Ball python and biting

I just went to remove my ball python from the lamp.(A turned off cold lamp)

It started hissing at me. I stopped what I was doing and descided to try again later.

Do they ever strike out of anger or fear?

i had that happen to me before. i would say it struck me out of fear because i reached in without knowing where my bp was

Fear, stress or because you smell like food are probably the most common reasons for getting bit. Some animals are hissier than others, but I find that it's usually when they're stressed or scared. If I sneak up on one of my snakes they might hiss. New animals that aren't quite used to their surroundings or have recently been moved to a new enclosure might get hissy.

Hissing doesn't actually mean they're going to strike. Just letting you know they're unhappy. Probably a good idea to take it slow and deliberate if your snake is giving you fair warning. Some people might tell you not to back down to your animal when hissing or they will learn that they can scare you away by hissing. I personally don't think they're quite that bright. =)

Thank you for nice answers.

I dont think their quite that bright either. Owning a snake is totally new to me and I need to feel comfortable before picking it up for the first time.

You can use a hand towel to cover your ball python if you ever need to remove it from its enclosure or move it from somewhere like you needed to tonight..

If its acting defensive, just lay a small towel over its head and then quickly scoop it up. Or like tonight, hold the towel over its head with one hand while using your other hand to unwrap it.

I believe your new one is just stressed from the move and new environment. Once you have it's enclosure properly set up with proper heat, humidity, hides, and it's eating well for you, I'm sure everything will change. It also may not have been handled very much at its previous home.

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Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

You can use a hand towel to cover your ball python if you ever need to remove it from its enclosure or move it from somewhere like you needed to tonight..

If its acting defensive, just lay a small towel over its head and then quickly scoop it up. Or like tonight, hold the towel over its head with one hand while using your other hand to unwrap it.

I believe your new one is just stressed from the move and new environment. Once you have it's enclosure properly set up with proper heat, humidity, hides, and it's eating well for you, I'm sure everything will change. It also may not have been handled very much at its previous home.

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Thank you for the tip. I will try that.


The previous owner seemed like he just had it because it was cool. He didn´t seem like a geek about it as I am. I cant wait to get the thermostat by mail. This lamp he had installed was inside the cage until now.

The thermometer says 82,5 in the hotspot.

I have a hisser....she's never struck at me. Go figure.

My pine snake never fails to rattle and hiss and do all sorts of acrobatics when I open her enclosure, but is absolutely fine once I've got her in hand. Silly thing.

Nova (female fire BP) will also hiss and get into strike pose almost every time I open her tub. While I know the bites wouldn't hurt, I don't go out of my way to -get- bitten, so I'll usually let her watch one hand while I scoop her up mid-body with the other. Absolutely fine once that's done, should probably change her name to drama queen.

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Originally Posted by Fidget

I have a hisser....she's never struck at me. Go figure.

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I have 2 like that. hiss like crazy but never strike. the one i have that has bit me a million times has never hissed once.

my female hisses alot. i pick her up and she is fine. maybe thats just bcause she is a month old

I haven't been bitten, hissed at, or even had Ajja roll up into a defensive little ball. The most defensive thing she's done is pulled her head back into her hide. Interestingly enough, she only did that in her old tank. I'm pretty sure it had something to do with me approaching her from above. Now that I have a tank with front doors, I'm approaching her on her level. I also handle her every day for at least a few minutes.

A couple of tips -
If your tank opens from the top, put your hand into the tank from the other side and move your hand toward her slowly. If you reach in directly from the top, she'll think you're a predator.

Get her used to your scent. Snakes can identify things by smell. Pre-scenting and braining are perfect examples of this. If you're not going to handle her every day, at least put your hand in the tank so she can smell you.

Watch her tongue. If she's flicking it for a few seconds rather than just one or two quick flicks, she's trying to figure out what you are. You don't smell like food, so what are you.

Snakes don't typically hiss at prey, so I'm pretty confident this is a defensive action as opposed to a feeding response. Just to be on the safe side though -

Don't handle rodents with bare hands. If you're warm and smell like a mouse, you're a mouse.

Don't be the warmest thing in the tank. Rinse your hands with cold water for a minute or two before you go sticking mice in there. Remember the scene in "Predator" where Arnold covers himself in mud to hide his heat signature? Yeah, it's like that.

Hold her food with forceps or hemostats, not your fingers. While there are a few BP's out there that will gently take a mouse without striking or constricting, most will strike, and they're not always accurate.