is this common?

my female yearling ball yesterday when i was feeding her did something a little wierd she was sitting on one side of her feeding tub and her food was wondering around on the other side her tub is about 3ft long the mouse was nowhere near her and she went and struck but at herself and hit her tail.. hy fiance also said that she heard her hissing at her when she went into her cage but she hasnt done this to me yet is this just a case of a possibly mean BP or is it still adjusting to a new home ( ive only had her for about a week and a half )

I've had one of my snakes strike themselves before during a feed but its not very common from my experiences.

What was your fiance reaching in the tub for? Was it to change water or to handle the snake?

Your snake should be given one week of no disturbances to settle in and before being offered food.

The hissing could be:

A) Agressive Snake by Nature
B) Still getting used to new home
C) Stress do to some husbandry/handling issue.

Make sure you read the caresheets here that are located at the top of the husbandry forums and that your cage meets those requirements.

Good luck with your new snake buddy! :)

yeah i knew about the period to adjust, I believe my fiance was reaching in to move her hide it could be that her living enclosure is a little bare her living enclosure is a 20g tank its about 2ft long by about 12" deep im actually in the process of building her a new enclosure out of a 24"x24"x18" and putting a false bottom into it plan on making it a planted vivarium and eventually putting her and my male together in there but he needs to grow up a little he is still a baby ill keep an eye on her and if she is just naturally aggresive would it be a good idea to handle her a little more to help her adjust to it?

Furio gave me a little sissy hiss the other day. I startled him while he must have been in deep sleep to pick him up I usually rub his sides for a little bit before I grab him and when I did this time I heard a faint little hiss. It was actually kinda cute lol

lol that may have ben the case when she hissed at my fiance i dont know tho cause i wasnt there when it happened

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Originally Posted by Athen

yeah i knew about the period to adjust, I believe my fiance was reaching in to move her hide it could be that her living enclosure is a little bare her living enclosure is a 20g tank its about 2ft long by about 12" deep im actually in the process of building her a new enclosure out of a 24"x24"x18" and putting a false bottom into it plan on making it a planted vivarium and eventually putting her and my male together in there but he needs to grow up a little he is still a baby ill keep an eye on her and if she is just naturally aggresive would it be a good idea to handle her a little more to help her adjust to it?

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i wouldn't suggest housing them together at all, especially given that they are opposite genders and two distinctly different sizes.

they could breed too early resulting in costly vet care, etc. if one animal gets sick you won't know which one, if one animal gets sick it could transfer it to the other one and then you've got two sick animals. behaviors we perceive as "cuddling" are actually one snake dominating the other. they will compete for hiding places, basking places, etc.

i've heard of experienced keepers keeping them together but i still dont think its a good idea. especially as you seem like a newer keeper. I'd keep them separate.

And as for the hissing, is it possible she is starting her shed cycle. a hissing snake is not necessarily an aggressive snake.. i know a guy with an 8 foot female BCI who "hisses" a lot, its just what she does, no RI, no aggressiveness, nothing.

She hasn't properly settled in yet, and she needs time to allow her to do so.

Also, snakes are solitary animals, they do not want or need the company of others. They do not benefit whatsoever from being with other snakes, and problems can arise. Cannibalism isn't very common, but why take the chance? Stress, anorexia(because of stress), dominating behaviors(which leads to stress) are all big problems that can occur when housing snakes together. Males and females should only be introduced during breeding season, and even then for intermittant periods only.

Ball Pythons and other heavy-bodied snakes are not good candidates for a living vivarium system. They will crush any plants you have, they urinate a great deal, which will in turn kill your plants from the overload of ammonia, and you won't be able to keep the enclosure clean enough to prevent bacteria overgrowth. Bacteria growth can cause your snake to get belly rot as well as other infections.

So anyway.. Definitely leave your snake alone for awhile since you've only had her a week and a half. Minimal handling for short periods during the week(once or twice a week), and for 5-10 minutes each time. She will slowly learn that you mean no harm. But if you don't give her the adequate time she needs to adjust to her new environment, then she never will and she will stop eating for you. Make sure her enclosure is in a room without much traffic, and make sure she has 2-3 small, dark hides and other places to hide. Ensure all your temperatures and relative humidity is alright as well(92-94 warm side, 82-84 cool side, 50-65% humidity, NO night drop).