My Bp has a serious aggro issues why?

so i have had him about 2-3 months

Temps- "ok-good" - a tich low at times 83-84 cold side 89 in hot side
food- "good" no issues i feed Rats that have been Gased!
Humidity- Good!
Shed- Good! just shed and it was a full shed
BM- poops are normal and frequent
Substrate- coconut fiber
H2O-Good! 6" di dish 2.5" deep
Hides- ok. just got one on the hot side
Handling-ok. i try to hold him everyday but he cowers and hides and after 10 min pops a fuse
Age- aprox 1.5 to 2 years
Temperment-bad! F ing Aggro



now it may have to do with him JUST sheding and being in shed mode over the last week. but i held him 3-4 times everytime he grips onto my wrist Looks Directly at me and strikes a bunch.

lucky i can inticipate his move as i have not been taged "yes" been struck at like 12 to 15 times in the last week

what can i do to make him happy?

...even if everything is perfect, it's still a snake, and snakes will be snakes.

Keep handling him daily for him to get used to your scent. He may feel not comfortable or nervous around you, so when you handle him make sure your calm and gentle with him. Snakes can feel your emotions, so if your scared they will be scared, nervous, and tense a little. If you are calm and happy, the snake will be as well. Also, try not to make fast movements around your BP. BPs seem to hate fast movements, and they will either hide their head underneath their body or strike (but the strike is usually only bumping you with it's nose to scare you away). My male has striked at me a few times, but I'm handling him every day (except the day and the day after feeding) and he seems to be getting used to it. I've had him for 3 weeks now and he's doing great. Just gently and calmly handle him on a daily basis and he will get used to your handling. Show no fear, you know you are way stronger than he is even though he may make movements (striking) to scare you.

*Note- males sometimes will get a little grumpy around mating season, which seems to be getting close (the Fall).

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Originally Posted by BallPythonLOVER

Keep handling him daily for him to get used to your scent. He may feel not comfortable or nervous around you, so when you handle him make sure your calm and gentle with him. Snakes can feel your emotions, so if your scared they will be scared, nervous, and tense a little. If you are calm and happy, the snake will be as well. Also, try not to make fast movements around your BP. BPs seem to hate fast movements, and they will either hide their head underneath their body or strike (but the strike is usually only bumping you with it's nose to scare you away). My male has striked at me a few times, but I'm handling him every day (except the day and the day after feeding) and he seems to be getting used to it. I've had him for 3 weeks now and he's doing great. Just gently and calmly handle him on a daily basis and he will get used to your handling. Show no fear, you know you are way stronger than he is even though he may make movements (striking) to scare you.

*Note- males sometimes will get a little grumpy around mating season, which seems to be getting close (the Fall).

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Hey

so i am very nice to him and calm i try to be as nice as i can as i think his breeder was mean to him!

and im not scared of him at all. hence why i still pick him up even tho he is usually in defense mode. i think if he wanted to bite me he would seeing how he is usually on my hand and/or im toughing him when he strikes and he strikes at my face lol

when he seems scared i let him go on my floor and he cruses around

"i made sure it was safe for him"

thanks for the reply i will send him love

touching *

Ya just handle him daily for 30 mins or more if you can. I dont really let my BPs or snakes run around my carpet.. the dog and cat hair is ALL OVER. Why do they have to shed sooooo so so so much.. lol.

haha gotta like dogs and cats


last night i got big by a rotty haha after my snake has a go at me.

i must look tasty

He grew up in an impoverished neighborhood.

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Originally Posted by pavlovk1025

He grew up in an impoverished neighborhood.

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hahaha could be


seeing how im from north America. the #1 over indulgent obese place on the earth i don't think that's the case :taz::taz:

Lol. I look as more of a threat to my mean black & white Cali King. He isn't nice to me, and has tagged me the most out of all of my snakes. He got me 3 times, and I've been bit 5 times. The two others were from my BP (feeding.. I was dumb that time lol) female and the other from my other King (chocolate King mix with a black & white striped Cali King and has a metalic blue belly.. he bit he thinking my finger was food..). The mean King bit me cuz he don't like being messed with lol. I still take him out (holding his head so he can't bite me.. can't touch this! lol) to clean his cage and spot clean though.

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Originally Posted by Jah-Riddem

hahaha could be


seeing how im from north America. the #1 over indulgent obese place on the earth i don't think that's the case :taz::taz:

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I meant he grew up in the hood man.

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Originally Posted by pavlovk1025

I meant he grew up in the hood man.

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haha we dont really have hoods in victoria bc


im sure the breeder was a jerk to him tho he seems under fed for his age and is always hungry

my BPs enjoy temps around 80-84, if I were you I'd switch the hide to the cold side as soon as possible or even add a second hide so he has a choice. also, if I were you I wouldn't handle him more than 15 minutes a day, anymore I've heard can stress them out if they're not used to it. you want to get him used to you gradually and over time rather than force your time upon him, you know? also, study up on the substrates and try to make an educated decision on whether or not the coconut fiber is the best decision for that specific snake.

as far as behavior in his enclosure does he hide, bask, or try to escape most of the time? it tells you a lot about a snake and leaving that info out will have everyone's suggestions incomplete at best. for instance, if he's up on a branch basking most of the time then his belly heat isn't high enough (ball pythons aren't tree dwellers and in nature will burrow in rodent holes), if he's trying to escape a lot then he is probably stressed with his living arrangements, if he's hiding most of the day he is probably comfortable seeing as ball pythons are nocturnal and will actually stay in a hide if they have everything they need in or around their hide spot.

I'm no expert on ball pythons or anything but this is all stuff I've learned after reading through a bunch of forums and posts for the last several months. I just picked up an aggressive ball python myself that we're working to calm down. he's a 486g guy, about 2.5 feet. he's had a bad shed, still has large patches stuck on. really cautious around fast movement, head shy like no other and tags if he doesn't like something you do. we just got him tonight but he seems way more calm than he was earlier (housed in a 20h with a larger male) which wasn't due to their fault, but rather the situation and time they had to rescue him and his buddy.

we have him in a 28qt sterilite container on astroturf type carpeting with 1 hide and a water dish. he's been in hiding most of the time he's been there (about 3 hours) and has already shed off a lot of the retained skin due to the humidity kept in the container and the grip of the substrate. we have personally had a great success with the astroturf, no irritation to our ball pythons whatsoever and it actually helped them shed in full pieces (since they need something to rub against when they're ready to shed).

Sorry about the long post, had some drinky tonight lol! but yeah, I now have a camera at my disposable for a few days. I'll take some pics of my set up for our snakes and I'll keep you updated on his behavior if you wish (we just need to give him some time to acclimate before we try to handle him, he's had 2 moves in 2 weeks).

well, good luck and keep us updated on his progress :)
~Fade

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jah-Riddem

so i have had him about 2-3 months

Temps- "ok-good" - a tich low at times 83-84 cold side 89 in hot side
food- "good" no issues i feed Rats that have been Gased!
Humidity- Good!
Shed- Good! just shed and it was a full shed
BM- poops are normal and frequent
Substrate- coconut fiber
H2O-Good! 6" di dish 2.5" deep
Hides- ok. just got one on the hot side
Handling-ok. i try to hold him everyday but he cowers and hides and after 10 min pops a fuse
Age- aprox 1.5 to 2 years
Temperment-bad! F ing Aggro



now it may have to do with him JUST sheding and being in shed mode over the last week. but i held him 3-4 times everytime he grips onto my wrist Looks Directly at me and strikes a bunch.

lucky i can inticipate his move as i have not been taged "yes" been struck at like 12 to 15 times in the last week

what can i do to make him happy?

---

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jah-Riddem

haha we dont really have hoods in victoria bc


im sure the breeder was a jerk to him tho he seems under fed for his age and is always hungry

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If he seems underweight and is always hungry, maybe feeding him larger meals will help. You know, maybe under feeding is also the reason why he strikes at you; he may be not getting enough food. Feed him a mouse/rat about the same size as the middle of his body, but you can power feed and give him two mice/rats so he can gain some weight:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BallPythonLOVER

If he seems underweight and is always hungry, maybe feeding him larger meals will help. You know, maybe under feeding is also the reason why he strikes at you; he may be not getting enough food. Feed him a mouse/rat about the same size as the middle of his body, but you can power feed and give him two mice/rats so he can gain some weight:)

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i have been i give him good size rats and 2 at a time if he will take them ! and i agree i kinda think thats why he is so worked up may take a few month for him to chill

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jah-Riddem

i have been i give him good size rats and 2 at a time if he will take them ! and i agree i kinda think thats why he is so worked up may take a few month for him to chill

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Ya I think that would totally work. If he gains weight and is well fed, you shouldn't have a problem and a nicely rounded BP in no time:) I just hope he becomes nicer. Some snakes will takes weeks, or months, or possibly even never to be able to be tamed into becoming holdable. My Cali King hates being handled, and hates people lol.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Freddiesinmyseat

my BPs enjoy temps around 80-84, if I were you I'd switch the hide to the cold side as soon as possible or even add a second hide so he has a choice. also, if I were you I wouldn't handle him more than 15 minutes a day, anymore I've heard can stress them out if they're not used to it. you want to get him used to you gradually and over time rather than force your time upon him, you know? also, study up on the substrates and try to make an educated decision on whether or not the coconut fiber is the best decision for that specific snake.

as far as behavior in his enclosure does he hide, bask, or try to escape most of the time? it tells you a lot about a snake and leaving that info out will have everyone's suggestions incomplete at best. for instance, if he's up on a branch basking most of the time then his belly heat isn't high enough (ball pythons aren't tree dwellers and in nature will burrow in rodent holes), if he's trying to escape a lot then he is probably stressed with his living arrangements, if he's hiding most of the day he is probably comfortable seeing as ball pythons are nocturnal and will actually stay in a hide if they have everything they need in or around their hide spot.

I'm no expert on ball pythons or anything but this is all stuff I've learned after reading through a bunch of forums and posts for the last several months. I just picked up an aggressive ball python myself that we're working to calm down. he's a 486g guy, about 2.5 feet. he's had a bad shed, still has large patches stuck on. really cautious around fast movement, head shy like no other and tags if he doesn't like something you do. we just got him tonight but he seems way more calm than he was earlier (housed in a 20h with a larger male) which wasn't due to their fault, but rather the situation and time they had to rescue him and his buddy.

we have him in a 28qt sterilite container on astroturf type carpeting with 1 hide and a water dish. he's been in hiding most of the time he's been there (about 3 hours) and has already shed off a lot of the retained skin due to the humidity kept in the container and the grip of the substrate. we have personally had a great success with the astroturf, no irritation to our ball pythons whatsoever and it actually helped them shed in full pieces (since they need something to rub against when they're ready to shed).

Sorry about the long post, had some drinky tonight lol! but yeah, I now have a camera at my disposable for a few days. I'll take some pics of my set up for our snakes and I'll keep you updated on his behavior if you wish (we just need to give him some time to acclimate before we try to handle him, he's had 2 moves in 2 weeks).

well, good luck and keep us updated on his progress :)
~Fade

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you think cold side is better for him? because i find he loves to sit on the top of his hide "which is on the heat pad" i also find him lots Stretched out with some on the heat pad and some in his water

i do my best to be patient with him and when he starts to freak out i put him back! he has things to rub on! and i Really like the coconut fiber ! you can get it at Canadian tire cheap cheap and it holds moisture soo soo soo good!

and yes i would love to see your setup

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BallPythonLOVER

Ya I think that would totally work. If he gains weight and is well fed, you shouldn't have a problem and a nicely rounded BP in no time:) I just hope he becomes nicer. Some snakes will takes weeks, or months, or possibly even never to be able to be tamed into becoming holdable. My Cali King hates being handled, and hates people lol.

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he should stop being a punk when he matures a bit ;-)


i think he is growing allready! He seems bigger than when i got him. and as soon as i got him on rats every 3 days he went into shed with in 2 weeks

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jah-Riddem

you think cold side is better for him? because i find he loves to sit on the top of his hide "which is on the heat pad" i also find him lots Stretched out with some on the heat pad and some in his water

i do my best to be patient with him and when he starts to freak out i put him back! he has things to rub on! and i Really like the coconut fiber ! you can get it at Canadian tire cheap cheap and it holds moisture soo soo soo good!

and yes i would love to see your setup

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do you have a digital thermometer with probes or are you using a dial/tape thermometer and humidity gauge? if you're using the latter then those are inaccurate at best. you can actually get a thermo/hygrometer combo for like 12 bucks and if you have a soldering iron (10 bucks) then you can mod it for 3 external probes to the original 1 (2 temp and 1 humidity). it sounds like he's trying to get higher up to the basking lamp so it might be too cold for him. if you're able to take pics of the enclosure at all it would help. having him comfortable in his environment would be, in my opinion, your first step to a better attitude.

time for bed for me lol, I'll get back to you tomorrow after work probably. :)

Wow nice. Doesn't every 3 days seem kind of too much? I can see feeding every 5 days, but 3 seems kinda too much since snakes have slow digestive systems. I feed all of my snakes on a weekly basis (7 days) and I also record how much they ate, the day and date they ate, and what they ate. Always nice to keep a record:) I also keep track of their length and width (monthly) and when they shed (the day, date, how they shedded like assisted or self shed, and how many pieces they shedded in).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Freddiesinmyseat

do you have a digital thermometer with probes or are you using a dial/tape thermometer and humidity gauge? if you're using the latter then those are inaccurate at best. you can actually get a thermo/hygrometer combo for like 12 bucks and if you have a soldering iron (10 bucks) then you can mod it for 3 external probes to the original 1 (2 temp and 1 humidity). it sounds like he's trying to get higher up to the basking lamp so it might be too cold for him. if you're able to take pics of the enclosure at all it would help. having him comfortable in his environment would be, in my opinion, your first step to a better attitude.

time for bed for me lol, I'll get back to you tomorrow after work probably. :)

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i would very much like to see your moding 3 external probes to the original 1 (2 temp and 1 humidity). and how you set it up!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BallPythonLOVER

Wow nice. Doesn't every 3 days seem kind of too much? I can see feeding every 5 days, but 3 seems kinda too much since snakes have slow digestive systems. I feed all of my snakes on a weekly basis (7 days) and I also record how much they ate, the day and date they ate, and what they ate. Always nice to keep a record:) I also keep track of their length and width (monthly) and when they shed (the day, date, how they shedded like assisted or self shed, and how many pieces they shedded in).

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nice


well i was told every 3 days till he stops than goto 7 !

and hahaha i cant record my snake he wont let me take any measurements and i need a scale ! lol but thats a reallllly cool idea! you should take that info and graph it and share it so others can see the growth pattern of a snake :-)

Great idea, I really think I should do that. I'm mainly monitoring Monty's (male BP) growth to see how large he grows until it's breeding time. When I get a gram scale, I'm measuring their weights. And when I start breeding, I'll keep record on how many eggs are in the clutch, how many slugs, what morphs I produced, males and female count, hatch date, date when the eggs were layed, and things like that. Wow that's a lot.. lol.

And by the way you should try feeding your snake every 5-7 days so it can properly digest it's meal. Snakes seem to take food offered whenever it is offered so they will eat multiple times in a day and eat every single day so they should really be fed the appropriate amount on a weekly basis so it does not regurgitate meals and doesn't get overweight.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=92057

that's the mod I use, it's a great tutorial. oh, and don't get confused about how you put the wires to the probe, it's really simple. just think of it as extending the little legs on the probes, they still go to the places they were hooked up at, just with a longer connection using pieces of wire from the original probe :P

I also just enlarged the original hole for the 1 probe to be able to fit 3 cords coming out. :) it looks very clean overall (aside from the tape I used to hold them in place in the bins lol)

Are you handling the day he eats and the day after he eats? Most snakes really don't like to be messed with up to 48 hours after they eat. He really only needs to eat an appropriate sized meal every 5 days up til he is 500 grams or so(from what I've read on here). Then every 7 days.

He also needs 2 hides so he can choose where he wants to be, mine almost always stays on the cooler side. If he is always on top of the hide on the warm side and you are using a heat matt he is probably too hot in the hide.

Leave him alone for 48 hours after feeding every 5 days, get him another hide, make sure you temps are 80-82 cool side, 90 - 95 warm side with an ambient of around 82-85. Do all of this, let him settle in a week or so, then try handling him a couple days a week for 15min and put him up. If he strikes don't put him up, just be calm with him. He will probably start to relax a bit more with time.

I have one like this. I've given up hope of ever being her friend... lol

All of my ball pythons are are easy to hold except for one. I have a yellow belly that just hates people. He never strikes at the person holding him though. If anyone else is close he will attack. I call him my Loaded Snake. I just point and shoot.

When he strikes at you do not put him down, Decrease your handling time.

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My Bp has a serious aggro issues why?

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Looks like you need to find a good tank or healer. :D

I disagree with holding him more often and for longer periods of time so that he can get used to your scent.

He's clearly stressed out by being handled, so forcing him to endure more stress makes no sense at all when you think about it, it will only serve to make him associate you with a negative experience.

I would take him out for VERY brief handling sessions once a day (but not during the 48 hours immediately after eating).

The moment that he relaxes even a little bit, put him up. What you are doing, is reinforcing calm, relaxed behavior by rewarding him with something that he desires (which is not to be held and to be put back up).

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by DustinB

Are you handling the day he eats and the day after he eats? Most snakes really don't like to be messed with up to 48 hours after they eat. He really only needs to eat an appropriate sized meal every 5 days up til he is 500 grams or so(from what I've read on here). Then every 7 days.

He also needs 2 hides so he can choose where he wants to be, mine almost always stays on the cooler side. If he is always on top of the hide on the warm side and you are using a heat matt he is probably too hot in the hide.

Leave him alone for 48 hours after feeding every 5 days, get him another hide, make sure you temps are 80-82 cool side, 90 - 95 warm side with an ambient of around 82-85. Do all of this, let him settle in a week or so, then try handling him a couple days a week for 15min and put him up. If he strikes don't put him up, just be calm with him. He will probably start to relax a bit more with time.

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ditto on those lol. didn't consider the hide thing. assumed (which you should never do haha) that he would move to the cool side of the tank, but it does make sense that the place he should feel secure (the hide) would be his choice for trying to escape heat even if he is sitting on top :P my pythons actually do this on hot days (like 88 degrees indoors, no ac).

the feeding schedule...you should try to get a scale as soon as you can (after other priorities like another hide and what not) so you can actually weigh your snake in grams. I bought my kitchen scale from Ross (discount store) for like 10 bucks. it has the option to weigh in both lbs and grams and measures in .1lb/1g increments up to I believe 7 lbs and 6kgs or something like that which should be more than enough for ball pythons (or atleast for now anyways). if you can't find a proper scale in one of your local stores, you can buy them online for reasonable prices :)

and definitely leave him be for 2 days after feeding him, don't handle him during feeding either. if you use a separate feeding bin, it could be stressing him out. the way we feed is in their enclosure, taking out their hide and water dish and then presenting the prey item. it's worked best for us and our snakes never strike towards us at all. this is 2 snake experience though lol someone else might have a different opinion :P

Okay everyone, more handling is not what this snake needs. If anything, it is some time off and a nice secure enclosure for a week or two.

I can't believe no one has been asking more questions about his hide and enclosure.

What kind of hide are you using? You need two identical rock cave type hides. They like small enclosed spaces, this is what makes them feel safe and not like they are going to be eaten every time you go and pick them up.

What size tank is he in? Too big of an environment can be very stressful for a bp oddly enough.

Everything you have described sounds like the snake is horribly stressed. Thankfully, this is usually easy to fix. Just leave the snake alone for a while. We all need alone time :P

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Okay everyone, more handling is not what this snake needs. If anything, it is some time off and a nice secure enclosure for a week or two.

I can't believe no one has been asking more questions about his hide and enclosure.

What kind of hide are you using? You need two identical rock cave type hides. They like small enclosed spaces, this is what makes them feel safe and not like they are going to be eaten every time you go and pick them up.

What size tank is he in? Too big of an environment can be very stressful for a bp oddly enough.

Everything you have described sounds like the snake is horribly stressed. Thankfully, this is usually easy to fix. Just leave the snake alone for a while. We all need alone time :P

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this is why I was saying a few pics of his enclosure would be great lol.

as far as "rock cave-type hides", I'm not sure if you mean actual rock looking hides or not. I use a single hide right now since it's summer and I don't use a UTH right now, night time drops to about 75-77 and daytime raises about 10 degrees and my ball pythons aren't stressed or anything (please don't lecture, I have a UTH and a thermostat as well as an Accu-Rite thermometer with 2 external temps and an external humidity probe, new batteries, etc)

the hides I use are just blue plastic bowls I got from Dollartree in 2-3 packs lol. I just cut the rims off and added a hole. no matter what kind of hide you use though, you have to keep in mind that the snake will be most comfortable in a confined space, they like having their side touch the hide all the way around. IMO the hide should have 20-50% more space than what your snake takes up, giving it space to move around while keeping it comfortable and allowing space to grow so you don't have to keep updating every couple sheds lol. if the hide you're providing has a ton of extra space or 2 open ends (like log "hides") then you'll want to switch out for something else.

I keep dragging on, sorry lol!

Well, usually people can picture in their mind immediately what the rock cave hides look like. That is why I used that as an example rather than trying to explain how to convert a bowl into a hide.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Well, usually people can picture in their mind immediately what the rock cave hides look like. That is why I used that as an example rather than trying to explain how to convert a bowl into a hide.

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>.>

I immediately think of a small, plastic hide that looks like the side of a cliff...or ruins in a desert haha.

it's probably just me, not trying to poke fun or anything. :D

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Originally Posted by BallPythonLOVER

Keep handling him daily for him to get used to your scent. He may feel not comfortable or nervous around you, so when you handle him make sure your calm and gentle with him. Snakes can feel your emotions, so if your scared they will be scared, nervous, and tense a little. If you are calm and happy, the snake will be as well. Also, try not to make fast movements around your BP. BPs seem to hate fast movements, and they will either hide their head underneath their body or strike (but the strike is usually only bumping you with it's nose to scare you away). My male has striked at me a few times, but I'm handling him every day (except the day and the day after feeding) and he seems to be getting used to it. I've had him for 3 weeks now and he's doing great. Just gently and calmly handle him on a daily basis and he will get used to your handling. Show no fear, you know you are way stronger than he is even though he may make movements (striking) to scare you.

*Note- males sometimes will get a little grumpy around mating season, which seems to be getting close (the Fall).

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As others have stated, I also disagree with upping this snakes handling to a daily event. Stressed snakes do not usually respond to increasing their stress levels and handling is a stressful time for these shy snakes.

Robin gave some great advice. So did others here.

Mating season for ball pythons is traditionally late fall into the winter months (though many experienced breeders breed year round). June however is not late fall/winter at least where I live.