New Normal-Personality Questions

Picked him up yesterday
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/p6032594.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/p6032589.jpg

Got this 08 male for free as compensation for buying a normal female with 2 kinks in her tail and corkscrew.

In any case he is acting very jumpy, looking for ways to escape his new home/tub. Gave him a hide which he has yet to even check out. I did offer him a mouse last night being I had an extra and was feeding my female. He was not interested but I did not expect him to. I get the impression he has not been handled much as he is so jumpy. Any suggestions on getting him used to be handled at the same time he needs to get used to his new tub would be appreciated. Thanks:confused:

I'd leave him alone completely for at least a week or two. Let him figure out his new surroundings, then start handling a little bit.

He's a good lookin snake!

Same. Leave him alone for a week. Might be better to wait until he eats for you to handle. How old/big is he? Looks nice and chocolatey. After you do start handling him, just make him deal with you for short periods. Whenever mine just won't sit still and keep trying to get away, I put them back.

Get him used to his home, then used to you.

You just got him, I would leave him alone and don't try to feed or handle him again for a week or so.

Everyone on this board will say a week. It really depends on your snake. Alot of my snakes seemed "curious" when I first got him. I would say try leaving him along for 2 days and see if he will feed. If he does, don't handle him for another 2 days for digestive reasons.

If he doesn't feed for you after 2 days, just take the rat/mouse out and leave him alone for another 2 days.

Most of my snakes ate for me in 2 days once I let him relax. Never had to wait a week for feeding a snake unless he was on a breeding cycle.

It's a completely new environment, with new smells, new everything--you'd be jumpy, too.

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Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion

It's a completely new environment, with new smells, new everything--you'd be jumpy, too.

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Thanks to all. I was also just thinking... could the smell of my female in the same room be getting his man juices going? I am only saying this because when I 1st was handling him in the the shop I got him he just seemed much calmer???

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Originally Posted by kilabyte

Thanks to all. I was also just thinking... could the smell of my female in the same room be getting his man juices going? I am only saying this because when I 1st was handling him in the the shop I got him he just seemed much calmer???

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Highly doubt it. I have my males and females in the same rack. Don't have feeding problems or anything like that when it comes to close proximity between the sexes. Plus, the season is pretty much over when it comes to breeding. We are females if are gravid are laying eggs or have laid their eggs by now.

Some ppl can make bps produce year round under the right conditions, but typically they aren't like humans. In a way its unfortunate since I'm eager to start my big projects this coming fall.

Some are just jumpier than others. People can argue til the cows have come home, had dinner, watched Law and Order and gone to bed about individual traits vs species traits, but the fact remains that it really depends on the snake. I'd just leave the little guy alone as much as possible until he starts using his hide (a hiding bp is a happy bp), then start handling him.

You can't really go by how a reptile acts in a pet store. A pet store is a very stressful environment, and stressed reptiles can be very subdued--they're exhausted, you see.

Well I called the pet store to find out when the last time spikey (my son named him) ate. He told me last Thursday. Spikey seemed much calmer today so I figure I would offer him a f/t adult mouse I had. He hammered that mouse real fast.:gj: He swallowed allot quicker than I am used to seeing my female eat. Almost like he didn't eat in weeks. He even looked like he wanted seconds after he adjusted his jaws. Too bad I didn't have anything. I'm wondering if I should offer a rat next week? :confused: He is large enough for it but I'm not sure if he ever ate a rat & what size should I offer. Need some tips on getting him to go for it just in case. Should I do live or f/t for the 1st time?

Offer something about as wide around as his widest point. There lots of active threads on how to make the switch in both the husbandry and general bp sections that go back on literally every page since the creation of this site.

If you don't have a scale it is a very good investment (a digital kitchen/food scale). You can pick one up at Walmart (when I got mine they were only available online) for about twenty bucks. Most people recommend that you feed a rat as big around as the snake, and about 10-15% of the snake's total body weight.

As far as switching from mice to rats I have never done anything different with any of my snakes. I just did the switch and have always had luck. If you are feeding f/t mice I would continue feeding f/t when you switch to rats.

If he has only eaten once for you; you might want to keep him on mice for a few more meals before you do the switch.

Good luck!