New BP owner here!!

The hissing means exactly that... "Hiss Off!!!" My BP only hisses when he's in shed - they can't see properly so they get a bit defensive.


When he was very small, he did bite me a couple of times. When they're little, anything bigger than them they think is going to eat them. I have a pair of thin leather gloves which I wore to pick him up with. I only had to wear them 3 times. As soon as I'd picked him up I took the glove off. I can handle any of my BPs and neither will hiss or try and strike. Like I said, the only time Byron my BP hisses is when he's in shed and I leave him alone then anyway. Bobby my other BP (he's a rescue) doesn't hiss. He's very laid back and friendly.

I'd switch to f/t as soon as possible. My BPs will strike and eat f/t no problem. They've still got to "kill" it though LOL - just making sure;) I buy several of everything to last a few weeks and put them in a box in the freezer. I just take them out and defrost them naturally (doesn't take long) and warm the rodents up with an old hairdryer so they're nice and warm.

Once your BP is eating regularly, just build up the handling. Don't be scared to handle your snake. They soon get used to it. Everyone's put up good advice. BPs make lovely pets and I'm sure you'll be delighted with yours.

I'm totally in :love: with mine:D

As far as the hissing, biting, striking w/o biting I think it's really important to look at the whole situation.

Like Fiona's Byron that only hisses during shed, or the one and only time Riona (aka Baby) struck at me. I was cleaning up a mess, in a hurry, moving way too fast around a snake taking a drink (I should have of course waited for her to finish up and move off)....she jabbed at me....could have hit easily and didn't...totally my fault for startling her.

Mike also has a S.F.E. (stupid feeding error) totally his fault. Lil hint, most snakes really don't need help arranging their nice dead prey for proper head first consumption - a lesson Riona reinforced strongly to Mike LOL. Again tho...a strike but a wide miss....from a snake that is deadly accurate and fast as a blink....she didn't need to bite him...she needed to make her point....MY mouse!...back OFF! :hungry:

We aren't intimidated by the snakes if they hiss or whatever, but we do look at why they felt they needed to act aggressively or defensively. So far it's been our fault either by our actions or not understanding the snake's need to be left alone at that moment.


~~Jo~~

Know what you mean about it being "MY mouse. Back off!!!" When feeding Ringo my Milksnake a few weeks back, I noticed a cat hair had got stuck on the pinky mouse. I tried to take the hair off, Ringo zoomed back backwards with the pinky still in his mouth (what a speed!!!) and rattled his tail at me :laughing: . He's a small snake and it was really funny his "I'm going to be a Rattlesnake when I grow up":laughing:


Bobby my rescue BP took his rat awkwardly last night and ended up eating it tail first. He struggled with it for about an hour but managed in the end. He is in shed just now and having two layers of eyecaps (which I hope both come off when he sheds) he couldn't see very well, but was hungry enough to eat a weaner rat then a medium sized mouse (he didn't make a mistake with the mouse). Hopefully, he'll shed in the next few days. I can hardly wait because the poor snake's previous owners didn't keep the humidity correct and he had three partial sheds stuck to him:( Hopefully he'll shed fine this time (Byron always has perfect sheds) so fingers crossed.

I learned early on with my Hog Island Boa not to bother him when he is eating. I used to use Aspen and I fed him in his cage. One time a piece was stuck to the rat. I tried to remove it with a hemostat. He struck at me multiple times with the rat halfway down his throat. He also doesnt like anyone in the room when he eats. He strikes the side of the rubbermaid. He is sweet when not eating though!

man, i know exactly what you guys mean. when i feed my female vanessa, if i go to look at her sometimes she'll completely forget aboout the rat and charge at me. one time i was watching her and she was just carrying on like nothin was wrong then all of a sudden when the tail was still beeing slurped down she caught me on the finger, there was blood all over my finger!

It is funny really that a really laid back snake can get so different so fast. I know ours go from being easy as pie to lil Mz. Intense on feeding night. Guess when you get your whole week's nutrition all at once, you get just a tad protective of dinner LOL.

Ours don't mind us watching them eat (tho we are very quiet and don't move about much), but woe is me to the fool that gets between them and a warm rat or mouse! By the next time we handle them they are back to their normal, very docile selves but it's a good reminder that they really aren't fully domesticated "pets".

Riona (aka Baby) will still track the hemostat tho. We tested it with no prey in the room at all. She definitely follows it with this intense attitude (not physically following it, but moving her head and tongue flicking madly at wherever it is). I think Miss Piggy has figured out somehow that the "shiney thingy" equals mana from heaven or something LOL.


~~Joanna~~

Listen, even domesticated pets are protective of their food. I was bitten numerous times when I was a kid for messing with one of the dogs while they were eating.

Still very muhc getting used to handling Monty.
He has hissed a few times but we've carried on - it is clearly his way of saying don't bother me but the first several times you handle the snack it will always be a stressful experience (for both of you) and putting it off becuase he hissed will not help.
If you think he is in shed leave him well alone though - I believe that with the temporary blindness they get it is the most likely time to get bitten besides feeding (and I won't even let me hands in the tank then - crack the door open a slit and dangle the rat through it)

I know this sounds daft but I always speak to my snakes before I pick them up, even when they're in shed (I don't like moving the snakes when they're in shed, but if they've soiled their substrate, out they come and I change it and as soon as I'm done they go back in their viv).

Speaking to them (telling them how handsome and beautiful they are:D ) gives them time to pick up your scent - snake thinks "OK. This huge thing isn't going to eat me. Gives me food". I also think that although they can't hear the way we, or other animals do (well, at least the "experts" don't think so), I do believe they can differentiate between the vibration of different voices, e.g. Graham obviously has a lower pitched (vibrating) voice than me.

For example, the other week I asked Graham to take Byron my Royal out. Byron promptly bit Graham:rofl: I just said to Graham, "Next time you take him out, talk to him first!!!" The next time Graham took Byron out for me, I know Graham thought I'd totally lost the plot but to humour me he talked to my lovely little snake and Byron came out all chilled and relaxed and as sweet as a kitten:D

Well if you're nuts Fiona, make room on the Nutsy Couch for a lot of us cause I bet most here babble to their snakes quite regularily LOL.

Mike is currently "in a mood" as we spent all this time finding nice names for Baby and Punkin (now Riona and Keena) and when I've taken to calling them Ree Ree and Kee Kee. My husband is NOT impressed LMAO!

I think it's sort of like that movie Three Men & A Baby...it's doesn't matter what you say, it's the tone of your voice LOL.

We always gently stroke the snakes and speak to them prior to a lift from their Sterlites. Seems to work since they aren't freaking out...so why change it.


~~Jo~~