Dealing with Aggression...

So one of my new guys is consistently displaying aggression every time I check on him or try to clean (let alone try to handle!) He was in shed for the last week, so I assumed that was all it is, but he is done and still reeeeallyy pissed. He's now struck at me 4 times. I haven't dealt with aggression before in any of my snakes so I'm not quite sure what to do. Suggestions?

All conditions are good, he's on heat, humidity is up, plenty of water, etc. He just shed and had a huge poop, so everything is good otherwise.

how old is he?

He's about a year old

he may have just not been handled much. as long as the husbandry is spot on there isn't much else you can do except be patient and try n work with him. take him out every once in a while even if he's being nippy. if you have to, put a towel or something over his head while you pick him up. usually once you're holding them they chill out a little. sometimes they're just mean. like people.

Try covering the fronts and sides of the tub or terrarium with construction paper or something so he cant see out/ you cant see in. It willmake him feel more safe. It helped my aggressive Mojave A LOT. He will also probably calm down with age as well. You just have to keep trying to handle him until he realizes you're not going to eat him. Good luck.

You may also want to give him time and let him settle in for a while longer. Some snakes get really uncomfortable with a change in scenery, and the combination of change, new person, and frequent checks may just be making him freak out.

The suggestions to help him feel more secure in his enclosure were great; that may help as well.

-Jen

Another question to ask is what are your EXACT temps, cage set up, heat lamp/UTH, and is your heat source regulated by a thermostat.

These will help to diagnose the cause.

Things have gone really well with him so far! I covered his head with a cloth (which he struck at) and then picked him up from behind and he eventually calmed down. He is extremely jumpy and nervous, so I think that's all it is. Held him again today with no issue and no signs of aggression. He just needs slow, gentle movements. All my other new kids are doing great as well :) So happy! Oy...two weeks ago I only had one snake...how quickly things multiply! :) :snake: I'll post pictures as soon as they all seem comfortable enough and have eaten well.

Temps are ~85 in on the warm side and ~78 on the cold side, they're on paper towels in 15qt tubs with about 48% humidity. Temp gun is in the mail, so I'm hoping to confirm my temps soon! I think he just needed to see that the big scary face in front of him wont hurt him. He is a fire after all, so he's living up to his genes! :P

Good luck, these snakes do seem a bit timid but, also a snake that can learn in a limited fashion.
He could be genuinely afraid and will calm down quickly with regular handling or he may have even learned that aggression displays lead to him being left alone.
The second one might take a few extra weeks of handling to overcome unless he decides that handling is something he actually doesn't mind.

Is he well fed or on the thinner side? I have a couple girls that were underweight and were pretty aggressive. Now that they put on weight, only one of them is still aggressive, but she could stand to put on some more weight. I would say just give him some time and maybe he will calm down.

He is the chubbiest snake I've ever seen haha. He just ate for me tonight too with zero issues.

I def think the best suggestion youve been given so far is covering the inside walls of his tub.
I would def do that and see what happens.

It could be possible that without even handling/checking up on him, you could be freaking him out.
He could just about start to feel comfortable n then you walk in front of his tub and all he sees is a big shadow flash by and get spooked again.

in nature, anything that picks them up is a predator that will hurt them.


so the python just needs to learn that you are not a threat. Take him out and hold him until he calms down (this can take a while), then hold him for a little while longer, and put him back. repeat.

Also, its not agression or agressive behavior, its defensive behavior. BPs bite humans either because they mistake your hand / body warmth for food, in that case its an error / accident, or they bite because they see you as a predator.

You just need to get him to realize that you are not food and not a threat. Once the snake gets that one lesson, its calm and tame. so picking him up and holding him until he stops to struggle and calms down, and then holding him for a little longer is the way to go.

Best Regards and good luck!

Like I said previously, it definitely isn't just plain old aggression, he's in a new place and is scared. I've held him a few times now and he calms down pretty quick but is nervous and jumpy, so we're just working together slowly :). His tub has been covered for the past few days and he just ate for me last night. Thank you for all your suggestions!