Got a new ball python, worrying about picking him up

I have had a ball python for around a month now and hes had all the right temps and humidity and hes ate around 7-8 times but I'm worried about him biting because hes bit before when we were putting him in his enclosure, any tips?

Sorry just to clarify, when you say he's eaten 7-8 times are you talking in his life, or in the month you've had him?

Typically you don't want to handle until your new BP has eaten 3-4 times consistently for you, in his/her new enclosure. You want them to get comfortable in the new enclosure, so this is kind of a settling in time. As far as him biting before, you really have to learn your snake's body language. Try to handle at night or in the evening as these are nocturnal animals. Make sure you're not handing 48-72 (72 being a little longer but I prefer to play it safe) hours after the snake has eaten, or when they're in shed.

Snakes bite sometimes, but a young BP's bite isn't anything to be super concerned about. Mine tagged me the third day I had him while I was do some cleaning in his enclosure. A month or so of short handling sessions and now he's a little teddy bear, or at least as teddy bear-like as a python can be lol.

Hes eaten in the month we've had him, everytime he eats he eats 2 thawed dead mice.

He hasn't shown any signs of aggression towards me and the one time he hit was when we were moving him from the box to his enclosure when he first got him. I've stroked him before and he wasn't aggressive at all, but I'm just worried about getting scared from him striking, I know the bite wont hurt but itll scare the hell out of me.

The one time I stroked him he hid his head in his body as he was balled up. I frequently open his cage and his enclosure to check on him, as we dont switch him from place to place during feeding.

Hes been hiding on his cold side recently so I've been lifting his enclosure to check on him and hes never really been aggressive, so I dont think he would try and bite me as I regularly check on him when opening the cage, so it wouldnt be me mistaken for food.

I'm in my room almost all day so I'm sure he recognizes my scent. I just need motivation honestly.

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Originally Posted by guywithaballpython

Hes eaten in the month we've had him, everytime he eats he eats 2 thawed dead mice.

He hasn't shown any signs of aggression towards me and the one time he hit was when we were moving him from the box to his enclosure when he first got him. I've stroked him before and he wasn't aggressive at all, but I'm just worried about getting scared from him striking, I know the bite wont hurt but itll scare the hell out of me.

The one time I stroked him he hid his head in his body as he was balled up. I frequently open his cage and his enclosure to check on him, as we dont switch him from place to place during feeding.

Hes been hiding on his cold side recently so I've been lifting his enclosure to check on him and hes never really been aggressive, so I dont think he would try and bite me as I regularly check on him when opening the cage, so it wouldnt be me mistaken for food.

I'm in my room almost all day so I'm sure he recognizes my scent. I just need motivation honestly.

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I know you didn't ask for feeding advice, but if I were you I'd go ahead and swap him over to rat fuzzies. You'll only have to feed one of those a week, and as he gets bigger he's gonna need to be on rats anyway. It's easier to make the switch when they're younger, but great that he's eating F/T already. As far as the motivation piece about handling, you just have to get comfortable with him. He'll let you know when he doesn't want to be messed with. It takes time as a new owner to build handling confidence, but you'll get there, just be patient.

I would probably back off the lifting his hides to check on him so much, especially if you're doing it during the day when he's probably trying to sleep. Other than that, just start off with short 5-10 minute handling sessions. Reptiles don't learn to "trust" us like a dog would, but over time they stop associating your hands with danger and will be more comfortable when you reach in to interact with them.

I'm pretty sure hes around 4-5 months old, but I recently got a couple boxes of frozen mice, so once I finish the boxes I'll try and switch him over to see if he takes it.

I'm pretty sure hes going in to shed, so I'm only gonna be petting him/stroking him so that he can shed without problems.

I recently broke his heat daytime light on accident, so I'm using g the nighttime light. I have a window right next to his enclosure which brightens it up to the point where the red light is barley visible.

Quite a bit to unpack here, but I can touch on a couple points.

You should stop the frequent checkups. Constantly messing with him (picking up his hide, touching him, etc) is only stressing him out, and it will most likely make him lash out when you try to interact with him. Lastly, if he's going into shed, stop touching him at all. Make sure the humidity is good and keep the cage closed until he's shed. It mostly sounds to me that touching him as much as you are is becoming counterproductive.

Feeding 7-8 in a month is probably too much, depending on how big he is. Here's a feeding chart thrown around on here:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...1d2ea1854f.png

I dont truly know if its male or female, but i only assumed it's a boy. He hasnt shown any shedding signs yet.

Thanks to my confidence I brought myself to slowly and slightly petting him. He didn't show any signs of him wanting to strike, being aggressive, etc. He was pretty calm about it and he likes to hide his head after a bit, which I take in as "leave me alone" so i leave him alone.

I'm gonna be getting a replacement light and I'm gonna hold off on feeding for a couple weeks or until he starts searching for food.

One last question, is it normal for him to be hiding in his cool side hide all the time?

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Originally Posted by wnateg

Quite a bit to unpack here, but I can touch on a couple points.

You should stop the frequent checkups. Constantly messing with him (picking up his hide, touching him, etc) is only stressing him out, and it will most likely make him lash out when you try to interact with him. Lastly, if he's going into shed, stop touching him at all. Make sure the humidity is good and keep the cage closed until he's shed. It mostly sounds to me that touching him as much as you are is becoming counterproductive.

Feeding 7-8 in a month is probably too much, depending on how big he is. Here's a feeding chart thrown around on here:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...1d2ea1854f.png

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This^

I used this chart myself when I first brought my BP home and while you typically go off size of the snake instead of the weight, this chart ended up being spot on for me. Also, as Wnateg said, leave him alone while he's shedding. You're just letting humidity out and causing stress. Remember, these guys can't see as well when they're shedding so all he sees is a big blob reaching in after him. Give him a week or so to shed, and then you can start your handling sessions back up.

Once he gets comfortable, at least this is how mine did, he'll come out at night and explore. That's when I would do my handling. I've never taken him out of a hide, or even lifted a hide with him under it unless it was cleaning day, or if it was getting close to feeding time and I was checking to see if he was in blue. I leave my guy alone all day, and when he comes out at night then I sneak in for 5-10 minutes of "play time".

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Originally Posted by guywithaballpython

I dont truly know if its male or female, but i only assumed it's a boy. He hasnt shown any shedding signs yet.

Thanks to my confidence I brought myself to slowly and slightly petting him. He didn't show any signs of him wanting to strike, being aggressive, etc. He was pretty calm about it and he likes to hide his head after a bit, which I take in as "leave me alone" so i leave him alone.

I'm gonna be getting a replacement light and I'm gonna hold off on feeding for a couple weeks or until he starts searching for food.

One last question, is it normal for him to be hiding in his cool side hide all the time?

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Gender only matters if you're trying to breed them.

Snakes are shy, & BPs hide their head when they're afraid. Interacting should get a lot easier for you both, just be patient. Snakes mostly bite out of fear & self-defense- we're big & scary (maybe even predators, for all they know) so you can't blame them. Be patient...& when you hold him, hold him closer to your body so he feels he's hiding with you as his shelter- he'll learn to feel safe with you, & besides, we're providing the warmth they enjoy. They instinctively know they're vulnerable to predators when out in the open, which is also why BPs are "ambush-predators", usually grabbing prey when it passes by where they're hiding.

What are the highest & lowest temperatures in your snakes enclosure? If the warm side is TOO warm, that would explain him staying on the cool side. If the temps are in the right range (cool side 77-80* and warm side 88-90*), then he might be preferring the cool side because he's going into shed. They know before we can see signs, btw. Or he may be simply thermoregulating- it's normal- if a snake stayed too warm constantly, their metabolism would demand more food (like us humans, lol); by staying cool at times, snakes eat far less often than we do. ;) It's normal.

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Originally Posted by guywithaballpython

One last question, is it normal for him to be hiding in his cool side hide all the time?

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I would suggest a 2nd Temp Gun as well

My BP usually stays on the cool side as well, so I decided to get another temp gun...turns out, my temp gun was about 2 degrees off. So his cage was about 2 degrees warmer than where I wanted it.

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Originally Posted by guywithaballpython

I have had a ball python for around a month now...... but I'm worried about him biting because hes bit before when we were putting him in his enclosure, any tips?

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Just remember that other than "honest mistakes" that a snake might make at feeding time (confusing our heat signature & motion with prey they can smell nearby), their bites are all about fear of us & self-defense. They feel the MOST afraid when we approach them -this is understandable, because we're a big scary blur that might be a predator heading their way- remember they don't make accurate identifications by vision alone, so they're easily confused. They rely more on scent, heat signatures & their sense of touch (there's a big difference between the way a predator scoops them up or grabs them).

The other time some also bite is when they feel suddenly insecure, as when being put back into a container- the lack of traction, sense of falling & being still unsure about humans can make them bite defensively. None of this means your snake is "mean", just be patient & reassuring when you hold him. Snakes learn our scent & touch with repeated contacts. I also find that short handlings (that some even recommend? :confusd:) tend to make a snake MORE nervous, because remember, they're most nervous when being approached, and when being put back. See what I mean? But when you sit back & relax for a while holding a pet snake, even if they don't sit still (& most do not), they do learn to relax & recognize us. When you first hold a snake, keep your hands "quiet" & underneath him as much as possible. I hold snakes close to me too, so they feel sheltered, knowing they are more afraid (of predators) when out in the open (like at arm's length).

This all gets easier, & snake bites from harmless snakes like BPs are underwhelming anyway. ;) When you pay attention to your snake's body language, you'll find nearly all bites are preventable. Another way ppl get "tagged" is reaching into their enclosure, like to pick up something- your snake won't identify you from even a short distance, without your touch & scent, & may try to tag you, assuming that your warm & wiggling hand is a rodent. So just avoid doing that. You can hold a piece of cardboard between your snake & what you need to pick up to block his vision temporarily- this will prevent a silly bite.

He shed before we got him, which was around christmas, hes definitely going into shed. I tried feeding him yesterday, he looked like he was ready to strike it but didnt and instead tried to attack us. He may be going into shed and .ay ve angry which explains the strike. Hes usually a calm snake.

The temps are relatively good, I broke my daytime light but I'm getting a mew one today. I'll look into the temp gun

Once I get a replacement daytime light I'll have one on one side and another on the other to keep him up.

Get yourself a snake hook and take a look at posts here. Pretty sure daski Dave has a great post on hooks and using it.

I hook all my snakes from the smallest to the largest. To me it’s a respect thing and letting them know I’m coming and snapping them out of food mode.

it will make you feel calm as well and I don’t go a day without using one.

best advise I ever got coming to this forum for sure

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Originally Posted by guywithaballpython

I have had a ball python for around a month now and hes had all the right temps and humidity and hes ate around 7-8 times but I'm worried about him biting because hes bit before when we were putting him in his enclosure, any tips?

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Royals are the Golden Labradors of the snake world .. they will only normally bite if they’re scared or anxious ( like when you moved if into it’s new hone ) .

If it’s been settled for a while and feeding great then I’m certain it will be fine to handle . Just leave 36/48 hours for a meal to digest each time .

If you’re initially ( understandably) nervous then either get a cheap 4 dollar snake hook off eBay ..

You really don’t need a hook for a Royal / Ball python but you can use it to just keep it’s head / teeth away from you :)


Either wait until it’s roaming or lift the hide off it then guide the head gently away from you then get hold of it about five inches down from it’s head then you can put the hook down and use your other hand to lift the lower part it’s body up .

Once it’s in your hands it’s best to quickly sit down on a sofa or even the floor .. that way you can let it kinda explore around you safely whilst always keeping at least one hand on it .

They have to feel safe so you can’t have them dangling down when you’re holding them .. if they feel uncertain they will jerk around .


Be careful , watch their heads .. not for biting but they will quickly go down the side of the sofa or a radiator or whatever is close by .



Note when you’re feeding a snake there’s always the chance they will strike and bite you instead of the rodent but I put those down as your errors - not snake bites .
They are just attracted by your body heat which is why partly why I use a hairdryer to warm the mouse /rat up well before offering