Help! My ball python is unusually aggressive!

I've had my ball python for 2 and a half years and he is 11 years old. He has always been the sweetest snake and I've never had any problems with him, then a few months ago he got very aggressive and would strike at me whenever I opened the tank. He also was not pooping, so I figured he was constipated. After a lot of research, I figured out it was too cold because the temperature changed outside (it was winter). So I got him a red heat lamp and he was all good. Then suddenly he stopped eating. He didn't eat for 5 months. Finally, about 3 weeks ago, I got him to eat again. A week after his feeding, he escaped his tank :no: and was gone for 3 days. When I found him, he ate but now, he is very aggressive again. He is eating and pooping regularly and the temps and humidity in his tank are spot on. I even downsized him to a smaller tank (40 gallons) to reduce the stress of a large, open tank, like the 75 gallon he was in before.

Is there anything I might be missing, that will help him be happier? He gets all tense and in 'strike-mode' every time I come near his enclosure. I appreciate any help!! Thanks!
-Alyssa

does he have heat coming from under the tank? how about places to hide in the enclosure?

Yes, he has a heat mat and a heat lamp on the warm side of his tank. He has one cave and then a weird tree branch thing he used to hide under but doesn't much anymore. Should I get a different or better hide for the cool side?

Size of food you are feeding? How often do you feed? How big is the snake?

All that aside...make sure husbandry stays spot on from now on, no matter the season, That includes enough and proper hides and privacy.

He may be hungry?


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He eats a small rat every week. I thought about bumping him up to medium though...

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Originally Posted by alyssasimons

He eats a small rat every week. I thought about bumping him up to medium though...

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Small rats should be sufficient, but some small rats are smaller or bigger...depending on where you buy.

Make sure there are 2 similar hides that he fits in. Not to big. Try to blackout sides and back of tank with black construction paper you can tape on the outside of the tank.

Does he seem to be hungry, is he cruising looking for food at night?


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Originally Posted by alyssasimons

He eats a small rat every week. I thought about bumping him up to medium though...

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My 8 month old BP eats a medium rat now. If yours is 11 years old? then he might be hungry!

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Originally Posted by Skyrivers

My 8 month old BP eats a medium rat now. If yours is 11 years old? then he might be hungry!

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Medium rat for an 8 month old? That is a bit extreme.

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Originally Posted by Godzilla78

Medium rat for an 8 month old? That is a bit extreme.

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She is 800 grams at 8 months. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...bfd8976dc3.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...4acde50688.jpg

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Thanks! I will get him a better hide and try to black out the sides. My turtle tank is right next to his, so he might be a little freaked out by her swimming around next him?

I will also upgrade him to medium. I was planning to soon, anyway.

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Originally Posted by alyssasimons

Thanks! I will get him a better hide and try to black out the sides. My turtle tank is right next to his, so he might be a little freaked out by her swimming around next him?

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Yes..Black out sides and back. 2 good hides. You can even cover most of the top. Leaving space for air and heat lamp of course.

Privacy and safety are very important to a BP. Right after correct Temps and humidity.

Try all that and bump up food. Handle gently but deliberately a couple of days after eating, but wait with handling until he has settled some after all the changes. [emoji4]

Keep handling short and sweet. Seems like there were a lot of things going on between wrong Temps, getting out...changes in setup.

Get it all right, give time to settle, feed well and then continue handling.


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Just make sure he has adequate hides, temps, humidity, fresh water, and food. Aside from that not much else you can do. They are living animals and will not be the same all the time. As long as he is not overly stressed out from too much handling he should be fine. Most snakes and especially ball pythons can be "huffy" when you go to pick them up but usually calm down once you pick them up. Just be confident and don't make it worse by being hesitant when you go to pick him up. hopefully he calms down soon for you.

There's no mention of what ypur temps actually are.
Sooo....what are your temps? How are you measuring temps? And are your heat sources regulated by a thermostat???

First off, most "aggression" in snakes is really defensive behavior: snakes are shy & don't rely on vision to identify things, for the most part.
So when you walk by, your snake perceives "A big scary potential predator is out there, OMG!" They rely on our scent & touch to recognize us.

Your snake may be afraid, hungry or actually uncomfortable...a snake with pain or internal parasites may "act aggressive" too. So please, if you
get all the husbandry corrected (right temps & humidity, privacy, adequate food, etc) and he's still acting this way, a vet visit might be in order,
along with a fresh stool sample. It's possible that he got injured during his escape...I've never broken a rib but I'm willing to believe that it hurts
just as much whether you're a snake or a human?

And you mentioned he is now 11 years old: do you know much about his history, before you got him? If he was mishandled prior to your owner-
ship, he could have internal injuries or bad memories with humans, at the very least? That you initially allowed his cage temperatures to be too
cold would have lowered his immune function & could have allowed health issues to take hold. When an animal is in pain, they don't always
correctly blame the source...again, they get defensive.

Another afterthought:

You mentioned that he is now in a smaller tank (40 gal) from the one he was in for a long time (75 gal)? So now you seem closer to him when
you approach, he doesn't have as much "fight or flight" distance: since he doesn't visually "know" you, maybe this cage is more scary for him?

Make sure he has adequate hides on both cool & warm side of cage, as I think was already noted. You didn't explain how he happened to escape,
but if he squeezed out thru a loose cage top, that's one way snake can break ribs & all. Are there any sunken-in areas on his body? Any lack
of symmetry? (your vet can check this)

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

There's no mention of what ypur temps actually are.
Sooo....what are your temps? How are you measuring temps? And are your heat sources regulated by a thermostat???

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It's 90 degrees (give or take a degree or two) on the warm side and around 80 on the cooler side. I measure this with a temperature gun. And the humidity is around 60%.

Thank you all, this has been very helpful. I will check for any unsymmetrical areas. Are there any other ways for me to check if he's injured, or sick, before heating to the vet?

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Originally Posted by alyssasimons

It's 90 degrees (give or take a degree or two) on the warm side and around 80 on the cooler side. I measure this with a temperature gun. And the humidity is around 60%.

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I think you forgot to answer the thermostat question- it's important!

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Originally Posted by alyssasimons

Thank you all, this has been very helpful. I will check for any unsymmetrical areas....

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BTW, the reason I think of that is a wild caught rosy boa that was given to me & which I kept for the balance of his life. When he slid around in his cage,
with his body making "S" curves, you could see when he moved that a sunken area would appear...he had an old injury- several broken ribs that healed
that way & left him somewhat vulnerable to pain or more injury from careless handling, so he "retired" with me. No idea how it happened-

Years back when I was cleaning cages, I unlocked one of my rat snakes cages & left the room briefly: when I came back, she had pushed up the lid & was
making her escape, only the lid was resting for too long on her tail tip...she ended up needing her tail tip amputated because of the damage done. :tears:

If you touch a snake in a place that causes pain, they tend to bite as a reflex, nothing "personal". Another unwanted/rescue I took in had a back injury-
it was confirmed by x-ray- she handled fine as long as you didn't touch that spot- then she'd bite. She also tended to get constipated because her back
hurt when she moved around. I ended up having to help her defecate in shallow water in my bathtub, where the water & my hands could support her.

With snakes (& other animals) you have to read between the lines & be very observant. There's the old joke that your best doctor is probably your vet,
because they have to do all their diagnosing without their patients being able to tell them anything. :snake: