Snappy BP...hungry, scared, or just young? (and other newbie questions)

First of all, thank you. Thank you to everyone who takes time to contribute to this site! As a new Snake Momma, I find myself stressing over every little thing Buttercup does (or doesn't do). I immediately rush to ball-pythons.net (sometimes in the middle of the night) like a new mom reading Babywise!:rolleyes: Please bear with me as I give you every detail (in true New Mom fashion), and let me know what you think.

SHORT VERSION:

Jan 12: Couldn't get F/T small mouse in her mouth
Jan 13: Ate 1 F/T fuzzy
Jan 18: Ate 2 F/T fuzzies (snappiness started on this day)
Jan 20: Ate 1 F/T fuzzy
Jan 22: Ate 1 F/T fuzzy, rejected 2nd F/T fuzzy


LONG VERSION:

Buttercup is about 3 months old. Prior to bringing her home, we read all the books and the blogs and spent about a week getting her nursery, er, HOME set up and her temperatures/humidity stable. We brought her home on January 11th--YAY! The first week, we were able to handle her for short periods of time without any issue. This second week, she has become very snappy. I can't figure out if she is still hungry after eating, if she is scared, or if this is just a normal part of being a young BP.

Here is her (somewhat convoluted) feeding history: Buttercup's breeder was feeding her live mice, but frozen are more readily available in our area. So on January 12th, we offered her a F/T small mouse and were very excited when she struck/coiled with no problem. She tried for a long time to get the thing in her mouth, though, to no avail. The next morning, the F/T mouse was still just lying there in the substrate.. We weren't sure if it was too big, or if she was just confused because of new food in a new surrounding. The next day, January 13th, we offered her a F/T fuzzy, which she ate with no problem. We let her digest for a full 48 hours before trying to handle her again. When we did handle her, we had no problem, she was as sweet as can be.

Five days after that first fuzzy, on January 18th, I found her poking her head around the top of the enclosure in the middle of the day. I thought, "That fuzzy wasn't big enough, she's probably still hungry;" so I offered her another F/T fuzzy, which she took gladly. Later that evening, I offered her another fuzzy and she took that one, too. We marked our calendar and planned to leave her be for another 48 hours after her 2-fuzzy meal.

Wednesday, January 20th, was when the snappiness/aggression started. It had been 48 hours since her last meal, and we were looking forward to having a short visit with her. When we took her out, she started snapping at the air in everyone's direction. I'm thinking, "these little fuzzies just aren't big enough to keep her full, she must STILL be hungry," but I'm also worrying about overfeeding her at this point. I can't bear to think she might be starving, so I put her back in her home and offer her another fuzzy, which she takes.

Friday, January 22nd, same thing! Snappy McSnapperson! She eats another fuzzy. I offer her a second, but she doesn't take it. We might have heated it too long (we heated it by submerging the little bag in a cup of hot water continuously running from the tap) because its gut had kind of "popped." I'm not sure if she rejected it because she wasn't hungry or because it was kind nasty.:weirdface

We contacted the breeder about her snappy behavior and he asked if she looked like she was going into a shed. I don't see any haziness so I don't think so. He also said she should be able to eat a small mouse and that the fuzzies are going to be too small (I suspected as much at this point). He also suggested gently "dominating" her by cupping both hand over her to kind of let her know who was boss. I feel mean using that word, as we really are VERY gentle with her... but it seemed to kind of work when we took her out today. I say "kind of" because, while we are able to handle her, she isn't slithering around happily our hands like she was in week 1. She just balls up when we have a hand cupped over her, and she struck at us a few times when we held her in an open hand. In a word, she's still pissed.:tears:

Today she has been very active in her enclosure, which is a departure from her previous daytime routine, which was spent mostly in her hides. She is poking her head around the top again. I'm going to offer her a small mouse again and hope for the best.

SO...here are my QUESTIONS:
Why do you think she is acting snappy? Is it hunger, fear, or normal behavior for a young BP?
What do you think it means when she is poking her head around the top of the enclosure?
Is it possible to overfeed a BP, or will she only eat if she's hungry?

If you read this far, reward yourself with a cookie. You're awesome. Thanks in advance for your advice.

I'm no expert. I've only had bps for a year... but it seems like you're feeding her too much? I've only ever fed mine once a week on a set schedule. Mine get fed every Sunday night.

From all my lurking here, I think maybe fuzzies are too small. I've read that hoppers are the right size for hatchlings? I don't know. Hopefully someone else can chime in.

She's new. You said you'd been handling her the first week you got her. You need to leave her alone and not handle her until she's eating consistently. She needs time to get used to her new home and get used to you. I think if you leave her alone and maybe up her prey size, things might get a little better? Hatchlings are just snappy sometimes.

Okay, this is my first time ever replying to one of these, if I get anything wrong, feel free to correct me. Alright!

Why do you think she is acting snappy? Is it hunger, fear, or normal behavior for a young BP?
-Honestly, she's new so she's probably nervous/scared but also hungry. If she's only eating fuzzies but is big enough to go up a food size, definitely go up. Do you have her on a five-day feeding schedule? What's her set up like? A glass tank might make a little one nervous, but at least she's eating. Good sign, that.

What do you think it means when she is poking her head around the top of the enclosure?
-Poking her head around/being active might mean she's hungry. Or, she's looking for a warm place to hide. Again, what's her set-up like? Does she have a controlled UTH? Does she have hides on both the warm side and the cool?

Is it possible to overfeed a BP, or will she only eat if she's hungry?
-It is entirely possible to overfeed a ball python, they are opportunistic feeders. However, I think you might need to go up to the next size prey. You mentioned she couldn't get the f/t fuzzy in her mouth? She might have just been a little confused. Their mouths can open quite wide. Is the fuzzy the same size as the biggest part of the snake? If so, she should have easily been able to eat it.

I hope something here helped. Good luck with your little one! It always helps to upload pictures, if possible. People will ask for them here when giving advice.

The first thing, having her new home ready and waiting was absolutly correct. It sounds like the snapping is stress related. When you get a new baby put her in her viv, and leave her alone no handling for 1 week, no feeding either let her get use to her new home and after a week offer her a food item. I am going through this right now with a girl i got last week. i will offer her a fuzzy rat on wed. , which is her feeding day. once your girl has eaten a couple of meals, then start with short handling sessions, 5-10 mins. You can increase the time as she gets use to it. Don't handle 24-48 hrs after feeding. Babies can be snappy, but with patience and gentle handling almost all will stop this. if she does bite you don't worry its not a big deal. My new little one snapped at me on her first day, but now she is relaxing till wed. I'd call her scared for now. Good luck.

Thanks for the advice, everyone! I tried a F/T small mouse, and yet again, she struck/coiled but didn't eat it. :tears: I guess I will wait a few days and try again?

There is a big difference in size between a fuzzy mouse and small adult mouse. If you can't get mouse hoppers, the size between fuzzies and small adults, then you can try feeding two fuzzies until she's big enough for a small mouse. You don't need to feed more often than every five days.

Thank you! That makes a lot more sense, I thought the size difference was pretty significant! Hoppers don't seem to be available at the stores near me, so I will switch to 2 fuzzies every 5 days. How long should I wait between fuzzy #1 and fuzzy #2? I'm also going to leave her alone for a while. How long/how many feedings do you suggest before I try to handle her again?

Wait at least 5 days, don't handle her, let her rest and explore. My new girl is doing what your girl is doing. She has been with me 3 days, i will watch her and she likes to come out of one hide and cross to one of the others. She is probubly thermal regulating, and going to the hide where she is most comfortable. Both my BPs are active at night. I feed after dusk once a week, except the baby every 5 days. I feed fuzzy rats.just let your girl alone to explore her viv for the next 5 days then try feeding her. I know it must be exciting, and your dying to cuddle that new baby, but have patience. Before long you'll have her lying in your lap watching old superman reruns like my 18 mos. old 900g male does. I've had him since he was 3 mos old.

If she eats the first fuzzy , then defrost the second and offer it, You might give fuzzy rats a try after a couple then you will only have to feed one. Let her eat a couple of meals then start a short handling routine of 5 or ten min a day. don't handle the day you feed ornthe day after.