Is BP Head-Shyness curable?

Hey all, I am still pretty new to this site but it has been awesome so far.
I consider myself pretty knowledgeable on BPs mainly from reading a ton.
But, since I have only been collecting for a short time I lack some experience.

What I have noticed is that all my BPs are way more head shy than any other snakes I have owned.

I'm wondering if some more experienced owners have been able to make their BP's less headshy.
So far, all my BPs have been very head shy, and I have been trying to get them used to it by constantly petting them softly on the head.

It has been about a month of doing this for 10 min or so every other day, but so far they are all just as head shy.
Is this a lost cause? Will it ever change or should I just stop wasting my time? Idk why it bugs me but I just want to get them less head shy.

Thanks!

I definitely would stop doing it everyday... if they are already head shy your stressing them out needlessly by constantly goin towards the head. Which could lead to feeding issues. Just let them be ball pythons

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they are head shy because their eyes, heat pits, sense of smell, and sense of vibration are all located there. also they need their head for such basic things as eating, breathing, and thinking. also its the most vulnerable part of their body.


you might as well ask whats wrong with male soccer players when they put their hands in front of their private parts when expecting a potential 50+ mp/h ball.

i would say if you stop buggering their heads and just handle them normally and dont stress them, chances are good that it might to a degree go away as they build more trust :)

Mine not head shy at all but I would not recommend doing it all the time

Well, since head shyness is not an illness, it really cannot be "cured".

That being said, most of my adult ball pythons that are handled regularly are not head shy very much. They will always pull their heads away when touched because they don't have any arms to protect themselves. No I do not touch their heads on purpose to make them less head shy.

Its a survival mechanism. Just don't let it bother you.

Being head shy is not a defect in BP's that we should attempt to "cure".
That said I have noticed some BP`s are more head shy than others and the seem to be less so as they attain a size where they don`t feel as threatened by every passing shadow.
One BP I have seems to refuse the `Ball`Python moniker in favour of the Royal Python name. He will not ball up for anything except comfort in his hides. When he is out he is out and if you come at his head too quick you will get bit, with never a thought of hiding his head. Another balls up as soon as I take her out and after a few seconds to a minute pokes her head out and explores once she realises there is no threat.

Let your snake be the animal it is and, develop a sybiotic relationship with it. It may become tame but, it will never become domesticated.

they will probably become less head shy over time...but I agree that you should not try to 'cure' it. they will chill out. I have a few that I can grab their heads gently and they just chill. I don't recommend this, but they are not all that bad, but balls in general are pretty head shy snakes. others made great points, and just handle them gently and they may or may not become less head shy. I also don't normally grab mine by their heads, I have done it to look at debris in the heat pits and looking at the eyes closely(my blue eyed lucy has blue eyes with the tops being pink, and red pupils....so I wanted a better look at her eyes once, and she is really active, so it is hard to get a good look at them. lol.)

My Ball Python would pull his head back and hiss if I touched his head, when I got him June 2, 2013. I petted his head once every time I held him up until now. I can tap on his nose/head and he won't give a reaction. Petting their heads DO help.

I wouldn't do it just on the off chance of taking a hit because you scared the snake. I've been bitten by several different species of snake, all non venomous mind you, and pythons hurt the worst out of all of them. That being said my ball has never bitten me and there are times he will rest his head on my fingers or let me lift his head to look at his heat pits, eyes, nostrils, etc. and he doesn't care. Then there are times when he will snap back and get defensive. I just wouldn't do it personally because I would be worried about stressing my snake or getting bit.

As stated, its all about building trust in normal activities, not trying to touch its head because it is not normal to them to have there heads touched. once they realize you are the smell that gives them water, brings them food, handles them gently, seems to hang around often, they MAY... MAY lighten up with being so head shy.Every BP is different, as is any creature. There are things some can tolerate more so then others. That's like someone trying to force feed Brussel Sprouts down my throat. Is that gonna make me like them, heck no. It's just gonna make me hate you for shoving Brussel Sprouts down my throat.

I've never had the urge to pet/fondle/caress my BP's head.

I don't think it's something wrong with them that needs to be cured lol. That's just lbs some, or most, of them are.

I think messing with their heads would mostly just stress them out

It's personality and natural instinct. Allure was pretty headshy when I got him but I can put a finger under his chin now without him pulling away. My clown female lets me put a finger/hand under her chin no problem. Dahlia will tuck her head over any sudden movement, but she's a baby so that's normal. Just seems like they grow out of it and that it varies by the individual.

I think it can help, but you don't have to do it every day. Unfortuneately there's no one size fits all answer with these animals (as I'm sure you've guessed from the range of answers). It may work with some, but not others, some grow out of it, some never do. It certainly doesn't hurt to try (assuming he's not biting you and still eating normally), but there's no guarantee that it will work.

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Originally Posted by Artemisace

I wouldn't do it just on the off chance of taking a hit because you scared the snake. I've been bitten by several different species of snake, all non venomous mind you, and pythons hurt the worst out of all of them. That being said my ball has never bitten me and there are times he will rest his head on my fingers or let me lift his head to look at his heat pits, eyes, nostrils, etc. and he doesn't care. Then there are times when he will snap back and get defensive. I just wouldn't do it personally because I would be worried about stressing my snake or getting bit.

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Ball pythons have the least painful bites out of most pet snakes, imo. Even large adult females give about equal bites as a sub adult corn snake (which does not hurt). Getting blood drawn by the DR hurts more lol

If your hand comes toward their head they are going to flinch, if someone tries to poke you in the eyes, you do too, it's just a reflex for the most part. If they are feeling stressed or a bit uneasy they flinch more easily, just like we do. Don't bother trying to "cure" the head shyness, just try to make your BP more comfortable with handling, which also means not doing it to excess. Try to read their behavior. If they seem stressed put them back, and if they are relaxed keep them out a bit. I do touch my BPs heads, but I often start at the chin (like they are just sliding onto my hand, and once your hand is a part of the furniture, they don't seem to mind as much, but if a hand seems to come out of nowhere, it's scary.

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Originally Posted by dxpx

As stated, its all about building trust in normal activities, not trying to touch its head because it is not normal to them to have there heads touched. once they realize you are the smell that gives them water, brings them food, handles them gently, seems to hang around often, they MAY... MAY lighten up with being so head shy.Every BP is different, as is any creature. There are things some can tolerate more so then others. That's like someone trying to force feed Brussel Sprouts down my throat. Is that gonna make me like them, heck no. It's just gonna make me hate you for shoving Brussel Sprouts down my throat.

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very well said.

actually, about everyone who posted in this thread made very good, and valid points.

You also must realize, in addition to the points made above, a predator will almost always go for the head when attacking a snake to quickly disable and kill it. That is NOT something you are going to be able to "cure" or "train" out of your snake.

All of my snakes trust me, and that trust has been earned the hard way, worked for and is never taken for granted. While all of my snakes let me handle their head if need be, I don't make it a habit to try and touch, stroke or fondle their heads, it is completely unnecessary. Once your snake trusts you and knows you, it will allow you to handle it gently even in an uncomfortable or intimidating situation. But don't try to force them, it won't work.

I can help mine with sheds, administer medicine, examine problems and such without worry. Some are easier to handle in touchy situations than others, it varies from snake to snake. But I never worry about getting bitten or struck at, because I know they won't unless I hurt them. Or I'm foolish enough to handle a rat and then reach for a hungry snake on the hunt.

My husband on the other hand, rarely handles his snakes. He keeps them clean, fed and watered, but he really doesn't interact with his like I do. As a result, his are very difficult to handle in situations where handling is necessary. Helping one shed, examining one for trouble, or anything like that and they become wild. They squirm and thrash and fuss, and will snap as well. He has not built that trust with his snakes like I have with mine, and it shows.

So for now, work on building the trust between you and your snake. Handle it gently and calmly, and don't force it into a situation where it is uncomfortable. Once your snake knows and trusts you, a lot of that skittishness will vanish on it's own.

Gale

Seems it was a big mistake to use the word "cureable" lol.
Thanks do those who looked past the word and addressed my question for what it was.

And yes I know all snakes are different, after all I stated in my OP - my various other kinds of snakes (non BPs) were overall less head shy.
I was just curious as to if there was a general way to help reduce the instinct.

- - - Updated - - -

Seems it was a big mistake to use the word "cureable" lol.
Thanks do those who looked past the word and addressed my question for what it was.

And yes I know all snakes are different, after all I stated in my OP - my various other kinds of snakes (non BPs) were overall less head shy.
I was just curious as to if there was a general way to help reduce the instinct.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Well, since head shyness is not an illness, it really cannot be "cured".

That being said, most of my adult ball pythons that are handled regularly are not head shy very much. They will always pull their heads away when touched because they don't have any arms to protect themselves. No I do not touch their heads on purpose to make them less head shy.

Its a survival mechanism. Just don't let it bother you.

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Probably the most direct post in the thread. BP's are shy and they don't think like dogs, cats. To them we're a potential predator. Look at it this way, if you were that small and you had this big gigantic heat source reaching for your head would you not pull away?

I agree that it depends on the age/size, and its comfort level with handling. Magnus was super headshy as a baby, naturally, but after lots of handling and trust building between him and I, one of his favorite things to do is nuzzle up between my fingers. I also notice that he's much more tense when it's not myself handling him-- for example, it took some time before he quit jerking away with my boyfriend. It's a familiarity and trust thing.

Once they realize that you're not out to eat them, it flows naturally after that. And every snake has its own comfort level. You may have one snake who pushes its head against your entire arm with no qualms, and another who won't be able to handle a shadow passing it for its entire lifespan.

^^I should add that I never forced him into learning to not jerk away. There was no conditioning that way by touching his head intentionally or anything of the sort. He just became comfortable with it when he hit about 250g, and now he doesn't really care at all unless I surprise him. I always let him know i'm moving that way though, brushing lightly up his neck before reaching the top of his head, if I have any purpose to at all. Usually I just let him slide between my fingers.

Mine is very head shy,soi just don't touch his head,it's that simple..I hold him every other day for like 5-10 mins and put him back in his enclosure,wherehe is plenty happy and curious and adventurous.