Aggressive characteristics / Aggression signs

I got my new bp house set up enough o get her in it and out of the bag she was in. I will finish it in the morning. She was given to me so I do not know much about her. I did ask questions and they said she truck at him once because he had been thawing out a rat and handled her. I understand that she is a little stressed with being moved in the cold and having a different smell in her home, and she wil need time t adjust. The guy said she had last eaten in mid Dec and that he normally feeds he once a month. She was in shed last month so she did not eat, he said. I am going to attempt to feed her tomorrow. After she was in her house for 30 or 45 mins I reached in to stroke her lower body and she pulled it away really fast. And when she heard the lock on the doors she whipped her head around at warp speed and just stared at the door. I am hoping she is just hungry and stressed. Is there any signs I should be looking for that can signal aggression, are there any set aggressive characteristics? My other one I have had long enough to understand him and get used to him. I am just worried because she is a lot bigger than he is . Any advice, tips, and experiences are greatly appreciated.


1.0 Jimmy (normal)
0.1 Patricia (normal):snake::snake:

She must be starving being fed once a month! Once a week, maybe every 10 days, is more reasonable. That is likely the source of her aggression.

No ball python is truly aggressive. They are either scared, unhappy with their environment, or sick.


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Beyond her probably being hungry you should leave her alone for at least a week so she can get accustomed to her new surroundings and smells

I am hoping that she is just hungry. I am not sure how much she weighs but I plan on buying two medium rats. I thought once a month was not right, but then again I am from the south where we feed everything and food is the cure all. I got her house set up last night just enugh fro her to go in and feel a lil normal. Should I wait to finish the inside deco ? Give her time to settle in before adding the rest of her plants and vines?

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Originally Posted by Herpo

She must be starving being fed once a month! Once a week, maybe every 10 days, is more reasonable. That is likely the source of her aggression.

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She was given to me last night by a family who could no longer afford to care for her. Her tank was crusted over with hard water stains and various gook on the outside. Her substrate was filthy . I'd be pisses to if I had to live in the stuff she was living in. As I only has one extra block of coconut husk I had to put heron paper towels last night while waiting for the husk to expand and such. Should I try feeding her 2 rats today , or just one?

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Originally Posted by jimmysmom

She was given to me last night by a family who could no longer afford to care for her. Her tank was crusted over with hard water stains and various gook on the outside. Her substrate was filthy . I'd be pisses to if I had to live in the stuff she was living in. As I only has one extra block of coconut husk I had to put heron paper towels last night while waiting for the husk to expand and such. Should I try feeding her 2 rats today , or just one?

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I would just offer one rat and then leave her alone for a week to settle into her new home.

An adult ball python can do just fine on a 10-14 day feeding schedule. They don't need to eat weekly and most of mine won't eat that often, they put themselves on a 2-3 week schedule.

If she's new keep the décor to a minimum in case you need to treat for mites or she pops up sick. For now two hides and a water bowl will be adequate.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

I would just offer one rat and then leave her alone for a week to settle into her new home.

An adult ball python can do just fine on a 10-14 day feeding schedule. They don't need to eat weekly and most of mine won't eat that often, they put themselves on a 2-3 week schedule.

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My adult female is the same way, every 2-3 wks, sometimes 4 wks.

Her choice not mine.

So I fed her a med sized rat . About 10 minutes after she got it down she was cruising back and forth in front of the doors, just all over the place. So I fed her another med sized rat, she struck it instantly . About an hour later I went to put a plant in and she zoomed out of her hide and towards me. I figured she was still hungry so I tossed in a live small mouse I had, more or less to see if she was hungry and to see how she reacted. Well she hit it as soon as I dropped it. That's been about 3 hours ago and she is still acting hungry. Should I feed her another med sized rat tomorrow? I am sure she is still hungry, as she has not ate since Dec and has only been feed one med sized rat once a month. I want her to be full so that I can start getting an idea of her demeanor, as I think her slight aggressiveness is due t being hungry. Thank ya'll for being patient with me and all my questions.

Thank you
1.0 Normal - Jimmy
0.1 Normal - Lola

Just give it time to settle down. Get him on a regular feeding schedule for about a month. After which you should see a change in behavior.