Nippy Ball Python

OK now that i got this new wonderful and not to mention too cute baby ball python he has been really nippy with me. When i go in to check on him i lift his hide and he "balls" right away if i put my hand close he will try to bite me he has made contact but he never opens his mouth. Does anyone here have a baby ball that is defensive or are the babies generaly more nippy.

Hatchling snakes are always a little nippy. But with some handling, they (most of them) will calm down as time goes on, and they get use to you.

my snake balls up like crazy (he's a year old) and one of my buddies the other night touched the top of his head (he didn't know any better and I neglected to explain that BPs are head shy) and he didn't even bite just balled up into my hand.. I think he's starting to consider me safe territory which is nice. The nipping will subside as he or she ages a bit. :)

Bob is such a big chicken butt the only time I would call him nippy is if he was cold. But yeah they do calm down with handling and age

I went home today during lunch and took out Coco for a little while and he seemed fine he crawled around my arms and my hand tasting the air. Maybe he woke up on the wrong side of the Sterilite and was in a bad mood LOL.

I would really like to think that Amber recognizes me as her primary caregiver at least. As far as handling goes, shes squirms a lot when other people hold her, yet I can sit and watch tv and she will just hang out on my lap or around my neck calm as can be. I'm thinking that they recognize a certain scent of trait of us that they associate with security.

So to answer your question- he will calm down with time. Also, don't reward aggressive behavior. For example, if you go to pick him up and he strikes, make sure that you don't just give up. Eventually they will figure out that you are no threat to them and they will be comfortable being held.

My friend's BP is calm as can be when being handled and comes out of the cage without any quirms...but then he starts to freak out when you go to put him back in his cage. He never wants to go back in!

Thats interesting because there was a thread not too long ago about that very topic. I think ball pythons definitely know who is handling them. My older BP Jojo rode all over town with me yesterday and i showed him to my inlaws and my family. Lots of people were holding him and petting him and he didnt seem to mind at all. Lots of people who were scared of snakes touched him and were pleasently surprized about the feeling of his skin (he shed on friday) which was very soft. He is such a good boy he makes me so proud :cry: LOL. I hope with constant handling that Coco will no longer see me as a threat but as a handler.

I dont have a baby ball, but my new rescued addition (which is approx. 1 year old) has recently been very nippy. The first week that I had him he never stuck out once. But the last week or so he has stuck out at the air 3 to 4 times. Once he actually made contact with my hand, but did not bite, more of a bump. I dont know why he has decided to do this unless he is trying to lash out at all the mishandling he recieved before I got him. I will continue to handle him a few times a week until (hopefully) he stops this behavior. I hope he will become as docile as Monty Joe. Monty Joe has never even acted like he would stike out while being held.

Maybe some work gloves will work untill he knows that you are not a threat.

The nippy ones are the best! They look so cute trying to bite at you.

Yes, and it does not hurt much when you do get tagged by one. My little Bela tried biting me the instant I opened her shipping box. Nothing in the world is cuter than that site was!
But it can be a pain when they are bigger and trying to bite you. I think it usually cools down by the time they grow, though, if you regularly handle them.

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Originally Posted by Ginevive

But it can be a pain when they are bigger and trying to bite you.

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This is very true with any large python a friend of mine has a 16' Female Burmese. One day he went in her enclosure to change the water and clean up some waste. When he was cleaning I noticed that Tiny was tracking him. I told him you better get out of there. Right when he closed the door to the enclosure she struck and missed him by a matter of inches. We just figured she was cranky because she is always such a sweetheart. My point is that a cranky ball python aint too bad but a cranky 16' burmese is a snake to be reckoned with. Well we were trying to figure out why she was tracking him and then he remembered that the pants he was were sitting on top of the cage where he breeds his feeders.

I think it's pretty common for balls that have been seriously ill in some way to be nippy and/or grouchy when they're really on the road to recovery. Snyder did that, but she did calm back down after a month or two of regular handling.