I dont think he likes being handled?

I dont think I was clear, I dont get to handle him daily, nor do I handle my other one daily, my other snake enjoys coming out and exercising and exploring a little, so yes I get her out often for 15-30 minutes at a time. The one that likes to strike, comes out of his hide the second he hears the door open when I'm trying to just change his water and strikes my hand. When I do attempt to hold him, I tap on the top or his hide, gently lift it up, and the "confident grab" is what I learned from other experts with "aggressive" snakes, because species like ball pythons dont usually strike what they are perched on aka my hands. Also I try to handle as often as I can so they are used to people and hands. But my snake strikes me while I'm holding him, strikes me when I'm changing his water, and comes out of his hide waiting for me to open his enclosure when he hears me just walking past him.


He eats 1 small rat a week. He has a bit of a wobble and if he doesnt strike right on the head, he gives up and doesnt eat, and his aim is absolutely horrific. SO feedings are more stressful than for my other one. So I leave him 3 days after eating anyways as a little extra time weather I could get him to eat or not.

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Originally Posted by GoatBoy

This is generally how I do it as well. I usually go for one longer light touch, unless she is extra shy or crabby. I might give her a wake up poke and another touch before I scoop her up from the side.

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Right, I cant go near his enclosure without him ready to strike me. Much less get my hand close enough to poke or anything.

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The confident grab is just picking the snake up without acting like your scared to. I'm not grabbing him by the head or neck, or by his tail. Its just reaching my hand in and picking him up gently but confidently like I'm not scared of him. That's all.

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Originally Posted by pretends2bnormal

The way I had the "confident grab" described to me was NOT as a "go in fast, and just grab it immediately", so much as when you DO reach to pick the snake up, to not reach in with shaky hands or repeatedly get 2 or 3 inches from them, then retreat and start over several times before picking them up. Doing it hesitantly gives them more anxiety about your intentions, more time to see you approach and retreat, and in some snakes gives them confidence that you're more fearful of them and potentially give them more courage to try and scare you away via biting. I find that too much time alerting a nervous snake especially that I'm there tends to create more anxiety and agitation.

I honestly don't do any of the touch and touch and touch, then slowwwwly pick them up for BPs or really any snakes. I found through experiment that this is a method far more likely to get me bit with my animals, even ones not prone to biting

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Thank you. That is exactly what was meant by the confident grab, and the touch touch pick up gets me bit. Everyone is blowing the confident grab out of proportion like I'm aggressively snatching my BP up.

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Originally Posted by Kenzieburgess

Thank you. That is exactly what was meant by the confident grab, and the touch touch pick up gets me bit. Everyone is blowing the confident grab out of proportion like I'm aggressively snatching my BP up.

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Apologies on our part. It was just unclear what you were describing at first. I don't have any experience with a snake that is that nippy, especially one that runs out to bite and bites while being held. I'm sure you will get some good advice here, lots of experts. Best of luck.

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Originally Posted by Kenzieburgess

I dont think I was clear, I dont get to handle him daily, nor do I handle my other one daily, my other snake enjoys coming out and exercising and exploring a little, so yes I get her out often for 15-30 minutes at a time. The one that likes to strike, comes out of his hide the second he hears the door open when I'm trying to just change his water and strikes my hand. When I do attempt to hold him, I tap on the top or his hide, gently lift it up, and the "confident grab" is what I learned from other experts with "aggressive" snakes, because species like ball pythons dont usually strike what they are perched on aka my hands. Also I try to handle as often as I can so they are used to people and hands. But my snake strikes me while I'm holding him, strikes me when I'm changing his water, and comes out of his hide waiting for me to open his enclosure when he hears me just walking past him.


He eats 1 small rat a week. He has a bit of a wobble and if he doesnt strike right on the head, he gives up and doesnt eat, and his aim is absolutely horrific. SO feedings are more stressful than for my other one. So I leave him 3 days after eating anyways as a little extra time weather I could get him to eat or not.

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How often is he actually eating? Not just strikes food, but swallows it down successfully.

He is really giving off all the cues of a hungry snake.. I've not seen one this strikey where it didn't turn out to be related to food or husbandry, though it is a remote possibility you just have a very cranky BP.

How much does he weigh? And how much are the small rats weighing?
Sometimes our idea of a small rat doesn't match up to yours, so it'll help get us all on the same page.

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Originally Posted by pretends2bnormal

How often is he actually eating? Not just strikes food, but swallows it down successfully.

He is really giving off all the cues of a hungry snake.. I've not seen one this strikey where it didn't turn out to be related to food or husbandry, though it is a remote possibility you just have a very cranky BP.

How much does he weigh? And how much are the small rats weighing?
Sometimes our idea of a small rat doesn't match up to yours, so it'll help get us all on the same page.

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This is exactly what it sounds like to me, the snake is hungry and he's striking every time he thinks there is an opportunity for food. Make sure you are feeding him large enough meals and often enough. Some snakes have a stronger feeding response and if you don't keep them satisfied they will strike at anything that moves.

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Originally Posted by pretends2bnormal

How often is he actually eating? Not just strikes food, but swallows it down successfully.

He is really giving off all the cues of a hungry snake.. I've not seen one this strikey where it didn't turn out to be related to food or husbandry, though it is a remote possibility you just have a very cranky BP.

How much does he weigh? And how much are the small rats weighing?
Sometimes our idea of a small rat doesn't match up to yours, so it'll help get us all on the same page.

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Its hit or miss on exactly how often. I offer once per week with pray that is relevant to his size if not just slightly bigger. He is still a baby, only 6-7 months old. I dont have a weight to give you right now cause it changes, depending on if i can get him to eat a couple or so weeks in a row or if he ends up skipping 1 or 2 weeks. I just fed him around 1 or 2 am this morning so I'm not going to disturb him till atleast Wednesday. I can tell you as of lately, he hasnt gone more than two weeks at a time without eating. Like I said, if I cant get him to strike it on the head, he gives up and has no interest in it afterwards. And he has the worst aim cause of his wobble and some of it probably has to so with his age.... but I really have to work to aim it up with his strikes.

My husbandry is, in my opinion fine. His water gets changed daily, and enclosure misted. I havnt had to mist his tank the last few weeks though because of the weather anyways has been keeping the humidity between 50-75 (I know 75 is a bit high especially when not in shed, that's why I'm not misting it down right now. Theres not much else I know about that I can do to bring it down. It's the weather, and my AC is broke at the moment to keep the house air dryer and cooler) the temps are going up no higher than 92 and the cool side around 80-85, I've been keeping a close eye on that especially with my AC broke and my house getting up to 88-90°F.

He isnt starving by no means, he might get a little famished from giving up trying to find the head after striking, but like I said, he hasnt gone more than 2 weeks yet. And I would buy a live rat and offer him it prekilled before I let him longer than that.

He strikes his food every single time, and I try to line it up nose to nose so he hopefully nails it right on the head, but sometimes he misses a bit, and get its side, or the rats shoulder, or misses entirely. And like I said, if he doesnt get it right on the head, he gives up and has no more interest in it.

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Originally Posted by rufretic

This is exactly what it sounds like to me, the snake is hungry and he's striking every time he thinks there is an opportunity for food. Make sure you are feeding him large enough meals and often enough. Some snakes have a stronger feeding response and if you don't keep them satisfied they will strike at anything that moves.

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He has a healthy appetite, but like I just replied to the pretends2bnormal, if i cant get him to nail it right on the head so he can go from constricting it to immediately swallowing it, he gives up and then has no more interest in it.

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Might be worth trying to dip just the head into ~100-110 degree water for 30 seconds or so. Get just the head really nice and hot to make a better target for him. (Or blow dry that spot particularly if he refuses wet rats)

Or, maybe change how you dangle the rat so he has "no choice" but to grab it head on? I.e. hold it by the scruff with tongs and present it face-first as if walking toward him & froze in front of hik. If the head is hottest & the most prominent target, he might have better odds hitting the right place & eating more reliably.


I'd still want to know his weight & the weight of the feeders personally. Not now if he is digesting, but sometime since things sound a bit off to me. Small rats typically weigh 50-80g, some variations of the upper and lower end depending on the seller. And most 6-7 month old BPs I've seen are not really big enough for that size feeder. Some can be of course, but most of mine I've gotten at 3-4 months old were sub-200g and did not get over 400g (weighed after a poop) by 6 months, males especially. 10% feeder for a 400g BP is around 40g.

In the meantime, maybe a picture of him? With something easy to judge as a scale?

If yours isn't actually up to weight for small rats and your small rats are the 50-80g range, the feeders may be a bit larger than he's comfortable with eating and he is only noticing it once wrapped when he doesn't grab the head. Might not be the case, but without knowing the weights it is hard to say.

With right sized feeders and an enthusiastic strike, it is very unusual for him to be dropping the feeder. This coming from someone with a spider that does display some wobble, particularly around feeding, and has more issues hitting the rat than reorienting to eat it after.

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