Does my ball want to bite me?

So my ball hasn't struck at me yet, but I feel like he wants to soooo bad. I just fed him sat, so I gave him time to chill out and was gonna take him out today.... But he is eyeing me!! Even putting his face at the entrance of his hide in strike position. Is he just checking me out, or waiting for a chance to strike??

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http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/02/06/8agebe3u.jpg

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Yes, he is in hunting or defensive mode and looks like he will strike. It's nothing to be concerned about, it's what snakes do. Especially young snakes. :) If you want to handle him, the best way to go about it is to remove his hide and slowly grab him from behind. It's still not a guarantee that he won't try to bite, but most of the will mellow out once you hold them.

Little ones can have a little spunk to them, they are pretty small and think everything is trying to eat them.

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Originally Posted by Rob

Little ones can have a little spunk to them, they are pretty small and think everything is trying to eat them.

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Lol good way to put it.

I used to have a brb, and he would do this to me daily but never struck at me once. He was supposed to be mildly aggressive but I fell like this little lesser has twice as much spunk and won't hesitate to strike me.

I've owned 2 balls before and they were never this aggressive... Maybe since he is a lesser, he has more tude? Lol

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To find out for sure put your hand in the entrance.

That said you could also try this.
My ball will come check out what is going on anytime I move around in her cage. She does the same thing your pics show but she has never tagged me, or tried. But I have never tried my above advise. I pick up the hide and let her see its me, then pick her up without issue.

I really doubt your ball is wanting to strike you, not saying it never will. My GTP will usually come check me out when his glass slides open and every once in awhile he decides to see how I taste. Its part of the hobby. If you handle enough snakes one is eventually gonna pop your cherry.

I have some super gory pics of a GTP bite on my profile. Don't show them to children!

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Originally Posted by DeathByDabs

... Maybe since he is a lesser, he has more tude?

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Lol nah, they all have their own unique personalities.

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Originally Posted by KMG

To find out for sure put your hand in the entrance.

That said you could also try this.
My ball will come check out what is going on anytime I move around in her cage. She does the same thing your pics show but she has never tagged me, or tried. But I have never tried my above advise. I pick up the hide and let her see its me, then pick her up without issue.

I really doubt your ball is wanting to strike you, not saying it never will. My GTP will usually come check me out when his glass slides open and every once in awhile he decides to see how I taste. Its part of the hobby. If you handle enough snakes one is eventually gonna pop your cherry.

I have some super gory pics of a GTP bite on my profile. Don't show them to children!

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Ohh I've owned corns, balls, and a brb. My cherry was broken when I was about 5, catching Gartner snakes here in Oregon. I managed to find a hatchling red racer, and he decided to latch onto my finger haha. Since then I've been bitten maybe 5 or so times.

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Yeah he probably wants to bite you, but it's just gonna happen. it won't hurt (: it'll startle you more than anything.

Well I took him out and handled him for a few minutes and no strike. He did look like he was about to a few times lol.

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Originally Posted by Rob

Lol nah, they all have their own unique personalities.

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This is definitely true, but my lesser is nasty. :rofl:

This is what I get when I open his door. Sometimes he is a puppy and sometimes he is nippy.

http://i1151.photobucket.com/albums/...ps24e98710.jpg

He's just showing you how big and bad he is, and that he's not to be messed with. I think it's adorable. Especially when they are little, striking out and balling up are pretty much the only means of defense they have.

I've had a number of babies who snapped at me every chance they got. It made me laugh. Once they tried it for a little while, and realized 1) I wasn't scared of their bluff, and 2) I wasn't going to eat them anytime I opened the tub, they quit. Well, most of them did. Every so often you get a particularly spunky one that takes a while to outgrow that phase. I've got a normal girl now who's around 6 months old, and she still likes to play guard dog. Fortunately for me, I still find it funny.

Gale

The more you handle him the more tame he'll be. I wait for my young bp to come out of her hide before I handle her. I give her a little touch so she knows I'm coming then I get her, nice and slowly. She used to look defensive now she's totally cool and relaxed.


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