This Little Guy Has Landed In My Lap...

So here's the story behind this little guy: I went and picked up a Mojave BP that has apparently been very VERY nippy. The owner claimed that the snake struck at him as he was bringing him to me. I've now held the snake for about 45 minutes (I'm getting him used to my smell as we travel and now as I set up his new home) and while I can tell that he is EXTREMELY nervous and afraid (body is tense, anything he touches while he explores causes him to flinch, etc) he has not struck at me even once, hasn't hissed at me even once, has even explored on my arms, and is currently laying in my lap. Hopefully this guy will calm down over time, with lots of patience and proper care (he's over-fed and hasn't had enough humidity since he has stuck shed - and that's only what I can tell right off the bat). My understanding of this guy's history is that he never got handled much after being hatched, and then had a feeding incident with a live mouse that led to him getting bit (this apparently happened about a week ago). Now, just a few months old, the owner is upset with his nippy behavior. This little guy will not be going back to his previous owner, as the owner decided that the snake would be better off staying with me (my original offer to the owner was for me to foster him and try to tame him, then return him to the owner with the understanding that I would teach the owner how to properly care for him and how to properly handle him). So this was definitely a surprise adoption, but I'm happy to have him. He's absolutely gorgeous, even if he is a chub chub.

Once he goes into his new set-up, I'll be leaving him alone for a week. He'll get fed with me for the first time next Friday, and then his first handling will be a couple days after that. Hopefully he ends up with the sweet temperament I think he's capable of! I'll keep you all updated, if you so wish. This is one of many examples of a snake being given up due to behavioral issues that really aren't "end-of-the-world" problems. It is possible to keep a nippy snake. It is possible to work with a nippy snake and help him get used to being handled. And should he stay nippy? Doesn't mean I won't still adore him! He's found a forever home here with me. =]

http://i.imgur.com/EsVmsS7.jpg

He is very pretty. Looking forward to updates :)

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Originally Posted by JoRandom

He is very pretty. Looking forward to updates :)

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Thank you =] I think he's a real looker as well. He has a lot of potential. I can see the sweetness in him!

A lot of times nippyness can be due to an inexperienced keeper being paired with a nervous snake. With a good setup and patience, he'll probably mellow out and be just fine.

He doesn't look overfed to me, he looks fine. What makes you say he's "overfed"?

-Jen

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Originally Posted by LLLReptile

A lot of times nippyness can be due to an inexperienced keeper being paired with a nervous snake. With a good setup and patience, he'll probably mellow out and be just fine.

He doesn't look overfed to me, he looks fine. What makes you say he's "overfed"?

-Jen

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That's what I've noticed about nippiness. None of my snakes are nippy. They're all docile snuggle-bugs. So hopefully this guy relaxes and settles into his new home and turns into the sweet snake I think he'll be.

I say he seems overfed because he has a lot of space between the scales on his back - to the point that you can see a lot of the skin under them. He's not super over-fed, but he definitely appears to be a chub chub. Granted, I'd rather he be a good eater than a finicky snake. I'll take a close-up picture sometime next week - I'm leaving him be now until next week so he can relax and I can keep his stress to a minimum. But yeah, he's not terribly over-fed. It's just enough that it's noticeable when you're holding him. You can see more of skin than you probably should.

Glad you have him. Just a question, how can he be a "chub chub" if he's so young (just a few months old, as you've mentioned)? I think he looks completely fine - very beautiful in fact!

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Originally Posted by NH93

Glad you have him. Just a question, how can he be a "chub chub" if he's so young (just a few months old, as you've mentioned)? I think he looks completely fine - very beautiful in fact!

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I suppose I could be wrong about his being a chub chub. I could just see quite a bit of skin between his scales while I had him out, and my understanding is that that's a sign of them being overweight. But this is true, if he is young, maybe he needs the extra chub.

adorable! im looking into a mojave next i think :)

Oh he's so cute! And the chub chub thing is so freaking hilarious lol I've heard chubby, chunkster, and chunky monkey but never chub chub haha I love that. You've got a beautiful chunky boy there :) I don't think he's over fed, he's just a big ole handsome boy :D


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I'm glad you have him! He's definitely pretty, and hey, if he'll eat, feed him! Lol.

The best way to tell if a BP is overweight is if they have a "pear" shape to them. What I mean is if he is VERY round, with a concave line along his spine, he's eaten too much and should be put on a diet of sorts. If he's perfectly round without an indent along his back, he's fine, and if his spine is in any way prominent, or if his body is shaped like a triangular prism, he's underweight.

He's very pretty, hopefully he settles down for you. I agree that he doesn't look overfed, just well fed.

Thank you everybody. =] He's definitely a cutey!

And also, thank you for the clarifications on what a truly overweight little guy will look like. He's just a good eater then!

So far he seems to be settling in well - he spent a little while exploring his tank, and then settled into the hide on his warm side. He watched me for a little bit yesterday from his hide (stuck his head out and followed me around the room for a bit) but he eventually fully pulled into his hide, and I haven't seen him peek out since. He may or may not have explored during the night, but so far this morning I haven't seen him. Hopefully, as they say, a hiding ball is a happy ball! In a few hours I'll check the tank for any spot cleaning that needs to be done, and I'll change out his water. We'll see how he is with my hand in the tank.

Aww!! Isn't he good looking!!

Update: Spot Cleaned his tank this afternoon (he already peed, so I got rid of the urates and added some fresh substrate). He showed no aggression. Didn't hiss at me, defensive strike, or anything. He did poke his head out in curiosity to see what I was doing, but that was the extent of it. He did curl up into a ball when I removed his water dish (it's attached to his hide) but there was no aggression again. He does look super cute though!

He is certainly not over fed. Glad he's settling in.

Update: After a week of settling in, I finally took the little guy out for some handling. He's still very shy and tense, but no hissing or tagging as of yet. Hopefully this continues!

Aaaaand because we all love pictures! No biting, and only flinched once. And he was excellent about me taking his picture - didn't phase him even a little bit.

http://i.imgur.com/rka1rIt.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ZCwY69H.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/pubXsGs.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Q0gk3g8.jpg

Such a cutie!! XD


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Originally Posted by RockNRollProcelain

Aaaaand because we all love pictures! No biting, and only flinched once. And he was excellent about me taking his picture - didn't phase him even a little bit.

http://i.imgur.com/rka1rIt.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ZCwY69H.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/pubXsGs.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Q0gk3g8.jpg

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Love the pics of this little guy! I just got a mojo girl. I am raising her to breed in a few years. I have some time, but I can't decide on a male to breed her with. Got any opinions?

I want a good morph male and would like to breed and get a good quality clutch and keep one of those.

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Originally Posted by Morris Reese

Love the pics of this little guy! I just got a mojo girl. I am raising her to breed in a few years. I have some time, but I can't decide on a male to breed her with. Got any opinions?

I want a good morph male and would like to breed and get a good quality clutch and keep one of those.

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It depends on what kind of snakes you like =] I'm a fan of Blue Eyed Lucys so I'll be breeding my two Mojaves in a few years. Mystic Potions are also amazing looking snakes, so if you were to breed her to a Mystic you would get those. http://www.worldofballpythons.com/morphs/mystic-potion/ Personally, I like a little Mojave in everything. It does some incredible things to the appearances of so many morphs! =] This is super true when you start getting into three and four gene animals. =] Look around and see what combos you like then start building from there!

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Originally Posted by RockNRollProcelain

It depends on what kind of snakes you like =] I'm a fan of Blue Eyed Lucys so I'll be breeding my two Mojaves in a few years. Mystic Potions are also amazing looking snakes, so if you were to breed her to a Mystic you would get those. http://www.worldofballpythons.com/morphs/mystic-potion/ Personally, I like a little Mojave in everything. It does some incredible things to the appearances of so many morphs! =] This is super true when you start getting into three and four gene animals. =] Look around and see what combos you like then start building from there!

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Thanks for your opinion. I do like the mystic potion! I will be at Repticon here in Georgia next Saturday and would love to see one of those in hand!
Thanks again!

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Originally Posted by Morris Reese

Thanks for your opinion. I do like the mystic potion! I will be at Repticon here in Georgia next Saturday and would love to see one of those in hand!
Thanks again!

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Of course! =D Glad I could share my opinion! Good luck getting that Mystic!

It seems my worries about little guy eating were right. His incident with his previous owner and a live mouse have him afraid of the F/T mouse I tried to offer him today. =/ I'm leaving it outside his hide to see if he's a middle-of-the-night eater, like one of my girls. If not, we'll try again next week!

So just an update, for anyone who was curious.

This little guy still has no name, but has become quite the sweetheart. He has only ever struck at me once during his first week here, and that incident was totally my fault (moved too fast and totally spooked him). Since then he's been nothing but a shy snuggle bug. He gets better with every handling. There is no sign of tank aggression, as his previous owner claimed. He is always alert and curious. So far his only problem is that he appears genuinely afraid of his food, a byproduct, I'm sure, of being attacked by his food before. I don't plan on giving up on him though! He's already so much sweeter than he was. =] I believe he'll be another success story for the books! Now to just get him to eat...

I would suggest getting him a f/t rat and warming it under a heat lamp. Maybe he'll eat something that smells different.

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Originally Posted by PhoenixGate

I would suggest getting him a f/t rat and warming it under a heat lamp. Maybe he'll eat something that smells different.

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I've been attempting to feed him f/t rat pups. He won't go near it. He literally jerks away as though it's going to attack him. None of my other bps react this way, and I can only think it's from his being attacked by the mouse he was fed. I figure I can keep offering until he starts losing weight before I have to try other tactics. He's gained weight funnily enough and is still a chub chub so I'm not terribly worried yet. I figure time will get him to come around. And being creative with feedings.