striking position

this is a first for me. we have had vernon for about 3 weeks. he is doing well and feeding well too. yesterday though, i noticed that as i placed my hand into the viv to handle, he seemed to go into an S position which i interpreted as aggression. i decided not to handle him. a few minutes later though, my son just opened the lid and picked him up with not much hullaballoo. is the aggression normal? or was that really aggression? vernon is around 2 feet long. largest girth is probably the size of an italian sausage. if he does strike, will the bite cause bleeding? is it painful? anything to be worried about?

thanks!

ed

It could be that he was just trying to position himself to get a "better look" at the thing entering into his home. It could be that you startled him with an abrupt movement. Or anything in between.


If he happened to strike, the results would probably depend on WHY he struck. If you scared him, he would hit you and back off right away. Could be anything from bumping you with a closed mouth, to nailing you with his teeth, but not holding on at all. Such a bite might sting like a paper-cut at the worst, and might bleed a tiny bit.

If there's a feeding error involved and he thinks your hand is food, he may bite and hold on. That might hurt a bit more and/or bleed a bit more. Where the bite actually hits would have a lot to do with both. Some places are just more sensitive than others.

The BEST advice I can give is to condition yourself to expect it to happen. And imagine yourself getting bit and NOT jerking your hand away. It's that reflexive jerking-away that causes the worst injury...causing the teeth to tear through your skin and possibly causing the snake to lose teeth, leaving them embedded in you.

All that being said...I personally have never been bitten by either of my snakes and am only speaking from all I've read and what I've imagined. I do try to imagine it happening to me, though, and sort of mentally reherse my reaction to it, so I am not shocked should it ever occur.

(Bet you work expecting a full-legth article to answer, huh? :P )

First off it is not 'aggression'. A ball python (especially a young one) if naturally afraid of most everything. It's what keeps them alive in the wild. Since you haven't had your snake that long yet, he is still afraid of you, and may adopt a defensive posture like you described.

Often the best thing to do when handling the snake is just what your son did.. pick them up without hesitation.

If he does bite you, it is not a big deal. It may bleed a little, but I'd rather have a bite from a baby BP than get a paper cut in most cases!

I agree i dont think it was aggression. I think you just startled him and he drew back.
There is a rather funny post on kingsnake tho of one of the gals being bit and she even posted a pic or two! Strange feediong response, or something like that the post was labeled you should check it out! Ill try and find the link if i can later on!

In any case you should become familure with what to do incase of a bite wether it be a feeding response or defensive response!
If its a feeding response do you know what to do if they bite and start to constrict and wont let go? Cold water ran over them, alchahol, top shelf perferably, lol, gently bending the tail back, i dont like that one myself as you can damage your snake, as with the brandy might do some damage to the eyes or mouth but i dont know that for a fact. Anywho i would definitly recomend learning some ways of getting them to release if ever biten and constricted!!

Good luck!!

ok thanks for the replies everyone. btw, i posted a while back about feeding 2 mice. didnt work. he ate one, but sort of ignored the next one. as for the feeding technique, this time, leaving the f/t mouse did not gather much attention. i had to dangle it in front of him using tongs. that was spooky though, because he struck and it startled me. :)

ed

A baby ball biting you? Pour alcohol in its mouth? Are you serious...? I would rather be bit by a baby ball, feeding response or not, than get a paper cut or have to deal with someone's flippin' evil Pomeranian or Poodle ANY day. The safe thing to do "if" a baby ball python ever bites you is to be calm and LET it bite you. There is more harm done if you try to do something. Breaking their teeth off can cause alot more problems than if you just sat there and let him chew on you.

I think I'd take pinpoint holes that I can't find again in the morning over a baby ball having mouth abscesses from teeth ripping out or irritation from having alcohol poured in its mouth(or aspiration into the lungs)...

Yeah the dog scratches I get at work from little yorkies hurt more and longer than your average snake bite!

I agree - let them chew on you. They will let go (I promise) once they realise you are not edible and you're not going to eat them. Usually it's a tag and release though.

I'm still a newbie so I totally understand. It just takes some getting used to---to get over the startle factor of when they 1. Strike the tongs to eat, or 2. Take a nip at you.


After a few feedings, you'll get used to the WHAM! factor and won't jump. ;) Once Baby BP realizes you're not food, he'll let go. U just need to remember to not pull back.

I'm still working on that one. And now that I've got a much bigger boa, it's something I have to keep reminding myself, but after that first day, Hera's not even shown any interest in taking a nip. :D

Enjoy!

Ed the drawback into the S position isn't always about aggression, it can also be just your small BP pulling his vulnerable head back from a perceived danger. As has been said, remember that these young snakes are prey just as much as they are predators so they don't know you aren't some big dangerous predator come to eat em up.

With all our snakes we try to get them used to a routine so they know when we are intending to handle them. Over and over till they get that danger isn't present. However, no matter what you do...remember these are snakes....not long domesticated mammals...not creatures that actively seek your touch. Strikes for whatever reason are going to happen and happen to the best keepers in the world I'm sure. I just consider it part of owning snakes (and why I'd personally never own a hot) and try to minimize the things that would trigger one of ours to strike but in the end....it's gonna happen.

As far as damage, even a strike from our biggest and most aggressive female Brannagh (over 2,000 grams) was not a major deal for my husband. The bite she gave me again was literally nothing (though that one was through gloves). I've said it before but I'll say it again....I've been bit far worse by my own infants LOL. Just wash it well with hot soapy water and dab on some neosporin and you're good to go!

What I do is when taking any of my BP's out of their tubs for handling, cleaning, weighing etc, is that I use a snake hook. A small one for the hatchlings and a larger one for my bigger ones. After they are removed with the hook, I then put their bottom half in my other hand (put down the hook) then have them slither onto my other hand. It lets them know that its time for human interaction.....it has worked for me so far....just my 2 cents!!