Cage neglected python, what to do?

Hi all,

I recently acquired a 4' adult ball python through adoption. He seems perfectly healthy, and gorgeous to all outward appearances. However, his previous owner never handled him, outside when she absolutely HAD to, for cage cleaning and the like. She had him for 2 years, and she'd rescued him from a son's friend, so I don't know if he ever handled the poor guy either. :( Now, when I first met him, I put my hand in the cage for a moment, about 8 inches away from him to let him smell me, and after a few seconds, he struck and got me pretty good. I've had him for a few days, and haven't tried to handle him, as to let him get acclimated to his new environment. He doesn't seem aggressive to the point of striking when I pass his tank, and neither has he hid every time I see him, but he does seem.... Wary. He's also tried to escape his cage at least twice, but been thwarted but the perforated metal sheeting on top of his tank. What should I do? I really want to be able to handle this snake, and have him be reasonably tame, he's too beautiful and majestic to let languish in a tank. I could really use some advice. Thanks in advance to everyone.

The best way is to just keep handling him. Try to pick him up a few times a day and just let him move over you. Do it seated so that he doesn't fall. Don't touch his head.

Give him time to settle into new home and then when time comes just pick him up. Sometimes its all you can do

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try to get him up with a hook, then move him to your hand, once they are up they are much less likely to strike. remember snakes dont like human interaction. they tolerate it.

Because a BP is not handled does not mean he is "neglected" ;)

Ball pythons do fine even if they are never held, they are not once of those species where regular handling is required in order to have an animal that is handleable.

Let it settle, once settled feed it and then start handling for brief period of time.

I would not dangle your hand in front of his ace. It's a reasonable heat source that resembles food items dangled in front of him.

Just pick him up from behind gently and handle him so he won't think he'll fall. Support as much of him as possible, not just in a couple spots.

Most BPs really don't need or desire to be handled and most don't seem to need "taming". They do just as well being handled gently once a year as handled every couple days, at least the ones I have dealt with personally.

The more you handle him, the more he will realize it's not harmful, but snakes have a limited amount of learning/intelligence for things too.

I agree with above, definitely don't hold your hand in front of his face. I'm pretty sure that a couple of my snakes would strike at me if I did that too, but they're very easily handled and are not aggressive at all otherwise.

The best way to get the striking habit out of him is to just continue to handle him as was said. Give him a couple weeks to settle in without handling him, and then you can start taking him out for little periods at a time. A couple minutes for the first few times, and then slowly increase the duration of the handling every time.

As far as getting him out of the cage, your best bet is to either just go in there and just kind of confidently pick him up around the middle of his body. If you don't hesitate he'll be less likely to strike at you, and once he's out just move very slowly and deliberately so that you don't spook him. If you really have a hard time just getting your hand in the cage, then as someone already said you can invest in a small snake hook to get him out of the cage with and transfer him to your hands once he's out. Most snakes are much easier to handle once they're out of the cage.

I'd make sure he has had two or three meals with you before progressing. Personally I'd try a few things first. wear a scrap of cloth for a day or so and then place it inside the enclosure with him. It likely doesn't work but the idea being he will acclimatize to your scent. I would just touch his sides in the enclosure make no attempt to pick him up until he makes no major move when touched. It may take a week or a month. then pick him up and just sit with him like others have suggested. Patience is needed he needs to make the adjustment between threat to object.

I would agree with the above statements. First thing is to let the snake settle in and be feeding regularly before any attempt to handle it. Once it's established I would just open the cage and pick it up gently but deliberately. Bp's are not very prone to biting and just because one hasn't been handled doesn't make it any more prone to that behavior than one that hasn't IMO. Snakes in general do not require nor do the enjoy interaction with people. They are solitary animals and in the wild only make contact with other animals for feeding, breeding and sharing hibernation dens. The rest of the time they are perfectly happy to be left alone.

It's not a dog it's a snake. You don't dangle your hand in front of its face to let him smell you. That is just asking to get bit.

And a snake not being handled isn't a bad thing. They don't want to be handled, we just want to handle them. They tolerate it but would prefer if you didn't. If they were still getting proper care but not being handled regularly that's not neglect. The snake would prefer it that way.

How's your set up?
Balls don't strike for no reason. Are you sure he's being aggressive and not defensive? Aside from the hand thing, does his enclosure have enough security? Is he hungry? These could also be related to striking.

Personally, I only handle my snakes during cleaning time. Sometimes other rare occasions. They don't like being held, just simply tolerate it. Never had any of my snakes strike, be aggressive, or act 'unsocialized'.

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Mine really only get handled for cleaning. Some can be a little twitchy or head shy, but that's pretty normal. I also have some that are extremely tame and will lay in your lap for hours, even though they are only handled once a week for a few seconds. Those few snakes are the ones I pull out if someone just wants to hold a snake, so they do get some experience a few times a year I guess.

As for what to do. Once the snake is settled and eating you can take it out and handle it whenever you want. If you are scared of being bit you can always wear gloves till the snake settles down. It's better to wear gloves and be comfortable holding the snake, than to drop the snake if it startles you.

Hey all,

Thanks for the great advice. As far as the cage set-up, Maxim is in a 60 gal. tank, has a large heat rock, a big woven basket hide, a large water bowl for soaking in, and a large branch. His last owner said she fed him a small rat on the 18th, and I'm not sure how often a large fellow like him needs to eat. So, is that cause for being defensive? Is he just hungry?

ahhh....remove the heat rock!!!

http://i750.photobucket.com/albums/x...pscc828e38.jpg

How come? The way the top of his tank is right now, in disrepair(it came that way) I can't put up a heat lamp. =( What is suggested?

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Originally Posted by CheshireCat

How come? The way the top of his tank is right now, in disrepair(it came that way) I can't put up a heat lamp. =( What is suggested?

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This is an old video I made, it should be helpful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNUpj4mYdbI‎

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Originally Posted by CheshireCat

How come? The way the top of his tank is right now, in disrepair(it came that way) I can't put up a heat lamp. =( What is suggested?

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They can cause sever burns. Buy a UTH they make ones that will stick on the bottom of the cage. . On the outside of the cage so the snake cant come into contact. Also buy a thermostat take the prob for that an stuff it between the cage and the uth, it will keep it from over heating. Tinker with the heat until you reach the hot spot you want, easist way I find to check is one of the temp guns. But if you dont have one or break them all the time like me :) digital thermometers on the hot an cold will help you get everything dialed in.

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Originally Posted by Rickys_Reptiles

This is an old video I made, it should be helpful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNUpj4mYdbI‎

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The very VERY best part of this video is watching the snake cruise around its enclosure.

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Originally Posted by UltraViolet

The very VERY best part of this video is watching the snake cruise around its enclosure.

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Yeah, its a pretty dull video, lol! I'm not much of an actor. That was Molly, a bumblebee...she's a beauty!

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Originally Posted by CheshireCat

Hi all,

:( Now, when I first met him, I put my hand in the cage for a moment, about 8 inches away from him to let him smell me, and after a few seconds, he struck and got me pretty good.

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Well, don't let him sniff you, he's not a dog. What he probably saw with his heat pits when you stuck your hand in front of his face was was a small warm object about the size of a rat. Hmmm, must be food.

I don't handle most of my snakes often either, I have too many of them. When I do pick them up, I open the cage and immediately grab them around the middle and lift them up. If necessary you can use a hook or other object to keep their head away. Generally when they're out of the cage and they realize their not getting fed, they will calm right down.

We're all just trying to help as we love these animals....ALOT! Heat rocks are NOT for snakes. No matter what the pet store or previous owners tell you. They simply get way too hot and can cause burns like this:

http://i1358.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7c871bf2.jpg

This is the reality of unregulated heating sources...Heat rocks especially. All heat sources need to be regulated: UTH mats, radiant heat panels, etc. You do this with a thermostat. The heat source gets plugged into the thermostat, the thermostat gets plugged into the wall, and the thermostat probe gets sandwiched between the UTH mat and the bottom of the enclosure from the outside. You then set the max temp of the thermostat and it will turn off the heat source when it reaches this temp. If it gets too cool, it turns the heat source back on. Never place a heat mat inside a cage. Ball pythons are shy animals and like all cold blooded animals need a gradient of temperatures. Also, belly heat is much more important than heat lamps...though if you have a very cold room, a combination of them may be needed. The warm spot (above the heat mat) should be around 90 degrees. The cool end should be aroung 78-80 +/-.

The heat mat should be placed under the tank on one end and cover approx. 1/3 of the bottom of the tank.The thermostat regulates the heat mat and how warm it will get. Unregulated, these can get over 120 degrees and easily burn your snake....YES, even the ones marketed at the pet stores. Humidity should be kept around 50%-60% when they're not shedding and bumped to 70%+ while in shed (you'll see the eyes turn a cloudy blue, then they clear up, then they shed after days after "going clear"). You can easily keep humidity up with proper substrate (bedding) such as Cypress (NOT from Home Depot), Repti Bark, or even aspen and misting with a water bottle 1x-2x per day. And substrate only needs to be about 1/2". Any more and it can cut off the needed warmth from the heat pad. They also need a minimum of two appropriately sized hides. One over the warm spot and one on the cool end. Ball Pythons feel secure and comfortable wedged in hides. If the enclosure is large, you may put a third in the middle or simply clutter the enclosure up with other fake plants, driftwood, etc.

And a word of warning. Please ask questions here. We are here to help and we have been caring for these wonderful animals for years and years. No question is dumb. We all started somewhere just like you. DO NOT. I'll repeat, DO NOT take the word of pet store employees. Most (not all), but most are simply there to collect a paycheck and only know the mis-information their training videos provide. And, just because items are sold in a pet store, doesn't mean they are right for your snake.

Check out Reptile Basics: www.reptilebasics.com
They have just about everything you'll need and their pricing and service is second to no one!

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Originally Posted by Rickys_Reptiles

Yeah, its a pretty dull video, lol! I'm not much of an actor. That was Molly, a bumblebee...she's a beauty!

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It was very informative and I like having details and an understanding of the why and how of things. I enjoyed the video very much. But you know the old show biz adage never perform with animals or children? Yep, Molly stole the show. There's not much you could have done to upstage her- she was hilarious!

Are there any reptiles that heat rocks are actually good for? I only ever hear not to use them.