How do I do this ?!?!?! Help

Okay so Im new to the hobby as far as snakes go.

So I got my 6 month old Spider Ball Python from a reputable breeder in my area. The snake was kept in a rack system for its whole life until it was brought to my care .....So basically I got the snake on sunday afternoon I held him for alittle and then put him in his enclosure and left him be ,Monday afternoon I fed him a rat and he took it no problem I have waiting 2 days for him to digest wich he did as I saw his feces in the tank this morning so Im slowly trying to introduce him to handling But here is where i Need help ...so I basically went into the enclosure to get him (got Bit) ...Slowly was just touching him and he was all coiled up ....took my hand out of the tank went in again (got Bit) ....This time I just stayed in there and pet him on his back so he would calm down and maybe relax alittle bit ....but nope started hissing so I left him be ....Come back a few hours later stick my hand into the enclosure boom got bit again .......Im not really interested in making my hand look like a raw steak lol.....So maybe someone can give me some pointers on how to tame or handle him in a certain way that will make him feel comfortable ?

Thanks for reading and hope I can get some help while I go wash off my bloody hand:)

First off this is a great hobby. But it does take some time and persistence.

Secondly, you need to give your BP more time to become comfortable in his new home. A full week at the least. A move can be stressful for a snake, just as it is for us. This can cause stress. Which in my opinion is the cause of the problem your having. He obviously doesn't want any attention... Don't give it to him.

Just let him be for a week. I know its hard to not hold a new snake, but it's what is best for the snake.

~ DZ

I'm new at this as well so I can only go by what I have read, and what I would do in that situation. But I would see is he's in shed/ just give him some space for a few days. I did read if trying to pick him up from the side is better then straight in front. Also while stroking him make sure yougo with the scales and not against them ;)


Hope my little knowledge might help.

just reach in and grab him down by the tail once hes out of the tank he should calm down. most likely hes just not used to being handled

Its best to not feed, handle, or touch your new bp for at least one week. Like it was said before, he's stressed out from the move. So basically, don't handle or touch him for a week. The only time you should go in his enclosure the first week is to spot clean or change water.

i would not start handeling untill he has ate 2 times in a row for you...after that just reach in slowly(fast movements will scare them) dont go twords his face that can also spook a young snake...just touch him mid body once and pick him up...once he is out he should not be that agressive...if he hisses at you pick him up anyway if not he will think if he hisses you will go away and therefore do it more

I also wouldn't handle him till he has eaten a few times for you. They do need time to adjust, especially after a big change -rack to tank. After he has eaten a few times you can hold him all you want-just make sure he stays warm.

One thing I will say is that spiders have a neurological disorder attached to the spider gene. It's almost never something that you have to worry about, but it's definitely something you should be aware of. My spider has a faint wobble when he's ready to strike -that's the disorder attached to the spider gene, they all wobble no matter what someone tells you- but he is pretty nutty. When he was younger he wasn't too bad, but now that he's older he really likes to strike at me. He doesn't even give me a warning, just goes for it. One thing I do is grab a paper towel or just use my finger and gently touch him on the head. That usually snaps him out of his crazy world long enough for me to pick him up without getting bit. I also tell him that he belongs in the loony bin and he might end up there one day :rolleye2: Not sure if it helps though :rofl:

All sounds about right I think I'm just too excited and moving too quick with the handling and all I think I will leave him be until he has ate and digested a second time for me then I will slowly start handling ....As far as spiders I have heard the wobble issue and all the one I got shows no signs of it when he is just cruising around but he defiantly showed a minor sign of it when he ate for me the other day and when he bit me today lol ...But other than that I havent heard anything about spiders being any different from another ball python in terms of biting and aggressiveness but I am new so maybe Im wrong just thought other than the colour and patterns and wobble issue in there genetic trait nothing was different from another ball .

Im going to let him be until he eats and digests again and see what happens from there !

Ok.. Congrats on the little guy first off. Secondly, don't just reach in and "pet" him. This is just going to annoy him. You are messing with him inside his den.. You need to just reach in and quickly scoop him up. Do not go in towards his face. Scoop from behind his head near the end of his body. If he follows your hand when you reach in then cover his head with a small towel or something, then scoop.

Let his home be where he feels safe. If he thinks something is just going to keep reaching in and touching him, he may go off feed.

Snakes are not the kind of animal you pet like a dog or cat. Once you have him out, just let him crawl through your hands. If he keeps tracking your movements then just be sure to keep moving your hands under him and turn him so his head is pointing away from you.

This is normal for a young BP. With handling he will stop nipping at you. Once you know how to pick him up and handle him, you won't get bit even if he is still nervous about it.

Definitely do not want to go in and pet them in their enclosure, that's guaranteed to piss off some snakes :P

It takes some time for some of them to adjust.

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

Definitely do not want to go in and pet them in their enclosure, that's guaranteed to piss off some snakes :P

It takes some time for some of them to adjust.

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Okay sounds good I will remember just to scoop him up rather than do this all in his enclosure I guess it will just take time for him to get used to it .... but its kind of hard to let him slither threw my hands as he will do that for about 20 seconds then come back quickly and curl up in a ball....So I don"t know I guess I will have to deal with the whole thing of him biting me and my hand getting chewed up left right and center until he gets comfortable .....I guess it just takes time not much else you can do

Sounds like he is just not used to being handled be patient I don't think it will last that long.

I have been searching the forum here on some other related topics regarding my concern about this ..

I have read that a way to introduce your self to the snake is by placing a tshirt or piece of clothing that you have worn and not washed yet that has your body odor on it ....apparently from what I have read this will get the snake used to your scent so that when you go into his enclosure he will not be suprised from a new scent......this kind of made me laugh because it seems kind of weird but I just thought I would share and maybe someone else has did this or someone else has some input on this .....One of the main reasons why I had posted this topic was because I was always afriad of snakes until I was in a reptile store buying crickets for my other reptiles and the manager that I have made friends with made me hold a adult male ball python and I totally fell in love with how it looked and how gentle and calm it was .....So I went ahead and got one of my favorite morphs (spider) from a local breeder .....It just kind of ticked me off after my first impression of the species of snake was totally different from the actual one I purchased I know that it is still stressed out from the move and all but I will for sure give it its space for another feeding and another week then try some handling with him .....Im crossing my fingers he will be calm and gentle just like the first ball python I had held and not make my hand look like what it does now a raw peice of meat .

The young ones are more prone to nervousness and being bity. He will calm down. You'll see. Don't lose faith in him. He just has to figure out that you're not a predator that wants to eat him. Remember that they ate wild animals and they need to come to know you are a good thing and not a bad thing.

They are wild animals.. Not ate.. Lol oops.

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Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

The young ones are more prone to nervousness and being bity. He will calm down. You'll see. Don't lose faith in him. He just has to figure out that you're not a predator that wants to eat him. Remember that they ate wild animals and they need to come to know you are a good thing and not a bad thing.

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Thank you for all your replies I really appreciate it ....I just hope he calms down soon ...My guy was born?hatched aug 1 2010 ... got any idea when he will calm down lol ....I guess I just gotta work with him thing is when I bring him out I hold him over my bed or let him slither on my bad but man does he ever try and get away like fast last thing I need is for him to slither out of my hands or off my bed lol ....So Im trying not to loose faith just kind of irritating right now

just let him chille for a few weeks

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Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

They are wild animals.. Not ate.. Lol oops.

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haha I laughed.

but yeah just let him chill for a bit and feel safe inside his new home. all hatchlings are a pain at first but so are most newborn things ;) it's all about comfort and stability. I've raised a normal from hatchling until now, seven years later and she was a rude little hatchling but as she got more comfortable she became the best first snake ever so I hope you share the same experience and have fun with your new buddy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. Xan Powers!

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Originally Posted by willgti

I just hope he calms down soon ...My guy was born?hatched aug 1 2010 ... got any idea when he will calm down lol

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Give him time and handle him often after the initial settling period.
Short periods of handling done frequently has worked for me.
My partner and I each kept one female yb that hatched in July.
Mine is sweet as can be and his is still biting him :rofl:

Yeah Im going to wait a few weeks and another couple of feedings then I will go ahead with handling .....atleast my hand can heal up from all the bites;)......Thanks for all the help I think Im going to do what you all suggested .

On a more serious note, (be sure to get and post pics of this), put your face in there and see if you can get bit on the nose. We'll all have a good giggle. :D :rofl: just kidding.

He'll settle down, I hope. We have one that's just ornery, no matter what we do with her. I still haven't gotten bit by her, but it's just a matter of time. I'm almost jealous of your cute little snakey biting at you. Maybe I'm a little twisted, but it's gotta look funny to have that tiny little snake biting at you. As if. And after you got bit, you think, "that's it?" haha.

Anyway. Keep waiting and let him settle in.

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Originally Posted by ClarkT

On a more serious note, (be sure to get and post pics of this), put your face in there and see if you can get bit on the nose. We'll all have a good giggle. :D :rofl: just kidding.

He'll settle down, I hope. We have one that's just ornery, no matter what we do with her. I still haven't gotten bit by her, but it's just a matter of time. I'm almost jealous of your cute little snakey biting at you. Maybe I'm a little twisted, but it's gotta look funny to have that tiny little snake biting at you. As if. And after you got bit, you think, "that's it?" haha.

Anyway. Keep waiting and let him settle in.

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Hahahah no way I'm sticking my face in there lol the bit doesn't even hurt its just scares the crap out of me more than anything ....Im just kinda torn up by this because I have been into reptiles for about 9 years now and always had this thing snakes weren't for me until someone told me too hold an adult ball python and I totally loved it .... Thing is my first impression of a ball python was completely amazing I didn't feel threatened nor did the snake .... Now I get mine and its like the complete opposite so its kind of a turn off .... But I hope he will calm himself after I leave him be for another week or so .:)

He's probably just scared you're going to eat him. :P Young snakes in the wild are almost always going to be seen as something yummy to other animals. My girl never bit at me, but she was extremely jumpy when I brought her home. So after a week I'd take her out and just put her on my lap, and only touch her if she was about to go somewhere I didn't want her to. Now she even lets me touch her head, which she'd FLIP about before.

It's all about patience. :D

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Originally Posted by xFenrir

He's probably just scared you're going to eat him. :P Young snakes in the wild are almost always going to be seen as something yummy to other animals. My girl never bit at me, but she was extremely jumpy when I brought her home. So after a week I'd take her out and just put her on my lap, and only touch her if she was about to go somewhere I didn't want her to. Now she even lets me touch her head, which she'd FLIP about before.

It's all about patience. :D

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Yah im just going to try leaving him for another feeding or two then slowly introduce him to some handling ....I guess im just moving to fast for him so I will let him tell me when he feels comfortable to being handled and go from there ....So i will see what happens when I grab him in a couple of weeks

I dont want to keep dragging this on or anything but you know this whole thing has really kind of discouraged me from ball pythons . Im not saying im going to get rid of him or anything but to make a long story short I was never a fan of snakes until I held a ball python and was so gentle and calm and did not make me feel scared or threatened by it and I totally fell in love with them ....Reason that ticked me off is I went out of my way to get and find my certain morph that I really like and bought it ....Now its like the one I bought is a complete :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: and has (not gunna lie) brought my fear back into my head about snakes ...I am never one to give up early but I would like someone to reasure me about this ! ..Do you really think he will calm down after another feeding and a week or so of leaving him alone ? And do you think he is snapping and hissing because he is stressed/scared from the move ?

I dont want to keep bugging you guys about this and posting all the time but this is really bothering me right now .:(

I doubt he's going to calm down in just a week. If he ate right away for you and keeps biting then he has a great feeding response. What I would do is bump him up to eating every 5 days for awhile if you can. When a ball wants to eat that often, especially when young, give it what it wants. There will probably come a time when he won't eat every week so fatten him up as much as possible now.

Use long tongs to offer the rat so you don't get bit and just feed him and leave alone otherwise. Even the most aggressive feeders will eventually back down from food and will ignore you.

It will take longer than a week but you may be able to break him of the biting this way.

I have a female that was a voracious feeder when I got her. She was over a year old but still ate twice a week. She bit at me every time also. Once I got her through that stage and she no longer wanted food so often she calmed down considerably and stopped trying to bite.

You may have just been unlucky and got one of the few pissy BP's. Either give him time or try to trade him for a more laid back one.

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Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

I doubt he's going to calm down in just a week. If he ate right away for you and keeps biting then he has a great feeding response. What I would do is bump him up to eating every 5 days for awhile if you can. When a ball wants to eat that often, especially when young, give it what it wants. There will probably come a time when he won't eat every week so fatten him up as much as possible now.

Use long tongs to offer the rat so you don't get bit and just feed him and leave alone otherwise. Even the most aggressive feeders will eventually back down from food and will ignore you.

It will take longer than a week but you may be able to break him of the biting this way.

I have a female that was a voracious feeder when I got her. She was over a year old but still ate twice a week. She bit at me every time also. Once I got her through that stage and she no longer wanted food so often she calmed down considerably and stopped trying to bite.

You may have just been unlucky and got one of the few pissy BP's. Either give him time or try to trade him for a more laid back one.

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Okay sounds good ,I don't expect him to calm down in a week or so but maybe just not be as nippy as he is right now .I had talked to the breeder that I got him from today and he told me its going to take time he was in a tub setup for 6 months of its life from a hatchling until you bought him he only had human contact for water and feeding other than that he was not handled so that new to him right now and also his enclosure is new so he is still settling in ... also saying "you lucky you have one that is eating for you rather than having one that doesn't bite and doesn't eat for you "...I really don't want to switch my ball for another one for 3 main reasons #1 I really like his color and patterns #2 All the other spider balls I saw at the breeders facility were nippy right out of there tub ... the one I got didn't do that which made me feel comfortable #3 I don't want to go threw this with another ball .... Also I never thought of that it biting was a feeding response even the breeder told me that but I never thought that switching his meals from 7 days to 5 days will make a difference but hey its a try ....Do you think he will get messed up from being fed every 7 days to being fed every 5 days ? Since he was fed on a 7 day schedule since a baby. What do you suggest to do so I don't keep on getting bit ? Should I fed every 5 days now and leave him alone with no handling ? Or should I fed every 5 days but still try handling lets say in a week ? Or should I stay on the 7 day schedule for feeding ?.........I also heard a snake that is young like mine at 6 months are all nippy once the reach an older age they will calm down more even if it hasn't been handled basically saying your snake will be tame if its handled or not once it starts getting older ? I don't know if this is true or not but i thought I would share .... defiantly want to hear more about changing his feeding from 7 to 5 days !!

hope i explained this well and would love to hear more and some more advice
thanks for all the replies so far:)

Feeding him every 5 days is not going to harm him or mess anything up. Most breeders do this anyway to get good weight on newer babies. The best way to quickly curb the biting is to be sure he is not hungry.

It's true what the breeder told you. You have greatly changed his environment. He will calm down. You can still handle him but I'd still give him at least a week or 2 to settle in before handling him. Then you can get a few meals in him also.

You really can't over feed a young ball like you can with other snakes. Eventually he will stop eating. Breeding season, or when he hits a certain size. Bumping up the feeding is just a good way to curb biting while ensuring he is thick & healthy.

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Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

Feeding him every 5 days is not going to harm him or mess anything up. Most breeders do this anyway to get good weight on newer babies. The best way to quickly curb the biting is to be sure he is not hungry.

It's true what the breeder told you. You have greatly changed his environment. He will calm down. You can still handle him but I'd still give him at least a week or 2 to settle in before handling him. Then you can get a few meals in him also.

You really can't over feed a young ball like you can with other snakes. Eventually he will stop eating. Breeding season, or when he hits a certain size. Bumping up the feeding is just a good way to curb biting while ensuring he is thick & healthy.

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Okay thats awesome Im going to defiantly bump his feeding up to 5 days and let him settle for at least 2 weeks or more and see what happens from there hopefully all of that will make him somewhat more settled down and calm while handling .It does make sense to me what your saying because #1 he ate for me after a day being in his new home which is a good sign #2 he was always fed live at the breeders and he excepted his first F/T rat from me ...So I'm pretty sure he is just a hungry little bugger I'm not going to give up but I'm just going to give him some time and feed every 5 days .... Thanks for your help I will keep you posted .

Thanks you Foschi Exotic Serpents !!

Just to add to all the great info already:

Once your about to enter your snakes enclosure you notcie he is hissing and in strike mode correct? One of the ways you can take him out of strike mode that I found helpful is have a spray bottle on hand. Spray it above the snake a couple times and then let it rain down on him if you will. This will completely change his mind about striking because what he/she thought was about to happen just took a completely different turn and has since put you back in control:gj:

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Originally Posted by Monster Dodge

Just to add to all the great info already:

Once your about to enter your snakes enclosure you notcie he is hissing and in strike mode correct? One of the ways you can take him out of strike mode that I found helpful is have a spray bottle on hand. Spray it above the snake a couple times and then let it rain down on him if you will. This will completely change his mind about striking because what he/she thought was about to happen just took a completely different turn and has since put you back in control:gj:

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No he isn't hissing all the time he did that to me once when I was touching him in his enclosure ... he is usually in strike mode Im pretty new to reading body language but if its that "S" shape than yes he is in striking mode .... mind you I haven't touched him since wednesday and I'm going to leave him alone for a few feedings and a few more weeks but I will defiantly use the spray bottle technique when Im ready to start handling him I guess it cant do any harm to do something to prevent him from striking . Thanks for all the advice and help

just thought I would add to this and give an update might be true or might just be stupid .

Pretty much other night I was just cleaning around my room and noticed some sticky stuff on the glass of the snakes tank (outside glass) ...so I started rubbing it off with my thumb and he tagged the glass scared the crap out of me and thought maybe he got hurt but he seemed fine ...So basically I haven't touched him in about 3 days and tonight I was just staring at him at the glass and I kind of put my finger on the glass to see what his body language would be and reaction ..He paused looked at it came closer and just turned away like it was nothing there showing no interest what so ever ...Just wondering could this be a step of a more comfort level ? Or is it just plain nothing ?

Just thought I would bring it up since anything can help me right now

Thanks again

Basically Im not going to lie I did not really listen to you guys about leaving him alone for another few weeks for him to calm down but basically I had to take him out today as he went to the bathroom in his hide were he was sitting so I had to get him out so I can clean up the mess ....But basically I did not get tagged or striked at today :D....I used the tap in the head technique and also covered him with a face towel that was small and lifted him out of the enclosure all went well .....He sat on my hand rolled up in a ball for about 3 mins then slowly started to pop his head out and before you know it he was just looking around and slithering threw my hands with no "S" posture what so ever ....He actually had his head stuck right out and just flicking his tongue around basically I handed the snake to my girlfriend and he was the same with here while I was cleaning his tank up .....I put him back and that was it happier than ever ....Im still going to leave him be for another feeding and a week or so but after todays event I'm really happy as it was almost a 100% turn around from the previous times ....So I'm sure bit more time and a couple of feedings this will pay off even more ..... just though I would share as I was pretty happy to see him that way

Let me know what you guys think

See. We told you. Never get discouraged. They always settle down eventually and even a feisty snake can be handled without being bitten :)

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Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

See. We told you. Never get discouraged. They always settle down eventually and even a feisty snake can be handled without being bitten :)

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I know Im no where near getting discouraged now ...Im just so happy from today its like the past three days that I didn't touch him he became a different snake if that the way he is now Im sure he will be 10 times better the next time in another week and after another feeding I will try again as I can see a major change in him today I couldn't believe he was just stretched out with his head and looking around ....So im just happy as ever I cant wait to hold him again but Im not going to rush I will leave him be so he doesn't think Im getting too excited lol

Thanks again for all the help !!!!!:)

Good luck with your BP, I'm glad to hear that he is starting to get comfortable.. All it really takes is time and patience.

So I got an update :D

Haven't touched my snake in about 5 days or so.... Once again he took his food monday no problem and boy did he hit it hard first try ......So today after he has digested I decided you know what let me see how he is going .... Well i didn't get bit so that was good but i found him not as stretched out as last weekend when I was holding him he really didn't move much besides just looking around with his neck but he would get really squirmy and almost like he was saying put me down ....I have noticed he has calmed down big time and so have I lol .... Just wondering you think he will be less squirmy in a few days or so maybe because he hasn't released his digested food yet..... as last week I held him after he went to the washroom and that when he was amazing just roaming around threw my hands nice and slow ... Just tonight he was pretty squirmy and wasn't moving much but I did notice after I would touch him in his tank he was not all tensed up like usual .... Just thought I would update and let me know what you think !

thanks again

Anyone ????

Glad to see things are getting better:gj:
Some take longer than others.;)

Just to add today I went in the tank for some handling with my ball python but he struck at me about 2 times again .... But I do believe he might be in the early shedding stages as his skin seems like there is a white haze over it and he looks pretty dull ....So yes I know and from what I have read you should be handling your ball python during the shedding period so I left him be as he seemed really aggressive today ..... Just wondering should I proceed with my regular feeding schedule or should I wait until the shed is over ? And if i don't feed him will this affect his feeding response or screw anything up ?

You can always offer feed, if he takes it or not is up to him.