Why is she angry ????

I got my ball on Sunday. and on the ride home, she loved me, well after being in her home i tried to pick her up and she hissed at me, i figured she didnt want to be bothered at the moment so i lefft her in peace, then later on i tried to take her out again and she hissed again, what am i doing? i didnt try to force her out because i don't want to stress her out more. i stopped using the heat lamp by the way because it was murdering the humidity, last night it got up to around 80 with the the UTH but thats also a problem, i dont think it gets more hot than that so it wont be good for the day right? And my last question is, if i get a little bulb like a 60 watt for example, will that affect the humidity just as bad? so all in all here are my questions... :please::(:weirdface

1) Why does my baby Orange Ghost hate me now?
2) Will a lower wattage bulb affect the humidity just as bad as a 100watt




ps. It was really nice watching her explore her home last night, very interesting. :snake:

iirc from your other post, you brought her home recently so she's still settling in. Also, don't let bp hissing put you off. My biggest bp is a "tub hisser", he hisses when I reach into his tub to pick him up but once he's in my hands he's fine. I never let my bps hissing deter me from picking them up. I'd rather they learn that nothings going to happen and hissing doesn't get them anything.

She's in a tank right? You need to up the humidity, the lightbulb won't be any better than the CHE and will likely stress her out more because of the light. Get moss, cypress mulch, or some other humid substrate and put some in her tank. Cover the top of the tank with tinfoil or a sheet of plastic. Do you have a hygrometer?

If your getting low humidity you never to cover the screen in something to stop the humidity from going straight out the top. Leave just enough room for the heat lamp. Are you using a thermostat with your uth and heat lamp? Also you should not be handling. Its only been 2 days. She needs time to adjust. Wait until she has ate 4 or 5 times for you. I say again do not handle her right now. Leave her alone. Just make sure she has water and temps are good. Its going to take some time for her to adjust. Be patient and it you will be rewarded with a great interactive snake. All the stress of trying to handle is going to cause her to refuse food and continue to be angry. I know how it is when you bring home a new pet, you just want to love it but that's not what's best. Its hard but it will pay off.

i uped the humidity, i add sphagnum moss inside and covered the lid with a sheet of plexi glass with an opening where i had the lamp. i have my humidity around 60% now. Also im more scared of her biting me on her part than it actually happening. What i mean is, i wont go crazy if she bit me but i dont want her to hurt herself while doing this, also i got her on Sunday, so should i try feeding tomorrow? The vendor got the snake in a trade and did not know when the last time she ate was. Also i plan on feeding her in a tub, do i need to put anything in the tub besides like paper towels, and after she eats, how long do i wait before i put her back in the tank? , Thank You for how much you have been helping me out, i appreciate it, and so does she.:D (ps. she doesn't have a name yet :confusd: )

She's hissing bc she's saying "go away", so if she bites you it'll only be a tag. She'll bite and let go before you can even blink :) It's happened to me once with someone else's young bp, you'll be more startled than anything. It doesn't hurt at all and she won't hurt herself, don't worry.

I wouldn't move her to a tub to feed. I did this at first years ago and it ends up being a hassle. The last thing you want to do is handle your snake after they've eaten, so just feed in the tub. To be honest I would wait another week before trying to feed. She already sounds stressed out and you'll probably end up wasting the rat if you try now.

(By the way, you still have to post pics ;))

Yes i will definitely post pictures later, i heard i should move her to feed cause in the tank i have cypress mulch. :confusd:

As far as the hissing goes, you cannot establish a pattern of the snake hissing and you not picking it up. It is better to leave it alone then to let it get its way. Some hiss. My favorite snake to handle hisses almost every time I open the tub. I open it she hisses then usually crawls out onto my arm. If they hiss and are totally coiled or balled they are probably just startled. If they "S" their neck they are thinking about having a go at you. In either case the behavior will lessen as long as you don't give in and they figure out you are not going to eat them.

+1 on the feed in the tub statement. There is no really good reason to feed a ball python in another tub unless you just don't want the cage to get messy. In my experience they eat better when you feed them in their own tub.

Reward good behavior. When you handle the snake establish a pattern of putting it back in its tub when it is calm, not when it is hissing or trying to escape.

If you're feeding f/t make sure the rat is completely dry. I feed in enclosure and rarely have snakes ingest substrate. If you're worried, put a few paper towels down on top of the cypress, or shove some of it aside.

Agreed you should feed in the enclosure she lives in. You want her to be somewhere she can eat and then go rest. If you put her in another tub to feed you could stress her when you move her back and cause a regurge or you may get bit. It unnecessary stress for your little girl.

i thought feeding her in her tank isn't good because then she remembers the opening of the cage as "feeding" time and it will be more aggressive.?

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

Reward good behavior. When you handle the snake establish a pattern of putting it back in its tub when it is calm, not when it is hissing or trying to escape.

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I agree with this but that doesn't mean start now. You need to wait until after a few feedings before you try this. She may be settled in and stop hissing after she's settled in.

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Originally Posted by Meech

i thought feeding her in her tank isn't good because then she remembers the opening of the cage as "feeding" time and it will be more aggressive.?

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I think most people here would agree that's a myth, or at least not relevant to ball pythons. As dumb as bps are (I love em to death but they're not that smart lol), I think they can tell the difference between a human, and a human with a rat dangling in tongs. :)

I don't even know where to start. So I'm going to take my mothers advice she gave me when I was a kid.

I have nothing nice to say, so I'm going to say nothing at all.

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Originally Posted by Meech

i thought feeding her in her tank isn't good because then she remembers the opening of the cage as "feeding" time and it will be more aggressive.?

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My girl has a STRONG feed drive (she will grab off the tongs, often reaching out of the enclosure to get it) but only when the smell of rat is in the air - I wouldn't dare put my hand in there when a rat is in the room! I'm also very careful not to touch her rats with my hands; I don't want my smell mixed in there.

But between feedings she is friendly, shows no sign of aggression and will occasionally crawl onto my hand in the enclosure.

Extrapolating from my piggy, I'd presume that feeding in another enclosure puts you at some risk of being bitten if the smell of food is still in the air and they mistake your hand for a second meal when you reach in to move them back?

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Originally Posted by pariahdog

I think most people here would agree that's a myth, or at least not relevant to ball pythons. As dumb as bps are (I love em to death but they're not that smart lol), I think they can tell the difference between a human, and a human with a rat dangling in tongs. :)

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I would agree, not relevant to balls. Them being able to tell the difference thing I am not so sure of at least when there is the smell of rat in the air. I have a large albino girl that I would swear is as blind as a bat. When she smells rat she goes from being an angel to a demon. She has on more than one occasion struck past the rat and at my face instead. I have to be pretty alert with her when I am feeding. I don't think she knows she is supposed to be a ball python.

Thanks everyone :snake:

oh i meant if i switch from an 100 watt heat lamp to a 60 watt heat lamp will it not affect the humidity as much, not a regular light bulb (although it would be nice for viewing) I dont need that much heat just maybe 5 more degrees Fahrenheit at night... How does everyone feel about those blue day heat lights?

I think you should leave her alone for 2 weeks to get settled. She's probably very nervous and has been transported multiple times. Let her get used to her surroundings and realize you are not a threat. Go over to the tank everyday and look at her but I wouldn't try to bring her out until after she's eaten. Try feeding after 1 week would by my opinion. You said you got her Sunday - feed this upcoming Sunday.

Don't forget they are snakes and they will never 'love' humans...they just tolerate us. Sounds like you are a very caring owner just give it some time, I know it's hard because you must be super excited!

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Originally Posted by Meech

oh i meant if i switch from an 100 watt heat lamp to a 60 watt heat lamp will it not affect the humidity as much, not a regular light bulb (although it would be nice for viewing) I dont need that much heat just maybe 5 more degrees Fahrenheit at night... How does everyone feel about those blue day heat lights?

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If it's a CHE go ahead. It's kind of a give and take when it comes to heating+humidity in tanks, you just have to find that balance.