough. I had two problems (babysitting balls) with them, where they had been underfed and would strike at anything that moved. Eventually getting them to eat calmed them down a little.