A snake has such a small head, I wonder about its brain

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Originally Posted by Punkymom

Would you say, then, that a ball python that has not been fully tamed (can't trust it around your kids) by the age of a year will never be fully tamed? Or can a snake still calm down with frequent, gentle handling even past the age of one year? I'm just curious because the little guy I have still goes into strike mode when I open his tub. He's better about hissing and he's ok when I hold him, but he's fast approaching his first birthday and I doubt I'll have him at the level my other snake is by then.

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That's just cage agression or a feeding response. Many times if you just tap the snake with a probe or hook, the snake realizes it's not feeding time or things are going to be okay. Then you can usually grasp the snake gentle and remove the snake from the enclosure.

I always touch/rub the snake along it's back before I pick them up. It's just a thing I do to let them know something is about to happen.

If the snake is in the strike position when you open the enclosure, just gently tap them somewhere along the head/behind the head. This lets them know something is about to happen.

You will need to work with the snake and eventually, the snake should calm down and not be so agressive.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

ps Never give up on the snake, sometimes it will start to work when you think it's never going to change.

I have friends who practice falconry, and while different from reptile ownershipthere are some interesting parallels.

Animals, can become "tame" for a number of reasons. The most basic of which is a form of reliance out of necessity. The animals in question probably recognize you as the bringer of food, and as such, without you, they cannot survive. That is how my friends train their birds.

A higher form of "tameness" is the parent / child. See ducks. Where an animal imprints you as their mother.

Anything beyond the above are usually found only in sentient beings, and as such isn't really useful in this list.

Animals who don't attack because you aren't a perceived threat wouldn't fall under the distinction of being tame... A more accurate term would be uninterested.

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Originally Posted by j_h_smith

That's just cage agression or a feeding response. Many times if you just tap the snake with a probe or hook, the snake realizes it's not feeding time or things are going to be okay. Then you can usually grasp the snake gentle and remove the snake from the enclosure.

I always touch/rub the snake along it's back before I pick them up. It's just a thing I do to let them know something is about to happen.

If the snake is in the strike position when you open the enclosure, just gently tap them somewhere along the head/behind the head. This lets them know something is about to happen.

You will need to work with the snake and eventually, the snake should calm down and not be so agressive.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

ps Never give up on the snake, sometimes it will start to work when you think it's never going to change.

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If he was cage aggressive, don't you think that EVERY time I tried to get him out he'd do like this? But if he's under his hide and I lift it off he doesn't go into strike mode. It's ONLY when he's roaming around his cage and I open it. I don't think it's a feeding response, either. I personally think he's just afraid! When I first got him he would strike the glass whenever I came close! For a while I had all 4 sides of his enclosure covered so he felt secure. Then when he had established a feeding routine I removed the cover on the front of the cage.

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Originally Posted by Generationshell

Just like a pitbull, snakes can be tamed to a certain level but in certain situations they can snap just like that. Because beyond our efforts to "domesticate" and rid them of their instincts...the instincts will always be there harboring and chances are at some point something will trigger them.

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This is one of the most ridiculous comments Ive seen in a while

I think an aggressive snake has to get use to the person its being held by before its tame with that single person. But once that single person passes the snakes onto another person the snake is going to be aggressive again in tell the snake recognizes that person by scent. And then I think there can be tame snakes that are tame with everyone no matter scent. I guess it all depends on if your snake is use to being held frequently or not. Also if a snake is abused by humans I believe it will always be aggressive tbh.

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Originally Posted by Punkymom

Would you say, then, that a ball python that has not been fully tamed (can't trust it around your kids) by the age of a year will never be fully tamed? Or can a snake still calm down with frequent, gentle handling even past the age of one year? I'm just curious because the little guy I have still goes into strike mode when I open his tub. He's better about hissing and he's ok when I hold him, but he's fast approaching his first birthday and I doubt I'll have him at the level my other snake is by then.

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If the animal has been worked with at all, has had its cage cleaned, been fed, and been handled at least enough to take its measurements regularly...
Then at 1 year of age, if it is still striking and isn't trustworthy when handled, I think I would consider it to have a bad temperament. In other words, you can probably make it a bit tamer, but you probably will never be able to make it trustworthy.

If the animal really hasn't been worked with at all, then it may need to be tamed--worked with to settle it down. A wild ball python is likely to be nervous and nippy because it's never been around humans before, and doesn't know that it won't be harmed, yet.

I disagree with the definition of tameness one poster presented. An animal that has lost its fear of humans and allows itself to be handled is tame. An animal that has lost its fear of humans, and allows itself to be handled sometimes, but will bite if it's in a bad mood, has a bad temperament. ;)
Dictionary definition of tame: "Reduced from a state of native wildness and shyness; accustomed to man".

I've never seen any sign that my ball pythons care which human is holding them. Some individual people can approach and handle them WRONG, and make them more nervous and upset as a result, but it has nothing to do with the snake recognizing those individuals. I think snakes are capable of recognizing individuals, but I think they rarely care. <lol>