Dispel Myth: Is one gender more aggressive than the other?

I was at a show helping someone in a booth recently, and we were discussing this issue. It seems that many people believe that female snakes are more aggressive than males. He and I have always thought this was bogus and it really depends on the individual snake, but this myth had to spawn somewhere. I'm just curious what others think.

What say you?

I think that we really need people that have very large amounts of snakes to weigh in on this. People like me who have, like, 8 snakes, have no real business making any claim unless we've worked around large amounts of different snakes. Even then.. I think personally that it just depends on the snake itself and what time of year it is/how hungry the snake is/etc..

Just a myth depends on the snake. But the only time i get bit its by one of my girls:O so

I think females get the more aggressive tendencies, especially over eggs!

Def. My females!

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Originally Posted by JASBALLS

Def. My females!

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Only until we get our chocolate...then your lives may be spared. ;)

I can definately see where females would be more aggressive when guarding eggs!

I think it depends on the individual.

Are you only talking about snakes? I think male iguanas have a tendency to be more aggressive, especially during breeding season.

With my snakes I couldnt tell ya. Ive got some males and some females, but not of my snakes have ever really been agressive. Last time I was bit by a snake was at least 7 or 8 years ago by a WC texas rat snake when I was still living down there. Id say it all depends on the situation, species, and individual snake.

Mainly snakes....I'm aware that many male lizards can be pretty nasty. But I'm chiefly referring to when customers will come up to a booth, looking at baby pythons and baby boas, and often choose males because they heard that females are always aggressive. The guy I work with and I are like, "What the...? Where are people are getting this from?"

Interesting question. I would say females based on my experience, but I don't know if that's because I have so many more females . . . .

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Originally Posted by Alice

Interesting question. I would say females based on my experience, but I don't know if that's because I have so many more females . . . .

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Hey, What are you doing posting this late? LOL!

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Originally Posted by cassandra

Only until we get our chocolate...then your lives may be spared. ;)

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Is that why my hubby brings me chocolate all the time :8:

As a whole, I have observed the female half of most species are more aggressive, maybe maternal instinct or something? In 30+ years raising birds you can tell in some species by 6-8 weeks the males and females by the hissing and aggression and usually right 90% of the time. Female dogs are more protective at an earlier age than males even neutered ones. These are strictly my own observations. I do not have enough experience with snakes to form an opinion at this time.

I also don't have enough experience with reptiles to say as the only reptiles I've had, aside from bluebellies, the sex was unkown.

In regards to dogs, however, I would just like to add that what people interpret as "protective" behavior is often territorial, dominance, resource guarding, food aggression, etc. A vast majority ( I'm talking like 99% ) of dogs will not "protect" their owner in the face of a true adversary, with real pain and a real confrontation. Very specific genes and training/conditioning go into the training of a dog that can handle the mental and physical stress of combat with a human.

Females are often noted to be more aggressive as females fight amongst themselves more and spaying a female dog increases aggression among many other health risks and that neutering a male dog unless done very young *which is TOO young* does not affect aggressive tendencies and even when neutered young males are capable of being aggressive, to people, to dogs, to other animals.

In mammals and most other species that live with humans, it is not the sex that determines aggression levels it is the handling and training of those animals that determines outward aggression. Yes animals are born with certain traits that make them more or less inclined towards aggression - namely dominance - but these inclinations can be suppressed, redirected, and prevented even in animals that are already showing strong, dangerous, aggressive tendencies.

I've worked with dangerous animals most of my life. Aggressive dogs, horses, cats, birds, ferrets etc and while not easy aggressive tendencies can be worked through. That said I do believe this poll is directed towards reptiles, which I don't have enough experience with to vote. I will say that I think it would be more of an individual thing, not directly linked to sex.

Just my 27 cents lol

I dislike anytime people use the term "always". Things are rarely "always" anything and those broad stroke type mentalities drive me nuts. :rolleye2:

For me aggression doesn't cover things like maternal protective instincts, defensive behaviours, instincts of self-preservation, etc. Those are things I expect to see in any animal and expect to deal with as is appropriate for that species and their interactions with my family.

I haven't had to take a big female snake off her eggs yet but should one of our females take a jab at me, so what. I should be shocked she's being "aggressive"? Those are her eggs, her instinct is to stay on her eggs, she's doing whatever it takes to fulfill her natural role and I'm the one sticking my nose (and hands) into the process. There's nothing "aggressive" about that, it's something I should expect, plan for and just deal with in a common sense manner. Sure she's a female snake or she wouldn't be on a clutch but I don't think that means all females are naturally more difficult to deal with than all males.

Yes, I do think that people interpret defensiveness, as aggression. Most times that people get bitten by their BPs, the BP is either being defensive, or hungry and mistaking the handler for prey. I can't say that I've ever heard of, or read about, an offensive BP that would choose to go after a person rather than curl up, quickly strike defensively "bluffing." Unless it is mistaking the person's heat and motion for a prey item.
I have gotten my hand constricted before. My big female thought that I was a prey item. This is not aggression in my book; it is hunger-striking. :)
I have also gotten snapped-at by off-guard snakes whose tubs I had opened without really thinking to warn them much. If I had been relaxing/sitting in a nice warm hide for 10 hours and was maybe asleep, and some large living being put its hand into my space suddenly, I would swat out at it too! (do it to my husband all of the time!)

Well even with our Brannagh, who when we got her at just under 2,000 grams, would go out of her way to strike - I never really took that as aggressiveness. Brannagh was just in her own way trying to live life. I've no idea what her story was before we found her in that pet store but she was so tense the employees were afraid of her. She'd slam into the side of her enclosure if anyone approached, let alone dared to try and open the lid. Brannagh was definitely a handful back then.

We just stayed calm, didn't react to her antics, took precautions to avoid her bites and just fed and housed her like any other snake. Eventually with repetitive, calm yet firm handling Brannagh got the message that trying to bite us didn't get her whatever it was she wanted so she stopped. We've never seen a moment of this behaviour again. She's a big BP now, almost 5 feet and over 3,200 grams and a just lovely, calm and very regal adult.

I don't think her gender had anything to do with her behaviour back then. Something in her life triggered this behaviour and the humans that had her obviously reacted to it so she kept up with what worked for her. When she was faced with humans that didn't react with fear or let the behaviour control them or what needed to be done, she adjusted herself to the new situation quite nicely. :)

I will comment on African Rocks. Python sebae do have aggressive tendencies sometimes, although you cannot flat out call them aggressive. During breeding season males are very hyper, and very prone to sizing something up, or biting, musking, etc. I've had males try and size me up during the breeding season. Males will even kill each other during breeding season. Where as most male Boids will wrestle each other to the ground with out any aggressive moves towards each other such as biting and what have you; male Python sebae will rip each other apart, cause deep lacertions in each other, and very well kill each other. After the seasons over, for an odd reason they mellow out (Though they still cannot come into contact with other males), and females start to kick into an aggressive mode. During their gravid period, as well as after the lay and during incubation, females will lash out, strike, side swipe, use the bulk of their body to throw around, and size you up. Its quite scary to have a large 16'+ female size you up when you open her cage. It really makes you think...

Other than that, I really couldn't comment on which gender is more aggressive. They both have their moments IMO :P;)

I agree with Franky in that there is no definitive answer here. Some females are sweethearts, some are not. Same thing with males, I think an aggressive 3000 gram female will sure seem worse than an aggressive 1000 gram male. I think size has something to do with it, and with balls I think that people looking for a pet are better off with males bc theyre snake will still go through a cycle if the ambient temp in their house changes with the seasons, and with that will come all the attitude of a breeding female. During the summer I see little difference but from late Sept-Feb, I watch my fingers when I open female tubs, but theyre hungry, theyre making eggs(hopefully :please:)...I dont think with balls there is a diff in the summer, but in the winter, I wouldn't let my child play with any of my adult female, but I'd let that child play with most if not all of my males, all year long. That said I too have only been bitten by my female snakes, never once bitten by a male (bad karma is coming I now)....That said as well there is nothing cooler than a 3000 gram albino female ball python, absolutely gorgeous.

I know this is about snakes but everyone else threw in some other animals so for the record, male bearded dragons are definitely generally more aggressive, but like I said before theyre are aggressive animals of both sex. I've produced thousands of beardies and it seems like most of the time the aggressive ones turn out to be female, which is ok because they end up with experienced breeders anyway. In my experience, aggressive beardies breed more consistantly as well. :snake:

It's always odd to me to see people worried if their snake takes an occasional jab at them. I mean, these aren't domesticated animals that have been in direct contact with humans for eons of time, they aren't animals that anyone believes have a pack or herd instinct driving them.

I grew up around a lot of farmers. I've seen domesticated cattle kick and drop a big guy to the ground, I've seen a bull suddenly turn and put it's owner into a wall (that owner delivered that bull, raised it it's whole life too). They didn't fuss, they didn't wonder why, they just went on with their work. I think that people like this instinctively know that any living creature, at any moment can present a risk. It's a risk they just expect, manage and don't much think about - it's just what it is.

Remember too, statistically what bites and creates the most injuries yearly to the human race - pet dogs. Yet we keep millions of them, allow them to roam loose with our kids, consider them "family". We forget because we are so bonded to our dogs that they too are just animals and in the end, will react like any animal - sometimes with a very poor outcome. Yet more people ask me about our snakes biting our kids and forget a 70 lb dog is in this house. That's very odd to me LOL.

Yeah, it seems backwards to me, too. I mean, I don't mind getting tagged by a snake (as long its not a hot...lol). I was just wondering if there was a gender difference.

I am woman, hear me ROAR... :P

I have no idea as I don't own a female (YET) But Furio is extremely non aggressive.

"You must spread some reputation around before giving it to Frankykeno again"---very well said in that last post!!! And also so very, very true.

I'm with Jo totally on this. I had a 3,000g plus female that I used for an education program who has always been a big sweetie,(kids could hold her) and one of her smallish sons I wouldn't dream about letting anyone but me hold, because he bit me several times. And the whole dog thing, yeah. In Philly, pit bulls are the number one animal that are kept as pets.Snakes, crocodilians, and other large exotics are very popular, but when you look at the statistics, there's a HUGE difference in the number of bites between them. I'd like to really do a statistic comparison between the two......i think it'd be interesting.