Aggresive ball...

Well this is my first herp ever and I love it, BUT I have become afraid of it. When ever I change the water or just stand in front of the tank to check humidity he strikes out like he's nuts! He bit a buddy of mine who came over when I went to clean his tank, he reached in to grab him and whack, he got bit! It's only been 3mnths and don't want to give up , any help is glady appreciated!

try dropping a towel over him and then taking him out of his tank.
is he still nippy when he is out?
how old is he?

also make sure everything is right and he has a couple good hides:gj:

Is your husbandry correct? He may be very uncomfortable causing him to be defensive...what are your temps, humidity, setup?

Well as far as age I was told a lil over a year and a half, I'm not 100% positive. It wasn't like that at the begining, I would take her out and handle it here and there so my 5yr old daughter wouldn't be scared of it. Temp is alway between 78-81 & humidity is 48 to 55 at times.



http://m194.photobucket.com/albumvie...LyoMzErgb6Z4cc

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Originally Posted by Ofromda860

Temp is alway between 78-81 & humidity is 48 to 55 at times.

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Those temps are fine for the cool side, what about the hot side?
I would rather see humidity a little higher but that is not too bad.

Agreed, those are great temps for the cool side but hot side should be up to about 90, no more than 92. How do you read temps and humidity?

And what about hide boxes? BPs can get very defensive if they don't feel secure in their environment. He needs a hide on the hot side and one on the cool side. And if the cage is too big, that could contribute to the problem too. You might have to 'clutter it up' a bit to help him feel more secure. What do you have in there now?

Also, you shouldn't just "reach in and grab" him. Go slow and gentle. Ella couldn't be more docile, but I still gently stroke her for a moment before picking her up. It lets them know you're there and you aren't food. When they're prepared, they're much easier to handle.

How often are you feeding and what prey size? He may be snapping if he's hungry, if the prey size is too small, etc.....

I agree. Put a towel over him when doing cage maintenance. My female pastel is cage aggressive and that is what I do. Her temps are on target but still. Some bp's are just like that sometimes. He may even grow out of it. Mine is fine when being handled. Is yours?

Just reach in and grab him. Sure, you'll be biten a few times, but it will learn that you are not going to give in to him. I believe many snakes will show this agression by your actions. If you reach in to pick him up and he strikes at you, he's learned how to control his environment. If he does this a few times and you stop reaching in to pick him up, he's won. Reach in, get bit or wear gloves the first few times if you need to, but never give up. If you reach in to pick him up, do it. Even if you only hold him for 1-2 minutes. Show him he's your pet and not the other way around.

One caviat. I have a female lesser that's about the same age as your snake, and she's been a biter since day one. She thinks she's a viper. She hisses to the point that the wife questioned what that noise was while in the other room.

Getting bit is just one part of snake ownership. It's going to happen, get used to it. After the first dozen bites or so, you'll realize it's the shock of the strike and the bite isn't all that bad.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

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Originally Posted by j_h_smith

just reach in and grab him. Sure, you'll be biten a few times, but it will learn that you are not going to give in to him. I believe many snakes will show this agression by your actions. If you reach in to pick him up and he strikes at you, he's learned how to control his environment. If he does this a few times and you stop reaching in to pick him up, he's won. Reach in, get bit or wear gloves the first few times if you need to, but never give up. If you reach in to pick him up, do it. Even if you only hold him for 1-2 minutes. Show him he's your pet and not the other way around.

One caviat. I have a female lesser that's about the same age as your snake, and she's been a biter since day one. She thinks she's a viper. She hisses to the point that the wife questioned what that noise was while in the other room.

Getting bit is just one part of snake ownership. It's going to happen, get used to it. After the first dozen bites or so, you'll realize it's the shock of the strike and the bite isn't all that bad.

Good luck!
Jim smith

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agree 100%

I tend to like the aggressive ones :) just means they need help plus I dont mind being bitten I have walked around my house with a bp hanging off my wrist lol and ive been bitten on the lip by a red tail boa and on the nose by a bull snake :D

When I first got my ball python from the store, they had two in stock. I ended up getting the 'mean' one (or so they said) because of his size and because he is a fierce eater. I had his cage set up and heated, so when I got back to my apartment, he could hide and get used to his surroundings. So far, he has yet to strike at me. Because they had him pegged as the mean one (the employee even pulled down her long sleeve shirt in case he bit her), I made sure to monitor how I handled him. This includes:
-making sure the temps and humidity are in range
-not moving my hand in front of his face when I pick him up
-not handling him too often (even though its tempting!)

Good luck though. On the bright side, having bite marks on your hands and arms can make you look pretty hardcore.

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Originally Posted by LGray23

Agreed, those are great temps for the cool side but hot side should be up to about 90, no more than 92. How do you read temps and humidity?

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Sorry for taking so long to respond, I've been on vacation. I really am a "newb" when it comes to pythons, so what do u mean by cool/hot side? There is a big rock cave in it's 29 gallon tank where she spends most of the day. As far as how i measure temps, I'm using what came with my "starter tank". What do you recommend?

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Originally Posted by Evenstar

How often are you feeding and what prey size? He may be snapping if he's hungry, if the prey size is too small, etc.....

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I was told to feed him every other week but I noticed he was still kinda hungry. I looked around online and started feeding him 2 live mice every Sunday...

Screen top?
Belly heat?

Make sure he has belly heat and a ceramic heat emmiter works great, if you have any type of heat lamp scrap it and replace it with a che.

1.5 year old he should be eating small rat every week or very large mouse every 5 days. Rats are way better, depending on his size a 45-60 gram rat should leave a lump unless he is on the bigger size.

And you will also need a thermostat to control the temps

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Originally Posted by rperry03

Screen top?
Belly heat?

Make sure he has belly heat and a ceramic heat emmiter works great, if you have any type of heat lamp scrap it and replace it with a che.

1.5 year old he should be eating small rat every week or very large mouse every 5 days. Rats are way better, depending on his size a 45-60 gram rat should leave a lump unless he is on the bigger size.

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Glass aquarium, screened lock lid & 75% of the top covered with aluminum foil. Oh yeah I have a Zoo Med UTH in there as well. One of my buddies suggested placing the hide box over the area where the UTH is? Does that sound good for my bp?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rperry03

Screen top?
Belly heat?

Make sure he has belly heat and a ceramic heat emmiter works great, if you have any type of heat lamp scrap it and replace it with a che.

1.5 year old he should be eating small rat every week or very large mouse every 5 days. Rats are way better, depending on his size a 45-60 gram rat should leave a lump unless he is on the bigger size.

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Not trying to call you out but...
Ceramic heat emitters, I thought, were supposedly very dangerous to the snake?
And the snake should only be fed a mouse/rat that is about the same size around as the biggest part of the snake itself. This should be done every 5 - 7 days for younger snakes, and every 7 days for older ones. All snakes are different, their snake may not be able to handle a 45-60 gram rat/mouse at the moment, or it may not be enough.

What do you have controlling the temp of the uth? They can get over 120 depending on the size.
I would look into a 60 or 100 watt heat emitter and a thermostat that controls the emitter and uth.

You need hides on both sides so they will regulate their temps themselves.

i've had some similar problems with Mr. Stubbs lately. he likes to hiss and has struck at me a few times thru the glass. (i kind of chalked that up to the fact it was feeding day) I will definitely have to watch his humidity levels. usually after i've pet him for a bit, he will calm down, and once he is out of his cage, he's a very active lil explorer, but calm as ever...

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Originally Posted by rperry03

What do you have controlling the temp of the uth? They can get over 120 depending on the size.
I would look into a 60 or 100 watt heat emitter and a thermostat that controls the emitter and uth.

You need hides on both sides so they will regulate their temps themselves.

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I have no lights at all, there is enough ambient light in my home.As far as size for UTH, It was the one recommended for a 29 gallon tank which is what I own. Says 80 watts. I do not have anything controlling the temps, big newb mistake I guess. Off to the pet shop I go, lol.

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Originally Posted by jujuju

Not trying to call you out but...
Ceramic heat emitters, I thought, were supposedly very dangerous to the snake?
And the snake should only be fed a mouse/rat that is about the same size around as the biggest part of the snake itself. This should be done every 5 - 7 days for younger snakes, and every 7 days for older ones. All snakes are different, their snake may not be able to handle a 45-60 gram rat/mouse at the moment, or it may not be enough.

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If his snake is over a year old it should be able to eat a rat that size, but you are right and that is why I also said depending on the size. I have a 200 gram 2yr old rtb that was underfed when I got her. She eats a 65 gram rat and leaves a little lump.

I have never heard a che being dangerous since it's only heat.
What or why have you heard that they are bad?

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Originally Posted by Ofromda860

I have no lights at all, there is enough ambient light in my home.As far as size for UTH, It was the one recommended for a 29 gallon tank which is what I own. Says 80 watts. I do not have anything controlling the temps, big newb mistake I guess. Off to the pet shop I go, lol.

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Unfortunately it cost more money than some think for a setup. I bet the bottom is realllly hot since it is a med or lrg uth. Dimmer at home depot or lowes will work temporally but a digital thermostat works best. Try a 60 watt lamp and heat emitter

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

Familiarize yourself with the information on this sheet and follow it. If the snake is still bitey afterwards, then maybe you just have one of those snakes, but I would believe he's a little upset about being just a little too cold all the time.

Oh and if his belly is that warm then he is probably digesting his food quickly

I made a mistake when I moved and instead of plugging the power strip into the thermostat I plugged it into straight power, I came back 10 min later and the digital thermo indicated 136 and 2 bp's and boa were all on top of their hides trying to get away from the heat

everyones got you covered with the handling,heating,heating controllers and placement of hiding spots.
someone mentioned size of hiding spots.if your avatar is your setup then to me that hiding cave looks too big and there is too much open area in that tank.cluttering it would be good.i dont know though considering the pic doesnt show much and there wasnt specific descriptions of everything.and i agree with j h smith.just do it,dont be scared,you will be bit and thats the risk you take owning any pet(that can bite).snakie needs to get used to you being in his space for cleaning and such.

id say a che is only dangerous if snakie can get in contact with it and or its not regulated by a thermostat.

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Originally Posted by rperry03

I have never heard a che being dangerous since it's only heat.
What or why have you heard that they are bad?

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I've heard about it and actually had a friend experience theirs shorting out and losing control of their heat, which ended up frying their baby burmese. :( They were pretty devastated, which is the reason I spoke up. They had it on a thermostat, but both shorted at the same time. (They believe it was a power surge) But it's one's own choice, I myself just don't trust them lol

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Originally Posted by mark and marley

everyones got you covered with the handling,heating,heating controllers and placement of hiding spots.
someone mentioned size of hiding spots.if your avatar is your setup then to me that hiding cave looks too big and there is too much open area in that tank.cluttering it would be good.i dont know though considering the pic doesnt show much and there wasnt specific descriptions of everything.and i agree with j h smith.just do it,dont be scared,you will be bit and thats the risk you take owning any pet(that can bite).snakie needs to get used to you being in his space for cleaning and such.

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Just took it 5 mins ago...

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z...602_151003.jpg

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Originally Posted by jujuju

I've heard about it and actually had a friend experience theirs shorting out and losing control of their heat, which ended up frying their baby burmese. :( They were pretty devastated, which is the reason I spoke up. They had it on a thermostat, but both shorted at the same time. (They believe it was a power surge) But it's one's own choice, I myself just don't trust them lol

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That would be why you do not put them in the enclosure;)

Just saw your pic and if someone wants to correct me please do so, but he should have no problem taking a sm to md rat. I would try a small then adjust as neccesary.

How's the heat after your trip to the store?

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Originally Posted by rperry03

Just saw your pic and if someone wants to correct me please do so, but he should have no problem taking a sm to md rat. I would try a small then adjust as neccesary.

How's the heat after your trip to the store?

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Well after looking around, I think I'm better off ordering online which I did. As far as the sm rat u were absolutely right, he took him just fine. At first I thought he was way to big but down he went. He seems to b contempt as well!

In my experience some snakes just bite. I have a mojave that is ruthless and he is handled on a regular basis. I have also had a burm that i got as a hatchling that waited til he was 14foot long to bite me(that one hurt). I hope ur lil guy calms down for you but do keep in mind it is a snake.

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Originally Posted by j_h_smith

Just reach in and grab him. Sure, you'll be biten a few times, but it will learn that you are not going to give in to him. I believe many snakes will show this agression by your actions. If you reach in to pick him up and he strikes at you, he's learned how to control his environment. If he does this a few times and you stop reaching in to pick him up, he's won. Reach in, get bit or wear gloves the first few times if you need to, but never give up. If you reach in to pick him up, do it. Even if you only hold him for 1-2 minutes. Show him he's your pet and not the other way around.

One caviat. I have a female lesser that's about the same age as your snake, and she's been a biter since day one. She thinks she's a viper. She hisses to the point that the wife questioned what that noise was while in the other room.

Getting bit is just one part of snake ownership. It's going to happen, get used to it. After the first dozen bites or so, you'll realize it's the shock of the strike and the bite isn't all that bad.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

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I dont know if I blindly agree with that. With my kids yes I take that approach however I dont think intentionally letting your snake bite you is a good idea. I have been bitter many times as any real snake owner will and I agree its no worse than a small cat scratch but to do it intentionally. I dont know about that