Ball Python striking

Hello fellow ball python owners. My female BP is about a year and a half old and very healthy. However, the last couple of times I've brought her out of the tank for feeding time, she strikes before I get her into the separate feeding tank. She even bit me recently. Although she immediately let go, she has me a little concerned because I've never seen a ball python behave this way. I figured I needed to handle her more so I made sure I took her out to handle her more than just at feeding time. Each time I took her out she was fine. Today, I take her out to feed her and she strikes mid air while hanging from the snake hook. Before anyone asks, I will tell you how often and what I feed her. I feed her two mice, once a week. I also am able to handle her immediately after eating and I always wash my hands before handling her. Why does she continue to strike midair and is there anything I can do to curb this behavior? It's startling and not something I want her to continue to do once she's bigger. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

I would Deffinally contribute more time to handing other than feeding time, if she is used to you only getting her when she will be fed she will assume your sent with food contributing to her striking. Make sure you do not handle the rats at all before picking her up their sent could cause her striking thinking you are food, or possibly it's a defensive strike and she is upset with the handling at the time. Whatever the case try to contribute more handling time other than feeding day.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

So, my plan is to handle her more in between feedings. At what point should I get worried?

There are 0 reasons to put your BP into a separate tank when feeding, this is only going to stress your BP out. I have fed my BP in his tank for 3 years and he has never showed a single sign of aggression.

Try feeding your BP in their own enclosure.

As for the separate feeding enclosure, the idea to use one varies by people, personally I do not use one. It is good and bad, if you use substrate like repti bark or aspen in your home enclosure you don't have to worry about him or her eccidentally eatting it during feeding, but most people use it so their pet will be less likely to bite not associating opening of the enclosure with food, but you have to get him out to feed him and get him out to play with him or her so the association is the same in my personal opinion, and slapping them in a new environment to eat (stressing them out more) could cause them not to, and handling them to put them back in after they have eaten creates another issue which is biggest reason I don't use a separate enclosure. But it is all personal opinion it's what suits you best.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Handle her more in between feedings and in a few months if the striking is still an issue you need to find another cause for the striking, she could be developing a temper as she gets older which some snakes do. It's something you have to keep working at, if she strikes you DO NOT PUT HER DOWN!!! do not give her what she wants, that will only make her associate striking when aggravated to getting what she wants, don't give her that bad habit.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

First of all, how much does your female weigh (in grams)? Two mice might be too small for her and she might just be hungry. When you handle her, do you use a snake hook? If you only use the snake hook to move her for feeding, she might be associating the hook with food. Also, I would stop feeding in a separate container. When you take her out to move her, your snake might be thinking, "Oh! I'm out! That means I'm going to be moved to my feeding area. Am I there yet? Am I there yet? Am I there yet?" In her excitement, she may become nippy because she wants to eat. Feeding her in her enclosure will not make her more aggressive. It will be harder for her to anticipate when feeding time is if she's fed in her enclosure, therefore she shouldn't be as nippy.

The simplest solution to your problem, is to just feed your BP in its own home, not transfer it to somewhere it doesn't feel safe nor recognises.

I haven't put her down when she strikes yet. Good to know I have been doing something right.

I'm embarrassed to say I do not know how much she ways, but I'm pretty sure I'm feeding her the right amount. I think you all have a point about the snake hook, handling her more, and the separate enclosure. I'll give all of it a shot. I'm determined to be a good snake owner!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lilcricketdummy

I'm embarrassed to say I do not know how much she ways, but I'm pretty sure I'm feeding her the right amount. I think you all have a point about the snake hook, handling her more, and the separate enclosure. I'll give all of it a shot. I'm determined to be a good snake owner!

---

Sounds like you're on the right track, but I would look into buying a scale. Anything that can weigh in grams is fine (you can just get a kitchen scale). I mean, unless those are mutant giant mice from outer space, there's a good chance they're a bit small for her. I would also look into switching her to rats if you can, it'll save you money later. :)

Glad to know you care for your snake :D just follow those few things and see if her striking stops or at least slows down so you know your on the right track, keep up the good work man.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Your ball python's behavior is precisely the reason you should feed in the tank. You've taught her that leaving her home means she gets fed, so she starts striking once she's out. If she eats in the enclosure then she will learn that when she's removed from it, she does not get fed.

She should be eating a meal that is the same size as the thickest part of her body. I have fed my guys both in their home tubs and in a feeding tub. Lately I have been moving them to a feeding tub only because I have had issues with their rats exploding and spraying gore all over the snake and the tub (I have a new supplier now so hoping that issue is gone!), and removing them to clean the animal and the rub is a lot easier if they're in a dedicated feeder tub. I do handle my snakes quiet a lot though. If they haven't just eaten I often hold each one for about an hour a day. I've had them long enough now I can handle them when they are in shed too. Also when I do a feeding I feed on a day where I have time to pick one up, walk around and hang out with them for a bit, then put them in the feeder tub and leave them there for 15 mins or so before offering a rat. I have had no issues doing it this way so far. They don't seem to associate the tub with eating. I also use cypress bedding in their home tub and don't want them gulping any. How big is your enclosure for your snake? When I first got mine they were small enough I could pull the tubs out and put them on my lap with the lid off, talk to the snakes and let them smell me before I reached in. If I was worried I would sometimes wait until they uncoiled and started checking things out and then picked them up back end first while talking to them. Taking the time to do this has made both them and me very comfortable and now I'm starting to just reach in, with some talking. My female was very hissy when I first got her but now she's ok because she knows it's just me lol. A bit of time and respect should turn things around for you and your snake. I'm not super experienced but this is what has worked for me :D

Quote:

---

I've brought her out of the tank for feeding time, she strikes before I get her into the separate feeding tank.

---

You are basically moving a snake that is already in feeding mode which increase the risk of getting tagged

Quote:

---

She should be eating a meal that is the same size as the thickest part of her body.

---

Not necessarily and can actually be the wrong advice in some cases, all you know right now is that this female is 1.5 year what if she was 1500 or 1800 grams would you still feed her a prey as wide as it's widest part? The answer is NO

Quote:

---

They don't see to associate the tub with eating

---

Not why you should avoid a feeding tub, it's not the association with the tub it's the mode they are in, a BP on a regular feeding schedule can be in feed mod HOURS before and after feeding.

When you move a snake in feeding mode you are taking a risk same thing when you decide to do maintenance on feeding day.

Yeah like I said, I'm not super experienced with them yet that's just what has worked for me. They haven't gotten any worse, in fact they've only become more gentle. I always talk to them before I try to handle them. I'm sure some snakes are more gentle than others but even when I had to wash off my male because he exploded a rat all over himself and was in shed and not seeing well he never tried to strike at me. If he was ever in feeding mode it was then lol He didn't even get to eat his rat it was in parts, I had to get him a new one.

I would like to know though, as my snakes are still small, how does their weight effect the size of the meal they should get? If they are heavier they can handle larger potentially?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by KodiakFox

I would like to know though, as my snakes are still small, how does their weight effect the size of the meal they should get? If they are heavier they can handle larger potentially?

---

As they get heavier yes they can handle larger preys however one thing to keep in mind is that in captivity they are overfed, and because they can handle large preys does not mean they should.

Generally speaking smaller is better especially once their metabolism start changing. Am hatchling or Juvy can definitely eat something as big as the widest part of their body but as they grow they will never need anything larger than a medium rats.

My largest females 2800+ grams all they way to 4000 grams never get anything bigger than a 180 grams for example. They could handle something much larger however you than end up with a very sluggish animal that take days to digest and that usually will not eat with consistency.

Males even the largest ones get even less food something more along the lines of a small rats 80 grams max.