New Adult 900g 3 y/o very aggressive HALP!!!

So, I went to Idaho and happened to stumble upon an adult fire fly who was in need of a new home. I handled it at the owners house and the snake was very calm and gentle. I decided to give the guy the $100 and take it off of his hands.

Pretty sure its a female. When I popped it two pointy things came out from the side but they were very short and no purple at all. I have a vet coming over in a couple weeks to confirm this for me and give all 10 of my noodles a good once over.

I've had it home for a week now, but the snake has taken a turn for having the desire to eat my face. Hasn't actually got me yet but have had 2 close calls.

Here is what I think....

They had this snake in a 150 gallon glass tank with nothing but cocoa husk and a cardboard box as a hide. From my years having snakes I have found that smaller enclosures and smaller hides tend to keep them in a better mood. So, when I set up my enclosures I tend to just use 32qt sterilite tubs for lager pythons with a medium reptile basic hide. This is what I put her in.

We had to travel 5 hours to get home. I have heated seats so I covered her with a blanket inside a sterilite tub.

The first full day home she took a 500g frozen/thawed rat. The previous owner told me she wouldn't eat frozen and he had never fed her anything but live. I don't like feeding live except to my hatchlings. Day 2 I let her rest and didn't touch her at all. Day 3 hit and she took a shot at my face. So I Just let her be for the rest of the day. I let her rest for a couple more days. A couple nights ago I lifted her lid and again straight at me. I didn't even reach in to get her out.

The guy also told me that he took her out of her enclosure to feed her. I know there's debate about this but i do the same thing been doing it for many years and have never had a problem with it. I called the guy to see what he was using as her feeding tub and guess what.... He used a 32qt sterilite tub. Huge face palm.....

Could she be in constant feed mode now? Today I wanted to feed her again so I put on my crocodile hunter game face on and pulled her out. No issues but her feed tub was beside her enclosure and it wasn't like I had to move her far. I had the rat ready to go and she knew what time it was. As soon as the rat breached the wall of her tub she had that rat. Shes feeding very violently and aggressively. Kind of like my hatchlings when they get a live hopper. After she ate I put her in her tub. I always let them crawl in there hides through my hands so level with there sub straight.

The thing is she went in her first half calm and easy. Halfway in she bolted like mad like something had spooked her.

Sorry for the book but what advise do you all have to help me get her back to normal?

Should I put he back into a glass tank?
Should I just leave her be for a week or 2?
Should I feed her closer together rather than every 5-7 days?
Would it be best to just feed her in her enclosure?

I'm dumb founded I've never had a Ball Python with this sort of aggression.

With my experience mind you I’ve only been keeping for 4 years but now have an established 6 ball pythons and feeding regularly. Smaller is better for males, least mine...my females don’t care cause there bigger. But I never move to feed, causes more stress for them and possibility for regurgitation. And when first getting them I wait a week or two before trying to feed..also I’m praying that it was a miss type that you fed a 500gram rat lol 10-15 % of body weight or thickest portion of body size for food is how I have typically fed.


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O crap your right 50g rat. I've been keeping snakes well over 15 years and have never had a regurge. I keep them close to there enclosure and move them with minimal handling and proper support. My current vet and vets over the years have told me its fine as long as your gentile and you don't put them in head first.

If this 3 y/o snake has been eating live for a while, & the guy wasn't breeding his own rodents (I'm assuming), it's quite possible that she's got some internal parasites
("worms") that are making her very hungry & even uncomfortable, & that's resulting in the "aggressive" behavior you are seeing. Personally, I'd get her stool checked
by a vet A.S.A.P.

Could also be the fact she's in unfamiliar territory (even if her enclosure is identical, the air is different & so are other things, like the direction of light in the room, your
scent, etc. and all that has her freaked out: snakes do NOT understand how their world just changed...you can't blame them for being spooked & defensive after being
re-homed...it's stressful & confusing.

Moving a snake into a side cage for feeding is also inviting a bite, as they're still in "feed mode" for a while, but that's on you, it's your choice.

I don't recommend feeding live either: this also makes a snake always on guard to do battle with rodents. Rats are formidable opponents & sooner or later your snake WILL get injured...better to prevent this than deal with vet bills, infections & even the premature death of your pet...don't say no one told you. ;)
And seriously, many snakes become calmer pets to handle when fed pre-killed or f/t rodents. They still pounce & love to eat, just less feisty.

"Should I put her back into a glass tank?"
"Should I just leave her be for a week or 2?"
"Should I feed her closer together rather than every 5-7 days?"
"Would it be best to just feed her in her enclosure?"

Glass tank: personally I prefer glass, but most here do not; in any case, I don't think that's likely to be the issue.

Leave for a week or 2? Kinda late to ask, but yes, all new snakes (especially adults that don't need to eat so often) should be allowed time to settle in for a couple weeks without handling or feeding. Never too late to give her some "space" though.

Feed closer together rather than every 5-7 days? :O No way, you do not want your snake regurgitating (it takes TIME to digest rodents, especially rats) & incidentally, feeding a 3 year old (adult) snake every 5-7 days is already too often. That might also be putting her in a constant "combat" mode.

Feed in enclosure? YES :gj: Unless you enjoy bites...

Chances are it is very stressed. You drove 5 hours in a car then put it in a new home. Added stress can make a snake grumpy and defensive. I was giving a corn snake to a friend of mine a few weeks ago. It was extremely chill and never acted afraid or defensive in any way. When I dropped it off at my friends it tried to bite him repeatedly. A few weeks later and it’s back to being calm and easy going. I’d leave it alone for a week or so.

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Originally Posted by AzJohn

Chances are it is very stressed. You drove 5 hours in a car then put it in a new home. Added stress can make a snake grumpy and defensive. I was giving a corn snake to a friend of mine a few weeks ago. It was extremely chill and never acted afraid or defensive in any way. When I dropped it off at my friends it tried to bite him repeatedly. A few weeks later and it’s back to being calm and easy going. I’d leave it alone for a week or so.

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^ THIS ^


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Glass tank, AP T8, or larger tub wold be my first move. She came from a very large tank, 150 gallon.
Now, my next move 90% will say I'm wrong but it works for me. Forced handling, pick her up keeping the head away from your face. An handle her for twenty minutes or so. Put her back for three hours an then take her out again. She'll learn your not going to eat her in a few days.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 303_enfield

Glass tank, AP T8, or larger tub wold be my first move. She came from a very large tank, 150 gallon.
Now, my next move 90% will say I'm wrong but it works for me. Forced handling, pick her up keeping the head away from your face. An handle her for twenty minutes or so. Put her back for three hours an then take her out again. She'll learn your not going to eat her in a few days.

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I think the only disagree with this is that it's too soon. Shes not comfortable with her environment yet, so shes scared in the cage, shes scared when you take her out, then scared when shes put back.

900 grams seems really small for a 3 year old female - if she wasn't being fed the right size prey with the previous o and you came home and offered her a feast...could have put her into feast mode on top of all the new surroundings. I'd let her be for 10 days other than needed water changes etc and hopefully after a few more successful and good meals she will be calmer and sated

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Crowfingers

900 grams seems really small for a 3 year old female - if she wasn't being fed the right size prey with the previous o and you came home and offered her a feast...could have put her into feast mode on top of all the new surroundings. I'd let her be for 10 days other than needed water changes etc and hopefully after a few more successful and good meals she will be calmer and sated

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Sorry, I've been MIA more traveling for the Holidays.

I thought 900g was small as well for a 3 y/o. You hit it spot on with the right size rodent. He told me he would just get was available. If they only had small ones he would buy multiple rats. The more I study this snake the more I believe this guy should have never owned a snake in the first place.

Another thing I forgot to mention in my first post is, the guy mentioned she was going through a shed.... It was very clear that the snake had already gone through the shed but was unsuccessful the last 3 sheds it went through.

When I got her home and was looking her over I had realized that there was 3 layers of stuck shed. Before I even put her in her new home she got a bath and she didn't seem to mind it. When I got her out of the bath I let her run through a towel for a few minutes and every layer came off with ease. But, I feel like this would have added to her stress as well.

This weekend I had to go back to Idaho and because the roads were so bad in Montana I stayed over night. Before I left Saturday morning I didn't open the doors to the snake den, and my wife said she forgot about opening the doors. I think that may have helped a bit. It makes sense to me anyway. She did say though that this morning way before I got home she opened the door, and my daughter (who is 3) was standing beside her being a toddler and the snake lunged at her. Then another light bulb went off after reading crowfingers post... (could have put her into feast mode on top of all the new surroundings.)

My "snake den" is a closet I built with three shelves and can hold up to 15 32 Qt Sterilite tubs. I put her on the bottom shelf between my other 2 albinos. That is, right at dog height, and toddler height. If she is under weight and she is over hungry and in feast mode than duh!!! There is to much activity going on in front of her and shes chomping at the bit for something to chomp on. So, i moved her to the top shelf where dogs or children cant see her at all. The other 9 snakes are used to this, and to much outside the tub activity doesn't seem to phase them much. The other 9 are all under 200g. Hatched mostly in August and September.

Anyways, I will be leaving her alone for a few days before I try to handle her again. I may see if she will take another meal in the next few days as well. I have enough 500g rats.... Just kidding, 50g rats that if she doesn't want it, then its no loss at the moment. But I have a feeling she will eat it down no problem.

Thank you all for your input it all is very helpful. :rolleyes:

It's way too late now but new arrivals should always be quarantined well away from your established snakes for at least 90 days, as otherwise you're risking having some collection-killing disease rip through and kill off everything.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

It's way too late now but new arrivals should always be quarantined well away from your established snakes for at least 90 days, as otherwise you're risking having some collection-killing disease rip through and kill off everything.

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Thank you!!! I don't know why this slipped my mind. Right now I'm in collection mode. Since September I've acquired 10 Ball Pythons and a baby bearded dragon. The dragon is helping me train my 3 y/o patience and remaining calm. \

I am going to be getting atleast 3 more female adult proven breeders in the next couple of months so I'm ready to go for next breeding season.

Do you have any advice on how to quarantine multiple reptiles under one roof? This is going to especially important when I start forking out a few grand into these snakes.