Help with aggressive snake please!!

Ok so I’m completely heartbroken lol I finally put together some projects and bought 8 snakes. I contacted several well know reputable breeders and went over what I was looking for. It took months of back and forth conversations and I always stated that mellow temperament was really important to me. Snakes were chosen and some arrived today.

First one one out of the box is a Mojave Pied male and right away all he did was lounge at me straight out of the bag �� I was lucky to even be able to place him in the rack. The other 3 snakes were ok. One was very mellow and sweet and 2 were slightly nippy but at least I was able to hold them.

What should I do about taming the nippy aggressive ones? Buy gloves to handle them daily? I’m just so scared because my kids were so excited to see them and they’ve always helped me with the snake husbandry but these snakes are really not nice :(

Yes I know that most of you will say it eventually happens and I will get bitten but in the 10 years that I have kept balls I have never been bitten nor had aggressive snakes. I’m seriously considering just asking to return these balls and stick to Kenyan Sand Boas ����

What can I do to make it easier to work with them daily?

That's a very small sample size. Put yourself in the snakes "shoes". If you had just been taken out of the only home you've ever known, packed in a Tupperware and/or bag and shipped to you. I don't know about you, but I'd be grumpy too. Allow the snakes to settle in for at least a week before doing any handling. It's often advised to make sure that new snakes have eaten three consecutive meals without refusal before handling.

Take your time, don't jump the gun. Just because he was irritable for a few minutes doesn't mean he'll be like that moving forward.

Keep in mind they just showed up. They were bagged and boxed and sent to a new home. Once settled in and a little more familiar with the new environment the demeanor will change. They have no reason not to be afraid so keep that in mind. Think about if you were snatched up and sent to a new and strange environment.

Even captive-bred snakes are still "wild" animals...meaning they RELY on instincts. Right now, yours are scared out of their wits & defending themselves the
best way they know how...wouldn't you, if you were in their place? They don't understand how or why their whole world just changed, and to them, this means
"danger!" The first thing they saw was you, so they acted defensively...NOT "aggressively". Please understand the difference...I've tamed many snakes, & even
many with "bad reputations"....you just need empathy to understand their perspective, and above all, patience! while they settle in & can relax again.

First off: I trust their homes were prepared & set up with correct temp. & hides before they arrived? Do NOT handle them daily, or at all right now. They are
living creatures, not toys. Let them settle in for at least a week before offering food (still NO handling). If they eat, fine...if not, wait another week before
offering food again (& still hands OFF). Eating is way more important, & handling now can ruin things quickly. No matter when they finally take food, let them
continue to de-stress (no handling) until they've fed at normal intervals (about a week apart, assuming they're young snakes?) for three consecutive meals.
Then & only then (after waiting a day or two for digestion) you can begin gently handling them...for best results. OK?

Give them time. Most of my snakes that I have had shipped in come out of their boxes upset and ready to rumble, or scared out of their minds and just want to hide. OF the 8 that I have now, only one of them hasn't really calmed down as much as I'd like, but he stopped lashing out at hands after about 3 or 4 weeks of me being in his tub and just calling his bluff. He bled me a few times, but he hasn't struck at anyone since he learned that it doesn't get him anywhere.

Easier to call bluffs and teach with younger snakes, but I've had an adult or two respond to it as well coming from homes where they did react the way the snake wanted when he lunged.

Paul

Whenever you bring home an animal, if it has teeth, you risk being bitten, no matter how minor or severe. Chances are they are freaking out and with time and trust, they will mellow out. Or not, because we will eventually get that one that wants to be psychotic, no matter the species. Either way, like I said, if it has teeth...

Seriously though, most snakes bite out of fear and they usually do not even break skin. The fear of being bitten is usually amplified in your mind over the actual physical injury of the bite.

Thank you all for the suggestions and information!

I will I’ll just let them be and get used to their new home. Yes I know it is stressful for them with the shipping.....I didn’t forget about that....it just scared me a bit to see them react that way since the past snakes that were shipped to me never acted that way.

They are first and foremost my pets so I am looking forward to working with them when they are ready. And @Cheesenugget you are so right....I guess because I have never been bitten I don’t know what to expect of a bite so it scares me more than anything!

@Bogertophis - yes their home have been set up and ready for a while. I keep my Sand Boas on a rack next to the ball python rack and I’ve had that rack all set up and ready for over a week now :)

So glad I joined this forum....hoping to learn a lot from all of you along this journey :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NomaReptiles

I keep my Sand Boas on a rack next to the ball python rack and I’ve had that rack all set up and ready for over a week now :)

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First and foremost..... Welcome! You should quarantine first. Especially if they are going next to an already establish setup. I learned this the hard way. Had an episode of mites from a newly acquired noodle a while back. Since then I have a dedicated quarantine tank in a closet opposite end of the house. I do not want to go through that again. And its not just mites, but you want to guard against anything that could cause illnesses from the new critter.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bodie

First and foremost..... Welcome! You should quarantine first. Especially if they are going next to an already establish setup. I learned this the hard way. Had an episode of mites from a newly acquired noodle a while back. Since then I have a dedicated quarantine tank in a closet opposite end of the house. I do not want to go through that again. And its not just mites, but you want to guard against anything that could cause illnesses from the new critter.

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Very good point

These are just ball pythons and you just got them......

TIME.


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