Am I disturbing my Ball Pythons too much??

:?: Okay, I admit that I am a beginning herper and I may at times ask questions that seem rather simplistic so I will apologize if that is the case.My main question is : If your Ball Pythons are curled up in their hide is it stressful for them if you pull them out to interact with them or spray them with vitamin spray or anything else that could be intrusive to them??I ask this because my new Ball Apok seemed to get angry at me last nite and he struck out at me and nailed me.The bite was nothing to even trip on but I feel bad that I may have aggravated him to the point where he felt he had to lash out.I blame myself for his behavior....perhaps I rousted him when he was asleep and started messing with him so I deserved his wrath. :shock: :(

Apok is my newest snake and I want to acclimate him to being handled so he will be as docile as Trinity and Cypher...do any of you guys and gals have any suggestions on how to tame down a feisty ball Python ....??? he sorta has a bit of a mean streak...actually he even looks a bit meaner than my other BPs...sorta has a a wedge shaped head and light golden eyes with visible slit pupils.He is a beautiful snake and I am quite impressed with him but I dont want to stress him out by messing with him too much.
:wink: :)

EyeLashViper

try to interact with him on the nights.(that is usually when he'll be moving around the tank)that way you don't wake him up and start pplaying with him when he was sleeping because that can really stress them.
Jesús

If you haven't already done so, let your BP acclimate for about a week before you try to interact with it. I know this may sound kind of crazy, but when you go to pick him up rub one of his sides with your fingure so that he knows your there. And if/when he gets into his ball do not try to undo him. When mine would do that I would pick him and sit down and place him on my stomach and just let him sit there for about 5 to 10 mintues, don't touch him while he is just sitting there. He should come out of his ball, and if he does not do this whenever you go to handle him and he should more tame and start to develop more trust in you as time goes on. Hope that this helps.

You could also try putting one of your T-shirts in the cage with him so he can get used to your scent without being disturbed. :) I don't know how successful that 'method' is, but I've heard good things about it. Good luck with him. :)

BPs can stress out very easily. When I get a new BP, I leave it alone totally for about 2 weeks or until it has eaten a few times. If stressed, they can go off feed. I also noticed that you said something about 'vitamin spray'......Snakes egt all the vitamins they need from the food they eat. Supplementation is not needed therefore.

well put david. he pretty much summed it up.

Thanks.....any way I can help. :)

This probably seems like a silly question, but I'll ask anyway. How bad does it hurt when you get bit by a bp? I am completely new to owning a snake and I sometimes get a little hesitant to holding my bp in fear of getting bit. He has only struck at me one time. But that was when he was first getting ready to shed.

if he does bite you, it will scare you more than hurt you. just like a firm pinch with a few small spikes, might break the skin if he gets you good. but don't be afraid of the bite at all, i've felt more pain from stubbing my toe.

The important thing is to try and not jerk back....this can yank out teeth and maybe send your snake flying......I've dont this before and I felt really bad afterwards, lol.

heck yeah, good point david. also, the more you draw back the more it's gonna hurt (bleed).

Picking tiny teeth out of your hand/fingers is no fun either.....for you or the snake. Ripping out teeth like that could lead to gum infections, which can be MEGA hard to treat in small snakes especially.

i will admit this, being bitten by a bp isn't exactly a cake-walk as opposed to some of the smaller species of snakes i've owned, such as kings and corns.

btw, david... great av bro.

Wizill, we don't like each other but let me give you some advice. That t-shirt trick that emroul works great, you may also want to put him in a snake bag or pillowcase and put him in your lap while you kickback. I did this to tame a blood that I had and a 7 foot boa that had an attitude. I tried this with the wc bp's that I sold but they were too nippy, to tell you the truth those were the "meanest" snakes that I've ever came across. I don't like using the word "mean" when it comes to snakes, specially imports but I couldn't think of a better word. Anyways, that's my advice.

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Originally Posted by Wizill

btw, david... great av bro.

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Thanks man.....its one of my baby ATBs.

LOL...eyelashviper started this thread not wizill. Dang, I need some coffee to wake up.

Umm..yeah..I sort of like to mist my BPs with this humidifying vitamin spray for their skin.Maybe it is all baloney but I sort of get a good feeling out of it.I mean I would share my bed with my BPs if I thought it would help them in anyway ya know??? I think I need to let Apok acclimate for another few weeks before I really start working with him as far as taming..thanks for all the info everybody!!!

EyeLashViper

Wait.....a "humidifying vitamin spray"? I'm not attacking you or anything, but there is this humidfying spray out there that is FREE.....its called WATER, lol. Like I said before, Snakes get all of the vitamins and nutrients they need from the prey they consume. Supplementation is not necessary.

i never asked for advice on this matter, but thanks i guess.