New BP owner, concerned about temperament on Leucistic, think I made mistake

i just got a BEL, 2 year old male, with feed and shed logs from hatch date in 2012, gorgeous. He is to be our only snake, from a woman who only handled it rarely and even then with a hook. She bought it when it was a year old from a breeder, so the first year it wasnt handled much, if at all, and the women i bought him from had him a year and also didnt handle him.
SO. he is not crazy about being touched. he is head shy, fast and clearly scared of people. i've had balls over the past 40 years, just normals, etc and have known some great mellow balls who wold hang out with me for hours. that is what we wanted. we were seeking an adult albino but when this opportunity to get this blue eyed leucistic i couldnt turn it down.
so, even now as i am placing ads on ball sites local to so cal to trade him, i want to ask....
am i correct that changing a balls personality isnt really in the cards? or with lots of handling will he gentle down.
the woman i bought him from said he always hissed but never stuck, and in the time i've had him this is the same, he eats fine, but doesnt want to be touched if he has a choice.

I can surely find a nice mellow albino to trade him for, dont care that the monetary value isnt equal, but should i desist and wait? This is a snake who I had planned on having children hold, a part time classroom pet.
Thanks fo your advice to a newbie in Thousand Oaks, calif!

They can settle down with being handled. However it doesn't happen overnight. I had a "wild caught" that was mean as all. I left her alone and let her settle in then I started working with her. Opening the enclosure, getting her out for short periods of time, just touching her in the enclosure. Over a period of time she settled and now my kids can handle her with no problems.

What is he doing that worries you? I have ball pythons hiss all the time but theyre all talk and no bite. Ive gotten bit by one here and there but you just have to feel the snake out. If you are afraid to grab it just get its attention with one hamd and slowlh pick it up from behind. I always tell people to let them hold you. Not vice versa. Use gravity to let them hang on you as opposed to gripping a part of their body amd forcing them.

I know your experienced so sorry if im coming off as a know it all im jist giving my experiences. I really think he will settle down with some training. Not over night but quicler than one might imagine. For such a beautiful snake i would thonk it would be worth trying before giving him up

Sounds like for what you want, an only snake, just to pamper and love as a pet, that you did not get a snake that would be ideal for your situation. While yes, their personality can be mellowed out, some are naturally a bit feistier than others, and you'll have an easier time with a snake that seems more outgoing from the start.

I would rehome him and look for another snake that is more mellow or outgoing, and would be more enjoyable for you to keep as a pet.

-Jen

Those are wild animals not dogs or cats, expecting a wild animal to be tamed is unrealistic.

While they are generally mellow and usually only show aggressive behavior when the husbandry is not met or they are not fed enough they can still at a point or another strike, just like puppies have accident, it happens.

They tolerate handling they don't enjoy it, you do.

My guess this is husbandry related.

BTW even snakes that are rarely handled can be handled, handling does not make them more docile, not with this species.

Seems to me that if you cannot handle what I see as a non issue or to high of expectation on your part then you might want to reconsider owning a snake.

I whole heartily agree with Deborah, I've owned a lot of snakes in my life. You have a beautiful animal, and definitely seemed like you knew what you were acquiring. If I got rid of every snake that wasn't puppy dog tame, I would of missed out on some truly great snakes. It reminds me of a joke I once heard. An old lady was walking down the road when she found a injured rattlesnake. She picked it up, and took it home. She slowly over time helped heal the snake. One day she went to care for the snake, and it bit her. She said, snake how could you do this to me. The snake replied, look lady you knew what I was when you found me. Peace out.

Sell your snake to Deborah, or Sonny, and go get a snake that suits you better. There are too many that snakes without attitudes to put up with on that does have an attitude. Can't believe anyone would tell you that you are stuck with it, so deal with it!!!SMH

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Originally Posted by BiggBaddWolf

Sell your snake to Deborah, or Sonny, and go get a snake that suits you better. There are too many that snakes without attitudes to put up with on that does have an attitude. Can't believe anyone would tell you that you are stuck with it, so deal with it!!!SMH

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Don't think anyone said deal with it, someone with 40 years of experience should be able able to handle a little hiss....if not than a snake is not the right animal (and that is what I truly believe) , sooner or later the snake will hiss or will attempt to strike even that future albino, anyone thinking the opposite has

A/ Not owned enough snake.
B/ Has not owned snakes for long enough.
C/ All of the above.

So what when the albino hisses or strike, get another one???

Snakes are not for everyone.

I have dealt with blood, carpets, bullsnakes so I know all about snakes with attitude (even dealt with lizard with attitude) however I have reasonable expectations and I know the difference between a cuddly puppy and a wild animal.

I have kept snakes of various sorts since the mid 90's, and have only had one that had a serious attitude. Did I get rid of him? Faster than you can say ball python. I just won't deal with a snake with an attitude, when there are many more that do not have attitudes. If that makes me unfit to keep snakes then so be it.

In my (albeit limited) experience, I've had calm snakes, firey snakes and a couple in between. The one I had bought as a hatchling has yet to even so much as hiss and it's been three years. The fire I have came with a warning: "she bites." She hisses alright, but she's yet to lunge or actually hit me. I'm not suggesting she won't tag me in the future, but she's a lot calmer when I go in confidently, as opposed to erratically moving my hands around in her face. She's settling down more now than she was when she was with her previous owner.

That said, I wouldn't trust my calm ball python not to tag a kid any more than I would trust the fire. Not only can you not trust the snake, you can't trust the kids either. One of them may be flighty, or too rough, or oblivious. A calmer BP will help, but calm only goes so far if someone is scaring them. Some people just can't read animals well or know when to stop. If it were just you, I'd say give the snake some time. If kids are involved (even high school kids, in a classroom setting) I'd say "look only" or find a different pet. Maybe a small tortoise, captive bred blue tongue skink or bearded dragon.

Maybe you should reread her post again......

I am way more confused than I was prior to asking for feedback here.

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Originally Posted by BiggBaddWolf

I have kept snakes of various sorts since the mid 90's, and have only had one that had a serious attitude. Did I get rid of him? Faster than you can say ball python. I just won't deal with a snake with an attitude, when there are many more that do not have attitudes. If that makes me unfit to keep snakes then so be it.

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Its a snake... They all have attitudes...They are also all "Ball pythons" a snake that int a frenzy nutjob like a untamed Wild caught Biak.... The OP could likely" Move the hand over head of snake, and pick it up.. Then I'd bet it'll calm down.

jason, i am in california 91320, how about you?

Sacramento.

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Originally Posted by bpnewbie42

This is a snake who I had planned on having children hold, a part time classroom pet.

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Did you tell the seller why you wanted the snake and what your plans were for it, so she could select an appropriate animal for your needs? Most people buy BP's for the paint job, not the temperament. While as a species they're easy to manage, there are individuals that would be perfectly fine and would thrive in a classroom setting, and others that would be stressed to the point of biting, fasting, etc.

You hit the nail on the head when you said that most people buy a ball python for the paint job, not the temperament, however I am not that person. Temperament first than paint job :D. However all mine are pets, and I handle them frequently. I don't just put them in an enclosure and let them "do the nasty" all the while expecting to become a "BIG FAT DADDY" snake breeder..bwhahahaha

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BiggBaddWolf

You hit the nail on the head when you said that most people buy a ball python for the paint job, not the temperament, however I am not that person. Temperament first than paint job :D. However all mine are pets, and I handle them frequently. I don't just put them in an enclosure and let them "do the nasty" all the while expecting to become a "BIG FAT DADDY" snake breeder..bwhahahaha

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Agreed, but before I learned to ask I ended up with a gorgeous pewter female that is still extremely defensive and nervous even though she's just hit breeding size. While she's improved with time and patience, she'll still strike if not handled carefully.

OTOH I have a normal female and a mojave male that are my "diplomats", and I show them to people who have never touched a snake before. These two are easily handled, absolutely no defensiveness, they are curious, etc. They act more like my BCI's and king snakes than typical BP's.

I have my "diplomats" too as you put it. While I can handle all of them Walter Solcheck is so easy to handle and sometimes even will turn and crawl back up my arm instead of going back in his cage, that's why he's my favorite and the first one I show off. I usually ask about attitude too as part of my before purchasing questions. I want to know how often they get handled. I mostly just ask this question for my own personal entertainment depending on who I'm buying from but there is reasoning behind it too. After reading the entire thread so far I think that every post has truth to it. I've handled adults before that went very long periods of their lives with rarely getting handled and they're very docile and easy to handle. I also am starting to believe that the snappy little ones will mellow out regardless of how much handling they receive. Maybe there are just some that are slightly more defensive then others just by genetics alone. To the OP's question "am i correct that changing a balls personality isn't really in the cards?" I would have to say from my very minimal experience that I have yet to come across a Ball Python that with time hasn't came around. It could be acting that way towards you for several reasons. Maybe it's in shed, maybe it's hungry, maybe your husbandry is off, etc. Without knowing your situation more I would say that if you give this BEL some more time and ensure you are doing every thing correct for it that it will become a snake that you can easily handle.

I buy mine to cuddle with bunnies and take for walks, sorry had to say it.;)

If you want an animal to be hand tamed then you have to handle it. Occasionally you run into a snake who just has a bad attitude but I doubt that's the case. Chances are he will calm down if you spend a bit of time handling him each day.


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