snake curls up when i go near it

I accidentally startled my snake when i walked by his cage, because i tripped towards him. I think he thought that i was trying to attack him, so he quickly curled up into a ball. Now, whenever i get to close to his enclosure, he quickly curls up. what do i do to "re-tame" him to realize im not a predator?

You could do handling sessions, but do you have any hides in your snake's tank? It could be a matter of him not feeling secure enough. What's your setup like?


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he has a hide and a log with a spot under it for him to stay. the tank itself is around 18x10 inches and 12 inches high. He's never been scared of me before, so i think it might have been just this time.

Yes likely you just scared him and eventually with regular handling/getting used to you, he will stop. My snake used to be incredibly shy when taking him out. Now that he is used to me, he never balls up with me anymore.

My boy Mars Bar likes to puff himself up and hiss. I just get him out for 5-10 minutes of letting him crawl around me (No restraining/touching his head/sudden movements) and as soon as he gets too stressed put him back. He hisses at me a lot less now! So I third handling sessions, just be careful not to stress him out, and remember not to handle for 48 hours after feeding :D

How old is your snake? If it is a juvenile, it simply takes time to get them used to you. Force handling and over handling is not a respectable method to tame any reptile, let alone a ball python. Small handling sessions can get them less stressed around you but it takes time.

I also ask how old because unless it is a juvenile, a 10 gallon tank is really small for a ball python. If it is a new born or a juvenile (as in under a year old) then you might want to consider securing down the enclosure some more so it feels safe. That would be far more beneficial than taking it out while stressed and trying to get it to calm down.

Do you have any pictures of your setup?

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Originally Posted by SDA

How old is your snake? If it is a juvenile, it simply takes time to get them used to you. Force handling and over handling is not a respectable method to tame any reptile, let alone a ball python. Small handling sessions can get them less stressed around you but it takes time.

I also ask how old because unless it is a juvenile, a 10 gallon tank is really small for a ball python. If it is a new born or a juvenile (as in under a year old) then you might want to consider securing down the enclosure some more so it feels safe. That would be far more beneficial than taking it out while stressed and trying to get it to calm down.

Do you have any pictures of your setup?

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I've had him for a little over a year now. We're planning on getting a new tank soon. Here's a picture of his current set uphttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...5e00c07661.jpg

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Yeah you need a new tank for sure. That isn't an ideal setup for a timid snake to feel safe in.

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Originally Posted by SDA

Yeah you need a new tank for sure. That isn't an ideal setup for a timid snake to feel safe in.

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what would you say i need to do to achieve an ideal setup?

Should have enough space equal to at least the length of the snake. A 10 gallon tank is near impossible to maintain a proper thermal gradient in not to mention humidity control.

Not sure what regulating controls you have on your heat sources but everything providing heat must be regulated by a thermostat or at least rheostat (dimmer).

Having a single hide makes it very difficult for a ball python to have secure locations to regulate their body temperature. I am not sure anyone on here would recommend having a single hide for a ball python.

If that light is a heat source it would need to be on 24/7 to provide ambient heat control which means the BP does not have any day/night cycle. One main reason CHEs are recommended is they do not produce light.

That hide does not seem to be an adequate fit to give your snake a proper hide to retreat into.

Ball pythons being the timid snakes they are often do well when the back and sides of the tank are blocked off so they do not feel so exposed.


Adult ball pythons do best in at least 36 by 15 or wider inch tanks. Ideal would be a PVC enclosure such as the T10 model from Animal Plastics or a comparable size from Reptile Basics or Boaphile.


Maintaining the following thermal gradient will provide proper heating for your snake. 88-92 under the hot side hide measured from the inside bottom of the enclosure's floor, an ambient air temperature between 75 and lower 80s not falling below 75 for extended periods, and a temperature inside the cold side hide above 75 degree but ideally 10-12 degrees cooler than the hot side measured form the top of the substrate inside the cool hide.

Humidity staying above 50% and below 90% provided not condensation of moisture on the side of the enclosure or moist substrate.


Lastly, I would look at the sticky posts in the husbandry sub section for how to setup either tubs, glass, or PVC and the caging sub section for posts on enclosures by members here.