Aggressive BP help please

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

If you would like I could give you a detailed post about what you can do to fix your setup without spending too much cash :)

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sure!
thank all of you for your quick replys, very helpfull....

yes I remove the heat rock allready.

Okie doke!

First think you should address is heating. The preferable method of heating a ball python enclosure is belly heat. This means using an Under Tank Heater (UTH). If the normal room temperature is in the mid 70's, this is the only heat source you will need. If it stays a little cooler, a low wattage heat lamp or ceramic heat emitter will help bring up those temps. Lamps will lower your humidity significantly so it is best to use the lowest wattage possible and use the UTH for your hot side.

When you use a UTH, you need to control it with a reptile thermostat. A good thermostat for single setups is the reptitemp 500r which is hard to find in stores but widely available online for about $25. A thermostat is very important as it ensures that your UTH does not reach dangerous temperatures.

Thermometers and hygrometers are also necessary. You will need one digital thermometer with a probe to measure the temperature of the UTH, and a digital thermometer and a hygrometer to measure ambient temperatures and the humidity of the enclosure. Digital is the way to go with taking measurements in your snakes tank. Those round dial or gauge thermometers are very inaccurate and will often give you a false reading. If you don't want to buy expensive pet store thermometers (I don't blame you) there is another option. The accurite weather station from the home depot is a very popular unit for single setups. It is an indoor outdoor thermometer that measures temp with an external probe, and temp and humidity with the unit. Here is a picture of mine that I got from the home depot for $12. You can also find a similar unit at walmart. (not sure if you guys have these in PR)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2796/...620b7c91ac.jpg
This is my setup for my brazilian rainbow boa, but the placement of the unit is the same for a ball python. The unit goes on the cool side (opposite the UTH) and the probe goes on the warm side right over where the UTH is under the substrate.

Hides are very important for your ball python. You can see in the picture the kind of hides I use. They are actually plastic cereal bowls from the dollar store, I just cut a small entrance in the side. They are cheap, easy to clean, and the snakes love them :)
You will want two identical tight fitting hides. One for the cool side and one for the warm side.

That and a water bowl is really all you need. You can put in fake plants and drift wood but it isn't really necessary.

Also, covering the back and sides of the tank with dark paper will make him feel more secure and it will also help to insulate your tank.

Hope this helps!

I second the suggestion of making sure he's in a low-traffic area, and has good hides, and leaving him alone completely for a week or two. My experience has been that insecure ball pythons are likely to be aggressive and snappy--they're afraid of being attacked.

These animals have very poor eyesight, and rely primarily on their sense of smell and their heat-sensing facial pits to find food. When you move around outside his tank, he sees ominously large blobs coming too close, and he can't smell them or tell what they are--quite terrifying.

Give him a chance to calm down. I disagree with the person who suggested that a biting ball python should be picked up regardless. My experience has been that a stressed, defensive animal only becomes more defensive if you mess around with it, and may work itself up to the point where it just keeps striking and hissing. Keeping the ball python from getting to that point in the first place is a much better option. Learn to pick up the ball python by approaching from the side, opposite the way its head is pointing--don't come down from above. If the ball python turns to face you, use a stick to gently touch it on top of the head, and push its head down. This defuses its behavior, and encourages it to hide its head defensively rather than strike out. You can then pick it up with little fear of being bitten.

By not allowing the ball python to engage in striking behavior, that behavior is discouraged. The more a behavior is practiced, the more likely it is that the snake will keep doing it--so discourage practice by keeping the snake calm. Unlike a dog, the snake will not quickly learn which behaviors get the response it wants...they aren't very bright, and learn very slowly. They do respond to routines over time, so you want to keep biting from being part of a routine.

Kaorte, TYVM. I will work on that.