Aggressive BP help please

Hello all, we bought a BP 3 weeks ago. He's about 30" long, we have him in a 20 gal tank with a climbing branch, heating rock, Zoo Med Repti Bark bedding and a bowl of water changed every other day. Its our 1st pet snake, all we know is what the petstore employee told us and what we've read here/google. We handle him as recommended, about an hour daily except after feeding, then we wait 2-3 days. Its been 4 days today hes been snapping at us when we try to handle him, today he snapped at me when I passed by the tank, he makes a hissing sound before he snaps and when we change his water. We contacted the petstore and were told he might still be hungry so we gave him another mouse (he ate 2 that day) and that didn't solve the problem. Our main worry is his aggressive behavior gets worst or he bites our 7 year old son and he no longer wants it as his pet.

http://i41.tinypic.com/2pt1o9d.jpg

That snake in the picture could surely eat a weaned rat. Possibly even a small rat that weighs around 70-80 grams. 2 mice per feeding should keep him pretty full, but you will eventually want to upgrade to rats.

Please forget everything the pet store employee told you and read this in full: http://ball-pythons.net/modules/Sect...warticle&id=59

Also, please remove the heat rock as soon as possible. Those are well known for burning reptiles and are never safe to use.

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 :)

Also, ball pythons aren't really aggressive animals. They almost always have a reason for being bitey. A reason why they might strike is if they don't feel safe. This usually happens when they don't have any hides or have hides that don't make them feel secure. Half log hides are not suitable for this species because they are so open. Rock cave hides or anything that has a small entrance is preferable.

Another reason why a snake might strike or bite is if it hasn't been fed enough (which is probably the case here). Ball pythons are often underfed. You should be feeding approximately 10-15% of the snakes body weight every week.

PS: :welcome: !!

Hello and welcome to the forum!

It sounds like you're doing the right thing by getting as much information as you can, so I'll try to help you a little more and give you a link to our care sheet: http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...warticle&id=59

It sounds like your snake is just stressed which is why he is being aggressive. First off, I would leave him completely alone for at least a full week. Ball Pythons, like most snakes, do not need attention and will behave better when they feel comfortable in their environment. When you do take him out, just make it a few minutes a day. Right now (especially being a younger snake) he thinks everything is out to eat him, so he's just doing his best to protect himself.

As far as feeding, one meal a week is plenty. Judging from his size, one or two mice would be fine. He may eat more, but that doesn't mean he should.

Also, I would get rid of the heat rock and get a heat pad along with a reliable thermostat. Heat rocks are notorious for malfunctioning and burning snakes.

Good luck!

Unlucky! Very few bps are meanies, even fresh out of the store.

Keep feeding him--he may want more than one mouse at a time. Feed him until he's done eating. Check his warm side temps to make sure they're 90-95F, give him a few more hiding places, and maybe some fake plants for cover, and put his tank in a room with less traffic.

But keep handling him once every other day. Use gloves if you need to. Don't put him back if he bites you, that's just rewarding the bad behavior.

Mostly give him time. If he hasn't calmed down some in two months, come back here and we'll give you advice on placing him with someone who can deal with him.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Another reason why a snake might strike or bite is if it hasn't been fed enough (which is probably the case here). Ball pythons are often underfed. You should be feeding approximately 10-15% of the snakes body weight every week.

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I disagree. Hungry Balls rarely hiss, and they usually reserve their energy until they are in feeding mode. Also, 10-15% is a huge amount. I couldn't imagine feeding my 2500 gram females a 250-375 gram rat every week. :O I think more common than underfed Balls are Balls that stop eating because they are being fed too much.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by xdeus

I disagree. Hungry Balls rarely hiss, and they usually reserve their energy until they are in feeding mode. Also, 10-15% is a huge amount. I couldn't imagine feeding my 2500 gram females a 250-375 gram rat every week. :O I think more common than underfed Balls are Balls that stop eating because they are being fed too much.

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Maybe I should clarify then. From the picture I see a juvenile ball python. the 10-15% rule works fine for snakes under 1000g or so. After that, a small rat once weekly is plenty.

I agree you shouldn't feed a 2500g ball python a 250g meal :P. I was trying to focus in more toward the OPs situation rather then the big picture.

They said they were feeding it one mouse a week. One mouse a week for a snake that size doesn't seem like enough to me. The snake could be hungry, the snake could be stressed, or most likely it could be a combination of the two.

Also, ditto on removing the heat rock. Get a heat lamp or an under tank heater with a tabletop dimmer switch. But get rid of that heat rock.

Looks like you have some good advice to go off of so far! I just wanted to add that a ball python bite is nothing to be afraid of, especially from a guy that size. After you leave him alone to adjust for a bit and then begin to handle him regularily for short intervals, biting probably won't be an issue anymore! However I wouldn't be too afraid of receiving a bite or two over the process, its just an animal reacting to a stressfull or scary situation, and if you remember that he's not doing it to be mean, then you have no reason to fear.

I've rarely if ever heard a hungry snake hiss.
Sounds like stress and with some pictures of the set up people might have an easier time answering that :snake:

Mine mostly hiss when they've found some nice tight spot to squeeze into and take a snooze, and they don't want to be disturbed. Usually they're a little cold, too?

I think the snake probably could use larger meals, but I agree the hissing is mostly stress-related, not hunger-related.

Quote:

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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.