Python aggression.

I have two BPs that share an enclosure. I know the risks of this but it hasn't shown any stress effects on them. They never cuddle together. Which is good I'm told.

Anyways. My smaller BP has been extremely aggressive lately. It won't even give me a chance to pick him up with out striking at any movement around. I know I need to handle him so he will become used to me, but it will be impossible with him trying to bite me.

My bigger BP, Bruce :P, is very, very good. He will actually come to me when I put my hand in his tank, or even come to the glass of the tank.

I'm getting off topic :P.

Do you people have any idea of what I can do to try to earn my bp's trust? He used to not be like this =\

But if I cannot stop is aggression I will have to get rid of him...

I may have the same issue, except that it's with our big girl, Cleo. She's been striking at anyone that gets close to her.

I still would seperate them. Especially if one snake is bigger then the other. The bigger BP will probably get the better spots and even though they dont show signs, it still takes its toll over time. A bite from a ball python doesn't hurt, but if you keep jerking everytime he strikes he learns that when that big hand comes he strikes it goes away, so in theory if you still hold him even after he strikes, he will learn that with biting the hand still doesn't go away.

Just keep handling him, just be mindful, and get them seperate enclosures.

I won't be able to separate them... And I must say I am a little scared to hold a snake that will bite me. And the hissing is also creepy.

But I don't think seperation is going to happen. I can't afford another tank. And there is no room in my home...

Plus the size between them is not a whole lot. But is visual. I just used there size so ya know who's who

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Originally Posted by Joe Cope

I won't be able to separate them... And I must say I am a little scared to hold a snake that will bite me. And the hissing is also creepy.

But I don't think seperation is going to happen. I can't afford another tank. And there is no room in my home...

Plus the size between them is not a whole lot. But is visual. I just used there size so ya know who's who

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Perhaps it may be better to rehome one of them then?

Striking is a response that can be associated with many things, one of them being stress, another being hunger, etc. Usually it is stress. You can try handling him with gloves and see if the behavior dissipates. Does he eat well?

You can set up a second enclosure for cheap that doesn't take up a lot of space. Tubs are a great alternative for this. Or you can stack tanks on a shelf.

Sounds like the "aggression" is stress induced, possibly from being communally housed.

With tubs being an affordable option, have you considered that for a second enclosure. They also don't take up a lot of space.

The tub is a good idea. I may have a place for it. But I was also thinking of maybe making a seperater for the center of the tank. It is a 45 gallon tank and they rarely use the entire thing. Plus from the pics I have seen 45 gallons is a alot more than needed for small pythons.

Will the seperater cause problems? Will they smell or sense each other? If this is not possible I will consider the tub.

Will the bp's fangs not penetrate gardening gloves?

I have had this problem before, I had a female become very aggressive with hissing and all. Taking what Neal said, this has helped me. I, like you, would not like to be bitten and the hissing is a little intimidating. I went to the hardware store and bought a pair of thick working gloves, like construction gloves, they were maybe 8 or 9 dollars, and since I started wearing the gloves, she has not struck at me. Every time I go in the enclosure now to get her with the gloves, she is still in strike mode, but when I approach her, she balls up. After I have her in my hands and she calms down, I take the gloves off and handle her with bare hands for a while. She does not need the gloves anymore!!

SUCCESS!!

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Originally Posted by Joe Cope

I won't be able to separate them... And I must say I am a little scared to hold a snake that will bite me. And the hissing is also creepy.

But I don't think seperation is going to happen. I can't afford another tank. And there is no room in my home...

Plus the size between them is not a whole lot. But is visual. I just used there size so ya know who's who

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Well, I am 99.9% sure the aggression is because he is housed with another snake. That will not change unless they are separated. If you really want to keep the aggressive one, try plastic housing. It is cheap and easy:
http://ball-pythons.net/modules/Sect...warticle&id=40

If you really can't manage it, try to put him up for adoption.

Personally I think it is a tad bit irresponsible of you to have two snakes when you cannot care for them both. I think it is also not so good that you are more willing to get rid of him than you are to give him all you can give.

And no, their "fangs" cannot bite through gloves. They can barely get through skin :P

..and sorry, I forgot to mention...YES SEPERATE THEM!

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Well, I am 99.9% sure the aggression is because he is housed with another snake. That will not change unless they are separated. If you really want to keep the aggressive one, try plastic housing. It is cheap and easy:
http://ball-pythons.net/modules/Sect...warticle&id=40

If you really can't manage it, try to put him up for adoption.

Personally I think it is a tad bit irresponsible of you to have two snakes when you cannot care for them both. I think it is also not so good that you are more willing to get rid of him than you are to give him all you can give.

And no, their "fangs" cannot bite through gloves. They can barely get through skin :P

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I am giving him what I can. But of course I am not willing to let him bite for however many times it will take just see if it might cure his case of aggression. I will be buying a tub for him probably.

Btw I have been taking care of them both fine. I'd just rather be able to handle them both. They love to eat ;D

Ball pythons don't have traditional fangs, they just have teeth. If you need a picture i can find one.

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Originally Posted by cinderbird

Ball pythons don't have traditional fangs, they just have teeth. If you need a picture i can find one.

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See I had know idea of this. I am a ball python lover and yes I am still learning about these creatures. And also yes, I am one of those people that spontaneously bought one at the local pet store. But buying them has changed my view on animals.

And I picture would be great.

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Originally Posted by Joe Cope

See I had know idea of this. I am a ball python lover and yes I am still learning about these creatures. And also yes, I am one of those people that spontaneously bought one at the local pet store. But buying them has changed my view on animals.

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even if it was a spontaneous purchase, you are looking to educate yourself on these animals and that is the BEST thing you can do for them and yourself.

there is SO much info out there and coming here starts to let you wade through it. each keeper does things differently. I know the way i keep my snakes now is much different than a few years ago when i got my first one. its all about what works for you, your budget and your collection.

In the end, another snake lover can only help the hobby.

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Originally Posted by cinderbird

even if it was a spontaneous purchase, you are looking to educate yourself on these animals and that is the BEST thing you can do for them and yourself.

there is SO much info out there and coming here starts to let you wade through it. each keeper does things differently. I know the way i keep my snakes now is much different than a few years ago when i got my first one. its all about what works for you, your budget and your collection.

In the end, another snake lover can only help the hobby.

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Yes, I have had my first BP for probably five months now. And my second for about 3 months. And I have come to love them. I know the basics of them. And I have found feeding them inside there cage or in a small container with a lid is most effective. Feeding them in the tub is a big no no for me. The tub is too big and way too cold it seems.

But I plan to improve the way I care for them. And I will separate them. But no one has given me the yay or nay for the divider idea.

Thank you for being kind and not assuming I am irresponsible for silly things...

A divider will also work. :) :gj:

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

A divider will also work. :) :gj:

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Do you have an idea how to design such a thing?

If not I will just make my Dad make one :P

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Originally Posted by Joe Cope

Do you have an idea how to design such a thing?

If not I will just make my Dad make one :P

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The first thing that comes to mind (at least from my artistic mind) would be a piece of sand blasted (frosted) acrylic. Then just use some sealant to hold it in place. That way the divider is secure and they can't see each other. :)

I feel you I really do. It's hard when you get attached to a snake to let it go. I had a snake(white lip python) that I loved dearly and she was awesome. She never bit or struck at me, but I couldn't give her the requirements she needed or the attention, So I gave her to somebody who had the accomodations for her. I still miss her dearly but i'm sure shes a lot happier now. I hear you on the money part, and space. Tub's like mentioned before are a cheap way, or you can go on craigs list and find cheap aquariums. 20 Gallons are fine and pretty in-expensive. Hopefully everything works out for you though.

Yeah, I feel like a total newbie though. Which I am. But this forum has helped a lot and I plan on soon not being a newbie any longer. I fed the little one today and she/he didn't even attempt to bite me which is a good sign. She/he only ate one fuzzy though. She/he wouldn't have a second. I will try again tomorrow. Which I probably shouldn't :P But I'm sure she/he will eat it.

Thanks everyone. You all will probably see me a lot on here now. :)

Just remeber that when you divide the tank that now you have 2 tanks that will need to be heated, etc...

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Originally Posted by Vypyrz

Just remeber that when you divide the tank that now you have 2 tanks that will need to be heated, etc...

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Yes. I will move both the lamp and the heating pad to the center of the tank. It is actually quite an effective idea. My dad will be buying some grids and making a slide so we can move the divider when needed.

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Originally Posted by Joe Cope

Yes. I will move both the lamp and the heating pad to the center of the tank. It is actually quite an effective idea. My dad will be buying some grids and making a slide so we can move the divider when needed.

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Excellent idea! Let us know how it goes! :gj:

Turns that little bugger is finally calmed down. I held him last night and today with no signs of aggression. Thanks guys. :gj:

did you end up devideing the tank or buying tub(s)?

the divider plan is still in the making

Joe, it won't bother them to be seperated by a tank divider. A lot of us keep snakes in racks and they are basically right beside or on levels above and below each other. Some snack racks come with an optional and removable tub divider.

In the long run it really is far better for your two ball pythons if they live apart and dividing the tank would be an excellent idea since it is rather big in the first place. Just use a reptile safe sealant and some thick plexiglass. If you check at places like Home Depot or Lowe's you can get it there. A small panel of it is not expensive at all. Look around the store for some sort of rubber edging/runners (maybe in the windows section?). You should be able to seal those to the sides and bottom of the tank then just slide the plexiglass right in on the tracts that you've made.

My suggestion would be to buy an undertank heater that is big enough to go right in the middle under the tank so both snakes share it from their sides of the divider, creating their warm sides. If their cool sides aren't warm enough you may have to address that issue with more heat sources but that shouldn't be a problem in the summer months at least unless you run A/C a lot. Normally to size a UTH you want it to cover no more than 1/3 of the footprint of the enclosure (doubled that in your case if they share the same one) or whatever size it takes to create the warm side and a heat gradient over to the cool side. Aim for about 90-92 degrees warm side, about 80-82 degrees cool side, ambient humidity of 50-60%.

If this big glass tank has a fully meshed lid you will likely want to cover some portion of that to retain both heat and humidity. Also remember to keep the tank out of direct sunlight at all times.